The top 10 vegan ice cream in Toronto

The top places to get vegan ice cream in Toronto are there to help dairy-free city dwellers beat the heat. While it's simple enough to get your fix of frosted treats with snacks like sorbets, gelatos or paletas, these spots offer creamy options that will have you waxing nostalgic about the days when Chapman's happily fit into your diet.

Here are my picks for the top places to get vegan ice cream in Toronto.

Sweet Jesus
Hit up Sweet Jesus' John Street shop if you're in the market for some truly outrageous soft serve. The flavour of the moment is Strawberry Rhubarb, but it previously served a crazy coconut-based option dubbed the Bounty Killa (let's pray for more options like this soon). Unfortunately, the Riverside location only has one soft serve machine, meaning vegan options are a no-go.

Cosmic Treats
Cosmic Treats is known for its vegan comfort fare, so it's no surprise that its dessert game is strong. While you're more than welcome to stop by for a plain ol' scoop of cashew-based vanilla, I suggest indulging in something with a bit more oomph like a sundae or an "Ice Cream Apocalypse".

Sweet Olenka's
Trying to appease your diehard, dairy-loving pals? Shimmy over to Sweet Olenka's for the ultimate compromise. The shop offers plenty of traditional creamy options for non-vegans as well as coconut milk-based dark chocolate and mixed berry flavours for those of us who steer clear of animal byproducts.

Bang Bang
Bang Bang is another option that works for those who love traditional takes on ice cream and those who would rather forego dairy. While it only offers a few vegan flavours (like chocolate and pina coloda), any can be crafted into a kickass sammy with the addition of a pair of Bakerbots cookies. The catch? You'll have to brace yourself for a lengthy line.

Bunner's
When it comes to dairy-free desserts Bunner's reigns supreme. Its soft serve ice cream offerings are pretty standard - chocolate, vanilla and swirl - but are a good option, especially on a blazing hot day. If you feel like souping yours up you can request to have it served on one of the baked goods for a few extra bucks.

Scoop Shop
Scoop Shop caters mainly to omnivores, with majority of its products being dairy-based. However, if you can resist the urge to break your vegan diet, it's still well worth the visit. The shop serves dairy-free options made from house-ground and pressed cashew milk that are much more impressive than mass produced alternatives.

Nanashake
If you're all about guilt-free eats, Nanashake is where to go for soft serve. This North York ice cream bar deals strictly in banana-based treats - you know the kind you could craft yourself if you had a $700 blender? Flavours are a bit more imaginative than just plain old fruit, including sophisticated options like spiced date and rose pistachio.

Seven Lives Paleteria
Seven Lives Paleteria slings fruit flavoured Dole Whip soft serve out of its Kensington Market kitchen. These outstanding cones can be topped with add-ons like coconut flakes or served float-style on top of juice.

Bloomer's
Bloomer's serves ice cream from Pleasantville Creamery, a brand beloved by many of Toronto's health food stores. You can buy the it from the restaurant by the pint or use it to top off a dessert like crumble pie or a pecan tart.

Hibiscus Cafe
Everything served at Hibiscus cafe is gluten-free, vegan and all organic. Its range of ice cream is made from coconut milk, homemade mung milk or almond milk and is served by the scoop.

What did I miss? Add more places to get vegan ice cream in Toronto to the comments.

Photo of Nanashake by Hector Vasquez.

by Alice Prendergast via blogTO