Häagen-Dazs Launches Vegan Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Bars

American ice cream brand Häagen-Dazs has launched vegan chocolate fudge ice cream bars just in time for warmer weather.

The new offering features soy ice cream coated in dairy-free rice milk chocolate coating and includes “swirls of chocolate fudge” according to the brand’s website.

The new vegan ice cream bars join the ever-growing lineup of dairy-free flavors from Häagen-Dazs. The company now offers seven flavors of vegan ice cream and three ice cream bars, including the coconut-based Coconut Caramel Dark Chocolate Non-Dairy Bar. It launched a dairy-free boozy Amaretto Black Cherry Almond flavor last February, featuring an amaretto-flavored base with swirls of cherry jam and vegan toffee pieces.

The new Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Fudge Dairy-Free Bar | image/Häagen-Dazs

The Rise of Vegan Ice Cream

Vegan ice cream is a hot category. Experts predict that the global market will surpass $1 billion by 2024, fueled primarily by consumers seeking a healthier alternative to traditional dairy ice cream.

The report notes that mainstream ice cream brands like Ben & Jerry’s and Swedish Glace are appealing to consumers, as are emerging brands such as Houston, Texas-based NadaMoo!.

Häagen-Dazs isn’t the only mainstream ice cream brand expanding its selection. Unilever-owned Magnum recently launched its dairy-free ice cream bars in the U.S. after arriving in the UK, Finland, and Sweden. It also expanded to Portugal earlier this month.

Regarding the launch, Leslie Miller, Marketing Director of Ice Cream at Unilever said in a statement, “This week we’re thrilled to bring our next-level chocolate to the vegan and dairy-free market. This is our first launch in plant-based indulgence and we can’t wait to share with Magnum ice cream fans.”

Burlington, Vermont-based Ice cream giant Ben & Jerry‘s made headlines in 2016 with their vegan flavors. The launch was so successful that the brand added even more options, as well as expanding into the UK and Australian markets.

Cult-hit low-calorie ice cream brand Halo Top is also on board with vegan options. The company now offers 17 flavors of dairy-free, low-calorie ice cream, including a recent addition that’s said to taste like Nutella.

Häagen-Dazs new bars, which come in a pack of three, are available at major supermarkets nationwide for about $5.49.