The Best Vegan Ice Cream

This Van Leeuwen peanut butter flavor was one of the richest we tried. The dense ice cream—a blend of peanut butter, coconut cream, cashew milk, coconut oil, and cocoa butter mixed with brownie and honeycomb bits, plus a peanut butter swirl—had a hearty, almost wholesome vibe. Each bite was laced with mix-ins; occasionally when spooning through the pint, we hit a solid wall of sweet-salty peanut butter.

The promised honeycomb pieces were sparse, and the brownie bits were dry and lacking in chocolate flavor. But overall, this was still an enjoyable pint, perfect for a peanut butter lover. And it’s gluten-free.

Though this is the only Van Leeuwen offering we tested, we have enjoyed some of the company’s other vegan flavors. It’s worthwhile to taste the whole plant-based line to see which flavor you like best.

Base: coconut cream, cashew milk, coconut oil, cocoa butter
Allergens: peanuts, cashews, coconut
Read the full ingredients list.

This McConnell’s pint wowed us with its bright flavor and a tangy, jammy lemon swirl. Refreshing, balanced, and sherbet-like, a scoop (or two) would be just the thing on a hot day.

We didn’t detect any odd flavors or textures, something that was not true of other oat-milk-based ice creams we tried. For our tasters, the bracing lemon swirl was the highlight—a sharp cut through the sweeter passion fruit base. This is one of the few vegan ice creams we tried that claim to be nut- and gluten-free. It does contain coconut oil, but, according to a McConnell’s representative, the oil is highly refined and free of any of the eight major allergens. (Highly refined oils are exempt from FDA allergen-labeling requirements for this reason. But if you have any concerns about potential allergens, talk to your medical provider).

Base: oat milk
Read the full ingredients list.

If you love lemon bars, you’ll love this Jeni’s vegan ice cream flavor. The lemon curd is tart and refreshing, the coconut cream has a clean and fragrant flavor, and the crumbly shortbread evokes the namesake dessert.

Though the pint is coconut-based, the citrus quiets the flavor, which figures more prominently (and is at times overpowering) in other Jeni’s dairy-free offerings. Here, you don’t have to engineer a perfect bite—the components blend harmoniously.

Base: coconut cream
Allergens: coconut, wheat
Read the full ingredients list.

We loved the appetizing light pink color and restrained, fresh strawberry flavor of Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Strawberry Cheezecake Frozen Dessert. Unlike other vegan strawberry flavors we’ve tasted, which can lean artificial and medicinal, this ice cream tasted sweet and tart, with the brightness of fresh strawberries.

The strawberry base is paired with a graham cracker swirl. The swirl has the salty, warm flavor of crushed graham crackers and offers a textural mix of crunch and doughiness. Some tasters found the texture a bit sandy, but it didn’t take away from their enjoyment of the pint. Strawberry chunks are mixed throughout, bringing the slight crunch of frozen fruit. There are no cheesecake pieces in this pint, but the creamy tartness of the strawberry base evokes cheesecake well enough.

Ben & Jerry’s used to offer two non-dairy ice cream bases, almond milk and sunflower butter, but they recently overhauled their recipe and are transitioning all of their flavors into one oat-milk-based formula, which contains oat milk, liquid sugar, corn syrup, and coconut oil. When it comes to their chocolate and vanilla base flavors, the new oat milk recipe is texturally successful—rich and creamy—but has the cardboardy aftertaste common among vegan ice creams. We did not detect any of those off flavors in this pint, with fresh strawberry and salty graham cracker stealing the show.

Base: oat milk
Allergens: soy, wheat
Read the full ingredients list.

This decadent Jeni’s pint—a chocolate-coconut base with chunks of chocolate cake and a fudge swirl—was our favorite vegan chocolate ice cream, with spot-on flavors and ample mix-ins.

Whereas most of the other vegan chocolate options we tried fell flat, this one was rich, balanced, and actually chocolatey. The generous cake pieces were spongy and not overly sweet, with a subtly salty baked-goods flavor. The syrupy chocolate sauce was a bit one-note, but it did its job, giving this pint the gooey abundance of a sundae.

If you’re looking for a satisfying vegan chocolate ice cream without mix-ins, Jeni’s Dark Chocolate Truffle Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert is a good, albeit coconutty, choice that is also gluten- and soy-free. Lighter and tamer than the Texas Sheet Cake flavor, it reminded us of a Fudgsicle.

Base: coconut cream
Allergens: coconut, wheat
Read the full ingredients list.

This swirled mix from Jeni’s, a blend of vegan coconut-cream ice cream and cold-brew sorbet, was another standout for our tasters. (Though we ruled out testing sorbets, we decided that this pint was fair game since it included ice cream.)

The texture was a bit icy and crumbly when we scooped it, but our first taste quickly assuaged any concerns. This was the only flavor that seemed “accidentally vegan”—the silky coconut cream didn’t seem like a substitution but rather just made sense with the robust cold brew.

One taster called this harmonious pint “unequivocally delicious,” and the others agreed. Amid a taste test of much equivocation, this flavor was a refreshing treat.

Base: coconut cream
Allergens: coconut
Read the full ingredients list.

If you want the best vegan vanilla ice creams (though they aren’t great): What we learned after tasting 10 vegan vanilla ice creams—and being underwhelmed by all of them—is that vegan ice cream needs assertive flavors to distract from the unfamiliar tastes and textures of alternative milks, oils, and thickeners. But we can say that Planet Oat Vanilla (about $7 for 1 pint at the time of publication), So Delicious Vanilla Wondermilk (about $8 for 1 pint at the time of publication), and McConnell’s Dairy-Free Vanilla Bean (about $9 for 14 ounces at the time of publication) were the best of the bunch.

Whereas other vegan vanilla pints had strong aftertastes and came across as extremely processed, the Planet Oat Vanilla offering was neutral by comparison. We might reach for this serviceable pint to scoop onto a piece of pie—it’s sweet and creamy, if a bit bland.

The So Delicious Vanilla Wondermilk (the “wondermilk” base is a blend of oils and sugar) had a canned-frosting flavor, and it might fare well in a milkshake or (for those who are fond of a very sweet scoop) eaten straight.

McConnell’s Dairy-Free Vanilla Bean had a light, smooth texture and was bland like the Planet Oat flavor, with a cleaner finish and more vanilla-bean punch. One bonus is that it’s allergen-free; though it does contain coconut oil, a McConnell’s representative told us that the oil is highly refined and free of the eight major allergens. (Check with your medical provider if you have concerns.) But it’s harder to find in stores.

If you’re looking to feed a crowd, Breyers Non-Dairy Vanilla (about $7 for 1.5 quarts at the time of publication) was one of the cheapest offerings per ounce that we tried, and it’s a good option. This ice cream is on the sweet side—our tasters compared its taste and its fluffy consistency to that of frozen Cool Whip.

If you like a subdued, vanilla-forward flavor: Scoops of Van Leeuwen Brownie Sundae Raspberry Swirl (about $12 for 14 ounces at the time of publication) look very appealing, with a pale, creamy base, red raspberry swirl, and dark-chocolate brownie bites. But the overall flavor is mild. With minimal mix-ins and no popping flavors, you are left with quite a bit of vanilla. The oat milk and coconut cream base does taste good and is lighter and fluffier than other Van Leeuwen vegan ice creams. The raspberry swirl adds a nice tang, but the brownie pieces are nothing to write home about—dense and somewhat bland—and unlike in the Peanut Butter Brownie Honeycomb pint, there’s not much else to make up for it. We wouldn’t call this a brownie sundae, but if you want good vegan vanilla with a raspberry kick and don’t mind the subpar brownie, this is a nice, understated pint.

If you love Cherry Garcia but can’t eat the dairy version: Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Cherry Garcia Frozen Dessert (about $5 for 1 pint at the time of publication) packs big cherry pieces and plentiful dark chocolate bits, which both seem identical to the mix-ins in the dairy version. But the vanilla oat-milk base has a slightly off aftertaste and a cardboardy blandness. The taste of cherry and chocolate are strong enough to overpower that off flavor after a few spoonfuls. Some tasters found the cherries overwhelming, but if you’re a Cherry Garcia–head looking for a vegan option, this should do the trick.

If you like coconut and bananas: We were less impressed by Jeni’s Banana Cream Pudding Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert (about $12 for 1 pint at the time of publication) in comparison with other flavors in the company’s dairy-free line, but this one still has its merits. When we got a scoop with banana ice cream, coconut cream, and gluten-free vanilla wafers, the flavor was quite balanced. But on their own, the banana leaned toward Laffy Taffy, and the coconut cream made us think of sunscreen. Even in a balanced spoonful, coconut was the dominant flavor.

If you love butterscotch: So Delicious Salted Caramel Cluster Cashewmilk (about $6 for 1 pint at the time of publication) had a rich, ice-creamy texture, and our tasters loved the flaky chocolate curls and fresh (though sparse) cashew bits. But they were put off by its strong butterscotch-candy flavor—which you might not mind if butterscotch is your thing.

If you want other peanut butter options: We liked So Delicious Peanut Butter Brownie Cashewmilk (about $7 for 1 pint at the time of publication), appreciating its velvety, spoonable texture, strong peanut butter flavor, lack of aftertaste, and better-than-the-rest brownie pieces.

In our tests, the So Delicious cashew-milk ice creams got pretty positive responses for their texture and flavor—better than our panelists’ feedback on its oat-milk counterparts. We recommend trying the company’s other cashew-milk offerings and finding the ones you like best.

We also enjoyed the Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Swirl from 365 by Whole Foods Market (about $6 for 1 pint at the time of publication), which was full of chocolate chip flakes and a thick, melt in your mouth peanut butter swirl. Tasters were impressed that the vanilla-flavored almond-milk base was creamy and free from any unpleasant aftertaste.

But we liked both of these less than our peanut butter pick—they were not as rich and decadent as the Van Leeuwen flavor.

If you love mint chip and don’t mind a doughy texture: Nadamoo Organic Mint Chip (about $9 for 1 pint at the time of publication) is an adequate mint-chip option. The mint was refreshing, and the chocolate chips were abundant, if a bit waxy. But our tasters were put off by the ice cream’s uncanny texture, which had an almost glutinous bounce and barely melted at all.

If Graeter’s is available near you: We elected not to include Graeter’s Perfect Indulgence line (about $90 for a pack of six at the time of publication) in our test because it isn’t widely available. But we did sample the mail-order six-pack for consideration for our gift basket guide, and we liked the Madagascar Vanilla Bean, Cookies & Cream, and Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip flavors. The vegan base is made with coconut and sunflower oils, plus animal-free whey protein. All of the flavors had dense, creamy textures, and they melted like dairy ice cream, whereas other vegan ice creams wept, wilted, or eerily kept their shape.

The Madagascar Vanilla Bean had a clean vanilla-bean flavor, without any of the chemical or cardboardy aftertastes that plagued many other vegan vanillas we tried. The Cookies & Cream had generous cookie chunks with an optimal crunchy-soft texture balance. Though one taster found the Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip medicinal, others liked it, and this vegan version tasted almost identical to the cult-favorite dairy original.

After such a strong showing from Jeni’s other dairy-free flavors, Jeni’s Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert (about $12 for 1 pint at the time of publication) was a letdown. It just didn’t have a lot going on—the primary flavors that our tasters noted were sugar and coconut, and the caramel and pecans were sparse.

Van Leeuwen Sicilian Pistachio (about $8 for 14 ounces at the time of publication) was a quality scoop, but it didn’t deliver on its pistachio promise, with only a mild, vaguely nutty taste, overpowered by coconut flavor from the cashew and coconut base.

365 by Whole Foods Market’s Berry Chantilly Cake (about $5 for 1 pint at the time of publication) tastes like birthday cake, with strong almond extract and vanilla flavors and a cloying sweetness. The berry swirl is pretty and potent, but we didn’t notice any of the alleged cake swirl, and ultimately, the berry and birthday cake flavors didn’t meld.

We liked the generous gobs of cookie dough in Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frozen Dessert, but the pint is spoiled by the cardboardy flavor of the vanilla base.

Van Leeuwen Vegan Oat Chocolate Cookie Dough Honeycomb (about $8 for 14 ounces at the time of publication) had the mouthfeel of a slightly curdled chocolate mousse with gooey chunks of cookie dough, combining in an overwhelmingly sugary pint with a challenging texture.

So Delicious Chocolate Cookies ’n’ Cream Cashewmilk (about $7 for 1 pint at the time of publication) had a frosting-like consistency and a mediocre chocolate taste. So Delicious Chocolate Salted Caramel Oatmilk (about $7 for 1 pint at the time of publication) had a similar middling chocolate problem, plus an icy consistency and an overwhelming, synthetic-tasting caramel flavor.

Avocado-based Cado’s Deep Dark Chocolate (about $6 for 1 pint at the time of publication) had a grainy, icy consistency and tasted like squeeze-bottle chocolate syrup. Tasters were also perplexed by the underlying acidic flavor.

Made with sunflower-seed butter, Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy “Milk” & Cookies Frozen Dessert (about $5 for 1 pint at the time of publication) had an icy texture and a vegetal, musty flavor. The generous cookie mix-ins almost made the ice cream passable but ultimately couldn’t save it.

We liked the texture of the chocolate fudge shards in Target Favorite Day Non-Dairy Strawberry & Fudge (about $5 for 1 pint at the time of publication), but they were overly salty, and the strawberry flavor tasted artificial—more like strawberry cough syrup than fresh strawberry.

We used to recommend Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Phish Food Frozen Dessert (about $6 for 1 pint at the time of publication), but we didn’t like the new oat-based formulation. The chocolate base tasted like bottom-shelf sweetened oat milk, and the marshmallow swirl was unpleasantly frothy. Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Chocolate Fudge Brownie Frozen Dessert had similar issues, but with tasty brownie chunks that were let down by the unpalatable chocolate ice cream.

If you’re looking for a decent vegan vanilla with an almond-milk base, you might consider 365 by Whole Foods Market Vanilla Bean Almondmilk (about $6 for 1 pint at the time of publication) and Target’s Favorite Day Non-Dairy Vanilla Bean (about $6 for 1 pint at the time of publication). Nearly identical in taste, texture, and ingredients, both were flatter and blander than the Planet Oat and So Delicious Wondermilk vanillas we tested, yet they were neutral enough to be inoffensive (though some tasters detected a cardboardy aftertaste).

Our panelists liked the rich, creamy texture of So Delicious Vanilla Bean Coconutmilk (about $7 for 1 pint at the time of publication). But we’d recommend it only for coconut lovers, since coconut was the dominant flavor—this vanilla ice cream had a bit of an identity crisis.

Trader Joe’s Non-Dairy Vanilla Bean Oat Frozen Dessert (about $4 for 1 pint at the time of publication) could be fine blended with other ingredients in a milkshake or a sundae, but the texture is on the icy and grainy side, and the vanilla flavor has an artificial canned-frosting taste that makes it a less desirable candidate for desserts à la mode.

With an olive oil base, Wildgood Vanilla Bean (about $8 for 1 pint at the time of publication) was one of our least favorite options overall. Tasters described its texture as foamy, gummy, and icy, and they said the flavor was artificially sweet.

Oatly’s Vanilla (about $7 for 1 pint at the time of publication) took us to some pretty weird places, with tasters describing the flavor as being reminiscent of smoked almonds, animal bones, and construction paper. One taster called it inedible.

Vegan ice cream is a growing category, and from pint to pint it can vary wildly in ingredients, allergens, price, and quality. We set out to taste a meaningful cross-section to get a handle on this vast field.

We limited our tasting to what we determined were vegan analogues to full-fat dairy ice cream—no sorbets, diet ice creams, frozen dessert bars, mochi, and the like.

We sampled ice creams with a wide variety of bases, including almond, avocado oil, cashew, coconut, oat, olive oil, sunflower, and vegan whey. We also looked for the rare allergen-free options in a category that is filled with tree nuts, peanuts, legumes, and wheat.

We ruled out limited-edition flavors, and we focused on brands that are sold in stores nationwide, avoiding ice creams that would frequently require online ordering and shipping.

To select the most promising brands and flavors, we interviewed an ice cream consultant, read market research on industry trends, and scoured reviews, rankings, Reddit threads, and YouTube videos.

Once we zeroed in on the brands of interest, we moved on to flavors. We curated a slate of vanilla options, hoping to find a standout for use as a sundae canvas or an à la mode alternative. We also covered the other end of the spectrum and selected more-dynamic pints laden with mix-ins.

Over the course of three days, we tasted 35 brand-concealed pints of vegan ice cream with five tasters from the Wirecutter kitchen team. For each candidate, we noted the appearance, texture, and flavor, as well as the quality and quantity of any mix-ins. We also paid attention to how the vegan ice creams compared to their dairy counterparts. We had saltines and plain seltzer on hand to cleanse our palates between scoops. About a year later, after a few of our picks were discontinued, we searched for more promising pints. Following the same testing protocol, we tried a dozen additional flavors, including new offerings from Ben & Jerry’s and options from Whole Foods, Target, and Van Leeuwen.

This article was edited by Gabriella Gershenson and Marguerite Preston.