By Olivia Rogers
Nick’s ice cream is a new competitor in the realm of low-calorie ice cream. It comes in pint-size containers with 16 flavor options such as lemon bar, birthday cake, mint chip, cookie dough, many of which ring in at less than 300 calories per pint. New to the table are seven vegan flavors such as strawberry cream, caramel swirl, and peanut butter fudge, which are also around 300 calories per pint.
I went ahead and tried the birthday cake, cookie dough, cookies and cream, and chocolate flavors of Nick’s (non-vegan) light ice cream from Ralph’s, and I can say that they are definitely worth a try. As an ice cream lover, I have to admit that the swedish ice cream makers at Nick’s are doing God’s work. In comparison to another popular light ice cream brand, Halo Top, Nick’s ice cream is much more dense and creamy. It does not freeze as hard or get an icy texture like Halo Top and is not as fluffy as many Halo Top flavors tend to be. As for the taste, Nick’s is on the sweeter side but captures the flavors they market. The birthday cake is my favorite, and I’ll admit that the cookie dough and cookies and cream flavors taste very similar. Although I am a vanilla girl, the swedish chocolate is rich and hits the spot for chocolate cravings.
When it comes to the ingredient list, skim milk is the primary ingredient for both Nick’s and Halo top. Both brands also contain soluble corn fiber as a primary ingredient, which is a non-digestible fiber product found in many processed foods to boost fiber content and to replace sugar. Nick’s ice cream contains many different oils and gums such as acacia gum guar gum, tara gum, and carob bean gum whereas Halo Top only uses acacia gum and fewer oil types. For the nutrition facts, Halo Top contains much higher levels of protein, Nick’s has lower levels of sugar, and they both have similar levels of dietary fiber. Long story short, low-calorie ice cream isn’t something that should replace your daily breakfast, but it can definitely be enjoyed as dessert in moderation.
Although Halo Top seems to have fewer and slightly cleaner ingredients, Nick’s definitely wins in terms of flavor and texture. Either way, both are great options but if I am in the mood for something sweet I will definitely be picking Nick’s Birthday Cake ice cream from the frozen aisle.