Unboxed: 5 creative plant-based frozen treats
The plant-based frozen dessert category continues to grow as brands offer innovative options for sweet indulgence.
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The superfood properties of avocados are yours for the taking with these creamy, non-dairy frozen pints, which are made from both pureed organic avocado and avocado oil for a true, plant-based sweet indulgence that is good for body and soul. Four new flavors launched earlier this year (Vanilla Bean, Java Chip, Cherry Amaretto and Salted Caramel), making a total of seven new ways to eat avocado.
Daiya, a longstanding champion of plant-based living, has released a new line of dessert bars that mark its first foray into the nondairy ice cream category. Made with coconut cream, tapioca syrup and fair-trade cocoa butter and powder, among other ingredients, the bars also have an added boost of fava bean protein. And with flavors such as Chocolate Fudge Crunch, Classic Vanilla Bean, Salted Caramel Swirl and Espresso Coffee, these desserts are truly indulge-worthy.
Promoted as healthy ice cream, these frozen desserts are made from whole fruits, vegetables and other ingredients, and packed with 8-9 grams of soluble fiber per serving. More than just a frozen treat (it's sweetened with dates!), the product is also a versatile ingredient for smoothies, sauces or even cocktails. Bursting Berries mixes berries with pineapple, bananas and beetroot. Refreshing Green is a stunning combination of avocado, macadamia nuts, spinach, basil, celery, mango, pineapple, apple and lemon. Intense Chocolate has a decadent infusion of dark cocoa, cinnamon and elderflower; and Nutty Caramel consists of roasted nuts (macadamia, peanuts and hazelnuts), mixed with chickpeas and coconut cream. The company suggests letting the products temper a bit prior to digging in.
This oat milk stalwart has once again demonstrated how the power of oats can be harnessed into a plant-based, non-GMO and nut-free product line, this time in the form of an oatmilk-based frozen dessert. Made using highly refined coconut oil and packaged in a 100% recyclable paper carton sourced from sustainable forests, this nondairy ice cream comes in seven crowd-pleasing flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Coffee, Mint Chip, Chocolate Chip and classic Oat.
Though this innovative ice cream brand has been around for a while with its dairy ice creams, it launched a line of dairy-free pints this year that are unique in that their first two ingredients are non-GMO yellow peas and organic whole grain brown rice. These plant-based pints come in six inventive flavors (Salted Caramel Crunch, Dirty Mint Chip, Cookie Dough Lyfe, Chocolate Campfire S’Mores, Peanut Butter Fudge Chip, Chocolate Sandwich Cookie Crumb and Mocha Marcona Almond Fudge), that are sure to shine a sweet light on the power of peas.
Though this innovative ice cream brand has been around for a while with its dairy ice creams, it launched a line of dairy-free pints this year that are unique in that their first two ingredients are non-GMO yellow peas and organic whole grain brown rice. These plant-based pints come in six inventive flavors (Salted Caramel Crunch, Dirty Mint Chip, Cookie Dough Lyfe, Chocolate Campfire S’Mores, Peanut Butter Fudge Chip, Chocolate Sandwich Cookie Crumb and Mocha Marcona Almond Fudge), that are sure to shine a sweet light on the power of peas.
A newly released report from SPINS on the frozen treat trend supports what we’ve been seeing happen in the frozen section in recent months: an explosion of plant-based frozen treats that appeal to consumers’ desire for healthier ways to indulge in this classic dessert category.
Whether it's creamy ice creams made with emerging plant-based milk alternatives such as coconut, cashew and oat milk, or brands that embrace their plant-forward identity by basing their products on superfoods such as avocado, greens, fruit and seeds, these products have shifted from being thought of as mere dairy alternatives to taking on their own identity as delicious, better-for-you frozen desserts.
This is true to such an extent that, according to SPINS, the category of plant-based ice creams and novelties (including frozen bars and other formats) has grown 15.5% over the past year to reach $276.7 million. And while this growth has slowed somewhat with respect to the previous year, new brands and formats continue to make their debuts featuring innovative flavors, ingredients and approaches to this delectable category.
Here are a few of the frozen, plant-based palate pleasers that have caught our eye so far, and we can only expect the list to grow at this year’s Natural Products Expo East.
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