We all Scream for Ice Cream

Tried and tested vegan ice cream Tubs

Ice cream has always been my favourite treat and when I became vegan I was so worried that I was going to have to forgo that. I remember trying vegan ice cream in the 1980s at a festival and was so unimpressed.

Fast forward to 2017 and how things have changed.

Globally vegan ice cream is predicted to rise to £764845.03 by 2023, which is a huge market.

In the UK vegan ice cream now is so readily available. Many of the major brands now provide vegan options.

The quality of vegan ice cream now is so good, it could easily pass for regular ice cream in most cases.

Below are reviews of some of the vegan ice-creams I have tested. Being coeliac I can only test are gluten-free ones.

Walls Swedish Glace Frozen Dessert, 750 ml for £2.50 – £3.00

Vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian and egg-free

Contains SOYA

This to me, in my opinion, is the best tub of ice cream available. I would rather eat this than any regular ice cream I have had in the past.

This ice cream became available in the UK in 1992, but at first, it was considered “hippy” food. it was then available in smooth vanilla and chocolate and then in the 2000’s they released the delightfully Raspberry. This ice cream is smooth, creamy and delicious.

delicious in its own right. I would recommend this to any vegan. My favourite dessert now is this ice cream, homemade vegan meringues and chocolate sauce.

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Booja Booja Ice Cream tub 500ml for approximately £5.50

Vegan, gluten-free, palm oil free, dairy-free and soya free

First off I will mention the price, it is definitely at the higher end of the scale. I have only tasted the vanilla, caramel pecan praline and chocolate fudge brownie.

I was bought this as a gift and I was so looking forward to trying this. After all, I had seen this at high end shops and vegan festivals. The choice of flavours was wide. The tub talked the talk so did it walk the walk. After tasting I felt a little disappointed. It was not terrible but it was not what I expected. For me, it was too sweet and a little too rich. It is not an ice cream that I could eat a whole pot of in one sitting. Tasty but a little too expensive and rich for me.

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Free From by Sainsbury’s 500ml for £3.50

Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, soya- free and egg-free

It does though contain a lot of thickeners such as xanthan gum, Guar gum and gram flour

I did not like this ice cream at all. It tasted artificial and slightly watery. The creaminess you expect from an ice cream was missing. Another weird thing is that it does not melt like ice cream, which I found very off-putting. I know a lot of people love it but it is not for me.

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Wicked Kitchen Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream 500ml for £3.50

Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, egg-free and milk-free

Contains Lupin

I am not a love of mint and chocolate combination but I loved this one. I found it so refreshing while still being rich and creamy. It is packed with little chocolate chips which are in every spoonful. This is now a firm favourite. This would make great vegan ice cream sandwiches. I had to restrain myself and not eat the whole tub. This one is worth top marks.

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Plant Kitchen by M&S Scottish Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream 500ml for £3.50

Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free. Does contain soya

I have noticed with a few vegan ice creams that in the ingredients list it says

• May contain eggs
• May contain milk

I have contacted a few companies including M&S and have been reassured that their ice creams are vegan. I find this confusing and misleading. Labels are hard enough as it is. Anyway back to the ice cream. Raspberries are my favourite fruit and Scottish raspberries are delicious. I was told the chocolate one was not great but I am not a chocolate ice cream fan. My first gripe was the lack of raspberries, I wanted more. The actual ice cream was delicious, creamy and silky smooth. I would pair this with a nice raspberry coulis or a vegan Eton Mess.

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PlantLiving Butterscotch & Salted Caramel Ice Cream by Waitrose 480ml for £3.65

I really liked this ice cream, it is quite thick and creamy and the butterscotch with the salted caramel was so delicious. This one came a close second to the Swedish Glace. You could easily eat the whole tub. If you are looking for a slightly different vegan ice cream flavour for a treat then you cannot go wrong with this one.

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Coconut Collaborative Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream 500ml for £4.75

Vegan. vegetarian, gluten-free and soya free

This was one of the worst ones I have tried. I should have left well alone as I dislike their yoghurts too. It says ice cream on the front but it is not like any of the others. The coconut is overpowering so any vanilla flavour is lost. The texture is off and it is almost like a sorbet. It also has a very strange taste, a spoon full was enough for me.

No stars for this one.

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Valsoia Cherry and Cream Soya Ice Cream 1000ml for £5.20

Vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian and lactose free

This was a rare find indeed, I am so glad I found it. This one does contain soya, which is a shame for those who have to avoid soya. It was light and creamy and so delicious. The tartness of the cherry swirl overcame any sweetness. To me it was perfectly balanced. My gripes are that, it is hard to get hold of and the vanilla ice cream is not very strong. That aside It went down well with some vegan meringues and in an Eton Mess. Grab if you can.

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This is based on my opinion only and I know we all have different tastes.

I have not received renumeration for mentioning any brands.