Best Frozen Treats if You Don’t Eat Dairy

Living in Los Angeles makes me do a lot of things that would shake my Midwestern friends to their cores. For instance, I recently spent an undue amount of time tracking down dairy free desserts to eat with my lactose sensitive neighbor. Our go-to is a gelato shop in my neighborhood (shout out to Pazzo!), whose tagline happens to be “your neighborhood gelato shop.” In case you happen to not live in the same neighborhood as me (rude) or need a few dairy free frozen treats to tide you over until you visit, I’ll share the best dairy free frozen treats you can find at your local grocery store.

Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

I have accepted Ben and Jerry as my overlords in the ice cream aisle. They’re just unmatched when it comes to flavor options, enthusiasm for mix-ins, and their ice cream is available nationwide, everywhere from the grocery store to the gas station. Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert was so close to the original that it shook senior writer Jordan Myrick to their core. Jordan described it as “creamy and chocolatey [with] plenty of mix-ins,” which would be impressive enough for a regular ice cream but is mind blowing for a vegan dessert!

Read the full ranking of the best vegan ice cream

Trader Joe’s Black Tea & Boba Frozen Dessert

Sporked takes its annual Sporked awards very seriously, and it just so happens that the ice cream that took home the highest ice cream honors in 2022 is dairy free. Sporked contributor Naajia Shukri described Trader Joe’s Black Tea & Boba Frozen Dessert as “unforgettably creamy” with an outrageous flavor. The entire pint is bursting at the seams with genuine, floral sweet black tea flavor. The proverbial cherry on top? Easily the boba, which stay squishy even in the frosty ice cream and add a kick of honey to every bite.

Read the full review of Trader Joe’s Black Tea & Boba Frozen Dessert

Trader Joe’s Yuzu Ripple Coconut Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

Trader Joe’s followed up the Black Tea & Boba Frozen Dessert with a Yuzu Ripple Coconut Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert that absolutely slaps. The first thing that Sporked managing editor Gwynedd Stuart appreciated about this version was the care they put into perfecting the coconut base. “It’s creamy and it doesn’t taste overwhelmingly like coconut,” which is idea because the base should let the other flavors shine. And shine they do! “The yuzu is super tart, and you can really taste rind, which gives it a big punch of flavor,” Gwynedd wrote, so if you’re looking for a citrusy frozen dessert this is your pick.

Read the full review of Trader Joe’s Yuzu Ripple Coconut Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

Talenti Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Sorbetto

Sorbet is a tasty alternative to the usual dairy-filled desserts, but fruit flavors have long ruled in the sorbet world. Talenti Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Sorbetto is here to deliver a refreshing product for those who favor chocolatey sweet to fruity sweet. Jordan put this in the same category as Yoo-hoo, Fudgsicles, and chocolate Italian ice, so if you like those, you’ll be happy with this in your hand. Still need convincing? Jordan described this sorbetto as “creamy and icy and decadently chocolatey.” An elite dairy free frozen dessert.

Read the full ranking of the best sorbet

Popsicle Sugar Free Tropicals

These tropical-flavored popsicles aren’t just dairy free frozen treats, they’re sugar free, too. That’s a double win for people who can’t do lactose and those can’t do sugar. Honestly, we didn’t know sugar free popsicles could taste this good. These tasty bois come in a variety pack with three flavors—Hawaiian Pineapple, Tropical Orange, and Caribbean Punch—and they don’t taste like artificial sweeteners. If you’re deciding which to grab first, listen to Gwynedd who said that “the Caribbean Punch is the best by far. Lots of guava. A vacation on a stick.”

Read the full ranking of the best low sugar and no sugar popsicles