Let’s talk about Halo Top. I have heard a million and five good things about this so-called magic ice cream. Halo Top, sold by the pint, has around 250 calories. For the whole pint. Let that sink in. You can binge on that whole pint and it’s still not a diet killer! Does it sound too good to be true? It did to me.

I like to make the healthier choice when I can, but nothing, and I mean nothing, will compare to that thick, creamy Ben and Jerry’s feel when it comes to ice cream. Does this diet ice cream live up to that? The answer is no, and anyone who says it does if lying to you. It's been hyped up beyond belief on blogs and in food forums. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because people are just so surprised when something that's low calorie isn't totally horrendous.

I picked up the Mint Chocolate Chip flavor from my local Whole Foods. It wasn’t cheap, ringing in at $5.99. Even for Whole Foods prices, that was more than B&J or Talenti (which I also love).

Charles and I tried it out together, and we had essentially the same reaction. Meh. It tastes like cheap ice cream. The kind your mom would buy in the gallon tub that would live in the freezer for months. It doesn’t have that luxurious mouth-feel, but why would it? It barely has any calories. The flavor is very nice. It was subtly minty and refreshing, but very light on texture. 

This flavor, like all of the Halo Top ice creams, has a lot of thickening agents that take the place of heavy cream, like glycerin. This gives it a light, fluffy texture, which is what I think gives it that cheap feel. The side of the package warns that it might freeze harder than regular ice creams, but I didn't find that to be the case. I did notice that it formed ice crystals really easily, so you might want to eat it quickly.

I will admit, this did exceed my expectations. When something is ultra-low-calorie, it often translates to ultra-low-taste. This is much better than I was expecting, especially compared to other competing brands like Artic Zero (gross). Would I buy it again? Maybe. It’s been a good after-work treat, but I don’t think I’ll make a habit of keeping it in the freezer.

So should you buy this?

I think that this would be great for the bad day when you’re going to eat that whole pint of ice cream. It’s better for emotional eating. I know that’s a bad thing to say, but it’s true. I hold to the belief that it is better to eat a bite of something delicious than a whole pint of something that’s just okay. This falls into the just-okay category. But we’ve all had those days when that whole pint is getting eaten. Halo Top ensures that you won’t regret that choice the next day.