Dairy-free Halo Top has all of the low-calorie, high-protein goodness that the original product has, just without the dairy. This ice cream is made with coconut milk, like many other dairy-free options, but where the difference comes in is the macro counts. With each pint coming in at around 240-360 calories per pint, you can forget about a bowl — all you’ll need is a spoon.
Popular vegan ice creams like Coconut Bliss and So Delicious are high in calories and added sugar. In comparison to these other top brands, Halo Top contains around half of the calories and one-third of the sugars per pint, yet still delivers a creamy, amazing taste. I've gone ahead and tried all of the new dairy-free Halo Top flavors and ranked them based on taste, texture, and overall experience, so you know which ones are worth digging your spoon into.
7. Cinnamon Roll
One word came to mind when I tasted the Cinnamon Roll flavor: artificial. The ice cream base was very smooth, but it had a dry, powdery texture that was overpowering. In terms of taste, it was overly sweet and had a lot going on – ribbons of cinnamon and doughy cinnamon roll chunks. I could not take more than one bite of this flavor due to the heavy stevia taste and chalky texture.
6. Sea Salt Caramel
When I opened up this pint, I was amazed with the pools of caramel. The actual base of the ice cream was very bland, but luckily there was a large amount of caramel to make up for that. I love caramel and was hyped for this flavor, but sadly it did not live up to my expectations. In terms of overall experience, it immediately tasted great, but left a gritty, powdery, and artificially sweet aftertaste similar to that of a protein bar. I felt gross after eating a few spoonfuls of this flavor, so eat the whole pint at your own risk.
5. Chocolate Covered Banana
Immediately after opening the Chocolate Covered Banana pint, I was overwhelmed with a strong artificial banana smell. I'm not a fan of artificial banana candies, so I didn't enjoy this flavor. But if banana Laffy Taffy's are your thing, then this flavor will be right up your alley. The ice cream has a light and fluffy consistency and generous swirls of chocolate throughout the pint. What I disliked about this ice cream was the lingering after taste that was hard to mask.
4. Chocolate
This pint's flavor is chocolate’s doppelganger. It resembles an icy fudgicle, but it doesn't quite have the chocolate taste down. Halo Top's dairy free chocolate flavor is like a watered down alcoholic drink you get at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. Overall, I enjoyed this flavor, but if you're looking for a rich chocolate dessert, this pint probably won't satisfy your craving.
3. Oatmeal Cookie
The flavoring of this pint was spot on– strong oatmeal taste with mild notes of cinnamon. It was soft and creamy, but very thin. I imagined in an Oatmeal Cookie-flavored ice cream that there would be chunks of cookie, but instead there were raw oat flakes. The oat flakes were soggy and took away from the amazing flavor of the ice cream. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this flavor and would definitely buy it again.
2. Caramel Macchiato
Coming from someone who is lactose intolerant, this is one of the best dairy-free ice creams I’ve had. This pint combined two of my favorite flavors: caramel and coffee. It was light, creamy, and did not have any grittiness to it like some of the other flavors had. The ribbons of sweet caramel paired perfectly with the coffee base and provided a good balance of flavors. This flavor tasted exactly like a frappuccino from Starbucks, and I could not put my spoon down.
1. Peanut Butter Cup
As a peanut butter lover, I was so excited to dive my spoon into this pint. A serving of peanut butter is typically around 190 calories and 12 grams of fat, and somehow Halo Top managed to pack in the rich and creamy flavor for only 320 calories and 18 grams of fat a pint. That’s impressive. In terms of taste, texture, and calorie count, this flavor won me over. Swirls of salty peanut butter were consistent throughout the entire pint and had no artificial taste to them. I could see myself eating the entire pint.
After indulging in all seven of Halo Top's new dairy-free flavors, Peanut Butter Cup has taken my heart (and my stomach). With this new product on the market, dairy-sensitive ice cream lovers and vegans can finally join the Halo Top cult and stock up their freezer with multiple low-calorie pints. Why have one serving of Ben & Jerry’s dairy-free ice cream when you can have an entire pint of dairy-free Halo Top?