Vegan Hummus Ice Cream Debuts This Weekend in NYC

New York City-based eatery The Hummus and Pita Co. will launch vegan hummus ice cream on Sunday in honor of National Ice Cream Day. The eatery created four flavors (chocolate, banana, strawberry, and Cookies & Cream) using ingredients common in hummus such as chickpeas and tahini blended with vanilla, coconut cream, and almond milk. Last month, The Hummus and Pita Co. gained national notoriety for its hummus milkshake—available in original, pistachio, strawberry, butter pecan, and chocolate flavors—which it makes with a blend of bananas, tahini, chickpeas, dates, and almond milk. “We were so blown away by the popularity of the Hummus Shake that we knew we had to keep inventing new treats,” Founder Dave Pesso said. “This all started when I developed the dessert hummus as a healthier alternative for my daughter, and the response from my family was so great that we wanted to share it with The Hummus & Pita Co. guests.” In addition to formulating vegan ice cream with traditional bases such as almond or coconut milk, several companies—including brand Cado (which uses avocado as a base) and ice cream shop The Chufa Co. (which recently began operating out of a shipping container in Canada where it serves tigernut milk-based ice cream)—have been able to create animal-free frozen treats from novel ingredients.