11 Best Vegan Ice Creams, According to Our Taste Tests
These dairy-free ice creams are creamy and delicious.
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The vegan food scene has made some pretty epic strides in the past few years, and the ice cream aisle is no exception. Not only will you find more dairy-free ice cream options in the freezer aisle, but the quality has really stepped up. Goodbye to bland, icey blends and hello to rich and creamy frozen desserts! Our food and nutrition experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute tested more than 30 vegan and dairy-free ice creams to bring you the most delicious picks.
Non-dairy ice cream alternatives can be made from soy milk, nut milks like almond and cashew, coconut milk, oat milk and even avocado or nut butter. Each base imparts a different overall flavor and texture, so it may be worth trying different types to find your faves.
Remember that dairy-free ice cream isn't always a more nutritious choice than dairy. This list highlights the options that did the best in taste tests, but our registered dietitians say it's important to consider saturated fat and added sugar counts if you're after a healthier choice.
You can learn more about how we test vegan ice cream at the end of this guide. Looking for more vegan food recommendations? Check out our favorite vegan cheeses and the best gifts for vegans.
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream started as a yellow truck on the streets of NYC in 2008 with a mission to make good ice cream from good quality ingredients. The brand grew quickly and now has shops located in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Connecticut, Texas, DC and California. Plus, you can find its pints and ice cream bars on the shelves of many grocery stores across America.
The brand's vegan ice cream is made from a base of oats, cashews or both, depending on the flavor, and taste testers said they could tell the blends were made from high-quality ingredients. Vegan Sicilian Pistachio and Vegan Choc Chip Cookie Dough earned top scores in taste tests, and we loved the super creamy consistency, which was far superior to other non-dairy pints we tested. Plus, the ingredients are purposeful and recognizable.
Founded by James Beard Award-winning ice cream maker Jeni Britton, this brand prides itself on one-of-a-kind flavors and direct and fair trade ingredients. The dairy-free line uses high-quality coconut cream for a super creamy texture and body.
Dairy-free flavors include Texas Sheet Cake, Banana Cream Pudding, Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns, Cold Brew with Coconut Cream, Dark Chocolate Truffle and Lemon Bar. Both taste testers and GH staffers were especially fans of the Texas Sheet Cake flavor. Deputy Editor Sarah Gregory Wharton said, "It has a deep chocolate flavor that really hits the spot." Deputy Food Editor Trish Clasen Marsanico in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen also praised this flavorful blend.
The iconic Cherry Garcia ice cream you know and love is now available in a non-dairy version. You'll find cherries and fudge pieces in each scoop of the creamy almond milk base. But our dietitians say it is certainly a more decadent option with high added sugar and saturated fat counts.
Samantha Macavoy, an Assistant Editor in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, is also a fan of the brand's new Strawberry Cheezecake Non-Dairy Pint made from an oat milk base with thick graham crackers swirled throughout. "It really has the richness and tanginess you’d expect from cheesecake," she said.
With an oat milk base, this popular non-dairy frozen dessert from Oatly is Certified Vegan and Certified Gluten-Free. The brand's lineup of dairy-free pints includes more flavors than many other brands and features Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Banana Split, Cookie Dough, Raspberry Swirl, Fudge Brownie, Salted Caramel, Mint Chip and Coffee.
Nicole Papantoniou, Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances & Culinary Innovation Lab, is a fan of the Fudge Brownie variety. "It’s not super rich but it’s very satisfying and decadent and a little sweet. I love adding it to my espressos to make an affogato," she said.
Born out of Craig's Restaurant in West Hollywood, this line of non-dairy frozen desserts uses cashews for a creamy and delicious base. Several staffers we spoke to raved about this line, and our registered dietitians appreciate that the pints excel in flavor while keeping added sugar counts down.
"Craig's is a plant-based option that I'd happily eat over and over again," said Alyssa Jung, Senior Nutrition & Fitness Editor. "The texture, mouth feel, and meltability are all reminiscent of traditional dairy ice cream." She adds that the flavors are unique, and she appreciates the dose of bonus fiber that comes from its cashew base. Kursten's PB Krunch (the brand's landmark flavor) and the Cold Brew Coffee are her go-to pints.
Refreshing and super smooth, this avocado-based ice cream is dairy-free and satisfying. Avocados are picked, ripened and cold-processed for each batch, resulting in a fresh frozen treat. Each pint is free from artificial flavors, corn syrup, sugar alcohols and stevia. Plus, it has significantly less sugar than other options.
Best of all, the brand has a large selection of flavors ranging from Chocolate Mud Pie and Mint Chocolate Chip to Simply Lemon and Cherry Amaretto. The Deep Dark Chocolate was a star in taste tests. "I couldn't believe how smooth and creamy this was," one tester said. "It had a rich chocolate flavor and really hit the spot after dinner. Even my kids loved it."
So Delicious is known for its Certified Vegan dairy-free food and beverage products that include everything from frozen desserts to creamers. We appreciate how many frozen ice cream options So Delicious offers with a variety of bases including almond, cashew, coconut, oat and soy.
The non-dairy pints performed ok in taste tests, but the ice cream bars really stole the show. The dipped bars were especially noteworthy and received rave reviews, and the coconut milk variety was a favorite. "These are out-of-this-world good," one tester commented. "The ice cream is creamy but that crunchy shell was my favorite part."
Made with high-quality plant-based ingredients, GoodPop's frozen desserts include fruit ice pops, creamy ice cream bars and more. These dairy-free ice cream sandwiches were a top performer in our taste tests. The sandwiches pair gluten-free cookies with a creamy oat milk base and use only fair trade ingredients.
Our dietitians were impressed with the nutrition facts too. Each sandwich comes in at only 110 calories and has just 7 grams of added sugar. They are also free from GMOs, sugar alcohol sweeteners and artificial dyes. "Other vegan ice cream sandwiches I've tried either have a weird consistency or very strong coconut flavor," said one tester. "But these were outrageously delicious. I like that the cookie is gluten-free too. It checks off a lot of boxes."
How we test vegan ice cream
Our food and nutrition experts, including registered dietitians in the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab, rigorously evaluate thousands of snack samples year-round. We look to include great-tasting options and strike a balance between indulgent and health-conscious options.
For vegan and dairy-free ice creams, we taste-tested over 30 varieties to find the best options in the freezer aisle. We assessed taste, flavor offerings, texture and consistency, ingredient quality, nutrition and more. Our top picks feature a variety of bases to suit different dietary needs and preferences. Although many vegan ice cream products have high added sugar and saturated fat counts, we did include a few healthier products that still performed well in taste tests.
What to look for when shopping for vegan ice cream
You'll likely want to try a few pints yourself before you commit to a certain brand or flavor of dairy-free ice cream, or you may prefer to keep things interesting and try a new flavor each time you visit the grocery store. Either way, there are a few factors to consider when selecting the ideal frozen treat.
✔️ Base: Dairy-free ice cream can be made from soy milk, nut milk like almond or cashew, coconut milk, oat milk and even avocado or nut butter. Each imparts a different texture and flavor to the final product, and you'll ultimately choose a base that's in line with your dietary preferences, restrictions and any potential food allergies.
✔️ Flavor: Chocolate lovers will likely stick to indulgent chocolatey blends, but don't be afraid to experiment with different flavors. It can be hard for vegan flavors to mimic the exact flavor profiles of their dairy counterparts, and certain bases like coconut milk can strongly influence the overall taste, so have fun with it and try out different options.
✔️ Nutrition: We found that many vegan ice creams contained similar or even more added sugar than dairy ice cream. Saturated fat counts can be quite high as well. These more decadent choices are okay in moderation, but if you like to enjoy some vegan ice cream regularly, consider more health-conscious options with lower sugar counts.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
As director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab, registered dietitian Stefani Sassos is dedicated to evidence-based diet and nutrition reporting. She takes the pulse of the latest nutrition research and trends, translating to readers what principles are science-backed and worth incorporating into a healthy lifestyle (and what fads are worth avoiding). She is passionate about prioritizing nutrient-dense whole foods to support overall health and wellness, but also incorporating your favorite foods into a balanced diet.
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