The doughnut craze has made a comeback in Tokyo over the past few years, with new specialist bakeries popping up all over the city. Leading the trend is I’m donut?, a unique doughnut shop known for its pillowy-soft treats made with Japanese ingredients. The brand has recently gone global, opening locations in New York City and Taipei – and now it’s launched a fully gluten-free shop in Shibuya.
I’m donut? Gluten-Free is located across the street from the I’m donut? Shibuya store and operates as a takeaway stand. You’ll still get to enjoy I’m donut?’s signature ‘nama’ (fresh) doughnuts – but at the new shop these are made entirely gluten-free using Japanese rice flour instead of wheat. The dough also incorporates ingredients like pumpkin, which helps create a moist and slightly sweet doughnut.
The gluten-free shop offers eight different doughnuts, including the signature ‘I’m Free’ original (¥356), which is lightly coated in brown sugar, and the cacao (¥388) – both of which are vegan-friendly. The original flavour was one of our favourites and was light, moist and just as delicious as the brand’s regular creations. Honestly, it was hard to even tell it was gluten-free – it was that good.
Additionally there are four cream-based doughnuts filled with a decadent cream or custard made from rice flour. The cream doughnuts come in four flavours: custard (¥529), pistachio (¥637), chocolate cream (¥583) and framboise (¥583). When we tried the pistachio flavour, it was pleasantly fragrant and not overly sweet – the ultimate hallmark of a great dessert.
You’ll also find two other varieties: strawberry chocolate (¥475) and caramel nuts (¥496). The former features a cocoa-flavoured doughnut coated in sweet and tangy strawberry chocolate – we couldn’t help but think it tasted just like a strawberry Pocky. The caramel nuts doughnut is topped with caramel chocolate and homemade caramelised nuts for a satisfyingly crunchy finish. This one would pair wonderfully with coffee.
I’m donut? Gluten-Free is open from 11am to 7pm daily, but be warned: a queue often forms even before the store opens. For more information, follow the store on Instagram.
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