Avocado Donuts: Vegan-Friendly Treats Packed with Nutrition and Flavor

“Avocado Donuts,” which opened in November 2022 in Kamimachi, Setagaya, Tokyo, features donuts made with avocado, often called the “butter of the forest.” These donuts are gaining attention for being both body- and eco-friendly. We spoke with the founder, Ken Okai, to learn the reasons behind it.

【Advised by】Avocado Donuts

Table of Contents

1 What is an Avocado Donut?
2 The Story Behind Avocado Donuts
3 Let’s Try Avocado Donuts!
4 Delicious Ways to Eat at Home
5 Avocado Smoothie

What is an Avocado Donut?

“Avocado Donuts” are made by carefully grinding avocado into a paste and kneading it into the dough. Without using animal-based ingredients such as eggs, milk, or butter, and fried in plant-based rapeseed oil, these donuts are vegan-friendly.

Incidentally, avocados are recognized by Guinness as the “most nutritious fruit in the world,” and are also called “edible beauty serum.” Packed with nutrients like vitamins and potassium that benefit skin and reduce swelling, oleic acid that helps prevent lifestyle-related diseases, and dietary fiber and magnesium that improve gut health, avocados are truly a nutritional powerhouse.

The Story Behind Avocado Donuts

Avocado Donuts were launched by Ken Okai, the founder of “Hara Donuts,” which sells donuts made with okara (soy pulp) and soy milk.
Okai was approached by produce distribution company Farmind and others, who asked him to find a way to make use of discarded ingredients such as bananas and kiwis. Among them, avocado caught his attention. Known as “butter of the forest,” avocados are easy to incorporate into various dishes, and he thought they could also be used in donuts.

However, creating a donut with avocado was unprecedented and commercializing it was extremely challenging.
Because avocados are high in fat, the donuts would sometimes become greasy over time or fail to rise properly. By adjusting the amount of avocado used, altering the yeast ratio according to the climate, and taking customer feedback into account, improvements were made step by step.

Avocado Donuts are made with overripe or non-standard avocados that cannot be sold in supermarkets. Even the discarded avocado pits and skins are reused locally as materials for natural dyeing. Surprisingly, when used in dyeing, they produce a pink color—a totally unexpected result!

Let’s Try Avocado Donuts!

The showcase offers about 10 varieties of donuts, including seasonal daily specials. Sometimes, the day’s menu is even decided by customer requests. Toppings are made with natural ingredients as much as possible, and the donuts are only lightly sweetened to be health-conscious.

This time, let’s look at five types of donuts!

Avocado Donut

The classic avocado donut. Simply dusted with sugar, it’s the best way to enjoy the pure taste of avocado. Start with this one!

Strawberry Pistachio

A donut topped with strawberry icing and pistachios.

All About Chocolate

A donut filled with chocolate inside as well. It uses 61% cacao from organically grown cocoa by Trois Continents.

Avo-Cinnamon

A simple donut dusted with cinnamon and sugar.

Caramelized

A donut with caramelized sugar on top. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.

Delicious Ways to Eat at Home

You can bring your own container for takeout

You can enjoy Avocado Donuts in-store, but many customers opt for takeout. If you bring your own container, they’ll put the donuts in for you—an eco-friendly initiative!
We also got tips on the best ways to enjoy them at home, so we gave them a try.

Toast Them

Toast in a 1,000-watt toaster for 1–2 minutes while keeping an eye on them to avoid burning! Avocado Donuts and Avo-Cinnamon are especially recommended for this method.

Toasting reduces the oiliness and makes the dough fluffier. The melted sugar seeps into the dough, creating a juicy texture!

Chill in the Fridge

Chocolate-based donuts are best enjoyed chilled! You’ll get the crispy texture of hardened chocolate together with the fluffy donut.

Avocado Smoothie

A smoothie made by blending avocado, agave syrup, and fat-free milk. Like the donuts, it uses only body-friendly ingredients. It has a fruity taste with the richness and creaminess of avocado.

Okai wanted to offer donuts reminiscent of the simple, wholesome ones his grandmother used to make for him as a child—donuts safe for children to enjoy. That’s why he created Avocado Donuts with carefully chosen ingredients and opened the store in Setagaya, a neighborhood where many families live.

Because Avocado Donuts are made with body-friendly ingredients, they’re perfect as an everyday snack. Plus, since they help reduce food waste, they also contribute positively to the environment.