Sponsored by Ripple Foods
Plant-based desserts and dairy-free ice cream are increasingly capturing the hearts and minds of innovative chefs and savvy foodservice operators—and earning a place on their menus. But while research shows the number of operators offering vegan options is growing, some are still reluctant to add dairy-free desserts to their menus due to outdated perceptions about the products’ taste, texture, cost or consumer demand.
Consumers used to think that vegan ice cream was some kind of “lesser-than” product—not as delicious, not as creamy.
“But between people just being more creative in the products they're making and some of the technology innovations, the quality today is really there,” said Brittany Martin, editor of the web-based publication Vegetarian Times, in a recent interview with National Public Radio.
In fact, adding dairy-free ice cream to the menu is a huge opportunity. In this article, we dispel some common myths and offer still-skeptical chefs and foodservice operators reasons why it makes sense to offer dairy-free desserts.
Expand your customer base
Once a small segment of the U.S. population, the number of consumers accommodating more plant-based foods in their diets is accelerating.
According to Grand View Research, the nondairy frozen dessert segment is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.5% from 2022 to 2030. That demand is partly being driven by millennial consumers’ interest in consuming more dairy-free products.
Contributing to the mainstreaming of dairy-free desserts and the segment’s exponential growth are emerging companies like Ripple Foods, which offers an innovative plant-based dairy alternative to traditional soft-serve and hard-packed ice cream. Made with pea protein as a primary ingredient, Ripple’s frozen ice-cream bases are not only dairy-free, but also soy-free, gluten-free and lactose-free, making them appealing to a broad range of consumers, regardless of why they choose to eliminate dairy.
Increase your profits
Operators tend to menu soft serve because it’s a fast and easy way to serve a delicious frozen treat requiring minimal skills and yielding high profit margins. Adding a dairy-free soft serve to the mix yields those benefits, too—and more. The right dairy-free soft-serve ice cream enables operators to overcome the workforce shortages and supply chain challenges that persist. For example, Ripple’s dairy-free frozen dessert bases run through any soft-serve or ice-cream machine and are packaged in easy to use 1-gallon and 2.5-gallon formats that last up to 365 days when frozen and up to 14 days once thawed.
Get ahead of the competition
With the demand for plant-based products on the rise, many foodservice operations (read: the competition) are already offering dairy-free dishes and dairy-free frozen desserts. Restaurant guides like the Vegetarian Journal’s Guide to Vegetarian and Vegan Dishes in the U.S. and Canada, report that there’s been an 18-fold increase in the number of restaurants offering vegan dishes and desserts.
Companies like Sodexo are helping to push the plant-based food offerings at college and university campuses to 42% of total meals by 2025. Even quick-service chains such as Dairy Queen—a concept built on the concept of frozen treats made with cow’s milk—now offers non-dairy ice cream options.
Serve up great taste (without the dairy)
Innovations in flavors, taste and texture mean today’s dairy-free ice creams no longer possess the unwanted undertones or marshmallow-like texture of earlier plant-based products. Using products from companies like Ripple Foods, operators can churn out soft-serve treats in customizable flavors that can be topped just like any other cup or cone, or creatively flavored hard-packed scoops. They can even be used to produce other popular frozen items, such as shakes or concretes.
So, forget what you knew about the old dairy-free products—those arguments are no longer valid. Instead, take the time to learn more about today’s new and improved dairy-free products. Once you’ve learned the truth about—and the possibilities of—today’s dairy-free, you’re certain to find a place for them on the menu, and dairy-free and dairy-loving customers alike are certain to find a place for your brand in their hearts and minds.
Interested in exploring adding dairy-free ice cream to your menu? Contact the culinary team at Ripple.
