It's National Ice Cream Day! Your Guide to the Best Vegan Flavors

It’s not every day that you find the perfect excuse to enjoy ice cream. But today, July 19th, is National Ice Cream Day, a holiday just about everyone can get behind. Your biggest quandary: Waffle or sugar cone? Sprinkles or soft serve? Here's your guide to the best vegan or plant-based, dairy-free iced creams, including which ones are tastiest, healthier for you, and which ones give back.

First a moment of appreciation: We can thank President Ronald Reagan for declaring this day National Ice Cream Day, back in 1984. July is National Ice Cream Month and the "day" itself was designated to fall on the third Sunday of July. This would be the best time to throw an ice cream party by the pool with the sun shining high, or enjoy a cone after dinner as you stroll past local shops on a leisurely evening. Summer tasted sweet with every lick of your favorite flavor. Okay, so that was then. The world is more complicated today, but you can still enjoy your healthiest and tastiest ice cream, even if you have given up dairy. Here is how.

Now it's easier than ever before to find vegan ice cream options at grocery stores, ice cream parlors, or restaurants. Vegan ice cream is delicious and has a smoother consistency than regular ice cream, and is usually lower in calories and high in protein, making each scoop a perfect non-guilty-pleasure. Dairy-free ice creams are made with a nut or seed-based creams like almond, macadamia, hemp, pea, coconut, oat, and more.

The Beet celebrates plant-based food every day and ice cream is high on our list of favorite desserts. We recently shared a homemade peanut butter chocolate ice cream recipe that's easy to make at home and is especially fun for the kids.

For anyone trying to choose healthier ice cream treats, pea protein, oat milk, and almond milk contain less saturated fat than coconut-cream based ice creams so check the labels and make sure that your cold treat is not packing an unhealthy punch, since there are options that allow you to indulge and not go too far astray from your healthy diet goals.

If you're looking for a sweet treat to order online or pick up in your grocery store, we put together a list of the best vegan ice creams that ship to your doorstep and offer a special promotion for National Ice Cream Day. This list follows no particular order, we are just happy to share ice cream we can all enjoy! So now that I scream, vegan screams, and we're all screaming for DF ice cream, check out the unique flavors below.

The Beet asked kids (the toughest critics) to taste test the 64 best selling vegan or dairy-free ice creams on the market and we narrowed down the winners to the top-five that will please any palette. Here are the latest entries into the plant-based, dairy-free ice-cream game. Check out the promotions and enjoy National Ice Cream Day wherever you are. Definitely have two scoops instead of one.

These Four Plant-Based Brands Are Giving Deals or Giving Back Today

1. Ripple Foods Cookies and Créme Plant-Based Frozen Dessert

Not only are we celebrating the delicious taste of Ripple's new vegan ice cream, but we're also celebrating a discount when you buy any 4 pack or 6 pack of frozen treats from Ripple's website, you will get 50% off. This is perfect for sharing with a friend or surprising a loved one with a pint of healthy plant-based ice cream on the day it's celebrated nationwide. Ripple's Cookies and Créme is made with coconut and plant-based ingredients that are free of soy--making this treat 100% vegan. With each bite, you will find: "Chunks of crunchy chocolate cookie pieces folded into a creamy oasis of delicious vanilla créme to craft this plant-based frozen dessert." Grab your spoon and don't be afraid to over scoop!

2. Van Leeuwen Plant-Based Ice Cream

Today, a popular ice cream brand that sells a variety of vegan flavors, Van Leeuwen takes action to "freeze out racism" by partnering with Ice Cream For Change and their commitment to dismantling inequalities, inequities, and racial injustice through the power of ice cream.⁠ VL will be donating 100% of sales from ALL SUNDAES sold on Sunday, July 19 in NYC and LA to support @colorofchange in the fight against systemic and structural racism. ⁠

"Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, with a community of 1.7 million members. They commission research on inequality, advance real-world solutions, and lead campaigns to empower Black communities.⁠"
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"With a mission to move decision-makers in corporations and government, Color Of Change is committed to creating a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America."⁠

Van Leeuwen carries a large variety of dairy-free flavors such as chocolate, cookies & cream caramel swirl, cookie crumble strawberry jam, mocha latte, strawberry, mint chip, peanut butter chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookie dough, and chocolate cookie dough crunch. Order your pint online, in-store, or visit one of the locations in New York or Los Angeles.

3. Coconut Bliss Vegan Ice Cream

Coconut bliss is a plant-based ice cream brand that uses coconut as a cream base. Today they are offering 15% off your total product purchase when you order 4 or more Coconut Bliss items online. Head to coconutbliss.com and use the code BLISSDAY15 at check-out now through July 20th. Coconut Bliss carries 18 different vegan flavors in a pint and 8 vegan flavors on pop with specialty toppings like chocolate-coated or bites of almond crunch. Grab two vegan cookies and scoop coconut bliss vegan ice cream in the middle for a tasty cookie sandwich. If you want to get extra creative, dip the cookie in chocolate and let it sit in the freezer for 20 minutes so the chocolate can harden and taste delicious!

4. Nadamoo Vegan Ice Cream

Nadamoo is a vegan ice cream brand that sells your favorite flavors: Chocolate Peanut Butter, Birthday Cake Cookie Dough, Rockiest Road, That Snickerdoodle Dough, Himalayan Salted Caramel, Chorale Cherry Fudge Brownie, Pistachio Nut, and more. Although they are not offering a promotion for National Ice Cream Day, they are celebrating the 15 year anniversary of the company with their own special promotion, read below.

"Starting TODAY until July 31st, 2 lucky NadaMoo! customers will be randomly selected to receive FREE ice cream for a year!

To enter, place a 5 or 9-pack order at NadaMoo.com and if you see this birthday box on your front doorstep, you’re a winner!

Disclaimer: U.S. residents only. Two winners will be selected at random from the customer list of orders placed between 7/16/20 - 7/31/20. No purchase necessary. For full terms and alternative method of entry “AMOE”, head to nadamoobirthday.com (link in bio). Winners will be notified by NadaMoo! marketing team members. Winners will be able to choose flavors and will receive a total of 36 pints split between 5 boxes shipped every other month."