Dairy-free Series: Dairy Ice Cream Alternatives
Here’s the Scoop
In my previous two blog posts, I wrote about dairy-free milks and dairy-free cheeses, which are both pretty easy to find at a grocery store or make at home. However, there are TONS of dairy-free ice cream options in grocery stores, almost to the point where you don’t need to make them on your own (you definitely can, of course). I found some dairy ice cream alternatives at my local grocery store and gave them a try. Read on to see how they stacked up.
Types of Dairy-free Ice Cream
So Delicious Cashew Milk
So Delicious has so many non-dairy ice cream flavors that are made with almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, oat milk, or soy milk. I was really surprised by all of the options! My fiancé’s favorite cookie is snickerdoodle so when we found this dairy-free Snickerdoodle ice cream made with cashew milk, I knew this was a flavor we had to try.
There are about 3 servings per pint, with each serving totaling 240 calories, and it’s vegan, gluten free, non-GMO, and kosher certified. Of all the products on this list, this one most closely resembled dairy ice cream. The texture was on point, and I really enjoyed the chunks of snickerdoodle dough that were mixed in. It was smooth, creamy, and tastes just like a snickerdoodle cookie. I highly recommend this flavor, and if you want a dairy-free ice cream that’s close to the real thing, go for ones made with cashew milk.
So Delicious Coconut Milk
Another one from So Delicious, this is Cookie Dough flavor made with coconut milk. This pint has 3 servings, and each serving is 270 calories. Because it’s made with coconut milk, it isn’t as creamy and thick as dairy ice cream. Coconut milk has a pretty thin, watery consistency, and that’s noticeable in this non-dairy ice cream. There weren’t as many cookie dough chunks throughout as I expected, but I’m sure this varies from batch to batch. While this option isn’t the closest to dairy ice cream, it’s still a really light, tasty dairy-free ice cream that’s vegan, non-GMO, kosher certified, and gluten free.
Ben & Jerry’s Non-dairy Dessert
Ben & Jerry’s Non-dairy ice cream selection was pleasantly surprising because they have so many flavors, made with either almond milk or sunflower butter. They’ve made a lot of their classics dairy free, like Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, but they also have flavors unique to the dairy-free options, like Coconut Seven-layer Bar and Crème Brûlée.
I tried their Mint Chocolate Cookie flavor that’s made with sunflower butter. It’s 300 calories per serving, with 3 servings in each pint, and it’s vegan, non-GMO, and kosher certified. I’m not the biggest fan of mint, but this flavor is my favorite out of the ones I tried. The texture is just like dairy ice cream, and there were big chunks of cookies throughout. The mint flavor was pretty subtle yet natural-tasting, unlike some other mint ice creams that taste artificially minty. If you want something close to dairy ice cream, I’d definitely recommend this flavor.
Talenti Dairy-free Sorbetto
I’ve had Talenti dairy-free sorbetto before in the Dark Chocolate flavor, and I really enjoyed it, so I decided to try a new flavor, Coconut Chocolate Cookie. This pint has 3 servings with 330 calories per serving. It’s non-GMO and kosher certified, but it isn’t vegan. Sorbetto is an Italian dessert that’s traditionally made without dairy and eggs, and Talenti follows tradition to a degree by using water instead of dairy; however, some of their flavors do contain eggs, so read the labels before buying.
This flavor was my least favorite out of the dairy-free ice creams I tried. It has 5 layers, beginning with coconut sorbetto on top, then oat crisps, dairy-free hot fudge, coconut sorbetto, and chocolate cookie pieces on the bottom. The ratio between the layers felt unequal, and there was a lot more of the coconut sorbetto than any of the other layers. It was still a pretty yummy dessert, but it’s not the best substitute for dairy ice cream.
So Delicious Sandwiches
So Delicious is back again, this time with dairy-free ice cream sandwiches. One box has 8 sandwiches, and each sandwich is only 100 calories. These are the perfect size for when you just want a little something sweet. Made with coconut milk, these sandwiches are non-GMO, vegan, and kosher certified. The ones I tried were Vanilla Bean flavor, but they also have a Coconut flavor and a Vanilla flavor made with almond milk. I really enjoyed these non-dairy ice cream sandwiches, and they taste just like dairy ice cream.
Magnum Non-dairy Bars
I’ve enjoyed Magnum’s dairy ice cream bars before, and I was really excited to find their classic bars made without dairy. Each box comes with 3 bars, with 230 calories in each bar. Magnum currently has 3 dairy-free flavors: Almond, Sea Salt Caramel, and Classic Chocolate. The ice “cream” for the Classic Chocolate flavor is made with coconut oil and pea protein, among other ingredients, and dipped in vegan chocolate. These non-dairy ice cream bars taste just like dairy ice cream, and the hard vegan chocolate shell is amazing. I definitely recommend these bars.
Where to Buy
As you can see, So Delicious sort of dominates the non-dairy ice cream sector. They have so many flavors, made with virtually every kind of dairy-free milk, and they have sandwiches and bars too. However, there’s a lot of other brands with non-dairy options, like Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum. It’s clear that ice cream brands are noticing a demand for dairy-free products and are starting to branch out. There’s a lot more in the freezer aisle than I imagined, and it’s really convenient and helpful for people that can’t have or don’t want dairy. I found all of these dairy ice cream alternatives at Kroger; to see which flavors are near you, visit the brand’s website.
Make sure you have your freezer grocery bags so the goods don’t melt on the way home!
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