Vegan ice cream Montreal (by a local)
Montreal has plenty of vegan restaurants for you to rejoice. When it comes to vegan ice cream, the city also has a couple of great options!
Whether you have dietary restrictions or simply enjoy exploring new flavours, Montréal's vegan ice cream scene offers an impressive array of options that cater to all tastes. From creamy, coconut-based concoctions to refreshing, fruit-filled sorbets, the city’s ice cream shops are crafting innovative and delectable vegan delights that prove you don’t need dairy to indulge in a perfect scoop.
Since I’m lactose intolerant I have been in search of the perfect vegan ice cream in the city, this article is the result of this very difficult research. In this guide, I also give you a few options to do in the neighbourhood where these delicious ice cream parlours are located.
Psst: if you are looking for the ideal Montreal 3-day Itinerary, I got you!
Havre-aux-Glaces
This ice cream parlour has 4 locations, one right at the center of the action in Place des Arts, perfect to get ice cream in the middle of the festivals. The second location is Promenade Fleury and the 2 other ones are ideally located near the farmers market of Jean-Talon market and Atwater.
Havre aux Glaces changes their ice cream flavours depending on what’s in season and available in the market – they are open all year round at the Jean-Talon Market location. They have 12 choices of ice cream and 12 choices of vegan sorbet. Their sorbet is made from real fresh fruit. I like to combine their vegan chocolate (if available) with a sorbet.
Ca Lem
Ca Lem is known for its creative flavours and rotating menu, they often feature vegan options made with coconut milk. They have fancy flavour combinations and fun toppings. They have Asian flavours on the menu such as pandan, coconut ash black sesame, Vietnamese coffee and rosewater pistachio. Their soft-serve creations change weekly. They have multiple locations in the city Canal Lachine, Plateau, Old Montreal, Marché Atwater, CDN & NDG.
Le Blueboy
This ice cream parlour offers a variety of vegan ice cream flavours, often made with almond or coconut milk. They describe themselves as a “Homemade Latine Ice Cream dessert.” They have funky toppings like Churros, candies, pretzels and fruit bowls! You can order your watermelon-basil sorbet served in half a hollowed-out watermelon - perfect for a hot Montreal summer day. They have a platano (plantain) sundae that is delicious.
They are located in Mont-Royal Avenue which is pedestrian in the summer and it is the place to spend the afternoon the afternoon to do some shopping and enjoy the quintessential Montreal street.
Swirl
A 100% vegan soft-serve place that makes its ice cream with coconut milk. The ice cream is made from scratch on-site. Their chocolate one is delicious. Among their popular flavours are coconut-mango, and Madagascan vanilla. Flavours change with the season, using fruits and Asian-inspired ingredients. The parlour is located in Little Portugal, it has plenty of murals and street art to admire and before enjoying the ice cream you can go for a delicious Portuguese chicken.
Bilboquet
Bilboquet is a beloved ice cream shop in Montreal, they have been open since 1983 and they have more than 26 flavours for you to try. They have 6 locations but my favourite is in Westmount, grab a cone, stroll around the high-end neighbourhood and admire the Victorian houses before enjoying the beautiful Westmount Park.
In terms of vegan options, they have sorbets and some creamy almond milk-based ice creams.
Iconoglace
This is my favourite place. They have almost the same extensive flavours of ice cream in a vegan option. They have many offerings like soft serve, chocolate dipping, sundae, affogatto, oreo and cookie-dough swirl, kombucha float, and unicorn soft serve, to name a few. The slush is made with maple water - yum!
They have a weekly selection, they will have everything from a sundae with Portuguese Nata to a Cream Burger. Their soft-serve flavours also change weekly. I had a delicious chocolate and passion fruit swirl the last time I went.
They have 2 locations one in Rosemont and a new location on Laurier in the Mile End.
Mlle Catherine
Perfectly located in the heart of Old Montreal in the Place Jacques-Cartier, next to the cute souvenir shop Bonjour Montreal, Mlle Catherine offers ice cream, affogato and crêpes. They don’t have a huge selection of ice cream and their vegan selection is even smaller but their mango sorbet is to die for. They also make a delicious (virgin) Piña Colada with their pineapple sorbet. This cozy shop is renowned for its artisanal approach, using fresh, high-quality ingredients to create a memorable dessert experience for all.
Kem CoBa
Kem Coba, located in the Mile End neighbourhood of Montreal, is famous for its vibrant and innovative ice cream flavours, including several delicious vegan options. Their soft-serve flavours change weekly, they have flavours like rosewater, raspberry/lychee and Orange/coconut. They are an Asian-inspired ice cream shop.
They are located next to the delicious gnocchi from Drogheria Fine and to the Fairmount Bagels. So after you finish eating in these stapled Montreal eateries go for this iconic ice cream. They have a line that is around 20 to 30 minutes wait. After that, you can stroll around this hipster neighbourhood.
La Cave à Manger
Not only do they have the best croissants in town, but they also have a sorbet that you can pair with Prosseco. What more you can ask on a hot summer day? They are located in the iconic Bonsescours market next to the Brewsky (an amazing brewery) in Montreal. If you are willing to have a “normal” ice cream, they have a soft serve on a croissant! It is worth your Lactaid pills, trust me.
Looking for more?
Here are other options that I haven’t tried yet, Lu & I is a vegan and gluten-free bakery. Patio Bar Laitier has five flavours of hard vegan ice creams, eight sorbets made in-house, fourteen flavours of vegan milkshakes, oat and soy-based soft-serve ice cream with real fruits and vegan “Glizzards” (McFlurry style). Crèmerie Meetha is located in the Parc-Ex neighbourhood and is inspired by traditional Indian desserts. Think mango rasmalai, jalebi, haldi doodh, gulab jamun. In Vegan options they have kulfi. Crèmerie Meu Meu is known for its vegan-friendly ice creams, this shop offers a variety of flavours, including sorbets and creamy options made with coconut or almond milk. They are also located in the Plateau. All their ice cream is made naturally onsite.
Psst: Planning your trip to Montreal? We’ve got a few other posts you’ll want to take a look at!
The ultimate list for great getaway trips from Montreal [+30 ideas] This article has trip ideas in Canada as well as in the United States.
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BRB acknowledges that Montreal is located on unceded Indigenous lands. The Kanien’kehá:ka Nation is recognized as the custodian of the lands and waters on which we gather today. Tiohtià:ke/Montréal is historically known as a gathering place for many First Nations. Today, it is home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other peoples.
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