First observed to commemorate the 50th founding day of The Vegan Society, UK, November 1 is annually celebrated as World Vegan Day. On this day, vegans around the world honour the benefits of veganism—a philosophy and a way of living—that promotes the use of animal-free alternatives. This World Vegan Day, we list a few vegan ice cream parlours who are crafting ice creams mindfully.
Endeavour of love
Founded in 1999 in Gurugram, Tangelo is Pawan Malhotra’s attempt in making home-style ice creams without additives on his daughter’s request In 2019, he introduced a range of vegan ice creams to cater to the growing vegan population. “It was challenging to come up with a vegan line since the ingredients aren’t easily available,” says Malhotra.
Tangelo ice creams use coconut milk, oat milk, and almond milk along with natural sweeteners like Stevia instead of sugar. With patrons giving a nod to their vegan line, their outlet at Select Citywalk is extremely popular.
Some sinless offerings
Sisters Gayatri Rattha and Shivanie Mirchandani from Okhla co-founded Minus 30, in 2016, to find a healthier alternative to sweets. Striving to recreate their childhood delicacies, the venture makes handcrafted ice creams that are preservative-free. With a sugar-free vegan range made from almond milk, oat milk, almond butter, vegan chocolate, and fresh fruits, Minus 30 has become a leading ice cream store for vegans. They also have live-scoop outlets in Dwarka and Gurugram. Available PAN India, Mirchandani says, “Both vegan and non-vegan customers took a liking to our vegan section.”
Varied exotic treats
A staunch believer of Mahatma Gandhi’s ideology of ahimsa, Sonal founded White Cub in 2013, one of the first few vegan ice cream brands in India. They replace the dairy components in the ice cream with a blend of almond milk, soy milk, coconut cream, and coconut milk. A customer-focused brand, their ice creams are introduced as a pilot to customers before making them a regular on the menu. “With White Cub, my personal decision to avoid dairy has encouraged many to do the same,” says the Gurugram-resident founder. They also experiment with Indian flavours—Indian Wedding, which tastes like mithai, and a haldi (turmeric) flavour, introduced in 2020. With five Delhi-NCR outlets, their diabetic-friendly ice creams give customers a guilt-free indulgence.
Host of choices
Based out of their home kitchen in Gurugram, Plant Bowl Creamery, founded by mother-daughter duo Ruchika Kohli and Meher Kohli, in 2020, serves vegan ice creams, vegan cheese, and desserts. “I turned vegan eight years ago to support animal welfare, and show the world that vegan food is equally delicious,” says Meher. They use coconut milk and Meher says that its flavour is subtle and doesn’t overpower the ice cream. With over 25 different flavours to try from, Plant Bowl Creamery also offers vegan desserts for events and parties.