All scream for vegan ice cream brands to try this summer

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Everyone’s favourite indulgence is getting a healthy makeover with plenty of innovative flavours.

By Arzoo Dina

Who can resist a scoop of ice cream? Creamy, luscious and irresistible, ice cream is universally loved by kids and adults alike. As with most food these days, ice cream too has had a healthy makeover. Now you will find as many ice cream brands peddling plant-based, low sugar and dairy-free variants, competing for the market share that once entirely belonged to traditional, creamy and sugar-laden frozen treats. We’ve spotlighted a range of vegan ice creams, so you can thank us for your practically guilt-free summer.

As a bonus, we’ve lined up an easy vegan ice cream recipe to round off this season’s indulgence.

Table of Contents

Nomou – Plant-based Gelato

This Mumbai-based artisanal ice creamery churns out scoops and pints of plant-based gelatos. These are dairy-free, refined sugar-free and made in small batches. Apart from classic flavours such as Bourbon Vanilla, Cookies and Cream and Tender Coconut, you have Paan-flavoured gelato, Fig and Walnut gelato which is sugar-free, and Pistachio-flavoured gelato that will remind you of a traditional pista kulfi. They’ve also recently teamed up with chef Rouble Chhabra of Elbuor Foods for a line of diabetic-friendly, vegan ice creams in flavours such as Chocolate Macadamia and Strawberry. These will be available April 1 onwards in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Order online.

Papacream

This pan-India chain specialises in gourmet flavours and expressive packaging. It made it to our list thanks to its range of vegan ice creams in flavours such as Coffee Mocha Crunch, French Vanilla, Raspberry Sorbet, Chocofudgy Cake, and Mango to name a few. Order online.

Cold Love

Cold Love hails from Delhi and is synonymous with ice cream innovation. They’ve experimented wildly with flavours such as a Dahi Chaat-inspired ice cream, a boozy Baileys scoop, White Chocolate and Green Chilli and more. Their vegan range is a bit more classic, offering flavours such as Coconut, Banana and Chocolate, and a Coffee ice cream made with almond milk. Order online.

WhiteCub

This Gurgaon-based brand arguably offers the most bold vegan ice creams out there. There’s Indian Wedding–a frozen take on the traditional Indian mithai with saffron, pistachio and cashew; Buddha’s Fig, which features coconut cream, soy milk and fig paste; and Banarasi Paan. For the less adventurous there’s a classic range featuring Butterscotch and Strawberry among others. Order online.

Bliss Please

This Mumbai newcomer has also joined the plant-based ice cream wagon. They’ve got playful flavours such as Mango-Basil sorbet, Date n Orange (with kalmi dates and a zesty orange marmalade), Filter Coffee and Chocolate Peanut Butter. These are sweetened with organic coconut sugar or stevia and can be paired with gluten-free superseed waffles. Order online.

The Brooklyn Creamery

Popular with the plant-based crowd, this three-city chain is constantly innovating with formats in addition to flavours. The latest is the vegan choco bars such as the Acai Berry Banana, dipped in dark chocolate and covered with crunchy cacao nibs. They also have vegan Chocolate Therapy ice cream bars that are essentially dairy, sugar and preservatives-free. Order online in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai.

Minus 30

Inspired by their mother’s homemade ice creams, the sibling duo of Gayatri Rattha and Shivanie Mirchandini set up their own brand of guilt-free gelatos in Delhi, back in 2016. Their binge-worthy vegan and sugar-free scoops include Espresso Almond Milk, Green Tea Matcha, Coconut, and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter. The menu also lists sorbets such as Nimbu Pani and Blood Orange. Order online in multiple cities.

Nova Artisan Gelato

The artisanal gelateria located at Mumbai’s Kemps Corner churns out small-batch gelatos with several limited edition and seasonal flavours. Get yourself tubs (yes tubs!) of their excellent vegan Dark Chocolate-Sea Salt gelato, Crunchy Coconut, Mixed Berry sorbet and a limited edition vegan Raspberry sorbet. Pick up from The Shalimar Hotel, Kemps Corner, or available for delivery via Swiggy.

Yogisattva Café

Mumbai’s popular plant-based café will fix you up with scoops of its creamy and decadent vegan ice creams that taste as good as regular ice creams. Take your pick from the Vegan Raw Cacao and Orange ice cream, made with cold-pressed coconut oil, raw honey, cashews, organic oranges and chocolate, or the Vegan Vanilla ice cream topped with gluten-free granola, made using unrefined coconut sugar, organic cashews and vanilla. Call: 09867455009 or order online.

Noto

This popular delivery brand has become Mumbai’s go-to for low-calorie and vegan options. Their flavour range aims to please a wide audience. You can choose from tubs of Mocha Almond, Dark Chocolate, Salted Caramel and icy, fruity popsicles in seasonal flavours such as Kala Jamun, Imli, Mango-Coconut and Raspberry-Strawberry. Order online.

The Blue Gourmet

Launched by the folks behind popular Mumbai restaurant, Out of the Blue, The Blue Gourmet follows a sustainable, local and organic approach. They have a couple of interesting vegan ice creams, the Kashmiri Roseberry with almond milk, and a Single Origin Chocolate ice cream with roasted almonds. Pick these up from the restaurant itself or order online.

Vegan chocolate ice cream recipe

Ingredients:

Two ripe bananas
Cocoa powder – 3 tbsp
Almond milk – 4 tbsp
Protein powder – 130 ml
Almond petals (for decoration)

Method:
Mix all the ingredients in the blender until smooth.
Scoop it out in a bowl and sprinkle almond petals on the top.
You can also add chocolate chips, if you wish.
Leave overnight in the fridge.

Serves two or makes for one large serving.

Recipe courtesy: Margo Samant