Ice cream is the quintessential summertime treat. In 2023, the global ice cream market was valued at $113.4 billion, and by 2030, it could be worth an estimated $147.4 billion. Vegan ice cream alone is “projected to grow at a [compound annual growth rate] of 9.7 percent” between 2024 and 2030.
Jump to the treats
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 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.
Delicious, dairy-free ice cream treats
But for something beyond the standard scoop or soft-serve cone, these 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, strawberry shortcake, 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
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 frozen 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. Watermelon Tajin, Oatchata, Arnold Palmer, and even pickle-flavored pops are just a few of the shop’s innovative creations.
FIND IT HERE
Seabirds Kitchen
4Chaffle at Seabirds Kitchen
Costa Mesa, 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 sauce, 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
Multiple locations
With locations in California, Nevada, New York, Tennessee, and Texas, Black Tap delivers when it comes to milkshakes. You can opt for a classic shake, simply request it be made vegan. However, in Nevada and Texas, opt for giant Vegan Cookie Shake.
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 2025, the brick-and-mortar and virtual shop is featuring Pineapple Sangria, Blueberry Lavender Pie, Coconut Joy, and Date Shake—and yes, like everything at Frankie & Jo’s, these pints are vegan. 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.
FIND IT HERE
Hug Life
8 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.
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Tanya Flink is a Digital Editor at VegNews as well as a writer and runner living in Orange County, CA.
