Vegans and non-vegans alike, head to Donut Run in Takoma Park for plant-based donuts with a cult-like following.

The donut shop, which opened earlier this year at 6904 4th St. NW, is hard to miss with the line of people who patiently wait outside the bubble gum pink storefront. Husband and wife Shawn Petersen and Nicole Dao opened Donut Run on Jan. 2 after two years of successful pop-ups around the city.

Every morning at 7 a.m., Donut Run places fresh, completely vegan donuts on display shelves built into the shop’s register counter for browsing. Donut flavors rotate in and out on a daily basis, but you can check for the flavors of the day on its Instagram story. The shop only carries about a dozen flavors of donuts each day, so you’ll likely be able to try a new variety each time you visit.

Customers can choose from either traditional flavors like Boston cream and raspberry filling, or more experimental flavors like french toast and mango coconut. You can also purchase Brewing Good Coffee Company coffee to dunk your donuts.

If you have your heart set on a specific flavor, you should plan to get there early because the donuts sell out fast. It has an official closing time of 2 p.m., but the closing time really depends on how quickly donuts get snatched up. Because of its popularity, Donut Run often sells out late morning and closes its doors early, usually before noon. 

I got there at about 9:30 a.m. and was shocked at how many donut shelves had already been emptied out. But luckily, each of the five donuts I tried was some of the best I’ve ever had. 

My favorite was Donut Run’s blueberry donut. I don’t normally order fruit-flavored donuts, but its bright purple color stood out to me on the shelf and I had to try it. 

The donut was larger than I expected, but it wasn’t the least bit dense. In fact, I couldn’t believe the pasty’s texture could be so airy and light. 

On its own, the dough was just slightly sweet, which allowed the blueberry glaze to be the star of the show. I’m not the biggest fan of blueberry-flavored treats, but this donut converted me. Each bite was packed with a fresh blueberry flavor, and the glaze was sweet – but not too sweet – and still had the slightly tart flavor of fresh blueberries. 

As a non-vegan, it was hard to believe that the donut was completely plant-based, a testament to how delicious it actually was. 

The trek to Takoma Park is more than worth it for a box of Donut Run’s donuts.