Plant-based Goodness: Our Favourite Vegan Bakers and Treat Makers

With over a decade on the scene, Little Bird has played a huge role in pioneering the plant-based movement in Aotearoa. From day one, their café had queues out the door, much to owner Megan May’s surprise, and has continued to have a hugely loyal following ever since. It’s really not hard to see why. Their decadent range of sweet treats is a feast for all the senses. 

Using only organic plant-based wholefoods, Little Bird recreates many well-loved classics like tiramisu, caramel slice, and strawberry cheesecake. But unlike their dairy, gluten, and sugar-laden counterparts, these moreish goodies leave you feeling nourished, energised, and thoroughly satisfied. For the ultimate experience of raw chocolate heaven, be sure to try their silky-smooth chocolate hazelnut tart.

Stop for a second, take a deep breath, and know that your life will never be the same again. Why? Because all of your wildest gooey chewy vegan cookie dreams are about to come true. From her adorable barbie-pink-coloured custom cookie factory in Auckland, vegan treat goddess Stephanie van der Merwe handmakes plant-based cookies that are perfect in the purest sense of the word.

The Vegan Treatory is all about conscious consumption that feels every bit as good as it tastes, and oh boy, does it taste good. There are popular classics like choc chunk and white choc macadamia that can’t be passed by. Other mainstays are The Smores Cookie with vegan marshmallows and The PB Dreams Cookie, which quite frankly are what cookie dreams are made of. Then there are limited editions like The Biscoff Cookie (caramelised cookie dough stuffed with crunchy biscoff cookie butter) that you’ll want to get your mitts on asap while you still can.

Photo supplied by The Vegan Treatory

In the heart of Auckland city, you’ll find a little slice of heaven called The Raw Kitchen. A cabinet full of tarts, slices, and gâteaux awaits your choosing pleasure. And good luck with that because all the nutrient-dense, wholesome, vegan treats are not only seriously delicious, but they look stunning too.  

Maker Olivia Scott started The Raw Kitchen after she discovered how great she felt consuming a plant-based diet and set about sharing that feeling with the rest of Aotearoa. We’re so glad she did because, seriously, what would life be like without her famous snickers cake or caramel slice? A little less sweet, to be sure. 

If you haven’t yet joined the queue outside Maison des Lys on a Sunday morning then you clearly haven’t realised what you're missing out on. Think flaky, buttery pastries so exquisitely perfect you would have no idea that they are in fact 100% vegan. Dusted almond croissants, apricot danishes, pains au chocolat, and the massively popular plant-based ham and cheese croissants all fly out the door in the hands of raving fans.

Hailing from Paris, self-taught pastry chef Drissilla David missed the daily ritual of going to the bakery for bread and pastries when she moved to New Zealand. Having then recently embraced a plant-based lifestyle, she started experimenting with pastry techniques using high-quality vegan ingredients. The result? Auckland’s first plant-based pâtisserie chock full of divine goods so mouth-watering you’ll be rejoining that queue for more before you’ve even taken your second bite.

While raw versions of plant-based cheesecakes are fast becoming a common staple at discerning eateries, a truly excellent baked cheesecake has been borderline impossible to find in vegan circles until now. Little Leaf cheesecake maker Lily comes from a family of bakers, so when lockdowns rendered her jobless in 2020, she decided to try her hand at satisfying our plant-based tastebuds with her great love: the baked cheesecake. 

You’ll salivate over flavours like Salted Caramel Pecan, Banoffee Biscoff, Hazelnut Chocolate Cookie Dough, and Burnt Basque Tiramisu. We promise you it will be very hard to pick just one. Lily’s moreish cheesecakes are only available in Auckland via pickup or local delivery, so enjoy perusing the offerings on her website and enlist your Auckland friends to bring you one next time they visit. 

Photo supplied by Little Leaf Cakery. 

Self-taught baker of The Unbaked Bakery, Macayla Fleming, makes perhaps the most exquisite and beautifully presented luscious raw cakes, tarts, and cheesecakes we have come across. We absolutely can’t go past the Peanut Butter Caramel and Chocolate Ganache Tart or the Passionfruit Lemon Vanilla Cheesecake. Too yum!

Macayla is passionate about educating and encouraging a healthy mindset around food, as well as creating beautiful, nourishing food that brings people together. Her passion shines through in the tiniest details and perfectly matched flavour profiles. We’re not too sure about sharing, though, those cakes are mighty delicious!

Photo supplied by The Unbaked Bakery

Belén bakers Mica and Chris weren’t satisfied with merely taking part in the Capital city’s vegan scene, they were intent on being pioneers. Wanting to share their plant-based lifestyle with more people, they set out to show that there are no limits to what you can create with plants. The result of their resolution is an endearingly eclectic city centre cafe with great vibes and even greater baked goods.

In a genius move,  they’ve taken classic baked favourites, reinvented them with entirely plant-based ingredients, and then tripled the delicious factor. Everything is just a little bit extra in the best possible way. With a counter full of pastries, muffins, slices, and cakes we’d be hard-pressed to pick a favourite, but Belén’s donuts are a solid contender. Truthfully who among us could willingly pass up on a raspberry and vanilla crème brulée donut? 

In a quaint little studio kitchen, chocolatier Arnel Vicencio lovingly creates his oh-so-incredibly-edible miniature works of art. From Mind Your Temper’s humble market stall beginnings, Arnel discovered his vegan options were the most popular. Cue the creation of an extravagant plant-based chocolate collection made with the highest quality, ethically sourced, organic ingredients.

Jars of delightful dragees, unique chocolate bar creations, and colourful handpainted bonbons are designed to mesmerise your tastebuds and bring joy to your life. What could be more fun than a chocolate brand thoughtfully curated to cheer you up and make you smile? Oh, perhaps one of their award-winning raspberry cheesecake bonbons or two.

In a custom-converted shipping container surrounded by lush native bush, maker Julia Warren and her team create the most delicious raw vegan treats. Make it Raw is one of the OG’s of Aotearoa’s plant-based food scene, having served up their first mousse tart over a decade ago. Their sweet offerings are handcrafted, nutrient-dense, and quite simply divine. 

Crowd favourites include peppermint, and citrus slices; chocolate hazelnut, and passionfruit mousse tarts; and the sinfully good Snicks Bar. Their raw slices, tarts, and treats can be found in wholefood stores and cafes all over Christchurch and North Canterbury. Riverside Collective and the Ohoka Farmers Market are the best spots to pick up your goodies, especially if you also want to meet the lovely Make It Raw makers.

Everyone deserves to eat good food and Good Roots maker Emily loves creating nourishing delicious treats that everyone can enjoy. Made with high-quality organic plant-based whole foods, Good Roots creations are as good for the body as they are for the soul. If you’ve never tried their PB Bars or Zesty Lemon Tarts then you’re missing out!

In the picturesque southern town of Wānaka, Emily’s treats are handmade with a lot of love and creativity, and a little touch of magic. Fridays are Open Kitchen days where you can watch the creators in action and take home some goodies to devour. If you can’t wait until Friday, just order yourself a Celebration Box from their website - a scrumptious selection of raw cakes, slices and heavenly choc bars. You’ll be so glad you did.

Photo supplied by Good Roots.