Breyers’ New Dairy-Free Flavors Are Here Just in Time for Summer

Ice Cream giant Breyers is releasing two new dairy-free flavors to retailers across the US, just in time for summer heatwaves. The almond milk-based ice creams will be Breyers Non-Dairy Mint Chocolate Chip and Breyers Non-Dairy Chocolate Chocolate Chip. The dairy-free deserts will accompany Unilever’s larger vegan ice cream project, as the parent company has worked to release multiple vegan ice creams across its Ben & Jerry’s, Talenti, Magnum, and Breyers labels.

“Unilever’s ice cream portfolio includes iconic and beloved brands,” Vice President of Unilever Ice Cream North America Russel Lilly said. “When creating new products, we look at key trends and what consumers want in their treats to ensure we’re creating innovative flavors and expanding the variety of product shapes and sizes that our fans will love. We are always looking to develop products that bring joy to ice cream fans everywhere and are excited to launch such a diverse range of new creations this year.”

Unilever has spent recent years developing vegan ice creams across all of its subsidiary brands to meet growing consumer demand for dairy-free desserts. Breyers released its first two vegan flavors – Oreo Cookies & Cream and Vanilla Peanut Butter – in 2017, using an almond milk base. Following the Breyers release, the company continued to release dairy-free selections from its core brands.

In the same year, Talenti unveiled its Peanut Butter Fudge Sorbetto, marking the first time the brand featured a dairy-free option. Also, Magnum has worked towards several vegan ice cream bars in recent years including the Non-Dairy Classic and Non-Dairy Almond flavors and more recently developing a Non-Dairy Sea Salt Caramel flavor in 2020. The Non-Dairy Sea Salt Caramel recently won PETA’s Best Vegan Ice Cream Award for 2021. The company claimed that following this honor that it plans to launch “more plant-based products to create a future-fit ice cream portfolio that helps reduce the environmental impact of the global food supply chain.”

Unilever CEO Alan Jope commented on the increasing global demand for plant-based products earlier this year. Jope announced that Unilever was aware of the potential growth of the plant-based industry, and ensured that the company would be dedicated to changing consumer behavior.

“As you’ll know there is a secular trend toward us all eating a little more of a plant-based diet and we see all our vegetarian and vegan offerings growing very quickly,” Jope said. “The first thing we’re concerned to do is to make sure our big brands like Knorr and Hellmann’s have got attractive plant-based offerings. So, that’s really the main course.”

The announcement coincides with Ben & Jerry’s strides to develop vegan ice creams over recent years. The ice cream brand launched its first vegan flavors – PB & Cookies, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Chunky Monkey, and Coffee Caramel Fudge – in 2016, and since then has expanded its vegan line and products every year.

Most of Ben & Jerry’s vegan ice creams use almond milk for its milk substitute but in 2020 the company began exploring the potential of a sunflower butter base. The brand released three flavors including “Milk” & Cookies, Creme Brulee Cookie, and Mint Chocolate Cookie. Following the success of the three flavors, Ben & Jerry’s partnered with former NFL star and activist Colin Kaepernick to release the sunflower butter-based Change the Whirled flavor. The new caramel-infused, fudge chip, and graham cracker flavor will reallocate a portion of its sales to the Know Your Rights Camp – Colin Kaepernick’s racial-justice organization that he founded in 2016.

Ben & Jerry’s has released several familiar favorites over the last year. The rapid rollout includes flavors such as Phish Food, Karamel Sutra, The Tonight Dough Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream. Unilever continued dedication to its plant-based consumers will mean the increasing growth of Ben & Jerry’s and all its brand’s dairy-free ice cream development.