PS – Be wary of the products made with coconut products. Just like creamer made with dried coconut powder; these
are high in saturated fats and not be so good for the heart.
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The 15 Best Dairy-Free Ice Cream Pints to Scoop Up
BY ALISA FLEMING ON JUNE 13, 2020FOOD AND GROCERY, HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SEASON, IN THE NEWS, NEWS, POPULAR FOOD GUIDES
Dairy-free frozen desserts have come a long way. Just a decade ago, there were only a few pints hidden in the frozen food department of expensive markets. Now, there are entire chilled sections dedicated to non-dairy delights in many natural food stores and some conventional grocers. The question has shifted from what dairy-free ice cream is available to which one you should try first! So what is the best dairy-free ice cream?
To find out, we’ve sampled our combined weight in store-bought dairy-free frozen desserts and we’ve factored in reviews from you, our readers. All in all, over 40 product lines of dairy-free ice cream were considered! Collectively, we think that the following are the ten fifteen best dairy-free ice cream pints in North America.
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The Best Dairy-Free Ice Cream Pints Sold at Grocers
These are the unbiased favorites of our tasting groups and many of our readers. Feel free to read the full product reviews that I’ve linked up to for more details. If you don’t see your favorite on the list, it might have just missed the cut (many others are good!). But you can make a difference on next year’s list …
See our Dairy-Free Ice Cream Reviews where you can leave your own unbiased ratings and reviews on the brands you’ve tried (no login required). We want to know the best dairy-free ice cream in your opinion, too!
Haagen Dazs Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
Standing apart from the pack, this indulgent ice cream producer doesn’t use a single dairy-free base for every flavor. Instead, they fully customize each one individually. For example, the Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge is made from ground peanuts – no almond, coconut or soymilk added. The result is pure bliss. It’s richer and has the most “grown up” indulgence of any brand we’ve tasted. See our full review for ingredients, availability, and more information.
- Base: It Varies by Flavor
- Champion Flavors: Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge and Chocolate Salted Fudge Truffle
- Key Dietary Notes*: Depending on the flavor, you might find wheat, soy, peanuts, or tree nuts in the ingredients. But they are all egg-free and vegan.
- Availability: United States, Canada, and United Kingdom
- Special Note: Don’t get confused if you see water as the first ingredient on Haagen Dazs Non-Dairy. Technically, most ice cream contains a lot of water. Even coconut milk and dairy cream are usually made up of more water than fat. But with Haagen Dazs, the ingredients are fresh ground, so the water is listed separately.
So Delicious Dairy Free Cashewmilk Frozen Desserts
When their Cashewmilk pints landed on the market, it was a game changer for dairy-free consumers. After years of coconutty ice cream, this dreamy line emerged with a more neutral base flavor and unbelievable decadence. Even die hard dairy ice cream fans have trouble turning down a scoop of these varieties. See our full review for tasting notes on select flavors.
- Base: Cashew Milk
- Champion Flavors: Snickerdoodle, Salted Caramel Cluster, and Chocolate Cookies ‘N Cream
- Key Dietary Notes*: They are all vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free, but depending on the flavor, you might find other tree nuts in the ingredients.
- Availability: United States and Canada
Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
Like all Ben & Jerry’s ice creams, their Non-Dairy line is over-the-top. It includes several riffs on their most popular classic flavors, like Cherry Garcia, Cinnamon Buns, and Chunky Monkey. But they’ve also whipped up a couple “non-dairy only” pints like Coconut Seven Layer Bar and P.B. & Cookies. But be sure you are prepared for a flavor rush. These are very sweet pints that often contain dessert within the dessert. See our full review for tasting notes on some flavors.
- Base: Almond Milk
- Champion Flavors: P.B. & Cookies and Caramel Almond Brittle
- Key Dietary Notes*: Depending on the flavor, you might find wheat, soy, peanuts, or tree nuts in the ingredients. But they are all egg-free and vegan.
- Availability: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia
This is a newcomer on our best dairy-free ice cream list. They launched in 2016, but really took hold in the past year or so. The company whips avocado puree and avocado oil with other pure, natural ingredients to create a surprisingly creamy finish. See our full review here.
- Base: Avocado
- Champion Flavors: Simply Lemon and Mint Chocolate Chip
- Key Dietary Notes*: All of their flavors are vegan and made without top allergens. They’re even coconut-free and free of added proteins. See our full review for more detailed allergen notes.
- Availability: United States
Frönen Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts
In the past few years, we’ve seen a few banana-based “nice creams” hit the market, but Frönen has been your favorite. They use just 6 ingredients or less, and blend in coconut cream for a richer finish than other brands. It’s not only a top pick for taste and consistency, but also for pure, clean ingredients. See our full review for more details.
- Base: Banana and Coconut Cream (the Peanut Butter Fudge is banana-free)
- Champion Flavors: Chocolate and Peanut Butter Fudge
- Key Dietary Notes*: They are made without top allergens, except the peanut butter fudge, which contains peanuts. This brand is also plant-based, but they’re not strictly vegan because they use honey as their sweetener.
- Availability: United States
Coconut Bliss Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
Known for its purity, this coconut-based ice cream line has an ingredient list that reads like homemade. They also have a big flavor selection that focuses on quality ingredients and creamy indulgence. In fact, this is one of the few certified organic brands. For tasting notes and more information, see our full review.
- Base: Coconut Milk
- Champion Flavors: Ginger Cookie Caramel, Cherry Amaretto, and Mint Galactica
- Key Dietary Notes*: Depending on the flavor, you might find tree nuts in the ingredients. But they all appear to be soy-free, vegan, and certified gluten-free.
- Availability: United States, Canada, Australia and Germany
Almond Dream Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
Technically, our first choice would be Dream Gelato, but they’ve sadly discontinued those pints. Almond Dream is the next best thing (both are almond-based), and we think some of their flavors just edge out Breyer’s in the almond category. But Rice Dream and Soy Dream didn’t come close to our top picks, which might be why they’ve been discontinued. We recommend keeping it nutty with this brand. The one caveat is that Almond Dream does contain carrageenan (Breyer’s does not, but Breyer’s is sweetened with corn syrup). See our full review.
- Base: Almonds
- Champion Flavor: Toffee Almond Fudge
- Key Dietary Notes*: They are all egg-free and vegan, and they appear to be made without soy, wheat, and coconut.
- Availability: United States, Canada, and United Kingdom
Nadamoo Dairy-Free Frozen Dessert
We’ve seen several ice cream shops release pints, but Nadamoo started with pints, and has now opened their first ice cream shop. If you can’t make it to Austin, Texas, just head to your local grocer. In all likelihood, they’ll have at least a few fun Nadamoo flavors in stock. It is coconut-based, with hints of coconut in most of the flavors. But they get quite creative with the flavors and always boast a very creamy consistency. See our full review for tasting notes and more information.
- Base: Coconut Milk
- Champion Flavors: That Snickerdoodle Dough, Birthday Cake Cookie Dough, and Vanila…ahhh
- Key Dietary Notes*: Depending on the flavor, you might find tree nuts in the ingredients. But they’re all certified vegan and certified gluten-free. I believe they are also soy-free.
- Availability: United States
Ripple Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
Ripple has been a pioneer in the top allergen-free dairy alternative space, but they’ve also struggled with a few of their product formulas. Fortunately, their dairy-free ice cream seems to have hit the mark on the first try. See our full review for more information.
- Base: Pea Protein and Coconut Oil
- Champion Flavors: Vanilla and Mint Chip
- Key Dietary Notes*: Technically, all flavors are vegan and free of top allergens. But some people with peanut allergies have issues with pea protein.
- Availability: United States
This is another simplistic dairy-free ice cream with “clean” ingredients and a rich coconut cream base. Some flavors are creamier than others – ranging from soft straight from the freezer to more of a sherbet-like consistency. But they all received top marks for taste and rich mouth feel. For tasting notes and more information, see our full review.
- Base: Coconut Cream
- Champion Flavors: Mint Chip and Orange Cream
- Key Dietary Notes*: They are all vegan and made without top allergens.
- Availability: United States
So Delicious Dairy Free Coconutmilk Frozen Desserts
It’s not surprising that So Delicious made the Best Dairy-Free Ice Cream Pints list twice. After all, that company has been a true pioneer in the dairy-free frozen dessert category. Their coconut line isn’t what started it all, but it is the product group that helped rise them to the top so many years ago. And it’s still so delicious. See our full review for tasting notes on select flavors.
- Base: Coconut Milk
- Champion Flavors: Cookie Dough and Coconut Macaroon
- Key Dietary Notes*: All of the flavors are vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free. A couple varieties contain tree nuts or peanuts.
- Availability: United States and Canada
Tofutti Dairy Free Frozen Dessert
This could be the original dairy-free ice cream brand, or at the least, it’s one of the first. And unlike many other brands that have come and gone, this one has persisted. Because it’s pretty darn good. It’s one of the only soy-based options left, and yes, they use non-GMO soy. They also use RSPO certified palm oil. But if you are looking for the most virtuous ingredients, I would move on. If you just want some straight up dessert, this brand is worth a taste. I think it’s the addition of cocoa butter that helps them nail a good consistency and flavor. See our full review for more information.
- Base: Soy
- Champion Flavors: Vanilla Vanilla and Better Pecan
- Key Dietary Notes*: Depending on the flavor, you might find wheat or tree nuts in the ingredients. But they are all egg-free and vegan.
- Availability: United States, Canada, and Australia
Planet Oat Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
Oat milk products have been racing to market, but Planet Oat seems to be coming out ahead in many categories, including dairy-free ice cream. It’s a whipped milk and oil blend that’s winning customer raves for creaminess and flavor. For more information, see our full review.
- Base: Oat Milk and Coconut Oil
- Champion Flavors: Blueberry Oat Crumble and Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl
- Key Dietary Notes*: Their base is vegan, nut-free, and soy-free, but they do use gluten and/or peanuts in a few varieties.
- Availability: United States
Our best dairy-free ice cream pint list wouldn’t be complete without this rising star. Steve is well known for creating unexpected ice cream flavors, so we were excited when he decided to dabble in making dairy-free pints. They’re creamy, and quite sweet, providing a true dessert experience. See our full review for more information.
- Base: Coconut cream
- Champion Flavors: Speculoos Cookie Butter and Blueberry Lemon Icebox Cake
- Key Dietary Notes*: Depending on the flavor, you might find wheat, soy, or tree nuts in the ingredients. But they are all egg-free and vegan.
- Availability: United States
If you’re a value-oriented consumer, then this brand is worth a try. It’s sweet, creamy, sold at many major grocers, and comes in 1.5-quart tubs that are even cheaper than some of the dairy-free pint brands. They are on the indulgent side (like Ben & Jerry’s), but only come in two flavors. See our full review.
- Base: Almond Milk
- Champion Flavors: Vanilla Peanut Butter and Oreo Cookies & Cream (the only flavors!)
- Key Dietary Notes*: These are vegan, and the ice cream base is gluten-free and soy-free, but the Oreo cookies contain both gluten and soy.
- Availability: United States
*Know Your Needs! All of the above were dairy-free by ingredients at last check. But always check the label. Ingredients and processes are subject to change at any time. Also potential cross-contamination with dairy or other allergens is always a concern in product manufacturing. If you are dealing with a severe or sensitive food allergy, always contact the manufacturer to ensure their processes are safe for your needs prior to consumption. Although the FDA labels coconut as a tree nut, coconut is not a tree nut, and is not technically a top allergen in North America. But it is possible to be allergic to coconut or any other food.
Can’t Find These Pints? Make Your Own Dairy-Free Ice Cream with Go Dairy Free!
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ABOUT AUTHOR
Alisa is the founder of GoDairyFree.org, Food Editor for Allergic Living magazine, and author of the best-selling dairy-free book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living, and the new cookbook, Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets. Alisa is also a professional recipe creator and product ambassador for the natural food industry.
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