What is the best vegan ice cream?

When I first went veg in October 1997, I also dropped eggs, cow milk, and cow ice cream. However, there wasn't much to choose from in terms of vegan ice cream. Back then, I don't even remember there being any vegan ice creams for the first couple of years. Then we discovered Rice Dream, which was the first vegan ice cream brand I remember. Back then they offered chocolate or vanilla. The ice cream wasn't amazing, but it did the job, so we bought it here and there. As time went on, new brands would pop up (or make their way to a store near us), including So Delicious and Tofutti. The selection was becoming a little bigger and the ice creams a little better, too.

Fast forward to the last couple of years and wow, I'm blown away! The number of vegan ice cream brands out there today is huge. And so many flavors! It's amazing how the vegan ice cream market has exploded. We're loving it. We love to try different ones to see which ones we like and which ones will become our favorites. 

In all honesty, I would say that in order to find the best vegan ice cream brands you need to try lots of kinds and see which ones you like best. Everyone likes something different. For example, Haagen-Dazs makes vegan ice cream, both in small containers and in bars. My daughter loves it, but I don't like theirs, as I think it tastes way to sweet. Some of our family favorite brands include:

• Bed & Jerry's - They took vegan ice cream up a notch. I love their vegan ice cream. Every flavor I've tried is great. My favorites are the coconut seven layer bar, cherry garcia, and the peanut butter half baked. They are so good! Plus, Ben & Jerry's walk-in stores that serve single scoop ice cream also usually have a couple of vegan options on hand at all times. 
• Breyers - Their vegan ice cream is great and comes in a half gallon. It's become more difficult to locate at a nearby store, but we love it. The Oreo one is awesome!
• Archer Farms - This is the Target brand vegan ice cream. It's more affordable than the other brands, when they are not on sale, and it's really good. We have liked every flavor we have tried, especially the strawberry & fudge, and the cake & cookie dough one.
• So Delicious - They make some great vegan ice creams, both in the pints and in the form of bars and sandwiches. You can't go wrong with choosing any of the vegan ice cream options by So Delicious. 
• Tofutti - They have been making great vegan ice cream before the big boom took place. Their vegan ice cream sandwiches and cones are great!
• Earth Grown - This is the Aldi's brand. They offer some vegan ice cream, but finding it is not always easy. It's hit or miss if the store will have it, but if they do it's affordable and tasty.

Today, there are many kinds of vegan that I love, as you can see. There are a few I've tried that I don't care for. Haagen-Dazs is too sweet to me, and Halo Top I just didn't like the taste of. But the great thing is that there are many vegan ice cream brands and flavors to try today. Everyone is sure to find brands and flavors that they will like. I've held many community veg events, where I gave away hundreds of vegan ice cream bars and scoops of vegan ice cream, in an effort to get people to ditch the dairy ice cream. We usually gave away So Delicious and Tofutti brand vegan ice creams. Everyone always love them. In 2012, we even held a vegan ice cream social and movie screening for the "Got the Facts of Milk" documentary, where we gave away a lot of vegan ice cream, and everyone loved it.

Vegan ice cream is a bit pricey, so I try to find ways to save money on it. The Breyer's one comes in half gallon containers, and it's about the same price as the other brands that come in a pint. More ice cream for the same amount of money. I also watch for sales. Sometimes I get the pints on sale for BOGO, while other times it may be on sale for $3 each. That's the time I try to buy a few to stock up, which saves money in the long run. Plus, I always look to see if I can get a rebate on what I do buy, using the Ibotta app. 

It's amazing how many vegan ice cream brands are available today. This is just a short sample of them, really. There are plenty of others in the store today. Some I don't even try, because the price is just too expensive. I can't bring myself to spend $9 on a pint of vegan cashew ice cream, when I have all of these other brands and flavors that I already enjoy for a third of the price. Try lots of brands and flavors and see what your favorite vegan ice cream brands are.