Thursday, August 3, 2017

REVIEW: Halo Top Creamery {17 Flavors}

If you follow me on social media then you probably have seen my love for Halo Top Creamery (I did a blog post a while back {HERE} if you remember). It's touted as "healthy" ice cream. While Halo Top is low-calorie, high-protein, and low-sugar, they use only the best, all-natural ingredients to craft their ice cream so that it tastes just like regular ice cream.


Well, with July being National Ice Cream Month, Halo Top teamed up with a bunch of Instagram "celebrities" for some AMAZING giveaways. I tried to enter just about every one that I could (because... FREE ICE CREAM) and my hard work finally paid off because a couple weeks ago I saw I WON one of them! HECK TO THE YES!


I won SEVENTEEN PINTS of the deliciousness (one pint of each of their flavors)! [When I originally wrote my review of this brand they only had seven flavors and were only available at limited locations... my how the times have changed.]


As a way to try and make our winnings last, I decided our game plan would be the hubby and I split a pint a day (he should be happy I'm sharing my bounty with him in the first place ;)). Not only would this allow us to enjoy the dessert for a longer period of time, but I thought then we could both review the flavors so you all would hear two points of view. [PS These are the order in which the flavors appear on the site, not the order we ate them or we would rank them.]


Vanilla Bean

Carlee: This is one of the flavors I've never had before. I'm not sure if it's because they don't stock it at our grocery store or because it's a boring flavor, but I think I've been missing out. It is definitely a yummy ice cream on it's own - and when you mix in a scoop of Justin's Almond Butter it's BANGARANG (although it does add to the calories)! I would give it a 7.


Ryan: I've never had it before (don't normally do a vanilla ice cream unless I'm making a milkshake or something like that), but it was very flavorful. I don't think I'd get it again (because there are other better flavors out there), but if you like vanilla I'm sure you'd love this one. I would give it a 5.

Chocolate

C: I've gotta confess - chocolate is not my jam. I'd much prefer fruity treats than chocolate ones. And since we had tried Lemon Cake the day before, I was sort of hoping this would be a little less chocolatey - sort of like a Frosty. Well, no such luck - this is very chocolatey. So, if you like chocolate ice cream, you'll probably love this one! I would give it a 6.


R: Normally chocolate isn't my go-to flavor (because it is a little boring in my opinion), but this was very good and had a rich chocolate flavor. It was everything you would expect from a chocolate ice cream and more. I would give it a 7.

Lemon Cake

C: Eh... This one is not my favorite, but still not bad (I ate every single bite ;)). I guess I was expecting a little more of a lemon flavor (maybe that's why it's called lemon 'cake' because it is a little more mild). I would give it a 6.


R: Just the right amount of lemon (not overpowering) - a nice creamy taste. I'd say it might be one of my new favorite flavors - at least in my top three for sure. I would give it a 9.

Strawberry

C: Confession - The hubby was gone when I broke into this one. I knew it was one of his favorites, but also that he eats it all the time so could review it if I happened to scarf it all down. Thankfully for him, I was a good wifey and saved him half. That said, it definitely is a yummy flavor. Creamy and the right amount of strawberry flavoring. I would give it a 7.


R: This has been my go-to flavor of Halo Top for some time. I like to let it get a little melted and then mix it up like a consistency of a strawberry milkshake. It is a classic flavor that Halo Top does very well (not to mention it is always in stock at our local grocery store). I would give it a 10.

Mint Chip

C: This is my normal go-to flavor. Not only is it delicious, but the calories are the lowest out of the different flavors so I feel less guilty about eating the whole pint in a single sitting ;) I do wish there were a few extra chips throughout, but overall it's one of my faves. I would give it an 8.


R: I feel like the taste is pretty equivalent to other brands. It's not my go-to flavor, but one that I enjoy when I have it. I always assume mint flavors will be green, but appreciate that the food coloring is missing from this pint. Wish it had a few more chocolate chips (seems to be more mint flavored ice cream). I would give it a 7.

Chocolate Mocha Chip

C: As I have said (multiple times now), chocolate's not my jam. And, in case you don't know, I strongly dislike coffee (which I assume is what "mocha" flavor is). I knew going into this pint that it wouldn't be my favorite and I was right. It was very chocolate-y flavored (for someone who doesn't love the flavor it was a bit too strong). I would give it a 4.


R: I was pleasantly pleased with this flavor. I typically don't like chocolate base ice creams so wasn't expecting to like it very much, but I do like coffee so was hopeful. It was surprisingly good. I wish it had a few more of the chips in it. I also wouldn't say it screamed mocha flavor, but the combo with the chocolate was tasty. I would give it a 6.

Birthday Cake

C: Sometimes cake batter flavored ice creams are a bit too sweet for me, but I feel like this one is just perfect. I appreciate the sprinkling of sprinkles (I normally am not a sprinkles girl, but I think there are just enough to not be overpowering). Still one of my top flavors. I would give it a 9.


R: It's always a celebration with this flavor because it is THE BOMB. Cake batter flavored ice cream is my jam. Sometimes I like to add sprinkles to make it more birthday party poppin'. I have no negativity for it. I would give it a 9.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

C: It's not quite a vanilla base, but whatever the flavor is, it's delicious! I love the chunks of cookie dough - just wish there was more (although I would assume that's why the calories are higher in this one). Definitely one of my top picks (the only reason I get other ones is for the lower calories). I would give it a 9.


R: Pretty darn tasty. Seems to have a good amount of cookie dough in it. Loved the flavor. I would give it an 8.

Peanut Butter Cup

C: I was disappointed with this one. As I've said before, chocolate isn't necessarily my jam, BUT I can totally get down on a Reese's or eight (they are actually the only way I eat s'mores). I guess I had higher hopes that this one would be a little more peanut buttery, but it was just sort of blah. I would give it a 4.


R: I was really excited to try this (one of my favorite ice creams is a peanut butter cup flavor from another brand), but I'm sorry to say it didn't live up to the hype I built up in my head. I was hoping for more peanut butter flavor (and more chunks of peanut butter), so I was left a little disappointed. I would give it a 7.

Cookies & Cream

C: I hadn't had this flavor before, but man apparently I have been missing out. This one is super tasty! I sort of wish the "cookie" chunks were a little bigger, but the flavor is spot on! (Oh yeah, and I really wish I wasn't splitting the pint with the hubby, but at least now I know to stock up on this one in the freezer.) I would give it a 9.


R: One of my favorite Halo Tops. It is the perfect ratio of cookie bits to ice cream. I would give it a 10.

Sea Salt Caramel

C: Oh... this one was YUMMY! I might have found a new favorite... There are legit ribbons of caramel throughout the ice cream - HECK TO THE YES! The base is delicious (although I don't know that I would say it was necessarily salty tasting) and the caramel addition is scrum-didily-umptious! I would give it a 9.


R: I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would - HA. The name gave me some hesitation because I am much more of a sweet than a salty guy, but it was actually a decent ice cream. I wouldn't get it again, but I ate all that Carlee left me in the pint. I would give it a 4.

S'mores

C: I'm normally not a sweets girl, but one of the exceptions are s'mores (although using a Reese's instead of a piece of chocolate is a MUST in my book). I had high hopes for this ice cream... and fortunately it lived up to them! There are chocolate chips and chunks of graham crackers. I wouldn't say that it is necessarily s'mores flavored (you can tell it's sweetened with molasses), but it's still yummy. I would give it a 7.


R: I don't think I've ever had it. It didn't come across to me as tasting like s'mores. The base ice cream flavor was not quite what I was expecting (maybe I thought it'd be a little more marshmallow-y). My perspective going in may have skewed my thoughts. I would give it a 5.

Pistachio

C: I don't think I've ever had anything pistachio flavored before (but I LOVE the nuts), so I wasn't sure what to expect. I don't know if it necessarily tastes like a pistachio, it was delicious - super creamy and yummy! I would give it an 7.


R: It was interesting. I've only ever had pistachio nuts, so maybe I was expecting it to be a little more salty. It didn't quite taste like what I thought pistachio would taste like. I don't know that I'd get it again, but I ate it all. I would give it a 6.

Oatmeal Cookie

C: The hubby said we tried this flavor before, but I don't remember it... Because had I remembered it, I would have known that it was DELICIOUS (and probably would have eaten it sooner). I actually think it tastes more like a Snickerdoodle than an Oatmeal Cookie (probably due to the cinnamon), but I don't care which cookie it is modeled after, it's yummy! I also really like the oats throughout the ice cream. I would give it an 8.


R: Not my favorite flavor. I don't like the oatmeal flakes because they remind me of uncooked oatmeal - which I do not like. The flavor itself is not bad. (PS Oatmeal isn't my preferred cookie flavor either.) I would give it an 5.

Chocolate Almond Crunch

C: I was expecting not to like this one because it's another chocolate base, but I was pleasantly surprised when I took the first bite. Although it doesn't have cherry in it, it reminds me of Cherry Garcia from another brand. I loved the chunks of almond throughout and the chocolate in this one seemed more mild so I wasn't opposed to it. I would give it a 7.


R: I would say it wasn't my jam. The base was pretty plain and bland tasting to be chocolate and the almond flavor was a little weird to me. I kind of hoped there would be more crunch than just the tiny bits of almond. I would give it a 4.

Black Cherry

C: I hadn't seen this flavor before, which is a bummer because it's pretty delicious. I am definitely more of a fruity girl than a chocolate lover, so this was right up my alley. I could have done with a little more cherry flavor, but it was scrum-didily-umption. I would give it an 8.


R: My review is that our Ralph's needs to start carrying this flavor NOW so I can get it into my mouth every day! FREAKIN' THE BEST FLAVOR EVER! Love the chunks of cherry. This is my new favorite. I would give it an 11 or a 12 if I could, so a 10 will have to do.

Red Velvet

C: I don't know if this will shock you or not, but I've never had Red Velvet before... Not just in ice cream, but in cake, a cupcake, etc. So when I tried it, I thought it tasted like chocolate... only to find out IT IS CHOCOLATE (but red from beets or food coloring), weird... Anywho, this ice cream tasted like chocolate to me, but unlike the chocolate flavor, it has little brownie bites in it. If you're a chocolate (or red velvet) lover, you'd definitely like this one. I would give it a 6.


R: It tastes pretty good, just not a flavor I would typically get. The cake chunks or brownie chunks (whatever they are) are tasty and add to the consistency. Not a go-to flavor but I ate it all. I would give it a 6.


Isn't it funny how two people have two completely different tastes? I have to admit, he is the one with the major sweet tooth, so maybe you should take his word for most flavors... or maybe you should average the two scores together ;)



OVERALL - The hubby's faves are: Strawberry, Cookies & Cream, Black Cherry, Lemon Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Birthday Cake and Peanut Butter Cup. My top flavors are: Cookies & Cream, Sea Salt Caramel, Birthday Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Mint, Oatmeal Cookie and Black Cherry. But, let's be honest, we ate every single bite!

Thanks to Halo Top Creamery for not only hosting the July giveaways, but for creating delicious and healthy ice cream!

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What's your favorite flavor ice cream?

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I am OBSESSED with Halo Top! My local Whole Foods only carries about 6 of these flavors; been dying to try Birthday Cake and now that I know how good it is, I will definitely try. I recently tried Proyo and wasn't as impressed as I am with Halo Top, although the coconut was pretty tasty! - Kim K.

Unknown said...

This was such a fun post! I loved the perspective from both you and your hubs. I am a fan of the mint chocolate too.

Unknown said...

um btw, I just saws on my news feed this morning that Halo Top just unveiled 7 new flavors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pancakes and waffles sound interesting! -kim k.

Chelsea said...

I've NEVER tried Halo Top but I have been so curious about it! I need to try it ASAP! It looks fabulous!!! My favorite Ice cream is actually the SoDelicious brand with salted caramel chocolate! It's amazingly good and Dairy free! Woo hoo!!

Terra Heck said...

I like the variety of flavors they offer. I think I'd like Birthday Cake best. I got a coupon a month ago for a free pink of Halo Top ice cream at the local grocery store but apparently the store doesn't carry the ice cream because I couldn't find it anywhere.