I grabbed my best friend Sarah and my boyfriend Mike to taste test the newest low-fat ice cream varieties on the market, including Halo Top, Arctic Zero and more.
One new thing about tracking my macros is diving back into the world of “diet food”. In the past I may have eaten full-fat or full sugar foods in moderation. Now I’m in the mindset that I want to get the most of my allotted grams during the day. One thing I’ve really been enjoying is a half cup of Halo Top at the end of the night. I usually mix it up really crazy so it has the consistency of soft-serve. Does anyone else do this?? I’ve been doing it since I was a kid…
One of my favorite flavors of the Halo Top is Candy Bar, and Pancakes and Waffles – but there are SO MANY options of “diet” or “low-fat” ice cream at the grocery store. It can run from lactose free to low fat to even lightened-up Ben & Jerry’s. Since I am weird blog lady and basically a public servant for my readers, I decided to host a small taste test in my kitchen when I basically tried all of the brands and flavors that sounded interesting to me.
For this taste test – I had no “control”. I tended to lean towards a “cookies and cream” variety, and I did NOT go for a higher calorie but lactose free ice cream. All of these are below 400 calories per pint. I also wanted the “chunk factor”, which means I wanted to judge the candy and cookie bits in the ice cream, along with the ribbons of flavor. I also spent about $30 all together on this experiment. #notsponsored
I also enlisted some help – my friend Sarah was stopping by, and I have a very opinionated partner in the other room. I had them taste all the flavors, and below are all of our opinions.
Halo Top Peanut Butter Cup
Notes: Regular Halo Top Flavor. Can find at Whole Foods, Crest, Uptown
Mal – This one is very very good.
Mike – This tastes like if you mixed up some PB2 and then left it sitting out to get gelatinous
Sarah – It doesn’t make me feel like I’m missing out on anything. There’s no chemical aftertaste, which is nice.
Slim Twin Cookies and Cream
Notes: New brand I found at Whole Foods
Mal – I don’t know what it is about the cream but it tastes like skim milk that was frozen.
Mike – It tastes like a cookies and cream protein shake.
Sarah – The cookie chunks are my least favorite part.
Halo Top Cookies and Cream
Notes: None
Mal – This one for sure has more flavor to it than the Slim Twins.
Mike – It has a weird taste about it.
Sarah – Agree with Malory – has more flavor than the Slim Twins brand
Slim Twins Cardamom
Notes: This one was a wildcard, but I thought the flavor seemed interesting and different
Mal – This straight up tastes like a chemical.
Mike – I don’t like cardamom but this also tastes like drinking a protein shake.
Sarah – This tastes like mosquito spray (Citronella)
Enlightened French Toast
Notes: I was really hoping this was going to be a nice alternative to my beloved Halo Top Pancakes and Waffles.
Mal – This is for sure the best one out of the Enlightened brands
Mike – Tastes like sugar free ice cream
Sarah – I do agree that it’s the best Enlightened flavor, and the one I was looking forward to the least
Enlightened S’mores
Notes: I LOVE S’mores, but was real disappointed in this one.
Mal – Everything else is garbage, but the chocolate ribbon is good.
Mike – This tastes like a s’mores pop tart.
Sarah – This tastes like tanning lotion.
Enlightened Brownie Cookie Dough
Notes: For some reason I expected this to be a Phish Food Dupe. *rolls eyes*
Mal – I doesn’t taste bad, but it’s not good.
Mike – To me, this tastes like a Swan’s truck chocolate push pop.
Sarah – It has a chalky and a weird texture.
Arctic Zero Brownie
Notes: Lactose Free
Mal – This is super watery, but honestly tastes like a Weight Watchers fudge pop.
Mike – I’d be down on this but it’s not ice cream. It’s a “Fit Frozen Dessert”.
Sarah – It doesn’t taste bad but it doesn’t taste good. I’m not going to hate on this one, but it doesn’t warrant a bowl.
Arctic Zero – Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Notes: Lactose Free
Mal: I literally cannot find a cookie dough chunk.
Sarah – It doesn’t look that chunky.
Mike: I don’t remember him having an opinion on this one, so I guess that means it’s pretty forgettable.
Takeaways: Halo Top is for sure the winner here. If we hadn’t tasted them side by side, I am not sure we would have noticed such a huge difference. Mike was definitely tasting everything as a “food” and Sarah and I were comparing it to full-fat ice cream.
What about you all? Have you tried any of these flavors or brands? What did you think?
