In honor of National Ice Cream Day on July 15, we wanted to highlight some of the best DFW ice cream shops! What makes a great ice cream shop? In our opinion, those that offer dairy free and vegan options! We all know that one friend or family member who can’t indulge in a cool treat because it’s made with milk or animal products. Shouldn’t they be able to enjoy themselves too? We think so!
We did a little taste testing and searching around the DFW metroplex, and we narrowed it down to 5 ice cream shops that we know taste good and will give you plenty of dairy free and vegan options so no one feels left out!
Creamistry
This ice cream shop made it’s debut in Fort Worth just a couple of months ago. The “creamologists” use liquid nitrogen to hand-craft their ice cream. It’s pretty fun to watch them in action! It feels like a chemistry lab. None of their ice cream is pre-made, it’s always made right on the spot so you get a fresh scoop every time! The great thing about Creamistry is that you can select your own base. They offer a sorbet base (water) or a coconut milk base for a dairy-free and vegan option.
Ice Cream Wasted
If you want an ice cream experience like no other, then Ice Cream Wasted is that place! This isn’t a typical ice cream shop that you can walk into and order a scoop. Instead, you have to make reservations and it’s only for 21 years and older – because their ice cream has booze in it! You’ll get three to four courses of ice cream, kind of like ordering off a chef’s menu at a restaurant. Each tasting has a fun, seasonal theme like Pineapple Upside-Down Colada. The best part is that all of their ice creams are made with an organic coconut milk, so it’s dairy free!
Melt Ice Creams
It’s safe to say this is probably Fort Worth’s favorite ice cream shop! Melt Ice Creams is a hip, bright and cheerful place which is one reason why people love going there. Their menu rotates every six weeks with seasonal flavors, and they usually offer at least one vegan option each time. Their “Always Flavors” (always on the menu) include a Velvet Vegan flavor and their “Sometimes Flavors” (seasonal) include vegan scoops like “Nana’s Nice Cream” made with cashew milk and “Magnolia Sunrise” made with orange and pomegranate sorbet. We’re ready for scoop of sunshine!
Pacuigo
Is there really anything better than gelato? Pacuigo is a franchise that originated in Dallas and has quickly become popular in various locations. This Italian treat has 70% less fat than ice cream and is made with fresh, all-natural ingredients. They offer about 8 dairy-free flavors including Strawberry Banana, Mango, Lampone (Raspberry) and Ananas (Pineapple). You can’t really go wrong.
Alchemy Pops
Okay, so technically this Fort Worth popsicle shop isn’t ice cream, but we couldn’t make a post about frozen treats without including Alchemy Pops! We love how gourmet their pops are. You can get plain pops or pops with all sorts of drizzles, toppings and delicious things on them. Of course, they have lots of creamy flavors that are amazing, but they also have several vegan/dairy free options which makes us like them even more. If you’re a chocolate lover but can’t have dairy, you are in for a treat because they have a chocolate vegan option (yay!) Their other equally delicious options include blackberry lemonade, grapefruit hibiscus (one of my personal favorites!) and honeydew lime to name a few.
Clearly, the DFW area has your back when it comes to dairy-free and vegan ice cream and frozen treats! There are more and more options becoming available which makes getting through these miserable, hot Texas summers a little easier (and more delicious!).