Nice Cream
& the Health Halo

Nice Cream
& the Health Halo

Learn More

Nice Cream and the Health Halos – sounds like a great band name, right? When we first think of ice cream, we think cool, creamy indulgence. Hot summer day with a scoop of your favorite ice cream in a cup or cone. But recently, consumers are looking for that same feeling – but from alternative sources.

The idea of frozen desserts made without dairy is not a new concept...

But it has been gaining significant momentum over the past few years. We at Barry Callebaut do love our indulgences with chocolate and ice cream – and can recreate that rich, smooth, and creamy taste experience with non-dairy frozen desserts and ‘nice creams’! Let’s take a look and see what solutions we can bring to the table!

bowl of almond ice cream on cutting board

What is Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert?

Ice cream is a frozen food made from a mixture of dairy products, containing at least 10% milkfat. After that base-line is established, you may find common marketing terms like "superpremium," "premium" and "economy." These are terms manufacturers use to describe the quality of the ice cream they produce. They may have less overrun (air in the ice cream making it denser) or use more than 10% milkfat in their base or other values that differentiate them from their competition.

In addition to milkfat, there are other ingredients in ice cream. The basic formula includes cream, milk, sugar, and then there are several variations after that.

However, we see in the marketplace that consumers are looking for non-dairy options to replace traditional favorites, like nut milk instead of cow’s milk, soy cheese instead of dairy cheese, etc. The same is true for ice cream - consumers are looking for tasty dairy-free options, including ice cream.

Non-Dairy ice cream is just that – ice cream made without dairy. But that is one of those oxymoron terms because you really cannot make ice cream without dairy (10% milk fat per above)…so the term non-dairy ice cream is technically not correct. The most acceptable term is non-dairy frozen dessert.

When making non-dairy frozen dessert, you will need to replace the dairy sources with non-dairy sources. So for the cream (fat) we can find a variety of non-dairy substitutes – the most popular being vegetable oils or nut butters. Then for the milk, we need to find a product with similar product attributes (viscosity, proteins, carbohydrates, sugars, etc) – the most popular being soy, coconut, cashew or almond.

Recently, we have encountered a new term: Nice Cream.

The concept is not new, but the term and how we get there are creating a significant buzz.

Nice Creams are made by food processing frozen fruits to a creamy consistency of ice cream – again, without the dairy. Most nice creams are made with fruits that will achieve a creamy consistency when blended – like bananas or avocados. Many sorbets are blended berries (and other ingredients) which do not necessarily get creamy, but will provide a refreshing, non-dairy frozen dessert as well! And then there are Sherbets which are essentially Sorbets with a touch of dairy to add creaminess.

bowl of green ice cream on a blue background

Where do we go from here?

We offer a bevy of product solutions to fulfill this consumer need!

Depending on your goal, Barry Callebaut can assist in several ways. For non-dairy frozen desserts, we provide a variety of stock and custom-made nut butter bases to provide the body for your product.

For both non-dairy frozen desserts and Nice Creams, we can provide smooth or textured nut butter based variegates to swirl through your dessert!

This provides an additional creamy element to your product and can add a nice texture and crunch which will keep you digging to the bottom of the pint! According to Mintel, the top driver for consumer trial of new frozen desserts is a new texture. 34% of consumers responded that seeing or having the connotation of a different crunch, sensation, or pop to be the largest influence on their new frozen dessert purchase. Barry Callebaut can also provide a variety of non-dairy chips and other plant based inclusions like roasted, caramelized nuts and coconut!