Review: Alden's Dairy Free Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwiches

I loved the Alden's Dairy-Free ice creams that I tried (Muddy Brownie and Caramel Almond Crunch) so I wanted to try their ice cream sandwiches next.

These were so good.

Other vanilla vegan ice creams that I've tried tasted too much like soy or coconut. Usually chocolate or other strong flavors are better for dairy-free ice cream.

But not these. I don't taste any coconut, soy, or mystery aftertaste that would give it away as being vegan. I want to try a pint of their dairy-free vanilla ice cream next because it is so good in these ice cream sandwiches.

The cookie part is also incredible. It tastes just like the ice cream sandwiches I had as a kid. But somehow it doesn't stick to my fingers.

These are thicker than I expected and sometimes that can make it hard to bite into. But the cookie and ice cream are both soft enough to bite into without falling apart.

Alden's also makes Dairy Free Caramel Drizzle Round Sammies that I want to try soon.

Alden's Dairy Free Vanilla Bean Round Sammies ingredients:

FROZEN DESSERT: Dairy Free Frozen Dessert Blend* (Water, Cane Sugar*, Coconut Oil*, Tapioca Syrup*, Inulin*, Brown Rice*, Whole Oat Flour*, Acacia Gum*, Pea Protein*, Soy Lecithin*, Guar Gum*, Locust Bean Gum*), Natural Vanilla Flavor With Other Natural Flavors*, Ground Vanilla Beans*. COOKIE WAFERS: Wheat Flour*, Cane Sugar*, Palm Oil*, Caramel Color*, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Cocoa* (Processed With Alkali), Cane Syrup*, Soy Lecithin*, Salt, Baking Soda, Natural Flavor*. *Organic

Review: Alden's Dairy Free Vanilla Bean Round Sammies

Taste: Chocolate and vanilla from your childhood

Texture: Soft enough to bite into but doesn't fall apart 

Can you tell it's vegan? No

Does it look like the picture on the package? Yes, a little smaller though
Better than other vegan options? Yes

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: Alden's Dairy Free Muddy Brownie

Another Alden's dairy-free ice cream I tried is Muddy Brownie. I love brownie pieces in ice cream and this did not disappoint. 

The texture was super creamy and easy to scoop. The brownie pieces are chewy and soft and there are a lot of them. 

This flavor was a little rich because of all the chocolate. I couldn't eat very much at a time. Maybe that's a good thing though.

I also tried Alden's Dairy Free Caramel Almond Crunch. They were both delicious and I would buy them again. 

The competition in vegan ice creams is heating up. I now have 3 brands that I consider a favorite: Alden's, NadaMoo, and So Delicious. 

Alden's Dairy Free Muddy Brownie ingredients:

Dairy Free Frozen Dessert Blend* (Water, Cane Sugar*, Coconut Oil*, Tapioca Syrup*, Inulin*, Brown Rice*, Whole Oat Flour*, Acacia Gum*, Pea Protein*, Soy Lecithin*, Guar Gum*, Locust Bean Gum*), Fudge Brownie Pieces* (Cane Sugar*, Wheat Flour*, Soybean Oil*, Water, Cocoa* (Processed with Alkali), Corn Starch*, Sunflower Lecithin*, Salt, Natural Vanilla Extract*), Chocolate Base* (Sugar*, Water, Cocoa* (Processed with Alkali), Natural Flavor, Citric Acid, Salt).

*Organic

Review: Alden's Dairy Free Muddy Brownie

First impressions: Might have a new favorite

Taste: Rich and chocolatey

Texture: Creamy ice cream with chewy brownie pieces

Can you tell it's vegan? No

Does it look like the picture on the package? Yes
Better than other vegan options? One of the best.

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: Alden's Dairy Free Caramel Almond Crunch

Alden's is an Oregon ice cream company known for traditional dairy ice cream. They recently came out with a line of vegan, dairy-free ice cream. They have 5 flavors of vegan pints plus non-dairy ice cream sandwiches. 

I tried two of their dairy-free ice creams: Caramel Almond Crunch and Muddy Brownie. 

I found these at Sprouts. You can use their website to see if a store near you carries them. Click "Select Specific Products" and check a non-dairy flavor because it looks like some stores only have their dairy flavors (for now).

The ice cream base of the caramel almond crunch has a buttery caramel taste and is so creamy. There's a crunchy texture from the tiny almond pieces. A swirl of sweet caramel is mixed throughout the ice cream. 

I loved the texture of both of the Alden's dairy-free ice creams I tried. Some vegan ice cream can be dense and not creamy. These both reminded me of old-fashioned ice cream from a mom and pop store. 

This is one of the more decadent vegan ice creams that I've tried. Another is So Delicious Salted Caramel Cluster. I can't say which is better. They're both very good and can satisfy your sweet tooth. 

Alden's Dairy Free Caramel Almond Crunch ingredients:

Dairy Free Frozen Dessert Blend* (Water, Cane Sugar*, Coconut Oil*, Tapioca Syrup*, Inulin*, Brown Rice*, Whole Oat Flour*, Acacia Gum*, Pea Protein*, Soy Lecithin*, Guar Gum*, Locust Bean Gum*), Non-Dairy Caramel* (Tapioca Syrup*, Water, Cane Sugar*, Pea Protein*, Natural Flavor*, Salt, Coconut Oil*, Pectin), Chocolate Chips* (Unsweetened Chocolate*, Cane Sugar*, Palm Kernel Oil*, Cocoa Butter*, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla Extract*), Roasted Almonds*, Caramel Base* (Sugar*, Water), Sea Salt, Natural Caramel Flavor*, Annatto Extract* (Color).

*Organic

Review: Alden's Dairy Free Caramel Almond Crunch

First impressions: Wow, this looks good.

Taste: Buttery caramel ice cream with a sweet caramel swirl

Texture: Creamy ice cream with crunchy almond pieces

Can you tell it's vegan? No

Does it look the like the picture on the package? Yes
Better than other vegan options? One of the best.

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: Sweet Rose Coconut Whipped Topping

I've been looking forever for a vegan coconut whipped cream in an aerosol can. Finally Trader Joe's started carrying one! The brand is Sweet Rose but I've only seen it at Trader Joe's.

This dispenses just like non-vegan aerosol whipped cream. It even makes the same fun noise as you spray it.

I could taste the coconut but it was subtle. It didn't overpower the flavors of my ice cream. 

You could use this for anything that you would normally use whipped cream for. I made a sundae with Alden's Nondairy Muddy Brownie and Caramel Almond Crunch, and Ben & Jerry's vegan cookie dough pieces. 

Sweet Rose Coconut Whipped Topping ingredients:

Coconut cream, water, sugar, glucose syrup, inulin, mono and diglycerides, cellulose gel, cellulose gum, carrageenan.

Propellant: nitrous oxide.

Review: Sweet Rose Coconut Whipped Topping

First impressions: Resist temptation to spray directly into my mouth

Taste: Sweet, hint of coconut

Texture: Light, airy, fluffy

Can you tell it's vegan? No, unless you hate coconut

Worth buying again? Yes

Good enough to replace the non-vegan version? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: Talenti Dairy-Free Sorbetto Layers - Coconut Chocolate Cookie

When it comes to finding vegan replacements of my favorite foods, ice cream has been the easiest so far. There are so many great vegan ice creams to choose from that I don't think I have a favorite. This coconut chocolate cookie sorbetto from Talenti is definitely up there in terms of decadent, chocolatey vegan ice creams.

Technically this is Sorbetto and not ice cream. Sorbetto is the Italian word for sorbet and is dairy-free. 

I usually picture fruit flavors when I think of sorbet, so I was intrigued when I saw this coconut chocolate cookie flavor. Talenti makes some other flavors as well. 

This sorbetto is so creamy and has a strong coconut taste. It goes really well with the layers of chocolate fudge and cookies. 

The cookie pieces taste exactly like what you would expect coconut chocolate cookies to taste like. They're so good I would buy them if they were sold separately. 

I also love that I'm familiar with all of the ingredients. 

Talenti Dairy-Free Sorbetto Layers - Coconut Chocolate Cookie ingredients: 

Water, Sugar, Desiccated Coconut, Coconut Oil, Wheat Flour, Dextrose, Cocoa Processed With Alkali, Rolled Oats, Chocolate Liquor, Brown Sugar, Canola Oil, Carob Bean Gum, Natural Flavor, Sea Salt, Sunflower Lecithin, Pectin, Guar Gum, Baking Soda, Salt, Soy Lecithin.

Review: Talenti Dairy-Free Sorbetto Layers - Coconut Chocolate Cookie

First impressions: Creamy and indulgent

Taste: Strong coconut taste but not overpowering

Texture: Light and creamy

Can you tell it's vegan? No
Better than other vegan options? There's a lot of competition for the best vegan ice cream, but this is high on the list. 

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: Archer Farms Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

Target's Archer Farms brand has a line of non-dairy ice creams. They were on sale so I bought two flavors. It's cool to see more companies making vegan products as plant-based foods become more popular. But I didn't like these. 

I tried Archer Farms Non-Dairy Mocha Almond Fudge and Vanilla Cake & Cookie Dough. Both had the same issue with the texture. They were too dense and hard to scoop. 

The Mocha Almond Fudge tasted ok but was too sweet for me. The Vanilla Cake was even sweeter and tasted like frosting. I didn't eat very much of either. 

They're made with almond milk, which could be part of why I didn't like the texture. It was too dense and not very creamy. The other vegan ice creams that I've tried and liked the most are made from coconut milk, like NadaMoo and Alden's. I also tried a cashew milk ice cream from So Delicious that was creamy and decadent. 

Review: Archer Farms Non-Dairy Mocha Almond Fudge

Taste: Strong coffee flavor. Tastes good but I don't like the texture. 

Texture: Too dense and hard to scoop

Can you tell it's vegan? Yes
Better than other vegan options? No

Worth buying again? No

Overall: 3/5

Archer Farms Non-Dairy Mocha Almond Fudge ingredients:

Almond milk (water, almonds), cane sugar, organic tapioca syrup, fudge, (powdered cane sugar [cane sugar, corn starch], sunflower oil, cocoa, salt, sunflower lecithin), almonds (almonds, sunflower oil, salt), coconut oil, chocolate flake (powder cane sugar [cane sugar, corn starch], chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, natural flavor), coffee extract made with 100% Columbian coffee, pea protein, carob bean gum, gellan gum, sunflower lecithin. 

Review: Archer Farms Non-Dairy Vanilla Cake & Cookie Dough

Taste: Extremely sweet, tastes like frosting

Texture: Dense and not creamy

Can you tell it's vegan? Yes
Better than other vegan options? No

Worth buying again? No

Overall: 2/5

Archer Farms Non-Dairy Vanilla Cake & Cookie Dough ingredients:

Almond milk (water, almonds), cane sugar, cake batter base (sugar, tapioca syrup, water, natural flavors, salt, pectin, organic annatto, organic locust bean gun, organic tapioca syrup, fudge (powdered cane sugar [cane sugar, corn starch], sunflower oil, cocoa, salt, sunflower lecithin), chocolate chip cookie dough (cookie dough [dark brown sugar, rice flour, natural oil blend [palm fruit oil, canola oil, olive oil], water, salt, natural flavor, sunflower lecithin, lactic acid [non-dairy, derived from sugar beets], annatto extract, potato flour, tapioca syrup, tapioca flour, sugar, less than 2% of the following: vanilla extract, guar gum, baking soda, baking powder), chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, vanilla extract), vanilla bean cake (cane sugar, rice flour, soy-free buttery spread [oil blend [palm fruit, canola, and olive oils], water, salt, contains less than 2% of natural flavor, sunflower lecithin, lactic acid [non-dairy], annatto extract [color], coconut milk [water, coconuts], applesauce [apples, water, ascorbic acid [vitamin c], tapioca flour, potato flour, baking soda, sea salt, organic vanilla extract [water, organic alcohol, organic vanilla bean extractives], vanilla beans, cream of tartar), coconut oil, pea protein, carob bean gum, gellan gum, stabilizing salts (sodium phosphate, sodium citrate), sunflower lecithin. 

Review: NadaMoo That Snickerdoodle Dough

I might have bought this because of the funny name, but it also turned out to be my favorite non-dairy ice cream so far. 

All of the NadaMoo vegan ice cream flavors that I've tried have been incredible. They're especially good at recreating the texture of dairy ice cream. This one is my favorite (so far). 

They found the perfect balance of sweet but not too sweet, and creamy but not too rich. There isn't a strong coconut flavor either like with some coconut milk products. 

Plus, vegan and gluten-free cookie dough pieces?! I would eat those by themselves. 

NadaMoo That Snickerdoodle Dough ingredients: Organic coconut milk, water, organic agave nectar, organic inulin, snickerdoodle cookie bits [white rice flour, cane sugar, butter alternative (oil blend (palm fruit, canola and olive oils), water, salt, natural flavor, sunflower lecithin, lactic acid (non-dairy), annatto extract (color)), tapioca flour, water, potato starch, egg replacer (potato starch, tapioca flour, leavening (calcium lactate (non-dairy), calcium carbonate, cream of tartar), cellulose gum, modified cellulose), ground cinnamon, salt, guar gum, natural flavor, xanthan gum, sodium alginate, organic tapioca syrup solids, organic guar gum, organic cinnamon, sea salt, organic locust bean gum. 

 Review: NadaMoo That Snickerdoodle Dough

First impressions: Wow, new favorite!

Taste: Lots of cinnamon, not too sweet 

Texture: Creamy, not too rich 

Can you tell it's vegan? No, I couldn't tell that it's gluten free either.
Better than other vegan options? Yes, one of my favorites so far. 

Worth buying again? Yes

Overall: 5/5

Review: NadaMoo Strawberry Cheesecake

NadaMoo is one of my favorite vegan ice cream brands that I've tried so far. And I love strawberry cheesecake ice cream, so I was excited to see their dairy-free strawberry cheesecake. Like all NadaMoo ice creams, it's gluten free.

The ice cream is strawberry and cheesecake ice creams swirled together. The strawberry had a bit of a yogurt taste to it and intense strawberry flavor. The cheesecake ice cream tastes surprisingly close to cheesecake for being vegan.

It was a little sweeter than I prefer, but I usually like things to be less sweet than most people do.

The texture was a little denser than the other flavors, and the pint didn't look as full. It was super creamy though. It was also rich and more filling than some other ice creams.

The only thing it was missing is cheesecake bites. It has pieces of pie crust that I was expecting to be cheesecake. So compared to Ben & Jerry's strawberry cheesecake, this was not what I expected. But if you know to expect pie crust pieces, it's pretty good.

NadaMoo Strawberry Cheesecake ingredients: water, organic coconut milk, organic agave syrup, organic tapioca syrup, organic inulin, strawberry puree (water, sugar, strawberry flavor with other natural flavors, locust bean gum, guar gum, and citric acid), almond meal, organic guar gum, natural flavors, light brown sugar, sweet white rice flour, tapioca flour, brown rice flour, sea salt, arrowroot flour, non-GMO canola oil, organic locust bean gum, organic coconut oil, red beet extract (color), annatto extract (color), sorghum flour, xanthan gum, ground cinnamon. 

Review: NadaMoo Strawberry Cheesecake

Taste: Strong strawberry and cheesecake flavors. A little sweet. 

Texture: Rich and creamy 

Can you tell it's vegan? No
Better than other vegan options? The snickerdoodle is my favorite so far. 

Worth buying again? I would try other flavors first. 

Overall: 4/5

Review: NadaMoo Cookies & Creme

NadaMoo has by far the best texture of any non dairy ice cream I've ever tried. It looks just like traditional ice cream. The texture is both creamy and fluffy, and the scoops have the classic wavy line pattern. 

For the cookies and creme flavor, I was expecting more tiny cookie pieces throughout. Instead there are bigger cookie pieces and lots of vanilla space. 

UPDATE: When I tried this again in August 2020 there were more tiny cookie pieces. Maybe they changed that or it could vary by batch.

I’d like to try some of their other flavors because the texture is so on point. NadaMoo has almost 20 flavors, and they're all vegan and gluten free. 

I bought 3 different pints of ice cream when I got this, and this one was the lightest pint when I picked it up. Maybe there is more air whipped in and that's why the texture is so light and fluffy. 

NadaMoo Cookies & Creme ingredients: 

Organic coconut milk, water, organic agave nectar, chocolate cookies (cane sugar, butter alternative (oil blend [palm fruit, canola, and olive oils], water, salt, natural flavor, sunflower lecithin, lactic acid [non-dairy], annatto extract [color]), sweet brown rice flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot flour, sorghum flour, xanthan gum, cocoa pwder [alakalized], natural flavor, salt), organic inulin, organic tapioca syrup solids, organic guar gum, sea salt, organic locust bean gum, natural flavor. 

Review: NadaMoo Cookies & Creme

First impressions: "Woah it looks just like non-vegan ice cream!"

Taste: Not as rich as some other ice creams. The cookies were more subtle compared to other brands.

Texture: Seems identical to traditional ice cream. Creamy but still light and fluffy.

Can you tell it's vegan? No
Better than other vegan options? Yes, I think this might be the best vegan ice cream brand I've ever had. Although there are a few strong contenders. 

Worth buying again? Yes, I can't wait to try their other flavors!

Overall: 5/5

Review: So Delicious Salted Caramel Cluster

A classic conundrum that many vegan adjacents are familiar with, is craving caramel and chocolate but wanting to choose a vegan option. Luckily, I found a solution. So Delicious Salted Caramel Cluster is on a level of deliciousness I didn't think was possible for vegan ice cream.

If you've had a rough day or just want to treat yourself to something decadent, I highly recommend grabbing a spoon and diving in to the chocolate chips and caramel swirls in this non-dairy ice cream. 

I was blown away by how much the caramel tasted like "real" buttery caramel. It was so rich and satisfying. It's made with tapioca syrup, molasses, and cocoa butter. 

This is the first cashew milk ice cream I've tried. It was creamy and not too dense like some other vegan ice creams can be. The texture was not quite as close to dairy ice cream when compared to NadaMoo (a very high bar), but it's still a delectable vehicle for the caramel and chocolate. I'll have to try other flavors to see how the ice cream itself compares to other plant-based ice creams. 

So Delicious Dairy Free Salted Caramel Cluster Cashewmilk Frozen Dessert ingredients: Cashewmilk (filtered water, cashews), cane sugar, caramel sauce (organic tapioca syrup, water, pea protein, organic molasses, natural flavor, organic cocoa butter, sodium citrate, salt, pectin), chocolate chips (cane sugar, coconut oil, cocoa, chocolate liquor, natural vanilla flavor), organic coconut oil, organic tapioca syrup, roasted cashews (cashews, canola oil), pea protein, sea salt, guar gum, natural flavor, locust bean gum. 

Review: So Delicious Salted Caramel Cluster

First impressions: "Omg." "Wow." "The caramel is delicious."

Taste: Rich, decadent, very sweet

Texture: Not too dense, but maybe a little too soft for my preference

Can you tell it's vegan? Probably not, but the texture might give it away for serious ice cream aficionados

Worth buying again? Definitely!

Overall: 5/5

I'm not the only one who gave this vegan caramel ice cream 5 stars. Read more reviews on their website. 

Product Review: So Delicious Minis - Coconut Almond

These vegan ice cream bars are made from coconut milk and have almonds and coconut mixed with the chocolate shell. They taste just like an almond joy! I'll definitely be buying them again. 

Review: So Delicious Minis - Coconut Almond

First impressions: "Yum!"

Taste: Just like an almond joy with dark chocolate.

Texture: The texture is exactly like any other ice cream bar. The chocolate crunches and the ice cream is airy and soft. 

Does it look like the picture on the box? Yes.

Can you tell it's vegan? No, but it doesn't taste like vanilla ice cream, you can definitely taste the coconut. It tastes like coconut flavored non-vegan ice cream. 

Worth buying again? Yes, definitely. 

Overall: 5/5

Product Review: Trader Joe's Soy Creamy Mini Vanilla Sandwiches

I love Trader Joe's! They have a lot of vegan products that I am looking forward to trying. I started in the dessert section with Soy Creamy Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Mini Vanilla Sandwiches, aka vegan ice cream sandwiches. These are made from tofu, but don't have a soy aftertaste like most soy products. 

Review: Trader Joe's Soy Creamy Mini Vanilla Sandwiches

First impressions: "This is good... This is soy? I couldn't tell"

Taste: It doesn't really taste like ice cream, but it's still good. It's kind of like comparing cool whip to whipped cream. They are different but both good in their own way.

Texture: The texture is similar to a non-vegan ice cream sandwich. The cookie part is chocolately, soft, and sticks to your fingers. The ice cream part is smooth and a little softer than non-vegan ice cream. It doesn't melt as fast as a standard ice cream sandwich.

Does it look like the picture on the box? Yes

Can you tell it's vegan? No. It tastes different than ice cream but there is no soy aftertaste.

Worth buying again? Yes, especially to try the other flavors. There is also a chocolate and maybe strawberry.

Overall: 4/5. Good but not amazing.

Have you tried these? Write your own review below!