To determine the best vegan ice cream, I sampled 34 pints from brands including Ben & Jerry's, Cado and Jeni's. Here are the flavors that impressed me the most.

Like many other vegan scoop shops, Mr. Ocampo’s does not add mix-ins to his ice cream, so people with allergies can choose their own additions — toppings like chocolate or carob chips.

All the ice cream brands included in this list—which includes 150-year-old ice cream icons and brand new companies—do just that. They put great ingredients at the top of their agenda, forgoing ...