IJsboerke Soja Vanille

A few weeks ago, I posted about soy cornettos from IJsboerke. The cornettos aren’t their only vegan item, though. They also make a decent basic vanilla ice cream (although they call it a “soy dessert”). I hesitated trying this for a long time because I’ve always been someone who thought vanilla ice cream was dull and I dream of the days when freezer cases in Belgian supermarkets are stocked to overflowing with all variety of vegan frozen treats. But that day has not come, so I put aside my vanilla reticence and decided to grab a spoon.

Seriously. This is the selection of vegan ice creams at the Whole Foods in Toronto.

Not bad. IJsboerke clearly knows what they’re doing in the frozen dessert department. Some non-dairy ice creams can be a bit… grainy? Ice-crystally? Basically, beset with the problems of too much water and not enough fat to really create a satisfying ice-cream like consistency. Not so with IJsboerke. This is creamy and smooth and despite having languished in my freezer for quite some time, there was nary an ice crystal in sight. I’m still not hugely excited about vanilla, and will welcome broader frozen dessert options with open arms (and open mouth) but until that time, I’ll enjoy this nice, creamy, basic vanilla. It can serve as a great canvas for loads of toppings, a good base for an ice cream shake, and as soon as I can get my hands on some root beer, I’m making a root beer float!

I got this at the Colruyt, but I’m pretty sure it’s available at any supermarket that sells name brand products.