Halo Top Ice Cream: Is It Too Good to Be True?
Updated: Mar. 13, 2018There's a new ice cream in town that's low calorie, high protein and low sugar, and apparently it's delicious. How can this be? We have the scoop.
If you have a sweet tooth that just can’t be satisfied with the suggested serving size, why not go for the whole pint? While we wouldn’t normally suggest doing this with your favorite ice cream flavor, there’s a new product in the freezer section that could be changing how we eat our dessert.
Enter Halo Top Creamery. Founded in 2012, it likely has been taking over your Instagram feed and frozen dessert section for the past few years, boasting a lower-calorie, high-protein, low-sugar alternative to your favorite ice cream that still tastes like ice cream. With its fun packaging and continually expanding flavor offerings, what’s not to love?
The Trend
Halo Top ice cream.
The Claims
A low-calorie, high-protein, low-sugar ice cream that still tastes delicious.
How Does It Work?
Compared with more commonly known ice cream brands made with real sugar, Halo Top makes its ice cream line with organic stevia, a natural plant-based sweetener that’s just as sweet as sugar, and erythritol, another all-natural sweetener that doesn’t affect your blood glucose level or cause bloating like the real thing.
The company’s pints also are made with a short list of ingredients you can easily pronounce and understand, such as milk protein concentrate, cinnamon and maple syrup.
And, dairy-free dessert friends, rejoice! Halo Top Creamery recently announced a line of seven new coconut-milk-based flavors including Chocolate Covered Banana and Cinnamon Roll, making its brand all the more accessible, even for those averse to lactose.
“The number one request that we get from our fans is to make a nondairy and vegan-friendly version of Halo Top,” said Justin Woolverton, founder and CEO of Halo Top, in a press release announcing the line. “Whether you have to or choose to restrict dairy—or only eat vegan—we always want to make sure we listen to our fans. It took a long time to get it right, but we’re absolutely thrilled with the outcome and can’t wait for our fans to try these flavors.”
The Verdict
Halo Top recently surpassed household ice cream names like Ben & Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs, taking home the prize of best-selling ice cream pint in the country. Its success is continuing to skyrocket, with sales up 2,500 percent in 2016. We can only imagine that this year will be no different thanks to expanding offerings.
Even if it is better for you, you probably shouldn’t eat a whole pint of ice cream at a time or turn to it as a source of protein, say dietitians. Keep in mind that each pint does still have hundreds of calories. But if you’re going to have dessert, Halo Top may be a better alternative.
