I crave ice cream ALL THE TIME! I’m sure I’m not the only one. In the heat of the summer, a good bowl of ice cream is heavenly.
Arctic Zero Chocolate Chunk
This Arctic Zero light ice cream flavor was the best in my opinion. It was a close race between this one and the cookie & brownie dough flavor, but I liked the flavor of the chocolate ice cream better than the vanilla. Those chocolate chunks are good too!
My absolute favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate chip cookie dough. Besides chocolate chip cookies themselves, cookie dough ice cream is my weakness!
So, when I saw this Arctic Zero picture randomly come up on my facebook newsfeed, I was instantly intrigued. They completely got me with the picture of their cookie dough chip flavor!
Doesn’t that look good? I decided that I had to try it!
Arctic Zero non-dairy ice cream is sweetened with antioxidant-rich monk fruit. Ever heard of it? Don’t worry, I hadn’t either!
Plus, there are no artificial flavors, sweeteners or colors, they’re low gycemic, lactose free, GMO free, gluten free, and kosher. That pretty much covers it!
I’ll be honest though…I didn’t even read all that before I decided I had to give it a try. Just say “healthy ice cream” to me and I’m in!
I was super excited to find out that it is sold at the Wal-mart very near to where I live! You can find select Arctic Zero flavors at grocery stores like Kroger, Publix, Safeway, Sprouts Farmers Market, Walmart, Whole Foods, as well as online at Amazon
When they originally came out, I picked up the Cookie Dough Chip and Chocolate Peanut Butter flavors at Walmart! I only got the Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor for my husband to try because I knew he would be upset if I got myself a treat and not him!
Creamy versus Chunky
The Cookie Dough Chip flavor is a part of their chunky pints line and the Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor is a part of their creamy pints line. They also have chocolate-dipped ice cream bars available.
The creamy pints have 12 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber with only 150 calories per pint.
The chunky pints have 12 grams of protein and fiber with only 300 calories per pint.
When I got home, I dug right in to my cookie dough flavor!
At first bite I was a little…what’s the right word…surprised? It didn’t taste like what I expected vanilla ice cream to taste like. I can’t say it was good or bad, just different. I think I could taste the whey protein in it.
There were no cookie dough pieces in the first few bites so I was a little disappointed. You have to get through the first layer or so until you reach the cookie dough pieces! Yay for cookie dough!
Once I got to the cookie dough, it tasted much better! Just having those little chunks of cookie dough made the funny-tasting vanilla ice cream forgettable. The only problem is that I found myself searching for all the cookie dough pieces! I can see how you would easily eat the whole pint in one sitting!
The good news is that the whole pint is only 300 calories! That’s a huge difference from a Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough pint that has over 1,000 calories!
I held my composure though and only ate about 1/4 of the pint.
I did NOT try the chocolate peanut butter flavor because I don’t like peanut butter…I know people call me crazy all the time! I left that one for my husband to have all to himself, but I don’t think he’s very thrilled about it.
He did not like it.
Now let me first say that he is not a huge ice cream fan to begin with, but he described it as “gross”. He said that it was very peanut buttery and not very chocolatey, but that the peanut butter had a bitter taste. Overall he said it “tasted like health food”.
I think that the “chunks” in the chunky pint flavors make the big difference. Without them, it’s just a funny-tasting ice cream.
While the ice cream part of it is not great, it’s definitely good enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. Especially with those little pieces of cookie dough! I was definitely enjoying it!
The Arctic Zero Flavor Test Breakdown
Since my initial trial of the cookie dough chip flavor, I had the opportunity to try 5 additional flavors:
- Brownie Blast
- Snickerdoodle Dandy
- Banana Pudding
- Poppin’ Pomegranate
- Cake Batter
I have to say that I was most excited about the Snickerdoodle Dandy because snickerdoodle cookies are my second favorite cookies after chocolate chip. So, I dug into that one first.
Snickerdoodle Dandy
This one is a part of their chunky line. At first bite, it didn’t taste like much at all. But, after a few bites there was a subtle hint of cinnamon that was pleasant. About 4 bites in I got to my first sugar cookie chunk. These were really good but they were pretty sparse throughout the pint. Let’s be honest though…I’d much rather be eating a buttery sugar cookie then this healthy ice cream, so I can’t really fault Arctic Zero for that! Overall the subtle cinnamon flavor of the ice cream was nice.
Brownie Blast
Another of their chunky flavors. Again, the first bite of the chocolate ice cream was subtle, but a few bites in it started to taste like a yummy chocolate ice cream. The brownie chunks were obviously the best part as you eat your way through the pint. I think I liked the chocolate flavor ice cream better than the vanilla that is the base of the snickerdoodle and the cookie dough chip flavors.
Banana Pudding
I am a big fan of banana pudding but I was pretty skeptical about this one because I’m not a big fan of that artificial banana flavor. This flavor was a bit of a let-down because the banana was in fact that genericĀ banana flavor. Even the bright yellow color of the ice cream threw me off.Ā
Poppin’ Pomegranate
I had high hopes for this fruit flavor, kinda expecting a sherbet taste. However, the pomegranate flavor was so subtle that it didn’t satisfy my sweet tooth. This was the first creamy flavor I tried, so no hopes of those delicious chunks scattered throughout the pint.
Cake Batter
This was a much better creamy flavor than the pomegranate. Again, the flavor was subtle but good. I enjoyed the creamy cake batter even without the chunks.
Update! A Review of the NEW Arctic Zero Light Ice Cream
Arctic Zero has launched a new line of ice cream since I first tried their Fit Frozen Desserts years ago! This new line is considered a light ice cream, they are low-calorie and made with clean ingredients…real milk, cream, and cane sugar.
The two things that really intrigued me about this new Arctic Zero ice cream were that they were supposed to have a new creamy texture and the flavors sounded really yummy!
One of my main complaints about the original Arctic Zero Fit Frozen ice cream was that in order for the texture to actually be similar to ice cream, you had to let it thaw for 20 minutes before eating it. And even then the texture was still not great…more icy than creamy.
However, there is no thawing required on the new light ice cream flavors and the texture is actually very creamy! It is just like the real thing! Plus the taste is delicious too, which I will get into in more detail.
7 New Arctic Zero Light Ice Cream Flavors
The new line of Arctic Zero ice creams have 7 new flavors:
- cookies & cream
- chocolate chunk
- peanut butter & chocolate cookies
- mint & chocolate cookies
- vanilla bean
- cookie & brownie dough
- toffee crunch
You can try all 7 flavors from Amazon!
I was most excited about the cookie & brownie dough and chocolate chunk flavors. Yum!
I did not try the peanut butter & chocolate cookies flavor because I don’t like peanut butter.
All the flavors I tried were delicious! Again, the biggest improvement from their previous line was the texture, but the flavor was significantly improved as well. Even though they all still have some whey protein in them, it did not taste like it at all. The chocolate ice cream actually tasted like chocolate and the vanilla actually tasted like vanilla.
I can honestly say now that I would choose these Arctic Zero light ice cream pints over a Ben & Jerry’s pint because I can have my ice cream without all the guilt! The calories range from only 280-360 calories for the whole pint!
I NEVER keep Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in my freezer because I will most definitely eat the whole pint in one sitting if I have it. But the nice thing about these Arctic Zero pints is that I can eat the whole thing without totally derailing my diet!
Eating ice cream is supposed to make you feel good, not make you feel guilty. I can feel good about eating these Arctic Zero light ice creams and that makes the switch worth it!
Update! A Review of the NEW Arctic Zero Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts
In addition to the light ice cream flavors, Arctic Zero has also recently released a new line of non-dairy frozen desserts (ice cream pints without the cream). They have abandoned the “Fit Frozen Desserts” tagline that I reviewed years ago and are no longer marketing protein ice cream. Instead, these new frozen dessert pints are non-dairy and made with no artificial anything. They are anywhere from 160-320 calories per pint!
I admit I was a little wary about trying these non-dairy flavors because I am not on a non-dairy diet and I didn’t think they would be very good. Especially because the previous non-dairy flavors from Arctic Zero has a very bad icy texture.
But, I was pleasantly surprised by this new recipe for non-dairy ice cream! After letting it thaw for 15 minutes before eating, the texture is smooth and creamy and the flavor is good! Of course, I opted to go for the cookie dough chunk flavor first, and it did not disappoint!
My husband tried the brownie blast non-dairy flavor and said “The flavor’s not bad but it tastes kind of gritty.” I guess he’s not completely sold on the new recipe, but he still liked it a lot better than the previous flavors.
9 NEW Arctic Zero Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts Flavors
The new line of Arctic Zero non-dairy ice creams have 9 new flavors:
- chocolate peanut butter
- salted caramel
- cookie shake
- purely chocolate
- cake batter
- brownie blast
- cookie dough chunk
- hint of mint
- cherry chocolate chunk
You can try all 9 flavors from Amazon!
So far I have tried the cookie dough chunk, cake batter, and brownie blast flavors. I’m not a peanut butter or mint chocolate fan so I would probably pass on those. I did not receive the purely chocolate or salted caramel flavors so I haven’t had a chance to try those.
Besides, the shocking bright yellow color of the cake batter flavor, they were all very good! With this new non-dairy recipe, I think Arctic Zero flavors have drastically improved both in taste and texture!
My Favorite Arctic Zero Ice Cream Flavor
And the winner is….chocolate chunk!
Arctic Zero Chocolate Chunk
This Arctic Zero light ice cream flavor was the best in my opinion. It was a close race between this one and the cookie & brownie dough flavor, but I liked the flavor of the chocolate ice cream better than the vanilla. Those chocolate chunks are good too!
Overall, it’s helpful to have a healthy ice cream option to go to when my cravings hit!
What’s your favorite flavor ice cream?
Have you ever tried Arctic Zero?
Do you think you will now?
I’m guilty of digging for the bites of cookie dough too. That’s the best part for sure!
It is! I find myself wanting the whole thing to be cookie dough pieces and then I realize that I would just be eating a tub of cookie dough! Haha
Man you are lucky. I got a pint of this there were no cookie dough chunks. Kinda sad about it but it was still good
This stuff is disgusting! I ate one bite and threw it in the trash!
I am totally with you on this. Freezing a protein shake does not make it ice cream. These guys are making a lot of money off of nothing.
I would definitely be on the search for the cookie dough as well – it’s the best part! I’ll have to try this brand soon. Thanks for sharing your thoughts š
Let me know what you think if you try it!
Hi Lindsay! Of course, if you go into eating Arctic Zero knowing the stellar nutritional content, you will be PLEASED with the taste. I like the chunky pints a lot and was very fond of the Lil Bit Chippy flavor, as well as the Cookie Dough. I still like to have decadent desserts sometimes, but Arctic Zero holds me over during the other times, which is good! š
Hi Ashley! Yes I agree, if I would have paid more attention to what is actually in it before I took a bite, I probably would have been much more accepting of the vanilla flavor. But, now that I know, it’s definitely going to be my go-to dessert! I can’t wait to try some other flavors.
I wish I would have purchased the cookie dough. I kept going back and forth between that and the cookies and cream which is the creamy line. I think I hate not having the texture there. It did however, hold over my sweet tooth which is not an easy task!
I definitely liked the chunky flavors better than the creamy! Either way you conquered your craving with it!
I am trying the cookie dough now, and the taste was a bit of a surprise, but it still seems sweet enough, and I haven’t even hit the dough yet. I think I like it.
Glad you like it! The cookie dough is definitely the best part!
I just tried Cake Batter and I really liked it. The flavor is mild but it does remind me of cake batter. It is a health food intended for dieters and folks with dietary restrictions so I didn’t expect it to taste like Ben & Jerry’s.
I did not care for the cookie shake one š£ no
I tried the chocolate peanut butter flavor. It wasn’t bad. It tasted like watered down ice cream to me. I would try another flavor, but I definitely think Halo Top is the better of the low calorie ice creams!
lol – had i read the comments here i def would not have gotten it though to be honest, i was hoping it would somewhat resemble so delicious! i dont have the original packaging of so delicious so i cant compare right this second (though im guessing w the coco content, its not as healthy but better than ice cream!)
in any case, i was thrown off by the weird taste of the Brownie Blast – i practically threw it in the trash too!
the cookie dough chip was redeeming – i think there is *too* much chocolate in Brownie Blast. i was pleased to discover it wasnt bad.
that said, this Artic taste test pushed me so hard to one end, i found myself countering by buying Ben & Jerry’s on my next trip to the grocery!
now i have 3 pints in my freezer – at least its 2:1 & proud to say B&J’s is still unopened so perhaps its role is to just sit peacefully in the fridge just knowing i have a choice š
it will be interesting to try So Delicious again (cherry ameretto) after i get thru my Cherry Garcia.
FYI it is not ice cream. It is a frozen treat. If you think it is ice cream you will be very sad you spent so much money on it. I have tried the salted caramel, cookie shake, chocolate peanut butter and purely chocolate. The first two had a nasty taste to them, I threw half of each out. The last 2 both had a good chocolate flavor to them. I didn’t taste the peanut butter at all in the chocolate peanut butter. I am an insulin diabetic and am glad I can still enjoy a frozen treat that won’t send my numbers through the roof even if I get carried away and eat the whole pint. Now to get the stores around me to carry some of the other flavors.
I tried the salted caramel and almost cursed after swallowing it. HORRIBLE is too kind a word to describe it. It was awful. I gave it to bites then trashed it.
I loved the Cookie Dough Chip. 12 weeks on Keto diet so I am sure my taste buds were happy to have anything sweet. Vanilla base tasted a little like cake batter. Texture might be a little strange for some but I am definitely a fan of this low carb version.
Ah glad to know it’s a good option for those on the Keto diet! Thanks!
I have been purchasing Artic Zero Cookie Shake flavor is my favorite for years. I love that I can hit my sweet craving for chocolate ice cream for only 160 calories a pint. It makes it stand out from all the others like Halo. However now I see you are changing it and now it is just going to be another ice cream like the others in the freezer with pint size servings of 250 calories or more. So disappointed my guilt free snack is going away.
The stores (Walmart & Kroger) in Rockwall, Tx that did carry Artic Freeze are suddenly out or not carrying the product??? Is there a problem with distribution or what is the problem? Please Advise? Thanks , Mark George