Over the past several years, many of America’s favorite ice cream brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Häagen-Dazs, and Breyers have introduced non-dairy versions of their most popular flavors. Non-diary ice cream options from beloved brands are a mostly happy occurrence for those who prefer to stay away from dairy for whatever reason. However, they also brought to light an additional problem these same folks face when trying to eat a sundae: a lack of non-dairy whipped topping options. It may have taken some time for the plant-based food trend to make its way to this arena, but Reddi-wip, one of the most iconic whipped cream brands around, has finally released two non-dairy products, and we tried them both.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Reddi-wip uses almond milk, America's most popular dairy alternative, as the base for one of its new whipped toppings. The other is made with coconut milk. According to the president of Congra Brands' refrigerated and frozen division, Ryan Clark, the decision to release dairy-free whipped topping options was prompted by data that showed major growth among non-dairy, plant-based foods caused by the changing tastes of consumers. "This is an exciting innovation for Reddi-wip that addresses this broader consumer demand and the requests we've received from consumers asking us to bring a non-dairy variety to market," Clark said in a press release.
After tasting both new Reddi-wip options on a few different treats — like chocolate covered strawberries and vanilla ice cream, as well as straight from the bottle — we have to say, both are pretty delicious. The Reddi-wip Non-Dairy Coconut is quite sweet and has a strong coconut flavor, which is a great compliment to dark chocolate or fruit. Reddi-wip Non-Dairy Almond has a slightly more subtle flavor. It's made with almond milk, but it also contains coconut cream for consistency. A hint of coconut comes through, but its primary flavor is almond. We found the Reddi-wip Non-Dairy Almond to be a little less sweet than its coconut cousin, which makes it well-suited to being sprayed right onto your tongue. Both new plant-based options have a similar creamy texture to original Reddi-wip.
Though we did enjoy both the Reddi-wip Non-Dairy Almond and the Reddi-wip Non-Dairy Coconut and would definitely recommend any dairy-averse eaters give them a try, there was one thing we didn't love about the whipped toppings. Both have a somewhat greasy mouthfeel, but we've also found that is true of most store-bought whipped cream products. To us, that somewhat odd aftertaste isn't a deal-breaker, but it is something to be aware of.
Both new plant-based whipped topping options will become available across the country this summer, which means decadent summertime nondairy sundaes are about to become a reality.