Dairy-Free Ice Cream Guide

For a plethora of reasons, I try to stay away from dairy altogether. Normally, I don't even crave it. Until Memorial Day. There's something about the start of summer that sends my craving into overdrive. This year I called four ice cream stores to see if they had dairy-free ice cream. Four "no"s. Did you know most sherbet has dairy in it too?! Yeah me either. Since, I can't get dairy-free ice cream at a traditional stand (Ben & Jerry's downtown is the only place I've found carrying dairy-free ice cream in the 'burgh), I scour local grocery stores to see what they have. Here's a round up of the brands I've tried and my favorite flavors in them!

NadaMoo! in Lotta Mint Chip: My standing favorite as of now. I was very hesitant to try ice cream made from coconut milk, because generally I don't like coconut milk or water; I was afraid the flavor would be overpowering in ice cream. NadaMoo! proved me wrong. It may be because the mint cuts through the coconut flavor. It almost tastes like real mint chocolate-chip ice cream. Almost. The texture is definitely creamy, but not quite as thick as real hard ice cream. It's also a healthy option---ringing in at only 140 calories per serving. 

Ben & Jerry's Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert in P.B. & Cookies: The texture of this one is definitely the closest to real ice cream. It's creamy, thick, and indulgent. You can definitely taste the almond milk in this one, though. However, in this flavor it compliments the peanut butter quite well. This ice cream was not made for diets! It has 290 calories in just one serving. 

Trader Joe's Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert made with coconut milk in Chocolate: The texture of this dessert is definitely thicker and creamier than the NadaMoo! but not quite as thick as the Ben & Jerry's. The flavor of the coconut milk comes through quite strong, and I was not as turned off by it as I expected. It's definitely a treat I would have to be in the mood for though. Each serving has 180 calories.