Maybe you've heard all about Halo Top Ice Cream, but have you actually tried all the flavors? This low-cal ice cream is taking over grocery stores and Instagram alike. The complete line of traditional flavors — 24 in total — plus seven dairy-free options are currently residing in my freezer, so I'm basically living the dream. Like many of you, I read about the new flavors including the seasonal Gingerbread House (not included since it's past the holidays) long before I tried any of them. Recently, armed with a spoon in one hand and pen and a notebook in the other, I ranked the flavors from best to worst. I'm sharing the scoop on each flavor. Enjoy!
1. Chocolate Covered Banana
It's as good as it sounds. This flavor will surprise you because it's so simple, but tastes so good. Do yourself a favor and try some for yourself.
2. Peanut Butter Cup
Candy lovers, you're in for a peanut buttery treat with this flavor. If you've ever placed a pack of peanut butter cups in the fridge, you're going to love this pint. It tastes like the real thing.
3. Caramel Macchiato
Even if you've never had a caramel macchiato before (like me), you'll appreciate this ice cream's deliciousness. You really taste both the caramel and espresso flavors in the pint. I couldn't stop eating it or saying, “Oh that's really good."
4. Sea Salt Caramel
If you're looking for an indulgent treat, pick up a pint of this flavor. From the design on the carton, you'd think there's just a sea salt swirl inside, but the caramel flavor is throughout the entire pint. I will say that this one is a lot sweeter than some of the other flavors.
5. Oatmeal Cookie
What makes this ice cream so special is that it has more than just the oatmeal flavor. Yes, you can definitely taste the spices like cinnamon, but my favorite part was the oats inside. You get the feeling that you're eating an actual oatmeal cookie.
6. Pancakes & Waffles
This is the first pint I helped finish. One minute I'm tasting that combination of melted butter and syrup and the next minute, there are two teaspoons of ice cream left. Brunch fanatics, take note: There are bits of pancakes and waffles inside.
7. Cinnamon Roll
Can you ever really get enough of cinnamon roll anything? Nope. I will never get enough of that cinnamon swirl, and that absolutely applies to this pint.
8. S'mores
There's no longer a reason to spend a weekend in the woods for s'mores. With just one teaspoon, you'll immediately taste that marshmallow fluff-like flavor mixed with a hint of chocolate.
9. Strawberry
You can never (ever) go wrong with a simple strawberry recipe. This flavor reminded me of a strawberry and cream milkshake from one of those 1950s diners.
10. Black Cherry
It might not be cherry season right now, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy one of the best summer offerings. I loved the subtlety of the cherry flavor. I also appreciated that it wasn't too sweet.
11. Mint Chip
Remember when you were young and couldn't wait to go to your grandparents' house because you knew they had peppermint patties? This ice cream reminds me of that classic childhood treat. The mint flavor isn't overpowering, and there are even miniature chocolate chips inside, adding crunchy texture.
12. Chocolate Almond Crunch
Even if you're a vanilla over chocolate type of person like me, you'll enjoy this pint. The chocolate flavor is just enough, but what really carries this one are the almonds.
13. Birthday Cake
This flavor is exactly what it sounds like. If you've ever had that white cake mix with sprinkles then you'll have a pretty good idea what this is going to be like. It's impressive how much it tastes like the real thing.
14. Cookies and Cream
If you're a fan of cookies and cream ice cream, you'll approve of this flavor. It has crushed pieces of cookies inside, but I secretly wish they were chunks.
15. Chocolate Mocha Chip
One bite of this flavor and I immediately thought it's made for the ultimate chocolate lover. You do get that hint of coffee flavor too, which adds something extra. I tried this one multiple times, because it's that good.
16. Lemon Cake
Chances are, if you have the pint of lemon cake beside an actual slice of lemon cake, they're going to taste freakishly similar. For those who are big fans of lemon cake, this is going to be a perfect treat for you.
17. Mochi Green Tea
I absolutely love mochi ice cream and green tea happens to be my favorite flavor, because it has such a light and refreshing flavor. I liked that it somehow had a similar texture to the sticky rice cake around the actual mochi ice cream, but it was wayyyy sweeter than I expected.
18. Vanilla Bean
I know what you're thinking: “How could vanilla bean be so low on the list?" Am I right? Well, it doesn't taste like traditional vanilla bean. To me, it tastes more like vanilla frosting.
19. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
I was really excited about this flavor, because it's one of my go-tos when I have a taste for ice cream. It had a good flavor, but I wouldn't say that it tastes like chocolate chip cookie dough. Plus, there just aren't enough cookie dough chunks to make it satisfying.
20. Pistachio
I'll be honest, I haven't had a scoop of pistachio ice cream since I was a little girl. I don't remember pistachio ice cream being quite as sweet as this pint, or as green. It's REALLY green. I also didn't see any pistachios inside and from what I remember, that's the best part.
21. Rainbow Swirl
Two words: Fruity Pebbles. That's exactly what this flavor tastes like. While I devour the cereal every time there's a box in my apartment, there was hint of dye taste to me here, which made it a little hard for me to enjoy.
22. Candy Bar
I wanted to like this flavor. I tried really hard to, but I couldn't put my finger on which candy bar it was. I tasted a hint of caramel, but it still wasn't clear to me exactly which candy bar Halo Top Creamery was trying to replicate.
23. Red Velvet
For this flavor, I'm very biased because as many times as I've tried red velvet cake, I've only liked it once. If you like red velvet cake, it's possible this is going to be higher on your list.
24. Chocolate
You have to love chocolate ice cream to appreciate this pint.
Did you know that Halo Top also makes dairy-free pints? The coconut-milk-based ice creams are vegan and you bet I tried them. Here's my ranking of those flavors:
1. Dairy-Free Chocolate Covered Banana
I really can't get over this flavor. There's just something about that chocolate-covered banana taste.
2. Dairy-Free Sea Salt Caramel
If you adore caramel-flavored anything, you're going to love this ice cream. Also, the creaminess from the coconut milk adds something extra special.
3. Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Cup
Like the traditional Peanut Butter Cup, that delicious peanut butter flavor is throughout the pint, but it's not quite the same as the standard ice cream. I love how creamy the texture is, but there aren't nearly enough candy pieces inside.
4. Dairy-Free Cinnamon Roll
This one tastes almost identical to the traditional flavor AND a real batch of cinnamon rolls. The pieces of cinnamon roll inside don't hurt either, but it's really sweet.
5. Dairy-Free Caramel Macchiato
The first time I tried this flavor, I did not like it. But, at second taste, it grew on me. I will say that it was still gritty, which is why I didn't like it the first time, but that wasn't as noticeable the second time around.
6. Dairy-Free Oatmeal Cookie
This pint has a mild taste, meaning that the spiced flavor that I loved in the traditional dairy pint is lighter. Also, if you're not sure if you'll like oats in your ice cream, this has noticeably less inside.
7. Dairy-Free Chocolate
Chocolate lovers, I'll leave this one up to you, because I just can't do it justice.
What's your favorite Halo Top Creamery flavor? Let us know @BritandCo.
(Photos via Halo Top)
