I must admit I have a huge fondness for ice-cream, it is not a summer thing for me but a creamy delight to be enjoyed all the year-round.
Sometimes I like my ice-cream served just on its own totally unadulterated, but often I love it pimped up with vegan caramel sauce, fruit or vegan meringues like the ones on the blog.
Before I became vegan I honestly didn’t think that ice-cream made without dairy could replicate in any way the silky creaminess of one loaded with milk, cream or eggs. Now, two years down the line and I have been pleasantly surprised at some of the gorgeous ones that are so readyily available to buy.
They say you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince, so in my opinion, you have to eat a lot of ice-cream to find the right one for you. Well I had to try quite a lot (a truly hard job) but here are the ones I tasted and what I thought about them
The Coconut Collaborative £4.00 for 500ml (vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free)
This one did not do it for me at all. I love a good vanilla ice-cream but this one missed the mark there. It had an almost acidic taste and had the texture that was more sorbet. Such a shame as I was expecting great things.
Alpro, Almond salted caramel £2.99 for 500ml (plant-based, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free)
I was so excited when this range of ice-cream hit the shelves, I think I tried the chocolate & Hazelnut one first. At that time this make was a definite favourite for me. I like to eat my ice-cream once it has gone a little soft, I am the sort of person who when they buy ice- cream has to sample the soft part at the top of the carton before it goes into the freezer. This one ticks all the boxes for me when a little soft, creamy with a slightly whipped texture. Another plus for me is that it is 100% plant-based, added to that is the amount of protein and fibre it contains. Per 100g there is 9.8g and 2.3g of fibre. Each flavour is great, but the vanilla flavour especially is every bit as good as its dairy cousin. Nothing tastes artificial so it is great value for money.
Booja Booja Raspberry ripple £5.49 for 500ml (vegan, dairy-free & gluten-free)
This was the most expensive ice-cream that I tested. I sampled, or should that be devoured the chocolate salted caramel flavour. What astounded me was that it pulled off a depth of flavour which would normally be found in Ben & Jerry’s Phish food minus the marshmallows. This is despite only containing just five ingredients- cashew nuts, water, coconut syrup, sea-salt and cocoa powder. I expected this one to hit the high notes as I was already a fan of their truffles. It is made from cashew nuts which makes it dairy, gluten and soya free. This is so lush and creamy with enough of a raspberry hit, although this does taste a lot sweeter than the others in the range. Perfect with a big spoon for movie night.
Almond Dream salted caramel Ice-cream £3.99 for 480ml (vegan, GF, peanut-free, soya free & vegetarian)
I loved the flavour of this ice-cream although not the texture too much. I was expecting something more creamy. This is my favourite flavour in their range as it contained divine little nuggets of salted caramel fudge. Yes, it is in the higher price range but as an occasional treat, it is not too bad.
Swedish Glace £2.50 for 750ml ( vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free and dairy-free)
This Ice cream has been around for many a year. I remember buying it in my 20’s and was not impressed then. Fast forward two years ago when my daughter in law knew I was vegan it for me at her wedding. I had to ask what make the ice-cream was. The difference was night and day. This is the creamiest vegan and gluten-free ice cream I have ever tasted. My favourite has to be the delightful Raspberry. It is like having a mouthful of creamy raspberry mallow. It is my go-to treat. This comes in three other flavours which are heavenly chocolate, smooth vanilla and Almond with a cocoa twist. My advice is to always have a tub of this in your freezer. The price per tub is also great value for money.
Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy ice cream (vegan) £5.00 for 500ml (vegan)
I was so disappointed that I could not try these because of being gluten and wheat intolerant. Seeing a friend dive into what was once my favourite cream near broke my heart. That’s like though. Here is the feedback I got. The ice-cream was velvety creamy and so easily scooped from the tub. It lacked a little depth compared to their dairy one but still felt like a naughty treat. Yes ,it is expensive at £1.00 per 100ml so if you cannot resist eating the whole tub then maybe sharing is a good idea (not sure I could). The Cherry Garcia flavour does not list any gluten-containing ingredients on the food label nor does it in the MAY CONTAIN section, as you can see below.
Ingredients ALMOND MILK (WATER, ALMONDS), LIQUID SUGAR (SUGAR, WATER), CHERRIES, COCONUT OIL, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, DRIED CANE SYRUP, SUGAR, COCOA, PEA PROTEIN, SUNFLOWER LECITHIN, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONCENTRATES (COLOR), GUAR GUM, NATURAL FLAVOR (COCONUT), LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, SOY LECITHIN, VANILLA EXTRACT, LOCUST BEAN GUM, CARRAGEENAN. Allergy Information: CONTAINS ALMONDS, COCONUT AND SOY.
MAY CONTAIN OTHER TREE NUTS.
I have enquired why this is not listed as being gluten-free and I am awaiting an answer.
Perfect World low-calorie ice cream £3.49-£4.99 per 500ml (vegan, gluten-free and no added sugar)
Perfect World ice-cream not only is it sweetened by erythritol and stevia but it is fortified with vitamins D, E, B3 Niacin, B2 Riboflavin and B12 plus a few minerals which include Magnesium, Copper, Zinc. If that’s not enough to make you eat it then maybe the fact that it has around 400 Calories for the whole 500ml. Apart from all the above it still has to taste good. For me, the lack of sugar was not a problem as the naturals sweeteners did a good job of satisfying my taste-buds. All the flavours are made with real ingredients which ramp up the flavour so well. The raspberry ripple dances on your tongue. it is available from Ocado and comes in 5 fabulous flavours such as Raspberry Ripple, Pistachio, Sweet Espresso, Caramel Pecan, Double choc Chip and Mint Choc Chip. The texture is still is creamy one gets a big thumbs up from me.
Like I said at the beginning, these are only my opinions, I think you need to take on the tough job of research yourself
Enjoy.
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