I love desserts but am also devoted to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. However, it is difficult to find food that will satisfy sugar cravings that are not packed with lots of saturated fat and heavy cream. Thankfully, Arctic Zero is the answer. Arctic Zero is a whey protein-based frozen dessert that is lactose-free and does not contain cream or eggs like ice cream does.
With flavors that max out at 300 calories per pint, Arctic Zero caters to those with a sweet tooth who maintain a healthy lifestyle. In 2016, Arctic Zero came out with five new flavors: Cake Batter, Poppin’ Pomegranate, Snickerdoodle Dandy, Brownie Blast, and Banana Pudding. Here’s a rundown of the newest flavors.
1. Banana Pudding
Arctic Zero’s Banana Pudding is named a “chunky” flavor by the brand due to incorporation of a vanilla wafer crumble in the banana flavor. This was the first flavor I tried, and it tastes like a blend of Rita’s water-ice and a box of sugar-free banana pudding. I love everything banana and this frozen fit dessert wasn’t an exception. I do have to admit though, it was much better and definitely sweeter when I added cool whip and chocolate sprinkles on the top.
2. Snickerdoodle Dandy
Even before trying this flavor, I was well aware that it had the highest reviews online, which yielded high expectations. I am also a huge cinnamon fan, so I had high hopes for this one. Thankfully, I was not disappointed. The sugar cookie chunks were plentiful in the pint, and I was definitely reminded of eating a snickerdoodle while consuming it. Snickerdoodle Dandy is definitely my favorite flavor out of all of the new ones.
3. Poppin’ Pomegranate
As the only strictly fruit flavor I tried, Poppin’ Pomegranate reminded me fully of a Yoplait yogurt. The texture was soft and creamy, but the taste was not overly strong. It could have used an addition of pomegranate seeds for excitement and variety, but overall, it would make for a great fruit smoothie base.
4. Cake Batter
Cake is one of my favorite desserts of all time, so this flavor had a lot of high expectations. At first bite, vanilla is the overwhelming flavor. It smells and tastes like a plain cake base, but something is slightly off. It almost reminds me of drinking a cup of skim milk mixed with vanilla extract. The idea behind the flavor is there, but I think it could definitely use an additional component to set off the powerful milk flavor. An icing swirl would be ideal for a birthday cake flavor, or even a chocolate cookie crumble. Cake batter has a lot of potential.
5. Brownie Blast
Think summer fudge pop with a creamier base, and you get the Arctic Zero Brownie Blast flavor. It reminds me a lot of the flavor of ice cream bases before adding the peanut butter or caramel swirl, but it still stands as a significant flavor alone. Although I love chocolate, I normally prefer vanilla. Brownie Blast was not overpowering, however, so it paired quiet nicely with some crumbled Butterfinger and vanilla wafer cookies.
All in all, writing this article was a blast. I absolutely loved having my dorm-mates contribute to the conversation as we all shared our opinions on the healthy dessert brand. After this experience, I can definitely say I am an Arctic Zero fan, and am as strong a promoter of the brand as I was before trying the new 2016 flavors. Up next, trying the whole Arctic Zero line.