Yes, there’s vegan gelato in Florence! And it’s delicious.
When you travel to Italy, you must eat one of the country’s most beloved delicacies: gelato! If you don’t consume dairy products or eggs, don’t fret. You can still enjoy this tasty treat.
Many gelato shops in Italy have fruit sorbettos, which are almost always vegan. Milk isn’t usually used in the fruit gelato. However, the coconut gelato usually has milk in it. It’s best to ask in advance if the gelato is vegan-friendly.
Thankfully, there are lots of places to find vegan gelato in Florence. Here’s a roundup of my favorites.
PERCHE NO!
Via dei Tavolini, 19R,
Open 11:00am – 10:30pm on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday – Friday
12:00pm – 8:00pm on Tuesday
11:00am – 11:30pm on Saturday
Perche No was our favorite gelateria in Florence. It’s one of the oldest gelato shops in Italy, open since 1939. It’s rumored to be the first gelateria to display the gelato in glass cases. Perche No is also rumored to be the first gelato shop to serve vegan gelato made from soy and rice milk.
They have an entire case dedicated to vegan gelato. You’ll find several fruit flavors. It’s generally easier to find fruit gelato, so we both opted for the vegan-friendly varieties of vanilla, chocolate, and hazelnut. Perche No serves a chocolate sorbetto, which was more difficult to find. I recommend that you order a mix of all three flavors as they taste so delicious together.
SHAKE CAFE
Via degli Avelli, 2R
and
Via del Corso, 28/30/32
Hours: 7:00am – 8:00pm
We stumbled upon this cafe by accident. It’s a juice and smoothie shop that also happens to serve gelato. They also have vegan food options, including wraps, sandwiches, and salads. One of their salads is even called “Vegan”, and there’s a wrap called “Vegana”! You can view the whole menu at their website.
They had a few choices of fruit gelato. I got a combination of strawberry and banana. It was smooth, creamy, and delicious. Perfectly refreshing on a hot day!
OTHER NOTABLE MENTIONS
There are many, many other places to find vegan gelato in Florence. We’ll just have to return someday to try them all.
GELATERIA DEI NERI
Via De’ Neri 9/11R
Hours: 10:00am – 12:00am daily
Reported to have two flavors made with soy milk (vanilla and hazelnut), but the flavors rotate. There’s also fruit gelato, too.
FESTIVAL DEL GELATO
Via del Corso, 75/r
Hours: 10:30am – 11:00pm daily
There are a few flavors of gelato here that are vegan, mostly fruit varieties.
VENCHI CHOCOLATE GELATO
Via Calimaruzza, 18
Angolo Piazza Del Mercato Nuovo 6/7
Hours: 10:30am – 11:00pm daily (open until 12:00am on Friday and Saturday)
There are a few vegan sorbets, including a chocolate sorbet.
#RAW
Via Sant’Agostino 11R
Hours: 11:00am – 4:00pm Tuesday – Sunday, 7:00-10:00pm on Thursday and Friday.
Closed on Monday
This is a raw, vegan restaurant in Florence that offers gelato made with coconut water.
EDOARDO IL GELATO BIOLOGICO
Piazza Duomo 45/R
Open: 11:00am – 11:30pm daily
Some flavors of vegan gelato offered here.
GELATERIA DELLA PASSERA
Piazza della Passera 15
Open: 12:00 – 8:30pm, Closed on Monday
Right across the piazza from one of our favorite vegetarian restaurants, 5 e Cinque, you’ll find Gelateria della Passera. They have a wide selection of fruit gelato, and one gelato made using almond milk.
Using this trusty map, you’ll be able to find vegan gelato in Florence no matter where you are!
PIN this image to your Pinterest board for future reference.
13 Responses
Danik
Dam right! Ice cream in Florence and the Tuscany region is the best I have come across but also love the vegan ones as well. This has brought back so many good memories :)
Claudia
Oh wow! When I first visited Florence over 7 years ago I was not vegan but one of the girls in my group was and I remember she wanted to eat a gelato sooo badly and there was literally no hopes for her. So now that I am vegan myself I am happy to know that there are plenty of options and worthy ones !
Barbara
I love gelato. I eat it several times a day, when I m in Italy. Venchi is one of my favorite brand actually. I am glad you included it in your list. Their chocolate flavour is delicious!
Debra Schroeder
Nice list of vegan gelato places. Vegan gelato sounds interesting. It reminds me of ice milk.I’m not sure I could give up real gelato for the vegan version but it looks delicious.
Sandy N Vyjay
If you are in Italy, you cannot miss the opportunity of feasting on a Gelato. We were in Florence, but were so enamoured by the city and lost in its beauty that we even forgot to have a Gelato. Reading your post tells us what we missed. We however, did have some in Rome though
carla abanes
Thank goodness for this list! Travel for vegans and semi-vegans can be challenging for some. Book marking this for my Eurotrip later this year.
Vicki Louise
What a delicious – and helpful – guide! I would have no idea where to start looking for vegan gelato in any country, let alone one where English wasn’t a first language. Thanks for putting this together!
Dave
Great recommendations. It is good to know there are some vegan options too. From the ones you mentioned, I have only tried Venchi. It was delicious. I may have to go back for the rest…
Reshma Narasing
Wow! So many cosy places to try Gelato in Florence. The ambience of these places looks so pretty. And your pictures make me drool :)
Trisha Velarmino
Didn’t know there’s also a vegan gelato! Interesting!! I’d love to munch on some next time! Xx
Samantha Sparrow
Perche No was my favourite Gelato in Florence too, but I totally missed they had a vegan section – this is cool because I can now totally recommend to all my vegan friends. can’t wait to get back to Florence and try out your other recommendations!
Vegan Guide to Florence Italy - Justin Plus Lauren
[…] Looking for vegan gelato? We’ve got you covered! Here’s a separate guide to the best vegan gelato in Florence. […]
Anna
I am so hungry for ice cream after reading this post!