Hello, summer! It’s that time of year when it gets unseasonably warm and humid after it storms. I’ll be honest: I do not enjoy hot weather. It makes me miserable. I’m not a beach person. I don’t like getting sand in uncomfortable places. I don’t like the way sweat feels on my body (except when I’m playing tennis or in the pool). Summer is also the busiest time of year at my job. And while I have a lot of aspects I don’t like about the season, there’s one thing I can’t get enough of: ice cream.
Now, maybe you’re wondering: Namrita, you’re vegan. Ice cream?
Yes, ice cream.
Out of all the vegan substitutes in the world, vegan ice cream > non-vegan ice cream. I’ve had such amazing vegan ice cream while traveling and at home. You can find a whole section in the freezer aisles in grocery stores. There are so many brands, so many flavors, and so much to choose from. Even popular brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Haagen-Dazs, and Breyer’s have non-dairy options. And we could argue that they’re only doing it to make a profit so there are a ton of non-dairy brands and local shops you could support instead (I love So Delicious!). The best places are the hole-in-the-wall gems that only accept cash, without proper parking lots with red-and-white signs, with basically a hundred options. They give you more ice cream than you could ever consume.
Those places.
I have my favorites too. I have places I frequent more than I should. Check out a few of those below (mostly in Central Jersey) that offer vegan ice cream in New Jersey that’s so good, you won’t miss the “real” thing:
NEW: Magnifico’s, East Brunswick
Voted one of the best ice cream shops in New Jersey (according to their website) and one of my former favorites, Magnifico’s is a small ice cream shop conveniently located right on Rt. 18 heading northbound that always has long lines out the door. They had non-dairy Dole Whip for a while, but as of just a couple of weeks ago, they are now serving up non-dairy and vegan vanilla and chocolate soft serve! They’re currently offering free samples for a limited time (the photo above shows the size of the SAMPLE), but it was SO good, and I will be back at least once a week. Vanilla and chocolate twist soft-serve ice cream with mini M&M’s was my go-to order during the summer, so this was a welcome surprise.
Four Boys, Multiple Locations
Hands down, Four Boys is my favorite ice cream shop on this list. They have a few locations in the area, including Englishtown, Jamesburg, Jackson, and Milltown. Jamesburg is the one I go to and they have a rotating non-dairy flavor of the month. So far, I’ve had mint chocolate chip, regular chocolate chip, and coconut. It’s excellent ice cream and you really can’t tell the difference. There’s always a long line on summer nights but it’s worth the wait. They’re cash only but the photo above is their smallest size so you truly get your money’s worth with them.
Cookman Creamery, Asbury Park
Cookman Creamery is truly a hidden gem. They specialize in hand-crafted small-batch ice creams with a ton of traditional dairy and plant-based varieties. Their ice cream bases are made from a variety of options like coconut cream, oat milk, and almond butter. I tried their birthday cake flavor (plant-based, vegan, and gluten-free) which is organic coconut cream-based with gluten-free flour, whip cream, and sprinkles. It’s so creamy and delicious, and they also rotate their flavors. The June 2023 board is below!
The Bent Spoon, Princeton
The Bent Spoon is one of those iconic ice cream shops and it’s been one of my favorites forever, even before I switched to a vegan diet. They’re a farm-to-spoon place that uses local and organic ingredients. They rotate their starting flavors, which they post on their Instagram and Facebook pages, and they always have vegan options. I’ve had both dark chocolate and cookies n’ cream, which are fantastic. They used to be cash-only but they now accept credit cards and both Apple and Android Pay.
Coney Waffle, Multiple Locations
You can’t talk about iconic Jersey ice cream without mentioning Coney Waffle. Originally sold at Coney Island in the 40s, the dessert came over to Jersey in 2016 with its first location down the shore in Belmar, followed by additional shops in Asbury Park, Long Branch, and Red Bank. It’s the quintessential boardwalk treat alongside funnel cake, fried Oreos, and saltwater taffy. In addition to dairy and non-dairy ice cream alike, they sell ice cream cakes and baked goods, and they even do a vegan parve ice cream cake. It’s so good, you really can’t tell the difference.
Greens and Grains, Multiple Locations
Greens and Grains has quickly become one of my favorite places to go. It isn’t dedicated to ice cream; in fact, it’s a plant-based chain of restaurants in the Jersey and PA area with excellent food. Last time I visited, I had a Buffalo Ranch Chk’n wrap but they have salads, pitas, sandwiches, and a whole host of other items, including this Temptation vegan oat milk soft serve. My go-to ice cream order used to be vanilla chocolate soft serve twist with sprinkles or hot fudge and now I’ve found an alternative that doesn’t hurt my stomach. It’s creamy and delicious without the fat. It is only available at certain locations and I had gotten it from the Middletown location but definitely check it out.
Jersey Freeze, Freehold
Jersey Freeze is one of my favorites now, mostly because I went there just for soft serve. My go-to ice cream order before I switched to a vegan, plant-based diet was vanilla and chocolate twist soft serve with mini M&M’s. So when I heard that Jersey Freeze had vegan soft serve, I was sold. They have non-dairy hard ice cream too, but their flavors rotate regularly. They have vanilla soft serve made of pea protein, so I was a bit skeptical but I actually really liked it. It’s super creamy and delicious, and the sugar and wafer cones are vegan-friendly. I would ask about the sprinkles or other toppings! They do have Oreo cookie crumbles and they also are a grill-style restaurant with food options (though I don’t think they have much in the vegan-friendly department).
What’s The Scoop, Metuchen
I recently had this gem in Metuchen! It’s a small, cozy ice cream shop right on Main Street, with more than a few vegan-friendly options that aren’t sorbet (they do also have sorbet if you’d prefer that!). I got their chocolate explosion and vanilla peanut butter flavors, but they also had cookies n’ cream, cherry vanilla, and black raspberry with brownie pieces. If it weren’t going to melt on my drive home, I would have picked up one of their new vegan Chipwiches (chocolate-chip cookie ice cream sandwiches) from the freezer. Chipwiches were my absolute favorite summer treat from when the ice cream trucks would drive around or come to summer rec camp, and I’ve missed them ever since I switched to a plant-based diet. I’ve made them at home, yes, but they’re not the same. Next time I go to Metuchen, I’ll bring a cooler filled with ice, or just eat one there.
Dairy Queen, Multiple Locations
Dairy Queen is a Jersey staple (in my opinion), and my younger brother (who has an August birthday) loved getting his cakes from there (they were also conveniently located on our mom’s drive home from work). In the past few years, they’ve also added a non-dairy, vegan-friendly ice cream option with their Dilly bar! It’s a classic, chocolate-covered, vanilla ice cream bar, that I did quite enjoy. If you’re picking up a cake or getting ice cream for a crowd, or you can’t find another vegan-friendly ice cream place nearby, I suggest checking for a Dairy Queen location. Availability varies by location.
Places that have vegan ice cream in New Jersey that I haven’t tried yet but would like to:
- Beenie’s, Morristown
- Fresh Tiki Bar, Somerville
- Ice Cream on 9, Howell
- Betty’s Ice Box, Asbury Park
- Rahway Creamery, Rahway
- Dairy Deluxe, Highland Park
- Fable Creamery Vegan Ice Cream, Red Bank
- Main Scoop Creamery, Manasquan
- Benvenuti, Montclair
- Sip N Swirl, Little Falls
- Honey and Hive, Maplewood
I will continue to update this blog post as I find and try new places, but if you have recommendations, please share them in the comments!
Looking for vegan pizza in New Jersey? Check out this blog post.
Perhaps we’ll have to try Four Boys again but when we went last year to the Milltown location they had zero vegan offerings. I was a bit disgruntled and wrote them off as a never visit again location. Enjoying your posts, we live right here in South River and have visited many of the locations you reviewed… we’ve been vegan since 2015.
Thanks for sharing and I’m glad you’re enjoying my posts! Unfortunately, I can’t speak to the one in Milltown, but the one in Jamesburg has a rotating vegan flavor of the month, so I’ve never struggled there. I’d also love to try the Milltown and Freehold locations!