New York Times Blown Away by Vegan Ice Cream

In a recent article in The New York Times, long-time food columnist Melissa Clark urged readers not to skip the vegan ice cream chapter of the dairy-filled Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream cookbook, insisting that the 10 dairy-free recipes are what make “this book rise to the top.” The writer earmarked the popular NYC storefront’s recipes she was interested in testing and hesitantly included the vegan roasted banana ice cream for coverage. She proceeded to test all of the recipes, and when it came time to try the vegan one, she said it blew her mind. Clark praised all of the recipes she tried but explained that “it’s the vegan ice cream that will change your life,” adding that “because there are no eggs in the recipe, the deep flavor of the roasted bananas zipped to the front of the tongue: crisp, intense, buttery, and browned.” Van Leeuwen’s ice cream has been a mainstay in New York City since 2008, launching its vegan flavors (then, only chocolate and vanilla) in 2013. The company now offers seven cashew-based vegan flavors at its locations, select retailers, and trucks in both New York City and Los Angeles.