"It is a truth (almost) universally acknowledged that an awful lot of vegan ice cream tastes like it was made by people who hate vegans," said Rebecca Flint Marx in Eater.
There are "exponentially more" dairy-free options than there were five years ago, she said, but "quantity, alas, does not necessarily mean quality".
We may be in the midst of a "vegan ice cream golden age", said Mace Dent Johnson in The New York Times. But this does not, by any stretch, mean that all brands are "created equal".
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As plant-based frozen desserts go mainstream (even McDonald's is trialling a vegan ice cream at selected stores across the UK), here are five of the best tubs to sink your spoon into this summer.
Ben and Jerry's
Like its dairy counterpart, Ben and Jerry's vegan Phish Food is an indulgent mix of chocolate ice cream, marshmallow, caramel swirls and fudge fish. Also like the original, said Eater, it is "very, very difficult to stop eating". The almond milk base is velvety and smooth; of all the plant-based options I tasted, this one "came closest to approximating dairy ice cream".
Swedish Glace
I was "delighted" to discover a vegan ice cream that had "all the soft, creamy qualities of the classic soft-serve vanilla ice cream", said Fiona Logan on BBC Good Food. Made with soy and vanilla seeds, Swedish Glace is perfect served on a wafer cone. "We guarantee no one will guess it's vegan."
Booja-Booja
If you haven't yet tried Booja-Booja then "be careful", warned Thea Everett in Delicious. "Like us, you might become obsessed with the vegan chocolate brand" that's branched into ice cream. Ideal for keeping in the freezer for an easy "dinner party pudding", there are several flavours to choose from including caramel pecan praline and cookie dough.
Mochi Ice Cream
The Japan Centre's frozen version of mochi (a traditional steamed rice cake) is well worth trying, said Delicious. Available in a tasty vegan chocolate, miso and cookie dough flavour, the rice dough wrapper remains unfrozen so you still get the "essential chewiness" as you bite into the silky smooth ice cream centre.
Jude's
"When ice cream urges call," said Abha Shah in the London Evening Standard, Jude's plant-based options will "hit the spot". The family-run brand's vegan desserts are made with a coconut base and come in several "crowd-pleasing" flavours, from chocolate brownie to salted caramel.
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