Close Encounters of the Donut Kind

This contributing writer attended a complimentary media event at Alien Donuts

Photos and Text by Shannon Severson

They come in peace… and deliciousness! Alien Donuts landed on Old Town Scottsdale’s Fifth Avenue in October, 2018 and has been steadily rolling out a delightful array of delicious “out there” and traditional donuts, along with ice cream, and coffee by Phoenix favorite, Cult Coffee, including nitro cold brew “Rocket Shakes.”

Owner David Ventura and his crew of “alien chefs” take pride in the constant variety of donut styles the kitchen is sending out daily. The selection changes week-to-week and often day-to-day, fueled by the spirit of experimentation.

The donuts fall into three categories: yeast-raised donuts, cake donuts (standard and vegan) and filled donuts.

Creativity here is obviously out of this world, with a range of iced donuts in fun colors, dressed for galactic success in sparkly toppings.

Take your breakfast to the next level with cereal-topped donuts, which are served with a pipette of milk.

If pancakes and bacon are more your thing, the slight tang of the Alien Short Stack buttermilk topped with maple glaze and brown sugared bacon is a meal in your hand.

And if you want to double your caffeine boost, pick the Alien Energy, a raised donut with cold brew coffee, topped with chocolate glaze, tossed with tres leches and topped with a chocolate coated espresso bean. You might just be able to fly home under your own power!

 The Alien Ice Donut, aka “The Walter White,” is a traditional yeast donut topped with teal-tinted vanilla glaze, edible gold leaf and organic raspberry rock candy (hence the Breaking Bad reference!) The Galaxy Donut shows off its celestial glory with a variegated galaxy sugar glaze and edible gold stars.

With Valentine’s Day in mind, a Strawberry Champagne donut, glammed up with vanilla drizzle, shimmering nonpareils, dusted with gold powder and topped off with a pipette of Strawberry champagne is positively elegant.

If your on a Vegan trajectory, Alien Donuts has you covered with several varieties including the pirate-y deliciousness (if “piratey” wasn’t a word before, it is now) of an apple spice yeast donut with rum glaze or the chocolate-dipped Vegan Oreo Crush (that non-Vegans will also enjoy.)

While there is plenty in the brightly-lit glass display case for customers who want some adventure with their donuts, if you’re looking for something a bit more down to earth, there’s plenty of styles and flavors that are quite familiar – classic old-fashioned, “Infinity” twists, jelly-filled, cannoli-filled, and Boston cream versions (some shaped and iced like alien faces). The shop’s donut holes are a slightly bigger version called “moon rocks” and sometimes appear iced and decorated as an alien head peaking out from the center of a frosted and sprinkled yeast donut that the kids will love.

Every Friday at Alien Donuts is “Fritter Friday,” when the chefs perform feats of (donut) daring do with multiple types of fritters including Apple Newton, Chocolate-Cherry Chaos and “We Come in Peach,” which happens to be General Manager Anthony’s favorite. Flecks of fruit throughout the dough pack a flavorful punch.

Two real standouts, for me, were the “Blueberry Spacecake” donut, a classic cake donut that tastes like an intense blueberry muffin with a blueberry-glazed drizzle. I love blueberries, but I wasn’t expecting to love a blueberry donut this much! Another favorite was the cinnamon-flecked “Alien Pretzel.” It’s an oversized, glazed raised donut sprinkled with raw organic sugar. It’s as if a flaky Morning Bun was abducted (by aliens, of course) and returned to earth as a donut. Fantastic with a cup of coffee. I think the texture of the raw sugar really makes it.

Alien Donuts’ faithful following doesn’t need to confine themselves to standard donut shop hours. The mothership is open Sunday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to “Late Nights,” which means donuts are a tasty option after cocktails!

As they say, “Donut Stop Believing!”

 Alien Donuts
7111 E. 5th Ave, Suite D
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
480-588-4668
info@aliendonuts.com