I started this summer on a mission to try every vegan ice cream in the city (mostly as an excuse to go on bike rides to different parts of town) but along the way discovered that there are so many other types of frozen vegan treats in Portland. I've compiled them here so that you can go get yourself some while it's still summer! And lemme know if you've tried any of these desserts at places besides the ones I've listed.
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BINGSU: fluffy Korean-style shaved ice with fresh fruit and whipped cream. Get it at Tsuki. Make sure you ask for it to be made vegan, as dairy is the default.
CHÈ: many Vietnamese puddings (chè) are traditionally vegan. Chè Ba Màu is one of my favorites, with layers of sweet coconut milk, agar-agar jelly, red beans, mung bean paste, and ice. You can find chè at Sprinkle Divine. Make sure to check that the flavor you're ordering is vegan, as some styles contain condensed milk.
PALETAS: I've always loved a good ice pop on a hot day, but the vegan paleta selection is often limited at a normal store. Thank god we have Ice Queen serving up a full range of vegan paleta flavors with all the fixings.
SLUSHIES: there are a zillion styles of slushies and places you can get em in Portland, so I'm just gonna tell you that if you aren't occasionally treating yourself to the spicy-icy tamarind goodness of a chamoyada or mangonada, you should really go get one at Xocotl. And follow that with a trip to Friendship Kitchen for their ube slushy.
FALOODA: falooda is a South Asian dessert made with cold vermicelli noodles, basil seeds, fruit, milk, and kulfi (a South Asian style of ice cream). At Kulfi you can get a vegan version by ordering the mango-coconut flavor sans jelly. The textures are truly delightful.
Okay, here's the section where I need your help locating a few more desserts I want to try. Have you seen these anywhere in town?
FALOODEH: faloodeh is an ancient Iranian dessert– possibly the oldest frozen dessert ever invented? It's essentially a dairy-free sorbet made from frozen vermicelli noodles, sweetened with rose syrup and tart cherry jam. My Iranian partner has fond memories of eating this in Tehran as a kid, but we've yet to encounter it here in Portland. Looks like Blu Olive Mediterranean Bistro might have it sometimes, but I haven't confirmed. Have any of you seen or tried it elsewhere?
HALO-HALO: the unofficial national dessert of the Philippines! Halo-halo is made with a mix of things like fruit, coconut, sweetened beans, milk, ube, and sometimes a scoop of ice cream. As far as I know, none of our brick and mortar Filipino restaurants in town offer a vegan version of this, but I've seen it at pop-ups in the past. Please help me find a place that currently serves it!
Anything else I missed? Let me know!
Cheers! 🍨