Winners Announced for New Zealand's 2026 Dairy-Free Awards

The Vegan Society of Aotearoa New Zealand has announced the winners of its sixth annual Dairy-Free Awards, celebrating the best in dairy-free products as chosen by public vote. The awards highlight a range of products catering to vegans, plant-based eaters, and those with dairy intolerances.

Ice-Cream: Kāpiti's Plant Based Chocolate and Boysenberry Ice-Cream took the top spot for dairy-free ice-creams. Known for its rich chocolate and boysenberry compote, Kāpiti leads a category where New Zealand, famous for producing 50% of the world's boysenberries, excels. The runners-up were Magnum Dairy Free Almond and Duck Island Peanut Butter Cookie Dough.

Milk: Otis Oat Milk's Barista One was named the best dairy-free milk, popular for its ability to create a glossy foam for coffee. It was followed by Boring Barista Oat Milk and a tie between All Good Oat Milk Oat Barista and Boring Original Oat Milk.

Butter: Olivani Spread was awarded the best dairy-free butter, praised for its versatility in various culinary uses. Nuttelex Buttery and Vutter Original were runners-up in this category.

Other Categories: Alpro Plant-Based Custard Vanilla Flavoured Sauce won the best dairy-free dessert, while Raglan Food Co's Natural Greek Style Coconut Yoghurt was named the best dairy-free yoghurt. Alpro's Soya Cream Single was the top choice for cream, and Fix & Fogg's Pistachio Spread took first place in the spreads category. Barker's Butterscotch Caramel Dessert Sauce topped the toppings and sauces category.

The awards, which saw hundreds of votes cast, underscore the growing quality and popularity of dairy-free options in New Zealand.