It’s a great day to be lactose intolerant. Today, Ben & Jerry’s announced the first four flavors of their newest Non-Dairy line: Chunky Monkey, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Coffee Caramel Fudge, and PB & Cookies.
“For years, Non-Dairy fans have been forced to watch ice cream consumers with envy and were unable to participate in a truly indulgent frozen dessert experience,” Ben & Jerry’s said in a press release about the new line. Now, with certified vegan flavors created with almond milk and coconut oil, the wait is over—at least, as soon as the flavors hit the shelves in mid-February.
Two of the new flavors should sound familiar to you. Chunky Monkey and Chocolate Fudge Brownie are both flavors borrowed from Ben and Jerry’s regular lineup. But Coffee Caramel Fudge and PB & Cookies are new, created by Flavor Guru Kirsten Schimoler. “Creating these new flavors with a Non-Dairy base composition that meets the high expectations of Ben & Jerry’s consumers was quite a challenge,” she said. “We wanted to bring the same fun with all of the creamy, funky, and chunky swirls plus the Ben & Jerry’s flavor excitement to our Non-Dairy fans and we nailed it!”
By the way, don’t go looking for these flavors to be any healthier than regular Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. They were created to be intentionally decadent—meaning that any calorie savings is minimal. For example, regular Chunky Monkey ice cream has 300 calories and 18 grams of fat per serving, while the non-dairy version clocks in at 260 calories and 14 grams of fat. Nom.
So how are the non-dairy fans reacting to the news? Judging by the 5,000+ comments on Ben & Jerry’s Instagram post, most of which integrate heart-eyed and hand-clapping emojis, people are pretty psyched.
Over in the Twittersphere, the excitement is just as pronounced:
🍧 @benandjerrys as a person with food allergies…I can't say THANK YOU enough!!! #nondairy
— Josie Parker Posie (@radiojosie) February 3, 2016
@benandjerrys when will these be available?!? I can finally eat ice cream and not have to have pills along with it! I want the coffee
— Jessie (@akuma_q) February 3, 2016
@benandjerrys YES!!! Lactose-intolerant gals REJOICE! #blessed
— Women's Health (@WomensHealthMag) February 3, 2016
https://twitter.com/valerieeee_02/status/694993643136942080
https://twitter.com/WhateleyGeorgia/status/694976199118974976
https://twitter.com/betth1975/status/694936276370378752
https://twitter.com/cmanners_/status/694955482365173761
And if you, like Twitter user @LorenMerchant, are wondering whether the line will stop at four flavors, you can take comfort in Ben & Jerry’s answer to her question:
@LorenMerchant Starting with these four. :)
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) February 3, 2016
