As a young lad, I used to think the term “lactose intolerant” was really “lack toast and tolerant,” and I was fascinated whenever I met someone with the condition.
In my mind these people lacked sufficient amounts of toast and were extremely understanding. Not having friends who were lactose intolerant, I never heard the phrase much other than a few times growing up, so my illusion was shattered when I figured out what the term really meant in high school.
They say you don’t really know someone until you walk a mile in their shoes, then have your faces surgically switched like in the Travolta/Cage classic Face/Off, drop their kids off at school, work their job, come home, tell your new family about your day over dinner, and sleep with their spouse. Unfortunately I’ve never done this because I don’t have the patience to talk about my day with strangers, but I have, at select points in life, went a few days without having dairy. And it stunk!
I mean, could you imagine not having Ben & Jerry’s ice cream? Well, now you don’t have to. Nor should you. It’s not a fun scenario to imagine.
Ben & Jerry’s answered non-dairy prayers everywhere with their new line of Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts, which are made with almond milk. Now lactose intolerant peeps everywhere can be friends with two of the coolest dudes around!
But how does it compare to regular Ben & Jerry’s ice cream? Pretty darn good. There are many noticeable differences but given the aim of the product is for non-dairy folk to be able to partake, they’re easily looked over.
The flavors are most modeled after already existing flavors, like this one, Chocolate Fudge Brownie. I noticed right upon opening the pint there is no distinct smell to the ice cream. The moment you dig your spoon in you’ll find the consistency is very different from the dairy version. The dessert is crumbly when you bite into it. It’s not nearly as creamy as the dairy version; it’s actually kind of dry.
The chocolate flavor is not nearly as sweet as the dairy kind. It’s more of a bitter flavor, kind of like a light dark chocolate. Although not as good as the ice cream, it’s something you would be happy eating if you couldn’t have the dairy version.
I don’t know for sure if the brownies are made with almond milk, too, but if I had to guess I would say they were. They are packed with flavor like the dairy version but they are much drier. Usually Ben & Jerry’s brownies have some moistness to them but these brownies have the feel of next day brownies, when you leave the brownies out for a bit and they dry out. Still really tasty, just a tad dry.
The brownies actually come from Greyston’s, a bakery in New York, which aims to provide jobs for low-income residents, so you can feel extra good about eating them.
Overall, the non-dairy frozen dessert isn’t as good as the ice cream version but it’s still really tasty and would please lactose intolerant folks and ice cream snobs alike. The worst part is the price, which ran me $5.49 for the pint. Yikes! A bit excessive, but if you’ve never experienced Ben & Jerry’s because you’re lactose intolerant, it’s worth the plunge.
(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – 200 calories, 100 calories from fat, 11 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 16 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein..)
Purchased Price: $5.49
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Wegmans
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Good flavors for not being real ice cream. Face-switching surgery. Non-dairy folks having prayers answered.
Cons: Ice cream and brownies are a tad dry. Lacking sufficient toast. Having your illusions shattered.
This review seems to give a fair amount of praise and yet only give this a 6.
Wasn’t expecting it to be as good as “real” ice cream, but still thought it was only OK for non-dairy ice cream. Why give it a 6 if it’s “really tasty” or “pretty darn good”? At the same time, how it can be “really tasty” yet have “many noticeable differences” like being dry (I needed some water eating this) and not having a smell when opening the pint?
The 6 to me means it tasted good and I would eat it again. Nice chocolate flavors but like I said it has a kind of dehydrated feel to it, the dryness if you will. It’s hard to convey what I mean by that, you’d really have to try it to understand. If it still had the creaminess I would’ve rated it higher. Thanks for reading!
I’m going to give it a try haven’t had dairy ice cream in years. Gotta be better than the Arctic Zero crap.
Of the non-dairy SKUs that Ben and Jerry’s just launched I definitely think this one is the weakest mostly due to texture. The flavor is alright, really chocolaty, but the texture is too grainy. However, the PB Cookie Sku is really incredible and a MUCH closer in overall flavor + mouth feel to dairy based ice cream (probably from the added fat in the peanut butter).
I really wanted to try that one but my Wegmans didn’t have it. Hopefully they get it in.
My problem with the PB Cookie is that it had TOO many mix ins. It was like eating crushed cookies.
Thank the junk food gods- no eggs! Their site says all their nondairy flavors are vegan. Maybe I can special order the nondairy ones, none have spontaneously showed up on the shelves. Finally I can pig out on Ben & Jerry with no horrible consequences. I could be arrested for Driving Under the Influence of Eggs.
I’m surprised they didn’t base it on coconut milk, though – that would have made it creamier probably.
I tried the Peanut Butter Cookie variety and hot diggity, it was RAD, and I’m not even off dairy. It is really good.
I tried the PB vegan ice cream and it was AMAZING! I am one of those lactose intolerant people and this is a great option!! Not sure i will risk this flavor based on your review, i’m hoping to find the coffee one next
I tried the coffee one, it’s really good, but I’ve heard the pb/cookie one is the best.
The peanut butter flavor is pretty good. This chocolate one is an abomination. There are much better vegan ice creams out there. Most really good ones are coconut based.
Yes, full fat coconut milk is the way to go if you’re making your own ice cream. Cashew cream would be an alternative. Adding fat is needed otherwise – almond butter works well besides peanut butter, I used it once when making ice cream from almond milk. “Low fat” and “ice cream” should never be in the same sentence.
This non dairy ‘junk is horrid
If you let it melt a bit than it isn’t crumbly….
I eat the fudge brownie one quite often. I think it tastes absolutely delicious. I am not vegan or vegetarian but I am lactose intolerant and when I was looking for a different option I found the Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy. Being an ice cream lover, I was kinda expecting the non-dairy to be a little gross tasting. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how yummy it was!. I don’t find the texture to be off putting and grainy or too dry. I like the pieces of brownie as they taste very good to me without being too sweet. A few bites of this and it kicks my chocolate craving right in the butt. I can make that little pint size last about a week, lol. I tried the Caramel one but didn’t care for it as much as the brownie.