The future of vegan food is now. Brave Robot is a company creating delicious creamy vegan ice cream with dairy, but without help from a single cow. Its ice cream is so rich and soft that at first, I was seriously skeptical that it was even vegan. The warning on the front of the pint, “Contains: Milk Allergen,” didn’t help either. It was only after learning about the process of making lab synthesized dairy that I felt totally relaxed—and then, so excited.
Vegan Dairy? How Is That Possible?
The whey protein that makes Brave Robot’s ice cream is molecularly identical to the one found in cow’s milk. However, its synthesized by microflora and then fermented with plant sugars, without the use of any animals whatsoever. This creates dairy that tastes exactly like the dairy from cow’s milk, with no cows involved. The resulting whey protein is free from lactose, hormones, and antibiotics. In addition, by synthesizing dairy in a lab, you completely avoid dairy farming and the huge amounts of water and land required, not to mention the massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions given off. This ice cream is not only ingenious and delicious, but it’s much more eco-friendly than other dairy options.
What Does It Taste Like?
The first emotion I felt when I tried the Vanilla ‘N Cookies pint was pure nostalgia. It immediately reminded me of those little cups of vanilla ice cream with swirls of fudge we used to get during elementary school. The vanilla ice cream itself was incredibly creamy and silky, and super rich in sweet vanilla flavor. The swirls of chocolate cookies blended so beautifully with the vanilla, creating a soft and melty, chocolatey treat. I’ve been vegan for five years, and tasting this I could immediately differentiate it from vegan substitutes made out of almond or coconut milk. The texture was so much more velvety, and the taste more rich. As much as I love all the almond milk and oat milk substitutes I’ve tasted over the years, Brave Robot outcompetes easily.
What Flavors Do They Make?
Brave Robot has eight flavors of its ice cream, and every single one sounds mouthwatering. Vanilla, Hazelnut Chocolate Chunk, and PB ‘N Fudge are obvious crowd pleasers. If you want something more unique, Raspberry White Truffle and Buttery Pecan are the way to go. They also have a Blueberry Pie flavor made of vanilla ice cream with swirls of blueberry jam and graham cookies.
Where Can I Buy It?
Brave Robot can be found in stores across the US, but if you can’t find it near you, you can purchase all the flavors online for only $5.99 (although be advised that shipping can get a little expensive for frozen foods). Luckily, Brave Robot is offering refunds on your first order’s shipping costs if you send them a picture of you asking your grocery manager to stock its ice cream!
Whether you’re vegan or just looking for a more sustainable way to indulge, Brave Robot ice cream is a gift from the heavens. Be sure to check out vegan ice cream with dairy at one of these locations.