June 21, 2019

Where to find dairy-free ice cream this summer

There are more options around Charlotte besides raspberry sorbet

Two Scoops Creamery’s original location in Plaza Midwood. Kristen Wile/UP

As someone who has a dairy allergy, summer is the hardest season to get through because I love ice cream. Enjoying ice cream during the summer is one of my favorite things. Those who live with a dairy allergy know there is nothing more devastating than going to an ice cream shop and your only dairy-free option is raspberry sorbet. To avoid this basic option and immediate frustration, I went on a hunt for the city’s best dairy-free ice cream options. Good news: Charlotte has some great choices.

Here are my top picks. —Justin Burke-Samson

Two Scoops Creamery
Plaza Midwood, South End, Lake Norman
There tends to always be at least one dairy-free option at Two Scoops, where flavors rotate daily. Their dairy-free choices are also vegan.
Vegan flavors: Chocolate Banana, Cookies & Cream

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Southend, NoDa, Park Road
This Ohio-based creamery is built on fun, creativity, and love — for ice cream and people. The dairy-free options are plentiful, which can make it hard to pick. A change of pace, we have options! My dairy consuming counterpart even prefers the dairy-free options; he can’t even tell the difference.
Dairy-free flavors: Cold brew with coconut cream, dark chocolate truffle, roasted peanut butter and strawberry jam, and Texas sheet cake.
Fun fact: The dairy-free options can also be found in Publix and Earth Fare stores.

Golden Cow Creamery
South End, SouthPark
If you find yourself near Golden Cow Creamery, you can count on them having at least one dairy-free and/or vegan flavor of ice cream. They are the lesser known flavors from their regular and rotating choices, but knowing they have at least one choice is a win — and I often find them better than the classic dairy flavors.
Dairy-free and vegan flavors: Always rotating

The Local Scoop
Ballantyne, Matthews (pop-ups)
This family-owned ice cream shop sources their ingredients from surrounding farms. Their dairy-free flavors include not just alternative dairy bases, but also creative sorbets.
Dairy-free flavors: Vanilla coconut, chocolate coconut, staycation (coconut, pineapple and orange), lemon lime basil, matcha, chocolate chocolate chip cake, cookie butter, and I can’t believe it’s not gluten!