Most summer days, a classic double-scoop nestled in a vegan-friendly waffle cone will curb that summertime ice cream craving. However, inventive ice cream makers are turning heads with their adorable, monstrous, and one-of-a-kind creations that trigger a “gotta-have-it-now” response. Dive into these nine trendy vegan treats with us and enter into an ice cream-addled sugar coma.
Where to find dairy-free ice cream
These days, dairy-free ice cream is no longer the rare find it was once. Today, you can find dairy-free frozen treats at grocery stores, scoop shops, and restaurants—national chains included.
Magpies Softserve
For some of the creamiest, vegan ice cream pints available at most grocery stores, check out our guide to oat milk-based ice cream. If you’re looking for a new go-to scoop shop, don’t miss our guide to vegan and vegan-friendly ice cream shops. And, if you’re on the hunt for decadent, dairy-free soft serve, don’t fret, we’ve got you covered with our guide to the tastiest swirls.
9 delicious, dairy-free ice cream treats
But for something beyond the standard scoop or soft-serve cone, these nine decadent creations are sure to satisfy your cravings.
Magpie’s
1 Fried soft serve pie at Magpies Softserve
Los Angeles and Tarzana, CA
This popular soft-serve shop offers various vegan-friendly ice cream pies, but the one we keep coming back to is the iconic Fried Softserve Pie. Standing at an impressive four inches high, this treat starts with a graham cracker base followed by a thick layer of fudge, corn almond soft serve, vegan honeycomb, dairy-free whipped cream, and a fried candied cornflake streusel. Other soft-serve pie options include layers of pistachio-baklava ice cream, lemon pound cake, chocolate cookie crusts, and more. At Magpies, they never say “or,” only “and.”
FIND IT HERE
@veganeatsnyc | Instagram
2Chocolate peanut butter pretzel cone at Urban Dessert Lab
New York, NY and West Hollywood, CA
The signature soft serve at Urban Dessert Lab, officially dubbed “sweet crème,” is nothing short of glorious. Each flavor can be enjoyed in a cup or cone and dipped, drizzled, and sprinkled with a sundae-sized array of next-level toppings. Customization is the name of the game here, but for those with decision fatigue, the preset options don’t disappoint. Our go-to is the chocolate peanut butter pretzel cone, which features swirls coated with crunchy pretzels and chocolate and peanut butter sauces. Just thinking about it has us salivating.
FIND IT HERE
Ice Queen
3 Paletas at Ice Queen
Portland, OR
This all-vegan ice cream shop churns out a delicious variety of frozen treats. McDonald’s-inspired Thiccflurrys, chocolate-covered bananas, and milkshakes made from creamy oat-milk soft serve are all guaranteed to please, but it’s the shop’s hand-crafted paletas that keep us coming back. At Ice Queen, these Mexican popsicles come in truly one-of-a-kind flavors. Blackberry Sweetcorn, Tickle My Pickle, Oatchata, and the energy drink-inspired Monster are just a few of the shop’s innovative creations.
FIND IT HERE
Seabirds Kitchen
4Chaffle at Seabirds Kitchen
Costa Mesa and Long Beach, CA
When you know the Chaffle is on the menu, it’s impossible not to order dessert. This shareable sweet finale is comprised of a cinnamon-sugar-coated waffle, vanilla ice cream, chocolate drizzle, and chopped walnuts. It definitely gives the classic brownie sundae a run for its money.
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Black Tap
5 The Vegan Cookie Shake at Black Tap
Las Vegas, NV and Dallas, TX
With locations in California, Florida, Nevada, New York, Tennessee, and Texas, Black Tap delivers when it comes to milkshakes. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, the chain’s vegan shakes are only available at its Las Vegas, NV and Dallas, TX locations. In Sin City, the massive Cookie Shake can be ordered vegan. And in Dallas, all shakes on the menu can be made with vegan ice cream and dairy-free whipped cream.
FIND IT HERE
Frankie & Jo’s
6 Seasonal scoops at Frankie & Jo’s
Seattle, WA and Larkspur, CA
Due to the seasonality of this women-owned scoop shop’s flavors, we couldn’t pick just one. No, Frankie and Jo’s doesn’t offer cake-topped milkshakes or colossal sundaes, but its flavors are unlike anything we’ve seen at other ice cream shops—vegan or otherwise. For the summer of 2024, the brick-and-mortar and virtual shop is featuring Summer Sangria, Blackberry Bake, and Potato Chip Caramel Crunch vegan ice cream. We’re more than willing to pay the cost of shipping just to try these wildly inventive flavors.
FIND IT HERE
@elizabethaward | Instagram
7 Motion City Sandwich at Creamo
Los Angeles, CA
It’s well established that doughnuts are better suited as dessert, not breakfast. That being said, ice cream is a far superior doughnut pairing than coffee. Creamo—an offshoot of LA’s popular Donut Friend chain—knows this well. The hybrid vegan doughnut and scoop shop allows customers to mix and match a variety of dairy-free flavors with a yeasted, glazed doughnut. The fluffy treat is split right down the middle, leaving plenty of room to stuff a generous scoop of ice cream. The sandwich is then rolled in a topping of your choice, from vibrant rainbow sprinkles to chocolate chips.
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Dear Bella
8 Ice cream cake at Dear Bella
Hollywood, CA
Summer birthdays were meant for ice cream cakes. They’re still a fairly rare find when it comes to vegan options, but Dear Bella’s has delighted birthday boys and girls since opening in Hollywood in 2017. Last-minute scramblers may get lucky—the shop often has pre-made cakes in the grab-and-go freezer, but those who wish to create their own or customize a frosting message should order in advance. Choose any flavor of ice cream to be layered on top of a brownie base and decadent fudge before its finished off with a drip of even more hot fudge and optional toppings. Celebrating a winter birthday? Keep an eye out for the seasonal Buche de Noel.
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Hug Life
9 Ice cream cookie sandwiches at Hug Life
Garden Grove and Long Beach, CA
For many, our first introduction to an ice cream cookie sandwich came from the yellow-wrapped Toll House vanilla cookie sammie we likely begged our parents for at the bodega or purchased with our allowance money off an ice cream truck. While this item may have the taste of nostalgia, Hug Life’s ice cream cookie sandwiches have Toll House beat. Customers can choose from over a dozen vegan flavors—from cookie butter to Vietnamese coffee—to sandwich between two oversized chocolate chip cookies. Oh, but you’re not done. The staff will then roll your ice cream creation in a topping of your choice.
FIND IT HERE
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Tanya Flink is a Digital Editor at VegNews as well as a writer and runner living in Orange County, CA.
