Atlanta Gave the World Slutty Vegan. Its Vegan Ice Cream Scene Is Pretty Epic, Too. 

Vegan ice cream is delightful no matter the weather or time of year, and yet with summer winding down we are yearning for a big, sweet scoop as a send-off to the sun-soaked days. While most ice cream is made with cow’s milk, animal products aren’t at all essential when it comes to enjoying this frozen treat. 

Now more than ever, ice cream parlors are offering ice cream with vegan bases instead, such as cashew, coconut, and oat. 

Atlanta’s growing vegan scene

Over in Atlanta, GA, the vegan scene is most known for renowned vegan burger chain Slutty Vegan, which offers handholds with names such as Sloppy Toppy, One Night Stand, and Fussy Hussy.

Sweet Stack

But with veganism’s uptick, the city’s plant-based eateries have seen some growth, too. Many now offer an array of food and beverages, including dairy-free ice cream. Here are seven notable spots to choose from. 

Atlanta’s vegan ice cream offerings

1The Creamy Spot

An all-vegan creamery that opened earlier this year, The Creamy Spot offers a variety of dairy-free frozen desserts. Think vegan soft serve, ice cream sandwiches, and pints in rotating seasonal flavors such as cookie dough (aptly named Dough Boy); orange creamsicle (Dreamy); peach cobbler (ATLien); and butter pecan (Pecan Tan). 

In the future, The Creamy Spot will also offer milkshakes and the trendy rolled ice cream.

Aside from nostalgia-inducing ice cream flavors, the goal of The Creamy Spot, according to founder Wendy Golding, is to foster community. 

The Creamy Spot

“We are by the community, for the community. We are the community,” Golding previously told VegNews.

“I honestly cannot formulate words to express how grateful we are for our community,” she said. “Complete strangers coming together to help you actualize a dream to do good in that very community is mind-blowing.”

2Eighty7sweets Vegan Ice Cream Company

Another all-vegan ice cream shop is Eighty7sweets offering flavors such as Buckhead Mocha, Edgewood Oreo, and Lenox Lime and Avocado. Be sure to select the cookie bowl, made entirely of a chocolate chip cookie, as an edible serving dish. 

Eighty7Sweets

Eighty7sweets is also a nut-free and soy-free shop, making for an even more inclusive option to get your vegan ice cream fix.

3Big Softie

Although not entirely vegan, Big Softie is worth the trip for its vegan oat-based vanilla soft serve.

Big Softie

The shop has offered at least one vegan option since it first opened in an effort to make dairy-free options more accessible, and since then the vegan options have grown to make up half the menu.

“We wanted our soft serve to be accessible to as many folks as possible, and we were confident we could come up with a delicious plant-based option,”  Sarah O’Brien, Baker and Founder of Big Softie and Little Tart Bakeshop, tells VegNews. “We certainly did.”

“Our vegan oat vanilla is one of our top-selling flavors, and we just added our vegan matcha to our year-round menu because folks love it so much,” she says. “We now usually have three vegan flavors on the menu at all times, which is half our menu.”

4Cereal and Cream

Cereal and Cream is a unique dessert spot that pairs ice cream and cereal for a crunchy creamy treat. The current vegan ice cream flavors include banana pudding and caramel crunch.

Cereal and Cream

Visit the brick-and-mortar location or the food truck that tours the city to indulge ice cream, and choose from the cereals and toppings to create a custom multi-tiered ice cream-based dessert. 

5Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams has an entire dairy-free collection made up of seven enticing flavors. Caramel pecan sticky buns, frosé sorbet, and cold brew with coconut cream are just a few of the flavors to choose from. 

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

Order vegan ice cream by the pint through the website or visit the physical location to browse the selection.

6Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream

Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the ice cream right in front of you as you order. It offers a vegan base that you can then modify with mix-ins at your desire.

Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream

 In fact, there are over 40 vegan flavors to choose from, including bubble gum, black raspberry, cotton candy, and pumpkin spice. Select toppings such as almonds, Oreos, or mixed berries. 

7Sweet Stack Creamery

This downtown parlor scoops both rotating dairy and vegan ice cream. Its “Vegan Vibes” menu features classic flavors such as lemon, mango, cookies and cream, and vanilla. 

Sweet Stack

Be sure to get a double scoop so you can enjoy it a little longer.