Rebel Donut - Albuquerque East Side

Rebel Donut - Albuquerque East Side

So You Want a Little Breaking Bad with Your Donut?

Rebel Donut

2435 Wyoming Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87112
rebeldonut.com

Rebel Donut, according to their website, is Albuquerque’s “premier artisan donut and pastry shop.” Being a recent arrival to the Albuquerque area, I had heard a lot of office chatter around the water cooler about how great this little donut shop was, and how we “had to try it!” So not long ago, with the Albuquerque Balloon Festival in full swing, Team EatingNewMexico took an early morning foray to the Abq East Side to grab some artisan donuts and coffee, and to see if we could spot any hot-air balloons floating over town.

We arrived at Rebel Donut around 7:30 AM on Sunday morning. Their normal business hours are 7:00 AM-4:00 PM on weekends, and according to their Facebook page, they had opened an hour early to accommodate early-risers attending the Balloon Festival. When we arrived, the shop was not busy and we were able to go straight to the counter and start the very challenging task of selecting which donuts we wanted. Actually, it was more of a challenge to decide which ones we WEREN’T going to buy!

The selection was very good. Since there were three of us, we decided on a conservative half-dozen box. Rebel Donut varies their selection daily, so you won’t know what’s available until you walk into the store.

But one of the regulars is the Blue Sky donut, a.k.a. the BREAKING BAD donut, named after the blue sugary crystalized sprinkles on top that closely resemble Walter White’s nefarious creation in the television series. As a “BrBa” fan, the Blue Sky donut was at the top of my list — so much so, we got two.

BrBa Aaron Paul Donuts
Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul admires a box of Blue Sky.

Others that made the cut were the Fruity Rebel, Biscochito, a Red Chile Chocolate Cream, and a Boston Cream.

Rebel Donut - 6-pack
Blue Sky x 2, Fruity Rebel, Biscochito, Red Chile Chocolate Cream, and Boston Cream.

 

The Blue Sky donut was a light cake donut with blue frosting and blue “crystal” candy on top. While it was delicious, we couldn’t quite pinpoint a flavor in it, other than sugar flavor. Maybe cotton candy? Not sure. The Fruity Rebel was a basic cake donut covered with Fruity Pebbles (the 8-year-old liked it). The biscochito had the perfect biscochito flavor — cinnamon, sugar, and the subtle licorice flavor of anise. A true New Mexico tradition, in donut form (genius!). The Red Chile Chocolate Cream was a raised donut with chocolate glaze, and a dollop of red chile pastry cream in the middle. The Boston Cream was your typical BC donut. Tasty!

Other donuts available that day were French Toast, Maple Bacon Bar, Green Chile Glazed, and some more savory selections, such as Jalapeno & Cheese, and Apple Chicken Sausage kolaches.

Rebel Donut display case
So many choices. Get them all!

The donuts were fresh and delicious, and while there are probably “fresh and delicious” donuts all over Albuquerque, the variety and artistry of these confections are what make Rebel Donuts special and are such a big reason for their success.

Something you likely won’t find at Rebel Donut are your typical “donut shop” items, like glazed twists, apple fritters, and bear claws. (Though there was a plain glazed the day we were there.) So if traditional and cheap is what you’re after, you might want to try somewhere that doesn’t have “rebel” in the title.

For coffee lovers, Rebel Donut also has an espresso menu and delicious brewed coffees, including (my favorite), New Mexico Piñon Coffee!

The only negative on the day we visited was the SUN. In the early morning, the sun blasts through the shop’s huge windows, and there was literally NO shaded seating to be found inside. It was hot and bright and really uncomfortable, so we chose to eat in the car while driving around looking for balloons. At the very least, they could pull some shades or something.

Overall though, we were very happy with our Rebel Donut experience, and I highly recommend a trip to Rebel Donut the next time your sweet tooth gets the better of you!