12 Best Dairy-Free Oat Milk Ice Creams to Keep in Your Freezer Year-Round

It started with the latte. Then made its way to yogurt. Coffee creamers were next. And now, oat milk is taking over the ice cream aisle. Oatly lit the mass market fire of oat-based ice cream in the States, but other brands—both vegan and dairy-based—soon followed suit. It’s no surprise that this creamy, neutral-tasting beverage lends itself remarkably well to frozen desserts where it is churned into every flavor of ice cream imaginable—from simple strawberry to pints reminiscent of Willy Wonka’s Scrumdiddlyumptious bar. If you’re looking for an oat milk-based ice cream, here are 12 brands that will provide it.

What is oat milk ice cream?

While most ice cream is made with cow’s milk or cream, which is flavored with sweeteners or sugar, oat milk ice cream is totally dairy-free, and made with, you guessed it, oat milk. It also usually contains sugar, as well as coconut oil, stabilizers, and other ingredients, like caramel or fruit, depending on the flavor of the ice cream.

Where to buy oat milk ice cream

The vegan ice cream market is growing all the time. In fact, in 2022, the global industry was valued at more than $639 million. This means that more and more flavors are consistently appearing on grocery store shelves, and many of them are made with creamy oat milk. If you’ve got a craving, here are some of the best brands to check out for some delicious frozen oaty goodness.

Vegan oat milk ice cream

The Wherever Vegan

1 Oatly

Perhaps the purest form of oat-based ice cream, Oatly’s flavors are tame but magnificent in their simplicity. The pints are packed with smooth, single-flavor ice cream uninhibited by chunks or swirls. The strawberry is exactly what strawberry ice cream should be—sweet, creamy, and refreshing while steering clear of healthy-tasting sorbet territory. The brand also makes Hazelnut Swirl and Mint Chocolate.
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McConnell’s

2 McConnell’s

This Santa Barbara, CA-based dairy company debuted a line of non-dairy pints back in the spring of 2018, but the five flavors were quietly discontinued. The brand just announced its second attempt at dairy-free frozen dessert, switching from a pea protein base to an oat milk base. The flavors include riffs on the originals—Cookies & Cream and Chocolate Fudge & Cookies—but we must admit, we do miss that Dairy-Free Eureka Lemon & Marionberries (now only available in cow’s milk form).
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Van Leeuwen

3 Van Leeuwen

For a dairy-based ice cream company, Van Leeuwen has an abundance of vegan options. The brand uses several bases for its non-dairy flavors, but oat milk options include Vegan Oat Milk Brown Sugar Chunk and Chocolate Oat Milk Cookie Dough Chunk. Find these options in scoop shops, online, or at your local grocery store.
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Planet Oat

4 Planet Oat

What began as a non-dairy beverage company has expanded to include other tasty products including coffee creamers and ice cream. The eight pints include classics such as mint fudge and smooth vanilla in addition to some wildly tasty creations that go heavy on the mega chunks and drizzles—think Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl with thick ribbons of peanut butter and Blueberry Oat Crumble with crunchy pieces of buttery crisp topping. Grab a spoon and start digging.
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Whipped Urban Dessert Lab

5 Whipped Urban Dessert Lab

We flipped when we saw this vegan Manhattan-based company on Goldbelly. Finally, you can try the luscious ice cream that’s been popping up in our feeds for months (we just can’t unfollow it—the imagery itself has us hooked) from anywhere in the nation. The shop carries a more extensive list of options (including crunchy, salty, chewy, and sweet toppings), but those who order through Goldbelly have their pick of four pints that range from Coffee Fudge to Salted Pecan.  Oh yes, this is oat milk, fancified.
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Everyday Allegra

6 Salt & Straw

The secret behind Salt & Straw’s divine ice cream is the wait—the 45-minute-plus line injects a sprinkle of delicious anticipation. Vegan flavors rotate seasonally and can vary by location, but the Peanut Butter Brittle Caramel Fudge has piqued our most recent interest. Those who do not live within the vicinity of a scoop shop (or have better things to do than wait in line) can order pints online.
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So Delicious

7 So Delicious

This long-standing vegan brand was churning out oat milk ice cream before Oatly’s frozen treats landed in the States. While So Delicious’ cashew-based flavors elicited fervent loyalty, the more recent oat-based options have garnered an equally devout following. With several varieties made with oat milk, there’s a pint for every craving (looking at you, Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie).
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Chloe’s

8 Chloe’s Oat Milk Pops

Most of us can’t sit down to a pint of ice cream every night, but a popsicle? That’s always fair game. Typically a fruit-based pop brand, Chloe’s gets a bit more decadent with its six oat milk novelty treats. Choose from delights like Brownie Batter, Raspberry Chip, and  Cookies & Cream.
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Trader Joe’s

9 Trader Joe’s Strawberry Oat

While this tiki-themed grocer’s Soy Cream Cherry Chocolate Chip Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert will forever have a place in our freezer for nostalgia’s sake, the chain has vastly improved the quality of its vegan ice creams in recent years. The Strawberry Non-Dairy Oat Frozen Dessert is more than just a basic strawberry ice cream—it’s studded with candied strawberries and hunks of almond brittle. With exceptional products like this, we don’t know why TJ’s just doesn’t go completely vegan.
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Simple Truth

10 Simple Truth Oatmilk Non-Dairy Dessert

Kroger’s better-for-you line of products debuted over 50 plant-based products in 2021 alone. Amongst the vegan chick’n patties and cheddar slices is a range of oat milk-based ice creams. Next time you’re shopping at your local Kroger (or Ralphs, for West-Coasters), stroll by the ice cream aisle to pick up a pint of Strawberry Graham, Sea Salt Caramel, Maple Pecan, or Peanut Butter Chip.
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11 Target’s Favorite Day Oat Milk Bars

Target is yet another massive brand entering the plant-based territory at rapid speed. While it already carries a line of almond-based ice cream pints as of 2018 under its Archer Farms brand, the megastore has launched Non-Dairy Vegan Oat-Based Forest Fruit Dessert Bars under a new brand name—Favorite Day (which has replaced the Archer Farms label). The creamy pink berry-flavored pops are coated with chocolate and studded with raspberry pieces. They’re definitely better than chocolate-covered strawberries.
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Eclipse Foods

12 Eclipse

While not completely based in oat milk, this vegan ice cream company is too good to pass up. The consistency is dense in the best possible way, making for a delightfully creamy bite that melts slowly on your tongue. Oaty flavors include a rich, chocolate-based Dark Side of the Spoon.
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Tanya Flink is a Digital Editor at VegNews as well as a writer and runner living in Orange County, CA.