What’s better than a generous scoop of vegan ice cream? A generous scoop of it between two cookies. Whether you prefer a classic vanilla-meat-chocolate sammy or a soft chocolate chip sandwich, these sweet handholds are a summertime (or, more realistically: anytime) staple. There are more dairy-free options on the market than ever, so take a break from the pint and stock up on some vegan ice cream sandwiches.
What’s in a Vegan Ice Cream Sandwich?
It depends—just as dairy-free pints come in a variety made with oats, almonds, coconut, cashews, soy, pea protein and precision yeast, vegan ice cream sandwiches can be stuffed with any type of ice cream. This list covers all the options you can find in stores, but your local scoop shop may have dairy-free frozen sammies on offer.
10 Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches You Can Find at the Store
We scoured the freezer aisles of our favorite supermarkets in search of a delicious pairing of cookies and ice cream—here’s what we found:
Urgent Company
1 Coolhouse
Different cravings? Coolhaus has you covered. Whole Foods—among other grocers—carries a spectrum of artisan dairy-free Sammy flavors, including Tahitian Vanilla, Cookies & Cream, Dirty Mint Chip, Cookie Dough Life, Horchata, and “The OG,” a cookie Tahitian vanilla with vanilla ice cream with two chocolates. There are also gluten-free versions, including chocolate chip cookies made with oat and cassava flour.
The creamy ice cream base is made with a mixture of brown rice flour and pea protein – plus flavors like cinnamon or vanilla paste. This tastes just like you order a custom made scoop shop sammie. Fun fact: Coolhouse and delicatessen startup Brave Robot have collaborated on a vegan ice cream sandwich. What is special about it? It is made with animal-free whey. In late 2021, Coolhouse was acquired by Brave Robot’s parent company, The Argent Company. According to the press release, the brand will use animal-free whey from conventional dairy.
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Universal happiness
2 Universal happiness
Tofutti may have been the original vegan ice cream sandwich, but Cosmic Bliss, formerly known as Coconut Bliss, took it one step further with its Toll House-esque chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches, before it decided to start selling dairy ice cream. The soft, chocolate-studded cookie is gluten-free and hemp-based, making it ideal for food sensitivities. We’re torn between organic Madagascan vanilla and dark chocolate—both equally addictive.
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Jolly Llama
3 Jolly Llama
What started as a sherbet fruit pop company has expanded into an even more indulgent coconut cream-based innovation — and that’s a big win in our book. Served in vanilla and mint chocolate chip, these gluten-free square sammies are so dense, we seriously considered eating them with a knife and fork. In addition to ice cream sandwiches, Jolly Lama is also making the iconic dairy-free ice cream sundae cone. We’ll take a box of each in each flavor, thank you very much.
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Very tasty
4 Very tasty
In the great debate over which plant milk makes the best ice cream, so delicious plays both sides. Lucky us! The non-dairy company offers both coconut milk and almond milk versions of their classic vanilla bean and chocolate wafer sandwich. Buy a box of each and conduct a taste test at home to decide for yourself which milk reigns supreme.
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tofutti
5 Tofutti Cuties
Before Nadamu, non-dairy Ben & Jerry’s or vegan options at your local scoop shop, there were tofu cuties. These snack-sized sweets are the OG of non-dairy novelty. Lately, we’ve been getting creative with Cuties. Try sandwiching two together with a peanut butter schmear or make an ice cream sammy sundae by topping two roughly chopped cutis with vegan whip, hot fudge, caramel sauce, chopped almonds and a cherry! And don’t forget—they only come without vanilla. The chocolate and mint flavors are exceptional.
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Alden’s Organics
6 Alden’s Organics
When dairy-based companies switch gears and create vegetarian options, the result is extraordinarily delicious. Case in point: Alden’s Organic. The company not only makes dairy-free pints but also vegan ice cream sandwiches. Caramel Drizzle flavor features coconut and oat-based ice cream swirled with dairy-free salted caramel, sandwiched between two cookie wafers. The vanilla bean flavor, meanwhile, is your standard chocolate-and-vanilla ice cream sammy, but no less delicious than its sweet and salty counterpart.
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Trader Joe’s
7 Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s makes us excited to go grocery shopping. Not only because we can load up on cheap pantry staples and fun snacks, but also because it has vegan ice cream. The chain’s “frozen dessert sandwiches” aren’t unlike a Tofutti Cutie, but they’re made with oat-based ice cream instead of soy. Trader Joe’s is a little notorious for how quickly it runs out of products, so we’re hoping it sticks around for years to come!
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Valsoia
8 Valsoia
This Italian brand makes dairy-free pints, cones and ice cream sandwiches. Its duo gelato sandwich bars are filled with a smooth half-chocolate, half-vanilla almond-based gelato. Valsoia also makes vanilla ice cream sandwiches with chocolate wafers that are sold in boxes of eight. But, they are so bite-sized that we can understand wanting to eat them in one sitting. The flavor is rich and decadent, just like gelato should be!
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Goodpops
9 Goodpop
We may know Goodpop as the maker of natural fruit popsicles that we can eat the whole box in one sitting, but did you know they also dabble in dairy-free ice cream? The healthy dessert brand’s Chocolate Vanilla Sandwiches feature gluten-free chocolate cookies with vanilla oat milk ice cream. It is free from refined sugar, sugar alcohol sweeteners and artificial colors. That’s how we raise our dairy-free ice cream sandwiches!
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Green Girl Bakeshop
10 Green Girl Bakeshop
This gluten- and dairy-free artisan ice cream maker offers vegan cookie sandwiches made with superfood ingredients that have been used in traditional medicine around the world for centuries, such as turmeric, reishi and ashwagandha. The cookies themselves are made from cassava four and sweetened with organic applesauce and coconut sugar, and the ice cream is made from coconut milk.
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For more vegetarian desserts, read:
Kat Smith is a Queens, NY-based freelance writer and editor who loves to cook and discover local vegan hidden gems.
Tanya Flink is a digital editor for VegNews as well as a writer and runner living in Orange County, CA.