You won’t miss milk in these 10 non-dairy ice creams
Summer has returned, bringing with it the pleasure of popsicles and ice cream on a hot day.
If you are dairy free in addition to gluten free, many cool treats are off limits. Although sorbets and fruit juice bars are tasty and refreshing, they don’t compare to the creamy, full-fat experience offered by traditional ice cream.
But a trend toward using coconut, cashew and almond milk is filling freezers with non-dairy frozen desserts. These “ice cream-like” products often rival dairy-laden options.
Amy’s Kitchen’s non-dairy frozen desserts were inspired by a trip to Plant, a vegan restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina. Chef Jason Sellers, one of the owners, makes the restaurant’s non-dairy frozen desserts from scratch. After sampling it, a cousin of the owner of Amy’s declared she couldn’t live without it in California.
Amy’s worked with Sellers to introduce his desserts to a wider audience under the company’s brand. The collaboration has resulted in pints that come in four creamy flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Mint Chocolate Chip and Mocha Chocolate Chip. The pints are made with coconut milk and sweetened with a combination of cane sugar and agave nectar. amys.com
Jolly Llama added coconut cream pops sweetened with cane sugar to its line of sorbet push pops. Available in two flavors, Mint Chocolate Chip and Dark Chocolate, the pops are creamy and contain only natural colors and flavors. thejollyllama.com
Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss comes in both pints and bars in flavors ranging from Naked to Strawberry Love and Cafe Latte to Dark Chocolate. New bar flavors include Salted Caramel Coated in Chocolate and Coconut Almond Coated in Chocolate.
The desserts are made from a blend of coconut milk and agave nectar, with an emphasis on intriguing flavors, such as Lunaberry Swirl, Cappuccino and Cherry Amaretto. Founders Luna and Larry Kaplowitz made their first batch of Coconut Bliss with a $2 hand-cranked ice cream maker from Goodwill.
coconutbliss.com
Mr. Dewie’s Cashew Milk Frozen Dessert’s vegan ice cream is made with cashew milk and sweetened with organic coconut palm sugar. It’s creamy, doesn’t skimp on flavor and uses only clean and natural ingredients. Flavors include Chocolate, Chocolate Orange Chip, Coffee and Caramel Almond Crunch.
mrdewies.com
Nada Moo is a family-owned business in Austin, Texas, on a mission to bridge the gap between non-dairy ice cream and flavor with its creamy and whimsically named products. PB & Chocolate, Vanilla Cha-Cha-Chai and Cookies & Crème are just some of the flavor combinations that yield creamy, appropriately sweet, layered flavors.
All the company’s desserts are made with coconut milk and agave nectar. The website is loaded with recipes for making drinks, smoothies, ice cream cups, milkshakes, cakes, cupcakes and pies.nadamoo.com
Steve’s Ice Cream, a Brooklyn, New York, company, makes a flavor cornucopia of creamy wonder that puts dairy-based ice creams to shame. Made from coconut cream and sweetened with organic sugar and agave, flavor combinations are sweet and spicy, including: Blackberry Honey, Mexican Chili Chocolate, Cold-Brewed Cinnamon Coffee, Dark Chocolate Salty Caramel, Mint Cacao Chip and Scotch Chocolate. Speculoos Cookie Butter is a new addition to the line and more dairy-free flavors are on the way. stevesicecream.com
So Delicious Dairy Free has branched into frozen desserts made from cashew milk and cane syrup in five flavors: Cappuccino, Creamy Cashew, Salted Caramel Cluster, Dark Chocolate Truffle and Snickerdoodle. This line of desserts offers a creamier consistency than its almond or coconut milk versions.
sodeliciousdairyfree.com
Van Leeuwen’s vegan line of frozen ice cream is crafted in small batches with a handful of natural ingredients and is free of stabilizers, gums and thickeners. Organic coconut milk, cashew milk, organic cane sugar, raw cocoa butter and organic extra-virgin coconut oil make up the base, with flavor inspiration derived from small farmers and chocolate makers. Choose from Mint Chocolate Chip, Sicilian Pistachio, Coffee Crunch, Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk, Salted Caramel and Banana Nut. vanleeuwenicecream.com
Vixen Kitchen’s vegan gelato is made from organic raw cashews and sweetened with organic maple syrup. The gelato is made with organic, fair trade and locally sourced ingredients and no stabilizers or gums.
Choose from Strawberry Vortex, Chai & I, Pumpkin Pie, Coffee Cream Dream, Midnight Mint, Mocha Madness, Naked Vanilla and Naked Chocolate. Vixen also makes Mango Sunrise Sorbet.
vixenkitchen.co
Take your licks
Gluten-free cones to carry your ice cream
Ice cream, non-dairy frozen desserts and sorbet served in a cup may often be the only gluten-free option. But it’s not quite the same as enjoying frosty licks of these treats served on a cone.
Fortunately four companies have created gluten-free sugar cones, cake cones and dessert cups. That means those who follow the gluten-free diet can get back to the traditional way of enjoying ice cream in the summer. These cones taste like the real thing, and many can handle large scoops.
Barkat’s cake and waffle cones are free of dairy and eggs and can be ordered online
from a number of retailers. These cones are delicate and on the petite side but have a perfectly crunchy texture without being too crumbly. glutenfree-foods.co.uk/brand/barkat/
Goldbaum’s offers a robust line of cones, including Cocoa Sugar, Sugar, Cake and Dessert Cups. All are kosher, vegan and can be ordered online and found at health food stores. goldbaums.com
Joy Cone, the No. 1 manufacturer of wheat-based ice cream cones in the United States, makes gluten-free cake and sugar cones in a dedicated mixer. They are free of dairy and eggs, but contain soy. Check the shelves of national grocery stores for its brightly colored boxes. joycone.com
Let’s Do Organics makes sugar and cake cones and dessert bowls. Top a cone with the company’s Confetti or Chocolatey Sprinkelz, made with natural colors for a special treat. This brand can normally be found on health food store shelves. edwardandsons.com
While some ice cream shops may carry gluten-free cones, more likely you’ll have to bring your own. If that’s the case, ask the ice cream server to use your cone after taking steps to make sure it won’t get cross contaminated. That may mean changing gloves and getting a clean scooper. You can also get the ice cream in a cup and transfer it to the cone yourself. GF
Jennifer Harris is a gluten-free consultant and blogger at gfgotoguide.com.
The problem with so many Gluten-Free recipes – ice cream or other, they add Cane Syrup. To me & others, Sugar is still Sugar. At least use honey or dates instead of cane syrup