Let’s play a game, shall we? It’s called eat all the flavors of Halo Top and rank them.* If you want, you can play along by downloading my homemade score sheet here.
If you’re unfamiliar, Halo Top is a low calorie, high protein, low sugar ice cream that is taking the nation by storm. You can literally eat an entire pint for less than 250 calories! That is CRAZY TALK, people!
The brand boasts, “Healthy ice cream, that actually tastes like ice cream. And we’re not joking. While Halo Top is low-calorie, high-protein, and low-sugar, we use only the best, all-natural ingredients to craft our ice cream so that it tastes just like regular ice cream. We know it sounds too good to be true, so don’t just take our word for it – dig in and see for yourself just how good healthy ice cream can be!”
Sounds tempting, right? Well we tried every flavor and while some certainly live up to the hype, others should probably not be on the top of your list. Don’t get me wrong, every single pint was finished, but there were a few that were left in the way back of the freezer until my desperation got the best of me. Let’s do this:
16. S’mores
What in God’s name is this?! The name is VERY deceiving in this flavor. If it had been called waffles and syrup, then we’ve got a winner! This flavor is lacking the marshmallow, the graham, AND the chocolate. Some described this flavor as “fake,” and “ugh, no.” Seems fitting. I’d love to see some marshmallow swirl or graham cracker crumble in this, but for now I’ll skip it.
15. Mint Chip
Looking for that “just brushed feeling?” Well then Mint Chip is your flavor! This “fuzzy” ice cream resembles the feeling of when the dentist grinds toothpaste into your teeth that tastes minty, but also a little too sweet. We all had high hopes for this American classic, but the protein powder texture left everyone feeling less than fresh.
14. Lemon Cake
The texture of this flavor literally felt like cake. Owing to the protein powder, I guess, Lemon Cake was texturally unappealing for me and my taste testers. We were hoping for a bright citrus zing, but left with a bitter, powdery confusion.
13. Chocolate Almond Crunch
Now they’re starting to resemble ice cream! The texture of Chocolate Almond Crunch was much more creamy. However, we were all in agreement that there was too much almond extract in the mix, creating a fake taste, similar to amaretto. Had the almonds been less overwhelming, I think this could have made the top 10.
12. Strawberry
Strawberry received some of the most conflicting results of the entire flavor line up. First of all, the pint we tried was very icy, almost like a granita, which some people loved and others loathed. We’re still not sure if this was an error, or if every pint is like this. That being said, the strawberry flavor was super fresh and tasted like strawberries and cream. I quite enjoyed it!
11. Birthday Cake
How FUN is this flavor?! Birthday Cake tastes EXACTLY like birthday cake, and leaves a less powdery texture than Lemon Cake. Added bonus, there are SPRINKLES mixed in! The only complaint with this flavor was that it needed more sprinkles, duh.
10. Oatmeal Cookie
Oatmeal Cookie, a flavor that will always be second best compared to chocolate chip – amiright? However, this ice cream is spot on. The cinnamon ice cream base reminded us of the holidays and the oat bits add a fun texture, convincing us of the flavor we know and love. The texture for some was less than desirable, but I encourage you to find and try this flavor.
9. Chocolate
We’re really starting to head in the direction of creamy ice cream with Chocolate. Unfortunately, this flavor has a lot to live up to. With a bit of a protein powder texture, and a slight hint of locker room, we weren’t able to rank chocolate higher – but I polished that pint off with no problem. You want healthy, or you want chocolate? YOU CAN’T HAVE BOTH.
8. Vanilla Bean
Look, we all know it sucks to be the “Vanilla friend,” but this vanilla is very solid. With a delicious hint of vanilla bean and a smooth, velvety texture, I am completely sold on the classic that is Vanilla. Just think of the options: you could add kale to it, or scrambled eggs, maybe some quinoa – the protein options are endless!
7. Cookies & Cream
I’m not even sure I want to tell you about the craziness that is Halo Top Cookies & Cream. What do you think of when you think of cookies and cream? Did Oreos come to mind? Well THINK AGAIN, because what we have here is basically Teddy Graham’s and/or a snickerdoodle blended up into vanilla ice cream. Think cookie butter, but ice cream. The speculoos flavor is completely surprising but addictingly delicious!
6. Sea Salt Caramel
What did you expect? Of course Sea Salt Caramel is going to do well. Halo Top does a great job incorporating the luscious taste of butterscotch topping into this low sugar adventure. The caramel ribbons are a huge plus. It’s rich, sweet and salty – home run.
5. Pistachio
GIVE ME ALL THE PISTACHIO. My top flavor of the taste test, pistachio stays true to it’s word and conveys a salty, nutty flavor into the smoothest of all of the ice creams. There is a cinnamon aftertaste that is confusing at first, and I missed the actual texture of the nuts, but this sweet treat didn’t make it back into the freezer after I popped the top.
4. Black Cherry
YUM. Another conflicting flavor from the taste testers – some absolutely loved it, others hated it. But overall, this flavor tops the list. The fresh flavor of black cherry and creamy consistency makes it impossible to put down. Real bits of cherry also lend confusion to the brain as most people mistook them for chocolate chips! Wouldn’t’ that be nice? Although a tough sell next to Cherry Garcia, I’m all about this flav.
3. Red Velvet
One of the original flavors, Halo Top knows what’s up in the Red Velvet department. This flavor really makes you feel like you’re indulging. It’s creamy, sweet, rich, and even has bits of cake mixed in! With high marks across the board, this could easily be your favorite flavor and new addiction.
2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Surprise! I did not think chocolate chip cookie dough would be as good as it was. It definitely tastes like the ice cream you remember, but the cookie bits and chocolate chips are quite sparse. Nevertheless, the flavor is there and the texture is wonderful and it was a huge favorite in our taste testing journey.
1. Peanut Butter Cup
DRUM ROLL PLEASE…….Peanut Butter Cup takes the gold medal in the Halo Top Flavor Olympics! This thick and creamy flavor is strong in peanut taste with a hint of decadent chocolate that keeps you coming back for more! It’s everything you’d hope for in a peanut butter ice cream, and even those with an adversity to peanut butter ranked it surprisingly high. This pint got absolutely destroyed within minutes and was the clear winner across the board. If you love eating peanut butter cups, think how many calories you can save by eating a pint of this instead! HEAVEN DOES EXIST!
We had so much fun tasting all of the Halo Top flavors as we were tricked, surprised, confused and overall super excited about all of the interesting ways Halo Top can make ice cream diverse and healthy. I strongly encourage you to check out the flavors for yourself and let us know which you like best in the comments! Thank you, Halo Top!
Stay tuned for our real time reactions in our first video coming next week!
*We weren’t sent Chocolate Mocha Chip, so we are still neutral on that flavor!