Vegan Ice Cream Sold at Japanese Convenience Store and Supermarket!
News Vegan Ice Cream
Recently, vegan ice cream has become available even at convenience stores and supermarkets in Japan.
Although there are still a few stores that sell vegan ice creams, there are still a few specific stores where you can buy vegan ice cream.
Here I would like to introduce four vegan ice creams available at Japanese convenience stores and supermarkets, including one that I actually bought myself.
COOLish Green Vanila
COOLish is a famous ice cream that has been around for a long time!
This plant-based COOLish Green Vanilla was launched in March 2022.
It is made with plant-based milk derived from soybeans and peas.
I went to Somen Sososo (Somen Restaurant) in Shibuya the other day and ordered this COOLish Green as part of the set menu.
I also happened to find it at Maruetsu (supermarket) and Life (supermarket), so I bought it.
The taste was rich and creamy, very tasty.
I know some people don’t like the unique taste and smell of soy, but I felt that this COOLish Green was made with the unique taste and smell of soy under control.
And I found that the slight taste of soy sauce adds a delicious accent to the sweetness!
By the way, none of the usual convenience stores such as 7-Eleven, Lawson, and Family Mart sell it.
So far, I have only been able to find this ice cream at Maruetsu and Life.
If you are in an Aeon-affiliated supermarket, you might be able to find it there.
COOLish Green Strawberry
In addition to COOLish Green Vanilla, strawberry flavor was also launched in March 2023.
This COOLish Green Strawberry is also made with plant-based milk derived from soybeans and peas like COOLish Grenn Vanilla.
The difference is, literally, it contains strawberry juice.
By the way, the colorings are red yeast rice and vegetable dyes.
It is good that natural food colorings are used.
I was somehow imagining a just sweet strawberry flavor but there was also a proper sourness to it.
Just the right amount of sweetness and sourness!
I think this COOLish Green Strawberry is more diffecult to find than COOLish Green Vanilla at supermarkets or convenience stores.
But if you find Coulish Green Strawberry, I highly recommend it!
I found mine at the Life supermarket!
Ice no Mi (Almond Milk Flavor)
Ice no Mi (bite-sized round sherbet balls) have also been a popular ice cream for a long time.
I have fond memories of buying and eating it myself as a child.
This Ice no Mi started selling a Strong Almond Milk flavor in March 2022.
It went on sale just about the same time as COOLish Green.
As the name of its flavor suggests, this ice cream is made from almond milk, a plant-based milk.
This ice cream also provides vitamin E and dietary fiber.
I actually bought and tried it the other day and enjoyed the smooth almond milk flavor!
It had been a while since I had had Ice no Mi and I felt nostalgic.
I bought it at Maruetsu, but according to other reviewers who have purchased it, it is also available at Lawson (convenience store).
Azuki Bar and Organic Azuki Bar
The ice cream with the longest history among the ice cream selections I picked up here is this Azuki Bar!
It was already sold when I was a child, which means it has been around for more than a few decades.
This is the proof of how long it has been loved by Japanese people.
The ingredients are sugar, azuki beans, syrup, and salt!
Very simple ingredients with no extra additives.
Elderly people including my mother loved it, but to tell you the truth, I didn’t like this Azuki Bar very much when I was a child.
As you can imagine, I loved ordinary ice creams like other children did at the time.
I tried one recently and found it to be delicious!
Maybe it’s because I’m an adult now that I understand how delicious they are.
Just in case, this Azuki Bar may have a unique taste for people from overseas.
Japanese people including I are already familiar with this sweet azuki beans taste that we find it tasty.
If you like Taiyaki, Dorayaki, Yokan and other traditional Japanese sweets, I recommend you.
The great thing about azuki bars is that they are readily available everywhere.
You can find them at Seven-Eleven, Lawson, Family Mart, and various supermarkets.
And in 2020, organic azuki bars were also launched.
I thought only the azuki beans were organic first, but organic sugar was used for the sugar as well.
As for organic azuki bean bars, they are not sold in regular convenience stores or supermarkets, but are occasionally found in stores that sell organic food.
COCONUT GLEN’S
Source of Image : Coconut Glen’s
Coconut Glen’s is a store selling vegan ice cream born in Hawaii.
There are actual stores in Ikebukuro, Asakusa, and Azabu-juban.
I visited Coconut Glen in Ikebukuro the other day myself.
Coconut Glen’s ice cream is not only vegan but also free of emulsifiers, colors, stabilizers, flavors, and preservatives.
In addition, the ice cream is made with organic ingredients, mainly organic coconut cream.
I had the 3 flavors: Pistachio, Rum Raisin & Banana, and Original, and each ice cream was very tasty.
Coconut Glen ice cream is sold at Natural Lawson (convenience store) in two flavors: coconut and vanilla & almond.
Otona no Soy Rum Raisin and Chocolate Orange
カラダにうれしい豆乳アイス「Soy」から、
— クラシエ フーズ公式🔔 (@Kracie_foods) March 11, 2022
「大人のSoy」が新登場です！！
ココロほぐれる豆乳スイーツはいかがですか？💕
ラムレーズンとショコラオレンジの2フレーバーが楽しめます😋 pic.twitter.com/DWEUVf6Ke9
Otona no Soy Rum Raisin and Chocolate Orange also started selling last year in March 2022.
Did companies consult with each other and start selling vegan ice cream all together in March 2022?
Otona no Soy is also available in other flavors: vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate.
All of these ice creams are made with a soy milk ice cream base.
They say that the rum raisin ice cream has a strong alcoholic flavor and a mellow dark rum aroma.
Word on the street is that it was sold at Beisia (supermarket).
Summary
Although there are still very few vegan ice cream products available in Japan, at least the above four ice creams can be purchased at certain convenience stores and supermarkets.
All of the ice creams introduced above were tasty and hard to believe that they were made only from plants.
The only one I have not tried yet is Otona no Soy, which I would like to purchase the next time I find it.
If these ice creams sell well, the Japanese vegan ice cream market may expand rapidly.
I would be very happy if vegan ice cream becomes readily available at convenience stores and supermarkets here in Japan!
