Best Vegan, Gluten-Free Ice Cream Spots In NYC
It's a great time to be vegan in NYC! Gone are the days when you had to suffer in sweltering silence, cooling off in the heat of summer with a glass of water and maybe some apple slices while others gobbled ice cream. A range of places have opened in the five boroughs catering to those who don't do dairy. Below are our five favorite spots for vegan ice cream. By Jessica Allen.
More: Best Spring 2016 Food Festivals In NYC
On Saturdays at Smorgasburg, you can find the wizards of Alchemy Creamery whipping up batch after batch of vegan, dairy-free deliciousness. The frozen treats -- including the signature push-up pop, aka "the magic wand--" blend cashews, coconut, almonds, and hazelnut. You'll never know you're missing the eggs or the milk. Flavors range from harvest berry to salted caramel to almond vanilla. For those of you keeping track at home, Alchemy's pops kosher, gluten-free and animal-friendly.
More: NYC's Best Gluten-Free Bakeries, Desserts
At Chloe's you'll find soft serve, but a soft serve unlike anything you've ever had before. This restaurant in Union Square makes its soft serve using just three ingredients: water, fruit, and a bit of organic cane sugar -- not a drop of milk in sight! Among the offerings are dark chocolate (made with seeds from cacao fruit), strawberry, mango and pineapple -- any of which can be topped with add-ons like shredded coconut, crushed vegan waffle, and graham crackers.
More: NYC's Best Italian Ices
With three locations in Brooklyn, you won't be far from satisfaction when the craving for vegan ice cream hits. All dairy products are certified kosher, while all non-dairy products -- including sorbets -- are certified vegan. But don't stop there: you can get a sorbet cake, sorbet trifle, sorbet topped with chocolate, or sorbet scooped into a fruit shell. Tons of flavors, tons of designs, super-friendly service! (Note: no super short-shorts or sleeveless tops allowed.)
More: 5 Best Ice Cream Shops In NYC
For going on 30 years, Scoops has served up healthy food, including ice cream, on a stretch of Flatbush sometimes called "Little West India" or "Little Haiti." After you feast on noodles, soy meats, whole grain goodness, juices, stews, and other key elements of the Rastafarian diet that Scoops specializes in, you can lick up several non-dairy ice cream flavors, including "great nut," banana, and cookies and cream. Not much by way of seating, so get your cone to go and have a stroll.
Upset with how food gets made in this country, Jane McGinn decided to create something both "maliciously healthy and disastrously divine." And so she began perfecting sorbets, ices, ice creams, and, her beloved specialty, FudgeStickles, minus gluten, dairy, and GMO anything, all made on site. Bonus: many of these items are also low in calories. A win for your taste buds and your waistline. McGinn is also dedicated to paying employees at her Astoria ice cream shop a fair wage, so eating here is also good for your soul!
