Vanilla Jill's Frozen Yogurt

Going to Vanilla Jill's is always a treat. Vegan soups, vegan waffles, and the best vegan ice cream ever, in amazing and inventive flavors.

This little "hole in the wall" frozen yogurt shop is a really lovely place with tons of choices and very nice service. I love that they support local farmers and serve all organic, very high-quality food.

The ice cream/cultured frozen yogurt is excellent, and they also serve all sorts of variations for people with special diets. For example, they have vegan flavors (made with a cashew o coconut base), no-sugar flavors (made with xylitol), paleo flavors sweetened with honey or just fruit, and of course, regular milk and cream standards.

I can't do much dairy, but I've tasted several of the dairy flavors and they were amazing. Try the berry/cheesecake flavor, it's incredible. I stick to the vegan and paleo flavors, and they are great, too. Often times, I can't tell the difference. I also like that they serve creamy flavors and icier flavors. Sometimes I want the icy texture, and sometimes the creamy.

The other great thing - Vanilla Jill's serves food, too. This means I don't get a silly sugar rush and fall! They have these delicious waffles that go great with a scoop of ice cream, or with their soups. I was really surprised by their soups - I think the owner has a real talent in this regard, too. They serve a vegan soup of the day, and a bone broth soup of the day. The fact that they have options has been great for when I've been there with groups of my friends with very diverse dietary needs!

They recently added sandwiches, as well. These are gluten- and corn-free, and are geared towards people on special diets, like low-carb, paleo, or food allergies. These are tasty - but made with nut flour, and not like a "typical" sandwich. I fall into the food allergy category, and really appreciate how open they are to share every ingredient in their food. That is amazing, and really sold me on the place.

Some of my favorite flavors are the seasonal ones:

Peach - this is so unbelievable you must try it!
Pumpkin - really surprising, it's so good.
Strawberry - this makes an awesome shake.

Vanilla - also makes a great strawberry shake (they usually have frozen strawberries to add to it, and can make it with coconut water, rice or almond milks)

Coffee - really nice. I never thought I'd like this, since I'm more of a fruit and or chocolate type, but it's excellent.

Chocolates - they have several versions. They are exquisite. 'Nuff said.

Do check it out! You don't know what you're missing!



Updated from previous review on Saturday February 01

I’m an ice cream fan and have enjoyed it in establishments all over the globe. And I have yet to experience ice cream better than what they make at Vanilla Jills. I consistently enjoy the vegan and dairy flavors. I can’t stress enough how delicious the vegan and dairy ice cream is. They also make paleo ingredient flavors. These have been a little more hit-and-miss with me, but more hit than miss. There are often tasty new flavors added to the selection of favorites regularly available. Some of my favorite regulars are Aronia Berry Cheesecake, Peanut Butter, Coffee, and Ginger Berry. Some of the flavors (like Peanut Butter) are available with dairy or vegan ingredients and delicious either way. Like their ice cream the waffle cones (also very yummy) are made in store. The Blair St. location provides scoop ice cream (my preference), while the Coburg Rd location is mostly soft-serve. All locations serve kombucha on tap.

The Blair St. location also serves food. They serve really great waffles that are made on-site. Flavors include Pumpkin Sage (my fav), Buckwheat Cinnamon (my wife’s fav), and Chocolate Chia (yumm). They also serve delicious and nutritious soups. Every day there is a Vegan option and a Bone Broth option. I am not normally a big soup eater, but I really love their soups accompanied with a Pumpkin Sage Waffle.

A lot of thought and love is put into the food. The ingredients are fresh, organic and non-GMO. They use real xylitol (from birch not from GMO corn). For the dairy selections kefir is used, increasing the health benefits of the food from the probiotics and more digestible ferments. And the waffles are gluten and corn free.

On top of it all the owners are lovely and service has always been very friendly.

Do your ice cream craving a favor and give it a taste of Vanilla Jills...how's that for a jingle? ;-)

First off, great name but bad location (I hope they stay in business because it's so hidden).

Passed this place so many times and just figured it was your usual dairy filled nonsense. Boy was I wrong. The vegan mint was the best ice cream/frozen yogurt I have ever had, and I've had a lot. No soy which is where most vegan places go wrong, and the xylitol instead of sugar is oh so perfect. It just tastes so clean but oozing flavor, as an amazing vegan food should. And no aftertaste whatsoever, with no flemmy ewww feeling as with anything dairy. I am sure their dairy options are amazing though, if I were them I would just go all vegan with all of their flavors, I don't know how milk would add anything at all to the taste. But just the mere fact that there IS a vegan option is more than enough for me. I have tried them all, rice-based, soy-based, almond-based, coconut-based, you name it. Nothing compares to this perfection. Coconut bliss is about the only other thing that can hold a candle to it.

The storefront isn't the greatest, and as I said I hope they stay in business because it's rather hard to find. When I was in there noone else was and I felt bad just buying a small dish. Please check this place out whether you eat dairy or not. If you don't love it there is something wrong with your taste buds! See a doctor!

I was so happy when I heard Vanilla Jill's carries Vegan frozen yogurt. this is a desert that was not easy for me to give up when I went vegan, and can happily now have again. Right now they only have one machine that is vegan, but are expecting another machine this month so there will be two choices. I had the Cocunt Lime and it is delicious and refreshing. In addition to the frozen yogurt they have many toppings and syrups that are vegan friendly which was a nice surprise. Prices are competitive with other frozen yogurt shops in town, a plus for my wallet. All in all I am thrilled with Vanilla Jill's. Thank you!