Rita’s Italian Ice Still Makes Cool Dairy-Free & Vegan Treats

Updated January 2023! We’ve had a few readers mention how much they love Rita’s Italian Ice. This popular chain has been been making fresh Italian ice with real fruit since 1984. Over the years, they’ve added some cream and custard options to their menu, which obviously contain dairy. But their selection of dairy-free ice flavors is still massive, and they even have some tasty vegan toppings, too.

Dairy-Free & Vegan Menu Guide to Rita’s Italian Ice Shops

We didn’t list out all of the dairy-free ice flavors because there are so many of them! If you can’t decide, order an ice flight with your top four picks.

Other Allergen & Dietary Notes: All of the items listed below are made without eggs, and all are vegan-friendly, except the gummy bears. All items listed below are made without peanut, soy, tree nuts, or wheat ingredients, unless otherwise noted in the name or parentheses.

Classic Italian Ice

• Apple Berry Blue
• Banana
• Blue Raspberry
• Blueberry
• Carnival
• Cantaloupe
• Cherry
• Cherry Lemonade
• Cherry Limeade
• Chocolate
• Chocolate Peanut Butter (contains peanut, soy)
• Cotton Candy
• Dr Pepper
• Florida Orange
• Georgia Peach
• Green Apple
• Guava Passionfruit
• Island Fusion
• Juicy Pear
• Kandi Kapow!
• Key Lime
• Lemon
• Mango
• Mango-Orange
• Mango-Peach
• Mango-Pineapple
• Mango-Strawberry
• Margarita
• Mojito
• Ocean Splash
• Peanut Butter & Jelly (contains peanut, soy)
• Piña Colada
• Pineapple
• Raspberry
• Raspberry Lemonade
• Root Beer
• Sour Patch Kids Red
• Strawberry
• Strawberry Colada
• Strawberry Lemonade
• Strawberry Margarita
• Strawberry-Watermelon
• Swedish Fish
• Tropical Daiquiri (contains tree nut)
• Tropical ParadICE
• Vanilla
• Watermelon
• Wild Berry
• Wild Black Cherry
• Unicorn
• Zombie’s Blood

Heads Up! The Chocolate Chocolate Chip flavor of Rita’s Italian Ice contains milk.

Sugar-Free Ice

• S/F Cherry
• S/F Dragonfruit
• S/F Mango-Peach
• S/F Tangerine

Cream Ice

Heads Up! All Cream Ice flavors at Rita’s contain dairy (sodium caseinate, and some contain additional dairy).

Frozen Custard

Heads Up! At this time, Rita’s Ice does not offer any dairy-free frozen custard. All flavors contain milk.

Toppings & Mix-ins

• Apple Pie Filling
• Maraschino Cherries
• Mini Gummy Bears (not vegan)
• Oreo Cookies (contains soy, wheat)
• Peanuts
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Sauce (contains soy, peanut)
• Sprinkles, Chocolate (contains soy)
• Sprinkles, Glitter
• Sprinkles, Rainbow (contains soy)
• Strawberry Topping (contains soy)
• Wet Walnuts

Heads Up! Rita’s incorrectly lists the Reese’s Take 5 topping as being dairy-free by ingredients – it definitely contains milk. The Brownie and Cookie Dough bites used to be dairy-free, but they now contain milk. Some items have “may contain” warnings for top allergens via the manufacturer. Speak with the staff if you are concerned about potential cross contamination. For example, all of the Glitters and the Strawberry Topping have a “may contain” warning for the top allergens, including milk. See our May Contain Guide to understand what this means.

Cones

• Cake Cones (contains soy, wheat)
• Waffle Cone (NOT fresh-baked, see note below) (contains soy, wheat)
• Waffle Bowl (NOT fresh-baked, see note below) (contains soy, wheat)

Heads Up! Each Rita’s store has the option to fresh bake their own waffle cones and waffle bowls, or buy them premade from from a set vendor. The fresh-baked waffle cones and bowls contain dairy and eggs, but the premade waffle cones and bowls are dairy-free and egg-free. Ask in store to find out which one they offer.

This Post is for Informational Purposes Only

Menus, ingredients, kitchen procedures, management, food sourcing, and restaurant protocols are subject to change at any time. Always read the menu and discuss your dietary needs with the staff before ordering. Make sure they can accommodate your situation. This post is for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as advice.

There is always a risk for potential cross-contamination of allergens in any commercial kitchen. If cross-contamination is an issue for you, always speak with the manager to ensure that your meal can be safely prepared. Listings here do not guarantee that a restaurant is safe enough for your individual needs. Only you can make that decision.

Each location of a chain restaurant has different management and staff, and some might have different owners. This means differences in processes, ingredients used, menu options, and food sourcing can occur. Always verify the safety of your order for your needs at your current location.

Where to Find Rita’s Italian Ice

They have over 500 locations in 30 U.S. states. See their website below for addresses, hours, their full allergen menu, and contact information.

Website: www.ritasice.com

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Rated 5.0 out of 5

September 12, 2021

Amazing dairy free frozen treat option

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