Culture Here's the scoop on vegan ice cream — and why it's everywhere now

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Here's the scoop on vegan ice cream — and why it's everywhere now​

As temperatures heat up and hordes of Americans begin spending their days at the beach or pool, they'll be thinking of that quintessential summer treat to help them keep cool: ice cream.

While you may have your go-to order etched into your brain in the chance that an ice cream truck rolls down your street, you might be surprised to find a whole new world of options at your local grocery store or ice cream shop.

Thanks to the popularization of plant-based diets, non-dairy ice cream has become a huge industry, catering to people with all types of palates, dietary needs, and curiosities for where the world of ice cream may be going.

Brittany Martin is an editor of Vegetarian Times, which focuses on plant-based food and the lifestyle that comes along with it.

"There's been an amazing explosion in the availability of vegan ice cream, and also the quality of it as well," Martin said. "Market reports say that there's been something like a 300% increase just since 2018."

She theorizes that there are a few factors behind this boom.

Firstly, there's been a surge in people who have adopted vegan or vegetarian diet in the past few years. Second, people have become more open-minded about trying these alternatives, whether it be for their health, environmental reasons, or just because it tastes good.

"People used to think that vegan ice cream is lesser-than, or not as delicious, not as creamy," she said. "But between people just being more creative ... and some of the technology innovations, the quality is really there."

These innovations can span from intriguing new flavor combinations, to better textures than vegan options that came before. And ultimately, to a product that feels much more familiar to the average consumer.

Alicia Kennedy, a vegetarian food writer, said that until recently there were just a handful of little-known brands selling vegan ice cream. Now, big companies have entered the game.

"You're gonna see Ben & Jerry's non-dairy in the aisles of a Walgreens or any old supermarket," she said. "It's been a real shift from an aisle at the natural grocer."

These days, you also can find ice cream made from all types of milk — cashew, oat, hemp, and more, each offering a distinct flavor and texture.

While Kennedy and Martin both say plant-based ice cream probably won't replace the dairy option anytime soon, Martin said it wasn't about competing — it's just about having more options available for everybody.

"This is not weird, you're not missing out on anything," she said. "It's just as great and it's gonna fill all of those same cravings you have"

 

[Usb2200a]

If it doesn’t have cream in it…

 

[autoerotic bus accident]

Can I just eat fucking food without having to have a "lifestyle" attached to it?

I don't want to eat whipped oil and stabilizers. Also, nut "milk" has most of the actual nutrients thrown away when you crush the nuts in water, so nondairy ice cream has way less protein and other nutrients than dairy ice cream, but just as much sugar.

 

[Toolbox]

The major point? The companies that produce any of these plant based grifts get invested in by the billions from interest groups like Bezos's. I have no doubts that these products have an audience half composed of retards that think this is truly helping the planet, with the other part possibly being people that are actually lactose intolerant, but they have yet been proven to be an actual competitor to the real thing, and seem to have to be astroturfed to market. The autism around faux meat is enough to show that.

 

[Airbrushed Van Art]

Sorbet has been around forever. Yawn. People are so starved for posturing about how Vegan they are.

 

[CHARizard]

As far as shitty vegan food goes, the ice cream isn't bad in terms of taste. We have (as much as anyone HAS to buy ice cream) to buy it in my house for allergen reasons so we have tried a fair amount of varieties. I like the Oatly stuff personally.

While Kennedy and Martin both say plant-based ice cream probably won't replace the dairy option anytime soon, Martin said it wasn't about competing — it's just about having more options available for everybody.

This is really the important takeaway here. Vegans have a choice, but some people really want to enjoy a cone in the summer that may not be able to eat dairy.

 

[More AWS-8Q Than You]

As far as shitty vegan food goes, the ice cream isn't bad in terms of taste. We have (as much as anyone HAS to buy ice cream) to buy it in my house for allergen reasons so we have tried a fair amount of varieties. I like the Oatly stuff personally.



This is really the important takeaway here. Vegans have a choice, but some people really want to enjoy a cone in the summer that may not be able to eat dairy.

I can no long eat Gluten and basically feel the same. As much as I hate the bullshit gluten-free food fad people, I appreciate having more options. Now, convincing them that flavor is okay is almost as hard as convincing them that there are reasonable amounts of salt.

 

[Toolbox]

As far as shitty vegan food goes, the ice cream isn't bad in terms of taste. We have (as much as anyone HAS to buy ice cream) to buy it in my house for allergen reasons so we have tried a fair amount of varieties. I like the Oatly stuff personally.

Taste? Maybe sometimes. Texture is not something I have seen them able to properly replicate. And taste is pushing it already. I agree that the choice should be there for allergy reasons, but there is a definite shift to wanting to remove the choice for any plebs. It's mostly been on the side of meat products, but dairy is the next to be sacrificed.

 

[Coldgrip]

That's nice.

Still not gonna eat it.

 

[Daddy's Little Kitten]

I'll keep eating dairy ice cream even if it gives me the shits.

 

[usernames can change now!]

As far as shitty vegan food goes, the ice cream isn't bad in terms of taste. We have (as much as anyone HAS to buy ice cream) to buy it in my house for allergen reasons so we have tried a fair amount of varieties. I like the Oatly stuff personally.



This is really the important takeaway here. Vegans have a choice, but some people really want to enjoy a cone in the summer that may not be able to eat dairy.

Vegans are moralistic crusaders, the moment they think they have the political capital to ban an animal product they will. Don't fall for the "it's about choice" lie.

 

[Toolbox]

Vegans are moralistic crusaders, the moment they think they have the political capital to ban an animal product they will. Don't fall for the "it's about choice" lie.

We've basically had a lot of existing animal products cut off, like actual fur and a whole lot of applications that used to utilize leather. The replacements? Mostly plastic, with actual plant-based versions only really becoming semi viable in the past couple years. I'm not convinced if they will end up being used in any significant quantity even then, and the use cases are niche.

 

[JambledUpWords]

We've basically had a lot of existing animal products cut off, like actual fur and a whole lot of applications that used to utilize leather. The replacements? Mostly plastic, with actual plant-based versions only really becoming semi viable in the past couple years. I'm not convinced if they will end up being used in any significant quantity even then, and the use cases are niche.

Genuine leather shoes > fake leather shoes

Yes, they cost more, but my feet are in so much better shape using real leather for my shoes as my everyday shoes. I’d argue that if people are going to keep eating the meat, utilizing animals for the leather as well is less wasteful. The vegan “leather” shoes don’t hold up nearly as long and they are prone to breaking easier.

 

[Toolbox]

Genuine leather shoes > fake leather shoes

Yes, they cost more, but my feet are in so much better shape using real leather for my shoes as my everyday shoes. I’d argue that if people are going to keep eating the meat, utilizing animals for the leather as well is less wasteful. The vegan “leather” shoes don’t hold up nearly as long and they are prone to breaking easier.

The vegan 'leather' also degrades quickly and through natural processes becomes more microplastics that we have little idea are doing to our bodies, but from what has so far been found it seems nothing good. This means more harm to animals in their natural environments, too. Way more harm than animal farming is doing. There is no where you can go where there isn't some amount of plastic now and it is only getting worse as these people get their way.

 

[BelUwUga]

Inb4 the FDA pushes these fag's shit in:

US law is abundantly clear here. This is not ice cream, milk comes from animals and not plants, and calling this frozen sludge something it is not to sell it to the general public is criminal.

 

[JambledUpWords]

The vegan 'leather' also degrades quickly and through natural processes becomes more microplastics that we have little idea are doing to our bodies, but from what has so far been found it seems nothing good. This means more harm to animals in their natural environments, too. Way more harm than animal farming is doing. There is no where you can go where there isn't some amount of plastic now and it is only getting worse as these people get their way.

More brands should switch back to exclusively real leather. The fake leather trend has also been used to cut costs, but the product is often inferior to something that is real leather. A real leather belt lasts far longer and you don’t have to replace it as often compared to a belt made of fake leather. Using real leather products until they eventually give out after many years of wear makes you less of a consoomer.

 

[neverendingmidi]

I've noticed both a lot of the vegan stuff, and the zero-calorie stuff, appearing at my local store and I bet when they do their reset in a year or so both will disappear due to lack of sales.

Happens a lot.

 

[Toolbox]

More brands should switch back to exclusively real leather. The fake leather trend has also been used to cut costs, but the product is often inferior to something that is real leather. A real leather belt lasts far longer and you don’t have to replace it as often compared to a belt made of fake leather. Using real leather products until they eventually give out after many years of wear makes you less of a consoomer.

But then they can't make more short term profits. Making cheaper shit that breaks easier is the plan, it hasn't been done out of incompetence.

 

[Slimy Time]

I have eaten vegan ice cream twice, both by mistake. Once was me seeing a fancy tub with chocolate and peanut butter ice cream, and missing the "vegan part", the other one was given a weird name that didn't indicate it was vegan. Both tasted horrible, enough that I threw both away, and I love ice cream.

How can you make a chocolate and peanut butter ice cream that doesn't taste of either, but some nasty plant/soy taste instead?

 

[JambledUpWords]

I've noticed both a lot of the vegan stuff, and the zero-calorie stuff, appearing at my local store and I bet when they do their reset in a year or so both will disappear due to lack of sales.

Happens a lot.

The vegan stuff I see at my local grocery store doesn’t seem to sell all that well. I haven’t seen much of the vegan fake meats or cheeses being sold out. Things like beans, rice, and pasta will get sold out more, but those aren’t exclusively for vegans either. The stuff that seems to have the most consistent buyers of exclusive vegan food is the ice cream, but lactose intolerant people will eat that as well. The vegan products that would have staying power are ones that would be eaten by others as well, or be eaten due to a food allergy. There’s a reason Beyond Beef is pretty much a meme while a non-dairy version of brownie ice cream will have consistent buyers. Vegans don’t make up nearly as much of the population they wish they did.