As a non-vegan eater, I have always found vegan ice cream a bit daunting. Can it really be just as creamy and delicious as normal ice cream? I decided to take one for the team and over the past month, I have been trying as many vegan ice creams as possible. I tried some lesser-known brands and have definitely found some keepers. Keep reading to find out which vegan ice creams are my personal favorite!
Nada Moo Mint Chip
I hate to start off on a bad note but this ice cream was the worst out of all the ones I tried.
The ice cream lacked flavor and tasted like really sweet water with a few chocolate chips here and there. Nada Moo completely missed the mark on the mint chocolate chip. I was a little disappointed, but maybe their other flavors are better than the mint chip.
Overall rating: 2/10
So Delicious Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie
I’ve never tried this flavor before in non-vegan ice cream, so I was particularly excited to try it! I was not disappointed. Although slightly hard in texture, after letting it sit out for a few minutes it became very creamy and I could not taste the difference from non-vegan ice cream. I will say that the brownie chunks had a bit of a powdery feel, and the chocolate flavor could have been a bit stronger.
Overall Rating: 7/10
Oatly Salted Caramel
This was one of the better ice creams I have tried so far! Super creamy and tasted just like non-vegan ice cream. There was a good salted caramel flavor in the ice cream base, but the salted caramel swirl was only at the top which was a bit disappointing.
I would buy this again, and highly recommend it. But also, you should probably put your own caramel swirl on top!
Overall Rating: 8/10
Archer Farms Mocha Almond Fudge
If you are a coffee ice cream lover you will want to try this! Archer Farms is specific to Target and if you are looking for a vegan coffee ice cream alternative I suggest you run to Target and get this. Super creamy, but it could use some more mocha flavor. It tastes more like a latte, but you can just add some chocolate syrup on top to fix that!
Overall Rating: 8/10
So Delicious Salted Caramel Ice Cream Bar
If you are looking to try vegan ice cream then this is what you need to start out with! This ice cream had such depth of flavor while maintaining the creamy factor, despite being made from cashew milk. It also comes in a pint (Salted Caramel Cluster) and it was THE BEST ice cream I have ever had in both the vegan and non-vegan world. I can’t recommend this enough, do yourself a favor and go buy this ice cream!
Overall Rating: 11/10
So Delicious Mint Chip
In comparison to the Nada Moo mint chip, this one was much better. I must say the flavor takes a little bit of getting used to but is a good dairy-free alternative for mint chip. The mint flavor could be a little stronger but the chocolate shavings are what really sell this flavor! If you are looking for a vegan mint chip ice cream, I recommend this one over Nada Moo.
Overall Ranking: 6/10
So Delicious Butter Pecan
Although not bad, I’m not sure I’d choose this over the non-vegan butter pecan ice cream. The ice cream is extremely hard and kind of flakes in your mouth like shaved ice does. Despite the texture, the flavor is pretty good and has a strong toasted pecan flavor. Not the worst ice cream I’ve had, and it’s sugar-free too so that adds in a few bonus points!
Overall Rating: 7/10
Conclusion
I’m sure after reading all of my rankings it is clear who the winner is… So Delicious Salted Caramel Cluster! I would have to say it is one of the few ice creams that I could not tell was vegan. Besides that, the flavor profile was extraordinary. One thing I would like to add is that in all of the ice creams you could NOT taste the dairy alternative being used. I know that is something I was worried about, but even for coconut milk based ice creams, I could not taste the difference. If you are to venture out into the vegan ice cream world, I recommend oat milk or nut milk based alternatives. They have the best texture that mimics real ice cream and have become some of my personal favorites.
I hope these rankings have inspired you to begin your own vegan ice cream journey! Goodbye dairy, hello dairy-free alternatives.