Being vegan or dairy-free doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the delicious things in life. Luckily for those looking to go without animal by-products, Cape Town has great vegan ice cream and gelato options. From simple scoops of vanilla with warm gluten-free waffles to dreamy cones filled with blue majik coconut ice cream, here’s where to get your vegan ice-cream fix in the Cape Town city bowl.

Jessy’s Waffles (Gardens)

This little Dunkley Square gem serves up delicious scoops from Unframed Ice Cream to pair with their golden, gluten-free waffles. Think sea salt caramel, chocolate, simple vanilla or fruity berry sorbet. The Unframed scoops are nut- or coconut-based, providing that extra creamy consistency.

A post shared by Jessy’s Waffles (@jessyswaffles) on Feb 7, 2018 at 4:03am PST

Moro Gelato (City Bowl)

This pastel-hued Italian gelatoria scoops crazy delicious creamy sorbetto made with only plant-based ingredients. Enjoy flavours like chai spice, pistachio, toasted pine nut, dark Belgian chocolate and matcha. Moro also scoops up fruity sorbets and creamy vegan-friendly milkshakes made with almond milk.

A post shared by MORO GELATO (@morogelato) on Dec 7, 2017 at 4:59am PST

Plant Café (City Bowl)

This vegan eatery is known for its gourmet plant-based grub. For dessert, satisfy the sweet tooth with ice cream treats from Phat Fox. These are free of dairy and are made with coconut milk and xylitol. Flavours might include peanut butter, salted caramel, chocolate, mint choc-chip, and seasonal favourites like lemon cheesecake. Have yours plain, with pancakes or with some glorious vegan chocolate brownies.

A post shared by Phat Fox (@phatfoxfrozenfun) on Jul 24, 2016 at 3:08am PDT

Unframed Ice Cream (Gardens)

The Unframed team has made quite a name for themselves with their unbelievably creamy vegan ice cream. The treats are made using coconut or nut bases and flavours change constantly. Some exciting creations include coconut with blue majik powder, beetroot and chocolate, matcha tea, and jasmine rice with lemongrass. There are always at least two sorbets and three vegan flavours, so you’ll never have to miss out on your scoop.

A scoop of vegan ice cream from Unframed. Photo supplied.

You Bet It’s Ice Cream (City Bowl)

This new-ish kid to the Bree Street block quietly snuck up on us overnight. The teeny store is located in the Cape Heritage Hotel’s courtyard and serves 100% natural ice cream and sorbets from Cold Gold. The creamy scoops are made using nut milk, seed milk or rice milk and still have an incredibly silky texture. Think constantly changing flavours like vanilla-coconut, orange, chardonnay and vanilla. Look out for the apricot sorbet, cheekily spiked with lime vodka.

Luscious chocolate Cold Gold ice cream. Photo supplied.