As the age-old adage goes, “Ice cream is always a good idea.”
But does this apply to all kinds of ice creams?
While nutritional makeup is essential to a product’s appeal, so is the taste.
Photos: The brands. Design: Eat This, Not That!
Because who doesn’t want delicious ice cream?
So, I set out to try all the dietitian-approved ice creams that I could find.
I purchased eight options, recruited two ice cream-loving friends, and broke out three spoons.
Brianna Ruback / Eat This, Not That!
They’re also free of artificial sweeteners.
The item is made with real sugar, which is listed as the second ingredient following nonfat milk.
I purchased a four-pack of the bars for $6.99.
Brianna Ruback / Eat This, Not That!
The look:Pepto Bismol pink.
The taste:Overly sweet, and despite being made with real strawberries, the flavor seemed artificial.
That means the products are instead sweetened with sugar alcohols like allulose, erythritol, and stevia.
Brianna Ruback / Eat This, Not That!
I purchased a pint for $5.
The look:This ice cream was slightly less vibrant in color than the Yasso bars.
It also featured reddish-pink strawberry ribbons and some yellowish brown speckles from the strawberry seeds.
Brianna Ruback / Eat This, Not That!
Meanwhile, the strawberry swirls reminded me of a gelatinous strawberry-flavored jam.
Like Nick’s, the company uses sweeteners like allulose, stevia, and monk fruit.
Made with skim milk, theSea Salt Caramel Barscost me $6.49.
Brianna Ruback / Eat This, Not That!
The look:Each bar was a light sandy brown color stamped with a darker brown swirl of caramel.
The taste:There was no denying the caramel flavor.
The ice cream bar was cloyingly sweet, with a flavor that continued to linger for minutes after trying.
Brianna Ruback / Eat This, Not That!
TheBrownie a la Mode Frozen Dairy Dessertis made with skim milk and features fudge ribbons and brownie dough pieces.
Specifically, the government agency requires ice cream to contain at least 10% milk fat.
The texture was creamy upon being scooped.
Brianna Ruback / Eat This, Not That!
I noticed that vanilla wasn’t listed as an ingredient, but “natural flavor” was.
The Slow Churned line includes flavors with one-third of the calories and half the fat of traditional ice cream.
Like a few other options in this taste test, skim milk is the first ingredient.
Brianna Ruback / Eat This, Not That!
I picked up a 1.5 quart-container of theSlow Churned Classic Vanilla Light Ice Creamfor $4.
I picked up a pint of theVanilla Bean Light Ice Creamfor $5.99.
The look:This option was soft, light, and easy to scoop.
It was also speckled with black dots, thanks to the addition of ground vanilla beans.
There was also a toasted essence to this ice cream, which somewhat reminded me of almonds.
If you’re in the mood for vanilla, this one could help you get your fix.
TheVanilla Almond Milk Sandwichesare made with a layer of almond milk frozen dessert sandwiched between two chocolate wafers.
I purchased a box of eight for $7.99.
Between the two chocolate-flavored wafers was a generous portion of vanilla-flavored frozen dessert.
This frozen treat was about half the size of a typical ice cream sandwich.
The taste:Surprisingly tasty.
These ice creams have a base of cream and are sweetened with erythritol and monk fruit.
The brand’sCoffee Chip Ice Creamcontains zero grams of sugar.
I purchased a pint for $6.99.
It was even better than some of the ice creams I tried in aprevious coffee ice cream taste test.
