We tried 20+ dairy free ice creams—here are the winners
Calling all vegan and lactose-intolerant ice cream lovers.
Credit:
Reviewed / Tim Renzi
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Nothing hits the spot in the summertime (or, let's be real, the middle of winter) like your favorite flavor of ice cream. But not everyone can indulge in traditional dairy-filled options, whether that be for allergy, intolerance, or plant-based lifestyle reasons.
Luckily—just like with vegan milk and cheese—there are plenty of dairy free ice cream options. And with more and more being added to shelves seemingly every day, some might even argue there are too many options.
That's why we decided to put our ice cream tasting skills to good use and rank some of the best non dairy ice cream brands on grocery shelves.
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How we test
We had 12 Reviewed staffers test (a lot) of dairy-free ice cream to crown the winner.
As you might guess, this process involved a lot of painstaking research (AKA eating).
We gathered a dozen Reviewed staffers together to sample 21 flavors of non-dairy ice cream from 11 different brands. As we sampled, tasters filled out a questionnaire ranking each flavor—based on texture and taste—on a scale of one to five. We then averaged the results to see which brand came out on top.
While tasting, we take into consideration how creamy the texture is, how much we enjoy the flavor, and whether there are any overpowering aftertastes. (We're looking at you, coconut milk.) Testers also added comments and feelings about the samples to provide more well-rounded feedback.
The winner: Jeni's Ice Cream
Jeni's dairy-free ice creams were some of the creamiest and tastiest we tried.
Base: Coconut cream
If you're a big ice cream lover, we probably don't have to tell you about the magic of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. But if you've been hesitant about trying out the brand's non-dairy options, this is your sign to place an order.
We tested four dairy free Jeni's Ice Cream flavors: Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns, Texas Sheet Cake, Lemon Bar, and Cold Brew With Coconut Cream—all made from coconut cream.
I'll be completely transparent here: I really don't like coconut. I generally don't think coconut milk has any place in ice cream, because its strong aftertaste typically negates any flavor advertised on the label.
So you can imagine my surprise when I tested each of Jeni's coconut-based ice cream flavors and found myself going back for more. (My fellow tasters echoed similar sentiments.)
Aside from the obvious Cold Brew With Coconut Cream, there's no overpowering coconut aftertaste in any of Jeni's dairy free ice creams.
The Texas Sheet Cake has an indulgent chocolate taste. Lemon Bar is reminiscent of a tangy lemon meringue. Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns isn't as sweet as I expected. All flavors are balanced, clear of any unwanted coconut flavor, and delicious.
Jeni's dairy free ice creams are also some of the creamiest we tested, with textures almost identical to the real thing. The base of coconut cream provides that unique level of unctuousness that doesn't compare to alternatives like nut or rice milk. And without any obvious coconut flavor, we think these could win over any dairy ice cream lover.
This coconut-based ice cream is creamy without underlying coconut flavor.
Other non-dairy ice creams we tested, ranked best to least best:
2. Oatly
The oat base in Oatly allows for a creamy, dairy-like texture.
Base: Oat milk
A very close second to Jeni's, Oatly ice cream is satisfyingly creamy, has a decadent flavor, and won over most of the Reviewed staff during testing.
Aside from a mild oat-like aftertaste reported by some, there were very few complaints about Oatly's ice creams—even from self-proclaimed dairy lovers.
We tried the chocolate and coffee varieties, and both blew us away. Thanks to the oat milk base, it has a creamy mouthfeel and satisfying flavor that’s on-par with traditional ice creams.
The oat base in this ice cream delivers a creamy texture.
3. Van Leeuwen
These flavors were tasty, but the textures fell somewhat short.
Base: Oat milk/Cashew milk
Originally started as an ice cream truck in New York City, Van Leeuwen is now a specialty ice cream shop with locations around the country and pints in grocery stores everywhere. The brand is known for its extensive vegan offerings, so we know we have to try them.
The Chocolate Oat Milk Cookie Dough Chunk features wholesome ingredients like oat milk, coconut cream, honeycomb, and cocoa butter.
We found that the flavor was totally delicious. However, the texture of the ice cream was a bit off, with a grainy mouthfeel that wasn't as creamy as others. Van Leeuwen’s take on classic Chocolate Chip Cookie dough is also tasty.
Similarly, the Cookies & Cream Caramel Swirl is made with easy-to-read ingredients like raw cashews, virgin coconut oil, and cocoa butter. But although the caramel and cookie flavors were delicious, the texture was icy and not comparable to traditional ice cream.
This iconic New York brand boasts unique and delicious flavors, but textures can lean icy.
4. McConnell's Fine Ice Creams
This California-based creamery has been churning out old fashioned ice cream since 1949—and now it offers dairy-free alternatives.
Base: Oat milk
This historic creamery has been producing fan-favorite ice cream in Central California for over 70 years. And luckily for all the folks who want to indulge in old-school ice cream sans dairy, McConnell's has several options to accommodate.
We tried the Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch and Passion Fruit Lemon Swirl.
Both flavors are delicious and offer a decently creamy mouthfeel thanks to the oat milk base. The peanut butter flavor suffers from minor textural issues (thanks to the gluten-free cookie that was less-crunch more-stale). But the passion fruit pint is indulgently creamy with a pleasant tanginess from the lemon swirl that kept us going back for more.
This beloved 70-year-old brand offers a wide variety of plant-based flavors.
5. Ben & Jerry's
Unfortunately, Ben & Jerry's non-dairy options don't compare to the originals.
Base: Almond milk/Sunflower milk
Since Ben & Jerry's is such a fan favorite, known for iconic flavors like Cherry Garcia and Half Baked, we had high hopes for its dairy free flavors.
Unfortunately, the flavors we tested—Phish Food and "Milk" and Cookies—fell short of our expectations. Several testers agreed that the texture was much more icy and grainy than traditional Ben & Jerry's. The flavors were also much sweeter than their dairy counterparts (and not in a good way).
Although these mimic the iconic Ben & Jerry's flavors, some textures fall short.
6. Favorite Day
This Target brand has a wide range of dairy-free ice cream varieties.
Base: Almond milk
Target's line of dairy free ice cream is recommended by one of Reviewed's dairy free staffers. She swears by the Strawberry & Fudge flavor, which she can't resist on a Target run.
We tested both the Strawberry & Fudge and the Vanilla Cake & Cookie Dough flavors, and had some mixed reviews from testers. Some claim that both flavors are off-puttingly sweet. Others appreciate that the sweetness is balances with a salty dark chocolate flavor.
When it came to texture, Favorite Day's almond milk base was a bit thinner than others, resembling an under-churned ice cream that's slightly icier than we would've hoped for.
Favorite Day ice creams are affordable and accessible, but the texture is thinner than we'd like.
7. Magnum Non-Dairy Classic
Magnum's Non-Dairy ice cream bars had some key differences to the traditional alternatives.
Base: Coconut oil
We had to try at least one ice cream bar in our hunt for dairy free desserts. And given Magnum's glowing reputation, it seemed like an obvious choice.
This classic vanilla-on-the-inside, chocolate-on-the-outside ice cream bar looks like any classic Magnum treat after opening. But after taking a first bite, the difference was evident. The ice cream—which is a blend of coconut oil, pea protein, and sweeteners—has no flavor of its own and lacks an inherent creaminess.
The saving factor, though, was the external chocolate coating. It had an obvious, authentic cocoa flavor that made each bite go down much easier.
The dairy-free take on classic Magnum bars is missing a certain je ne sais quois.
8. Cado
We found that an avocado base doesn't provide the creamiest ice cream results.
Base: Avocado
Does eating fruit as a substitute for ice cream sound too good to be true? Well, it kind of is. We found that the avocado base in Cado results in an odd coating on the tongue, with an unpleasant aftertaste that's unique from other options.
Both flavors we sampled, Java Chip and Vanilla, were oddly sweet with artificial-like flavor profiles—possibly to make up for the inherently savory quality of avocado.
Cado might be a healthier alternative to other options—thanks to its fruit base and organic ingredients—but it wouldn't be our first pick.
This may be the healthiest option on the list, but it doesn't taste like genuine ice cream.
9. So Delicious
So Delicious hits the creaminess mark, but fell short on flavor.
Base: Cashew/coconut milk
This grocery store staple offers ice cream options in bases ranging from soy milk and coconut milk to almond milk and cashew milk. It also features a wide range of flavors that most other brands don't offer.
We tried the Salted Caramel Cluster, which is made from cashew milk, and the Vanilla Bean, which is made from coconut milk. Both varieties actually provided a satisfyingly creamy texture that was comparable to real dairy, but flavor is where they fell short.
The former had an aggressive taste of both sweetness and saltiness that was (literally) hard to swallow, while the latter tasted more like fake coconut ice cream than vanilla. As a result, very few (if any) of our testers actually finished their small samples, so both flavors received low marks.
This brand offers a wide range of plant-based bases, but these flavors fell short.
10. NadaMoo
NadaMoo ice creams had some unpleasant aftertastes and textures.
Base: Coconut milk
Coming in at the bottom of the pack, NadaMoo is a line of coconut-based dairy free ice cream that, unfortunately, tastes more of coconut than anything else.
We tried NadaMoo's popular Cookies & Crème and Organic Vanilla Bean flavors. Both tasted strongly of an unpleasant coconut flavor, with almost no trace of their nominal descriptors. There was also an off-putting aftertaste that was slightly sour and somewhat chemical-like in these ice creams.
The plus-side to using coconut milk as an ice cream base is the creamy texture, which NadaMoo does somewhat benefit from. But there was a lingering slimy and gummy component to the texture, too. And when considering that coconut-based options from other brands, like Jeni's, can accomplish a much better texture and flavor, NadaMoo didn't stand a chance in our ranking.
Unless you're a big fan of coconut flavor, we recommend steering clear of this brand.
The bottom line
There might be countless dairy-free ice creams to choose from, but only a select few are worth buying.
One thing this testing experience taught is that, like most things in life, dairy free ice cream can either be really great…or really disappointing.
The key is to look out for the ingredients: Steer clear of bases like rice milk and avocado, which won't provide that creamy, dairy-like richness. Look out for any questionable ingredients that might result in an off-putting mouthfeel (like the several "gums" in NadaMoo). And be wary that the large majority of coconut-based varieties—except for Jeni's, of course—will likely have a strong coconut flavor.
Our biggest piece of advice? Next time you have a hankering for some dairy free ice cream, go ahead and treat yourself to a pint of Jeni's—you won't regret it.
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