The renowned Vermont-based ice cream company, Ben & Jerry’s, recently added three new flavors to their growing dairy-free collection! In light of this, we decided to do a taste-test to see how these alternative frozen desserts compare to their well-loved dairy counterparts.
Why Dairy-Free?
Tate
Last summer, I decided to adopt veganism in an effort to reduce my impact on the environment. A plant-based diet uses only a third of the land needed for meat and dairy industries in a way that prevents excess water use, deforestation, and habitat loss. In conjunction with this, the world is facing threats of water and food insecurities. Impoverished agricultural communities grow cash crops to support foreign livestock industries instead of growing food that could fulfill local needs, and this harvest moreover depletes water availability.
No, veganism cannot and will not solve these multifaceted problems. And as a disclaimer, I realize that choosing to eat this way is in itself a privilege and that all of our options and actions as consumers carry their own set of flaws. Nonetheless, opting for the dairy and meat-free alternatives casts a vote in favor of efforts to reduce our dependence on the environment in these ways. And with an increasing availability of vegan alternatives (like Ben & Jerry’s ice cream!), this option becomes easier and easier.
Taylor
After I started running a few years ago, I’ve become more aware of how certain foods make my body feel. Last year, my stomach was really bothering me, so I tried to avoid dairy (yogurt, cheese, and milk) for a few weeks to see how it felt. It worked pretty well: I feel a lot less bloated and heavy. When I learned in my Biological Anthropology class that we are genetically predisposed to stop processing dairy after we leave early childhood, I was convinced. Since then, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had straight dairy. Even though I have tried Lactaid (an enzyme you can take to help process lactose) and it works for me, I still tend to stay away from it if I can. For a girl with a deep passion for ice cream and macaroni and cheese, it’s been a lot easier than I thought, especially with the amount of dairy substitutes they have nowadays. If Ben & Jerry’s has climbed onto the dairy-free wagon, I’m thrilled to have company!
Ben & Jerry’s
Ben and Jerry’s released their first vegan flavors in 2016 following a petition that gained over 28,000 signatures. The company initially debuted flavors including PB & Cookies, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Chunky Monkey, and Coffee Caramel Fudge. Earlier this year, Ben and Jerry’s released another wave of dairy-free flavors, this time including Caramel Almond Brittle, Cherry Garcia, and Coconut Seven Layer Bar. Each of these flavors replaces eggs and milk with coconut oil and almond milk. Regarding the use of almond milk over other non-dairy alternatives, the Ben & Jerry’s company explains that “after experimenting with all sorts of different formulas, our Flavor Gurus decided that almond milk provided the best ‘blank canvas’” and would be “so rich & creamy that while digging into a pint, you will have to remind yourself that it’s non-dairy.” Did they live up to their promises?
Our mission
We picked out three flavors from the local Walmart—PB & Cookies, Caramel Almond Brittle, and Chocolate Fudge Brownie—and invited a few of our friends to try them with us. One or two were vegan or dairy-free like us, but the majority of the comments you’ll see below were from people who eat dairy on a regular basis. Here’s what we found:
The Taste Tests
Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Chocolate non-dairy frozen dessert with fudge brownie.
Comments
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“A solid version of a classic flavor”
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“The fudge bites were on point”
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“Nice!”
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“I dropped it on my dress and it wiped off easily! And it had some chunks, which was pleasant”
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“The brownie chunks were great!”
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“So yummy”
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“My favorite of the three by far!”
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“Soooooo much chocolate”
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“It doesn’t have the same lasting power as normal ice cream”
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Tate: Whoops! I really dislike chocolate ice cream and avoided this flavor!
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Taylor: Sometimes, I find chocolate ice cream too rich and sweet: this flavor was not like that at all! While I could sort of tell that this wasn’t the normal milk-based ice cream, I still really loved it.
Conclusions
Everyone loves chocolate, and it translated pretty well into dairy-free form! How can you go wrong with brownie chunks?
Caramel Almond Brittle
Almond non-dairy frozen dessert with salted caramel swirls and pieces of almond brittle
Comments
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“Yum”
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“The best of the three by far. The diversity of flavors and textures is superior to the others. I like it as much, if not more than a milk-based ice cream”
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“I like this one a lot…although it tasted like something was missing. But is it better because it’s missing something? Like if a meal is missing POISON, then that’s a good thing. And dairy could be a kind of biological potion. IDK. I’m a fan”
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“Not great–kind of tastes like rubbing alcohol”
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“Least favorite of the three–kind of bland”
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“Am a little confused about why I taste cherries, but it is really good”
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“Something tasted a little weird to me”
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Tate: The texture combination that swirled together gooey caramel with crunchy brittle pieces was the most satisfying by far! However, the attempt to make an almond-flavored ice cream base left a lingering artificial taste of almond extract.
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Taylor: This one’s my favorite by far. The caramel wasn’t frozen and chewy, and the crunchy brittle was AHmazing. I personally couldn’t tell that it was dairy-free, and I could see this working really well on top of a brownie.
Conclusions
The crunchy texture of the brittle worked really well, and Ben and Jerry were liberal with the caramel swirls, giving this one a really great flavor and crunch. However, this flavor got pretty mixed reviews, so if you’re not looking for the almond flavor, this one might not be for you.
PB & Cookies
Vanilla non-dairy frozen dessert with chocolate sandwich cookies and crunchy peanut butter swirl
Comments
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“My fave”
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“Great”
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“The best”
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“Not far from dairy-based flavor!”
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“Low key really good”
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“My favorite! Love the combination and I’m a PB fan”
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“This one was my favorite! I really enjoyed it! I would probably eat this over its dairy alternative”
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“Although it tastes a bit less rich than cream-based Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, this flavor tastes similar to other, less-rich brands. In all, if it was a blind taste-test, I wouldn’t have guessed that it was Ben and Jerry’s, but I also would not have thought that it was not dairy!”
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“Could tell that it wasn’t normal ice cream, but I enjoyed the chunks especially!”
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Tate: This flavor stands out above the rest because of its ingenious flavor combination. I am a sucker for a plain vanilla ice cream base and will never say no to peanut butter! The addition of the cookies adds the necessary texture variety to round off the perfection! My favorite!
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Taylor: AGH. Maybe this one ties with the Caramel Almond Brittle. The peanut butter flavor was fantastic, and I got a huge piece of cookie that was truly magnificent. I couldn’t tell that this was dairy-free, either. (Confession: I’ve had this before, and my dairy-loving brother ate half a pint and said he’d eat it again.)
Conclusions
The name alone should have hinted that this flavor would be popular: who doesn’t love peanut butter and cookies? The richness of the peanut butter improved on the classic cookies and cream flavor, and the majority of the responses for this particular pint were positive. Our samplers finished this one off first, and for good reason!
The Consensus
While some of the taste testers could tell that the ice cream wasn’t milk-based, we had even more people admit that they could barely tell the difference. Overall, if you’re considering cutting dairy out of your diet, Ben & Jerry’s made sure that you don’t have to miss out on your favorite creamy flavors!
Also, a big thank you to all of our lovely taste testers for saving us from eating three pints of ice cream by ourselves: we would have shouldered the burden if need be, but you guys made it far more fun!!
Image credits: Taylor Hazan, Tate Serletti, Ben & Jerry’s
Interested in going vegan or non-dairy? Here are some helpful resources!
https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/why-go-vegan
http://www.benjerry.com/flavors/non-dairy