12 Vegan Frozen Desserts to Get You Through Summer

The summer heat and humidity can be unbearable at times, but the chance to cool off with vegan frozen desserts is one of the things that gets us excited about the season. From fruity popsicles to ice cream cones and sandwiches, we love it all. But, truth be told, the freezer aisle is packed with options these days. Not that we’re complaining—dairy-free desserts were once as mythical as unicorns unless you took a trip to a specialty grocery store. However, we are happy to be your guide through the vegan frozen dessert landscape.

Vegan Popsicles

Fortunately, you’ll rarely come across a fruit popsicle that isn’t vegan. Here are some of our personal recommendations for brands to look for at the grocery store.

Goodpop

1 Goodpop

If you’re looking for alternatives, Goodpop has you covered. This frozen dessert-maker has more than 10 fruit flavors, including classics like lime, strawberry, grape and cherry. But their unique flavors are where Goodpop really shines We recommend picking up the mango chili (inspired by fresh mango with tajine), strawberry shortcake, and orange n’ cream—a dairy-free creamsicle made with organic coconut instead of cow’s milk. Bonus: Each flavor is made with real fruit.
Find it here

Chloe’s fruit

2 Chloe’s fruit

Regardless of the weather, our freezers have been stocked with many-a-Chloe’s Fruit Bars for years. Most of these flavored fruit bars are made with just three ingredients — fruit, water and a little sugar — except for the chocolate-dipped varieties, which are 100-percent vegan. Choose from flavors like blueberry, pomegranate, grape and banana-based dark chocolate. These are just to help you cool down after going home after spending time under the hot sun.
Find it here

Outshine

3 Outshine

This vegetarian-friendly brand has flavors made with real fruit juice, no artificial colors or flavors, and zero high-fructose corn syrup. In fact, they contain no added sugar. It comes in refreshing flavors like pineapple, peach, mango and lemon. The only non-vegan flavors to watch out for in Outshine’s fruit bar range are the ones made with coconut which, unfortunately, contain dairy.
Find it here

Sambajan

4 Sambazon Smoothie Pops

Best known for its frozen acai bowls, Sambazon also dabbles in desserts like these fruity smoothie pops. They’re inspired by those classic freezer pops that carried us through childhood summers but instead of high-fructose corn syrup, they’re made from real acai berries and contain no added sugars. There are two flavors: Classic Acai or Acai Strawberry-Banana.
Find it here

Vegan Fancy Desserts

From cones to dairy-free ice cream-stuffed cobblers, these fancy treats are for ice cream lovers who don’t want to dig into a pint. But if that’s what you’re looking for, check out our guide to oat milk ice cream.

my/cobbler

5 my/cobbler

You may encounter cobbler, a Wagashi (traditional Japanese dessert) in a restaurant made of sweetened short-grain japonica glutinous rice with corn or potato starch. This delightfully chewy dessert is often stuffed with such ingredients anko (sweet red bean paste), strawberries and ice cream. The former two are vegetarian by default and thankfully, there is a vegan option for the latter. My/Mochi has four dairy-free flavors to choose from: Strawberry, Salted Caramel, Chocolate and Neapolitan, which has a delicious strawberry jam center.
Find it here

Jolly Llama

6 Jolly Llama Cone

The Jolly Llama brand has a full line-up of vegan frozen desserts, including ice cream sandwiches and sorbet push-pops. But our current obsession is their cornetto-style cone that naturally holds that tempting nugget of chocolate at the bottom. Not only are these treats dairy-free thanks to the coconut cream, but they also contain gluten-free rice flour cones.
Find it here

Coolhouse

7 Coolhouse Dairy-Free Ice Cream Sandwiches

We’re pro-sandwich sandwiches here at VegNews, and that includes all the sammies, sweet and savory. Coolhaus, a vegetarian-friendly, woman-owned brand, will also win your heart with their dairy-free ice cream sandwiches. Each treat consists of ice cream made from rice milk or cocoa butter sandwiched between two giant cookies. Look out for flavors like horchata, cookie dough, mint chip, and vanilla. Gluten free? Don’t worry, get the gluten-free Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich.
Find it here

Very tasty

8 So delicious bar

This 100-percent vegan brand has been a mainstay in our kitchens—and our freezers—for years. So delicious’ pints are great, but these dairy-free bars channel a certain nostalgia for childhood treats. There are eight flavors to choose from, with coconut milk, cashew milk, or almond milk bases, most with a chocolate coating. The exceptions are the chocolate fudge bar and the peanut butter flavor, which contains chocolate cashew milk ice cream enrobed in a peanut butter shell.
Find it here

Dream Pops

9 Dream Bites of Dream Pops

These geometric bite-sized treats from Dream Pops are as tasty as they are eye-catching. The creamy vegan ice cream center is made from coconut and then wrapped in a crunchy chocolate coating. Flavors include Strawberry, Peanut Butter, Banana Cream, Birthday Cake and Mint Chip. But if you’re looking for something that’s more mess-free, go for their Popsicles.
Find it here

Vegan ready-made desserts

These ready-made frozen desserts are perfect for large and small gatherings. And, when you’re pressed for time or less spoons they have to make your own from scratch.

Daiya

10 Daiya Frozen Plant-Based Cheesecake

We know that Daiya is synonymous with vegan cheese, so it’s only natural that this dairy-free brand would venture into cheesecake territory. Its frozen vegan cheesecake range has a creamy, decadent filling made from coconut, plus a gluten-free crust made from brown rice flour and tapioca starch. It comes in five flavors: New York-style, Key Lime, Pumpkin Spice, Chocolate and Strawberry. Be sure to thaw it in the refrigerator five to six hours before you plan to serve it.
Find it here

Sarah Lee

11 Sarah Lee Fruit Pies

Sarah Lee’s is a frozen dessert company that’s been around since 1939 and is best known for its wide range of frozen fruit pies, which can accidentally be vegan by excluding seasonal varieties like sweet potato, pumpkin, and southern pecan. However, it allows vegetarians and vegans alike to choose from plenty of options, including Dutch apples, cherries, peaches and blueberries. Top them with a scoop of dairy-free ice cream and a generous dollop of vegan whipped cream.
Find it here

good bite

12 A good bite is a bite of cake

This freezer-safe brand specializes in allergen-friendly vegan bakery treats. Better Bites’ perfectly snackable cake bites cover their widest range, including flavors like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. But if you’re looking for something that can feed a crowd, opt for the full-sized Chocolate Amore Cake. Everything is free of the top eight allergens.
Find it here