Ben & Jerry's Officially Announces First-Ever Vegan Line

Score one for vegans with a sweet tooth! Nearly eight months after the initial announcement, the long-awaited Ben & Jerry's dairy-free ice cream line is finally here. The vegan pints are made using almond milk and will hit stores and scoop shops later this month at $5.69 each.

The first four flavors of the new vegan frozen treats are P.B. Cookies (vanilla with chocolate sandwich cookies and crunchy peanut butter swirls), Coffee Caramel Fudge (coffee with fudge chunks and caramel swirls), and two familiar flavors in dairy-free form: Chocolate Fudge Brownie (made with fudge brownies from the socially conscious Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, New York), and the brand's beloved Chunky Monkey. 

The Daily Meal staff tested out each of the four flavors, and can confirm that each are delicious — even to the carnivores and dairy addicts in the house — although Chunky Monkey and P.B. Cookies were the runaway favorites. The sweet, nutty flavor of almond milk could not hide in the vanilla-based Chunky Monkey, but it is in no way off-putting.

Although the vegan ice creams are likely to be a huge hit, it was a long journey from idea conception to product reality. According to product creator Kirsten Schimoler (who is, in fact, not a vegan), at least 10 iterations of the ice cream base went through before finding one that had the correct consistency and flavor.

In case you're hoping that the vegan ice cream will be a guilt-free indulgence, bear in mind this is Ben & Jerry's we're talking about. On average, the dairy-free varieties only save consumers about 40-50 calories.