Leave the Lactaid at home this weekend because Ice Cream Jubilee is scooping complimentary, dairy-free versions of bestsellers banana bourbon caramel and Thai iced tea. The flavors are made with a vegan base from Eclipse Foods, a Berkley company creating plant-based dairy replacements. Think of it as the Beyond Meat of ice cream. While many vegan ice creams contain common allergens like almonds and soy, Eclipse Foods’ liquid base has no wheat, lactose, soy, nuts, or coconut. Instead, it combines corn, cassava, oil, and potato protein.
The first free tasting takes place February 1 at Ice Cream Jubilee’s Navy Yard location, followed by a February 2 sampling at the Ballston Quarter shop. RSVP to receive your free scoops.
Ice Cream Jubilee already offers dairy-free and sorbet options, but flavors like banana bourbon caramel and Thai iced tea aren’t suited to a sorbet remix, says owner Victoria Lai.
“All of a sudden I started realizing there are a lot of people who will never get to try [these flavors] because maybe they have a dairy allergy,” says Lai. “Sometimes you just want what everybody else is having.”
The flavors need a base that closely replicates dairy, which is Eclipse Foods’ bread and (dairy free) butter. Lai discovered the company while scrolling through Instagram and reached out for a partnership.
Eclipse Foods CEO Aylon Steinhart says the company’s goal is not to create dairy-free alternatives. He wants to craft a perfect replacement, whether you’re lactose intolerant or just looking for a sustainable alternative to traditional dairy. Steinhart draws parallels to Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, companies aiming to replicate both the taste and texture of meat.
The proof is in the pudding for Lai—or in this case, the ice cream. “I think it’s the way it scoops, it’s the way it melts that is really, really creamy,” she says.
This isn’t Eclipse Foods first foray into the DC market. Last year, plant-powered restaurant Equinox started serving Eclipse Foods ice cream, and chef Todd Gray has whipped the base into crème anglaise and semifreddo.
If you can’t attend the free scoop parties this weekend, Ice Cream Jubilee will continue offering the Eclipse Flavors for the foreseeable future. Although the ice creams are dairy-free and gluten-free, they are produced in facilities that handle nuts, gluten, dairy, soy, and other food allergens. The banana bourbon caramel flavor also contains nuts.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
