Ice Cream With San Diego Area Shop Among NYT's Best Vegan Options

CARLSBAD, CA — Some of the best vegan ice cream is made right here in Southern California, according to The New York Times.

The newspaper’s recommendation service, Wirecutter, included the Santa Barbara brand McConnell’s in its recent roundup of the best dairy-free ice creams. McConnell’s has a Carlsbad shop, located at 1935 Calle Barcelona.

“Gone are the days of paltry vegan options pushed to the fringes of the ice cream aisle, frostbitten and forgotten,” according to the Times. “Our favorites are delicious in their own right, and they’re free of any off flavors or textures that can be the bane of lesser vegan ice creams.”

McConnell’s Dairy-Free Passion Fruit Lemon Swirl flavor was the Times’ pick for its best-of list. The ice cream has an oat milk base and no nuts or gluten.

“This McConnell’s pint wowed us with its bright flavor and a tangy, jammy lemon swirl,” the newspaper reported.

Other brands that made the cut included Van Leeuwen, Jeni’s, and Ben & Jerry’s.

Founded more than 70 years ago in Santa Barbara, where it is still headquartered, McConnell’s has scoop shops all over Southern California, including in Downtown Los Angeles, Studio City, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, San Luis Obispo and two in its hometown.