Lula’s Sweet Apothecary - scooponcones.com

the scoop on cones

This adorable shop in the East Village is all vegan — that means no dairy products or eggs. How to make ice cream without dairy? They like to use nuts, such as cashew milk. Soy milk is occasionally used, too.

But if you didn’t know this place was vegan, the ice cream would never tip you off. It is simply delicious, creamy and absolutely bursting with flavor. The Ginger Molasses tastes like gingerbread cookie dough, and the Cake Batter soft serve tastes like real cake batter, not batter-flavored ice cream. Amazing. The Coffee and Cookie flavor we sampled was one of the most satisfying scoops of ice cream we’ve ever had. The Peanut-Butter Fudge was rich and creamy.

We recently had an exclusive opportunity to watch the wizards at Lula’s make their amazing ice cream. It starts with a blender, water, and nuts. That makes the cashew base. The rest of the ingredients go in the blender, including oil and natural sweeteners, until it turns into a milky base, about the consistency of a latte. Then the blender full of batter goes into an ice cream maker that freezes and churns it one batch at a time. No mass production here!

As for the outstanding Cake Batter flavor, the secret is using real ingredients that go into a cake — including flour!

Most of the flavors are a neutral color, but the blue-green Cotton Candy flavor stands out. Turns out they use chlorophyl, the stuff that makes plants green, to turn it that hue.

Some of the coconut flavors tended to have a more chalky texture. It’s the only criticism we have of this place.

The store only has a handful of stools to belly up to the counter, but the old-fashioned soda shop atmosphere is so inviting you’ll want to stay.

Lula’s now also available at the nearby Sustainable NYC.

Don’t Miss: Cake Batter Soft Serve

Hours: 3 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday; 3 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; Closed Monday.

Price: $3.75 single scoop

Special Diets: All vegan

Phone: (646) 912-4549

Website: lulasweet.com