Summer means hot days and cool treats. As ice cream shops fill up and gallon tubs fill our freezers, dairy-free consumers often are left in the dust. However, as dairy allergies continue to increase, major companies are rising to the occasion as they are currently offering multiple options for dairy-free consumers.
First, we have the obvious sorbets available for all dairy-free consumers. Most ice cream stores carry at least one sorbet; however, be careful not to confuse sorbet with sherbet—sorbet has no dairy while sherbet does. In addition to calling your local ice cream store to check for sorbets, there are also many brand sold at major grocery stores. Personally, I have fallen in love with Haagen Dazs raspberry as well as Ciao Bella raspberry sorbetto. Ciao Bella is lighter while Haagen Dazs is slightly more creamy and thick.
In addition to sorbets, it is always a safe choice to just go the Popsicle route. You could go the old fashioned route with the classic yellow boxes of the Popsicle brand, but lately I have begun to enjoy Outshine pops, a healthier version of Popsicles. Personally, I enjoy the raspberry, lemon, and grape flavors the best. All of the outshine pops are made with real fruit, have no GMO’s, high fructose corn syrup, or artificial colors or flavors. In addition, each pop is only 60 calories, making for a guilt-free cool down treat.
Although popsicles are sorbets are great, sometimes they just cannot fill the ice cream void. However, companies like Luna and Larry’s and So Delicious are filling that void as they are releasing ice cream flavors made with almond milk, cashew milk, and coconut milk. Personally, I have found the best taste with coconut milk based ice cream over cashew milk and almond milk, but that is just my taste. Personally, with so delicious I have fallen in love with their coconut milk gluten free cookie dough ice cream as well as turtle trails. In addition to being dairy free, So Delicious offers a few sugar free flavors as well, my personal favorite being Mint chocolate chip. This is sweetened with a stevia extract and erythritol rather than sugar, boasting only 120 calories per serving.
Next on the dairy free ice cream list is Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss. This, by far, has been my favorite ice cream I have tried. Luna and Larry’s has a coconut milk base and sweetened with agave nectar rather than sugar. Although Luna and Larry’s has about 100 more calories per serving over So Delicious, the creaminess makes up for it. So far out of all flavors, salted caramel and chocolate has been my favorite while cinnamon chocolate fusion was my least favorite. Luna and Larry’s provides thick, creamy ice cream while so delicious is a lot lighter.
Overall, I try to avoid ice cream, instead making homemade fruit pops (recipes to come); however, when I want to splurge I definitely rely on Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss. I have yet to try Ben and Jerry’s new dairy free flavors as well as the low calorie Nada-moo, but I will update as I try more, until then, enjoy summer with a few of these frozen treats my dairy-free friends!
