I will admit it. I am the annoying friend in the group who can’t have dairy. Apologies in advance but alas, some things just can’t be helped!
For as long as I’ve been dairy-free, I’ve been on the hunt for vegan ice cream that doesn’t taste…vegan. I’ve tried everything under the sun, from pints that are carried in Walmart (bless you Ben & Jerrys) to the homemade stuff in specialty shops like Van Leeuwens. But here’s the thing. After countless taste tests, I hadn’t found it, that perfect substitute that made me forget all of my dairy troubles. And then, I found Sticky Sweet.
Originally, I found this little Portland shop through an instagram account called @portlandfoodmap. I tagged everyone I knew in the post and told them I would be demanding a trip to check out the quaint and cute shop. Then fate happened. I ended up in Portland last week!
With one picky eater friend and another fellow dairy free friend in tow, we tracked down Sticky Sweet and all of our dreams came true. The store, which hadn’t even put up its sign yet, was tiny and perfect, covered in plants and bright colors. We learned, once inside, that the store had only been open for FOUR DAYS. Two sisters run the shop, creating and making all of the flavors. They proudly fed us multiple samples and were so excited when we declared their ice cream to be the best vegan ice cream we had ever tasted. I left feeling super inspired by the kick-ass sister combo, who dream up every genius flavor combination and stuck to their goal of creating ice cream that they could eat and wanted to eat.
I ended up choosing “Cinnamon Sugar Cookie” while my friends got hefty scoops of “Lemon Fig Cookie” and “Mint Chocolate Cookie.” Our cups full of drippy, sticky and creamy ice cream was the cherry on top (no pun intended) to an amazing trip to Portland. Having tasted all three flavors (plus a few more), I can honestly say the quality of every single flavor continued to shock me. Nothing tasted like vegan ice cream–it simply tasted like really freaking good ice cream, and that’s all I could ever ask for. And nutritionally, I felt good about putting it in my body! Every ice cream is plant-based, one hundred percent gluten free, had no refined sugar and was scratch made in small batches. I mean??!! Also, homemade waffle cones!
It’s safe to say I will be going back. More than once. I highly recommend this place to all ice cream lovers, dairy free or not. You won’t be disappointed and will absolutely leave with a smile on your face. You’re welcome in advance!
Follow Sticky Sweet on Instagram to learn more: @stickysweetmaine