Want some scoop on vegan ice-cream?

CHENNAI : The best part of summer is the heat that serves as an excuse to eat ice-creams every day. When Ramya Unnikrishnan and Pranav Murali were scouting for vegan dessert options in the city, they hardly found any. This led to a three to four month trial period where the duo experimented alternative options for milk. Vegan smoothie was their first preference.

Eventually, they realised that convincing people to experiment to something completely natural, dairy-free and without essence would be difficult. So, they decided to try their hands at something that was people’s favourite and worth the risk. The idea of handcrafted vegan ice-creams shaped up after several trials in their kitchen. Common questions they encountered were, “Are these vegetarian ice-creams? What ingredients are used as replacement and will it taste the same?” 

The duo opened a cloud kitchen at Teynampet on January 20. This led to the inception of the brand called The Vegan Bowl on Instagram. They tied up with delivery apps for takeaway options. After trying out different combinations and ingredients, they curated a menu with eight options. “We went for plant-based milk. However, we did not reveal the names of alternatives because people were skeptical about the taste and texture.

The challenging part was to mellow down the original strong flavours of plant-based milk to suit the flavour of the ice-cream. People assume that certain flavours, for example elaichi and mint, won’t taste good even without trying it out,” says Ramya who prepares the ice-creams with Pranav. Initially, they prepared the desserts based on orders. But now, due to increase in the demand, they generally stock up a few options.

Elaichi, mint, coffee, strawberry, cranberry and chilli lemon are some of the flavours they sell. Chocolate is their latest addition. The ice-creams are served in mason jars with fruity bits on top of the cream, accompanied by a layer of cake at the bottom. Cakes are available in chocolate, vanilla and banana flavours. “Our clients are happy because we’ve sketched out a vegan menu with plant-based milk alternatives and they know what’s going into the product. The ice-cream is creamier and the texture is slightly different,” she says.

As an aspiring vegan, Ramya was happy to find a vegan community of over 1,500 people on a Facebook page in Chennai. What started out as 25 orders on the first day has multiplied to a hundred per day. “We will display our product at Buva House at our debut pop-up exhibition. The response has been tremendous. We were afraid if people would like the taste. But, everybody, including non-vegans, love the consistency, creaminess and comfort a scoop of our ice -cream offers. My dream is to open a full-fledged vegan-friendly restaurant,” she said.

Fruity bits and cake
The ice-creams are served in mason jars with fruity bits on top of the cream, accompanied by a layer of cake at the bottom. Cakes are available in chocolate, vanilla & banana flavours.