Häagen-Dazs Releases Delicious New Non-Dairy Ice Cream At Target

With 30 to 50 million Americans who are lactose intolerant and a whole slew of other Americans practicing veganism or avoiding dairy for a host of other reasons, too many people have missed out on real ice cream for far too long.

Finally, our favorite ice cream brands are going dairy-free. Häagen-Dazs released four new groundbreaking dairy-free flavors, offering up the sweet summer treat to millions of ice-cream-crazy consumers.

Not in the way you'd expect, either: While usual dairy-free ice creams are based on some alternative to milk (such as cashew, soy, or coconut milk), Häagen-Dazs skipped this alternate milk base and jumped right to the decadent flavors we really want from our vegan ice cream.

That means Häagen-Dazs doesn't dilute the flavor. You get a way more luscious ice cream experience and absolutely zero chance of the watery, bland taste that sometimes comes from plant-based milks in other brands' non-dairy options. And yet somehow, the pints have fewer calories and grams of fat than their milk-based, creamy counterparts.

The secret? Häagen-Dazs has used water as the base of their vegan ice cream — the tactic used by low-calorie ice cream brands such as Halo Top and Enlightened. However, since they aren't restrained to producing a low-calorie product, Häagen-Dazs was free to add brain-boosting coconut oil, sugar, and the rich, indulgent ingredients required to perfectly craft each flavor.

Their Peanut Butter Fudge flavor, for instance, has real and rich dairy-free fudge inside every creamy truffle. They've blended peanuts right into the mix for a genuine peanut butter taste.

If you're lactose intolerant or just like to try new things, you should definitely grab a pint or two next time you're at the store.

However, to the dismay of many city-dwellers, the flavors have been exclusively released at Target in the U.S. If you're on the hunt for these decadent pints, vegan blogger Jackie Day advises you call the store first. As of July 7, not all Target locations have stocked their inventory (but we are praying they catch up soon).

In the meantime, we'll just have to satisfy ourselves by making our own.