What is the Good Humor Viennetta?
After an absence of almost 30 years, Good Humor has reintroduced the Vanilla Viennetta to American grocery store shelves. Back in the ’90s, you couldn’t watch an episode of Murphy Brown without seeing a commercial featuring a sophisticated dinner party with a Breyers Viennetta served in elegant crystal champagne coupes. It was the classy ice cream dessert for people who knew the difference between a champagne flute and champagne coupe.
How is it?
The rectangular ice cream cake looks exactly as I remember, with layered waves of ice cream interlaced with thin chocolate ribbons. I feel the chocolate crack as I slice into it and then lay a slice onto my plate. I’m impressed the thinness of the chocolate layers allows the portion to retain integrity.
I fondly remember the times my parents decided to get something a little special for dessert and picked up a Viennetta. Nostalgia firmly in place, I take a bite.
It’s ok.
The vanilla ice cream (frozen dairy dessert according to the packaging) is pleasingly light and soft, but has an unremarkable flavor. The thin chocolate layers provide a delicate texture to the dessert, but leaves a waxy residue in my mouth. Overall, this is a disappointment.
Anything else you need to know?
Here’s something I didn’t know until I watched an old Viennetta commercial on YouTube: this product used to be produced by Breyers, and was said to be made with premium ice cream, not the current frozen dairy dessert. Perhaps my memories aren’t at fault, and this version of Viennetta is a poor knockoff? Does this mean that my pair of light up sneakers really were just as cool as I remember?
Conclusion:
If nothing else, Good Humor’s Viennetta is a testament to marketing and design. At its core, the dessert is nothing more than mediocre ice cream laced with waxy chocolate ribbons. But it looks very fancy, and a very effective marketing campaign 30 years ago means there’s a generation of people who will want to try it.
Purchased Price: $5.49
Size: 21.9 fl oz (650 ml)
Purchased at: Pick ‘N Save
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/6 cake/54 grams) 130 calories, 7 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar (including 9 grams added sugars), and 1 gram of protein.
Thanks for the review! Kind of what I expected…I still might have to treat myself one day…or maybe I’ll let my childhood memories of this remain unmarred.
I’m going to try a homemade version with REAL ice cream…look for the recipe ?
I have seen a recipe for it online. Haven’t tried it. Let us know how it goes.
Sweet! Yep, tons of recipes out there.
Thanks for the description and I’m glad that good humor is different because the original viennetta was disgusting I would not consider it ice cream at the very least Breyers does not classify in making any good tasting ice cream so yay for Good Humor can’t wait to taste it I will now buy it because now I know it’s different
this vienetta is all show and no substance at all, has no taste whatsoever! nit when your eating it and no after taste later, what a waste if a product, take it all iff the shelves so no one has to be disappointed line we were, quite embarassing really
Hello we have this ice cream in the UK in mint flavour.
“I hate you so much right now.” I’m so damn jealous!!!!!! I love mint and chocolate!!! Also, I really want to live in the UK!!! I freaking love it there!!!
Back in the ’90s when it was Bryers, it was a great, easy, impressive, good tasting dessert for holidays. I was so disappointed when they discontinued the product. I was excited when I saw a couple months ago that our local Kroger carried it. I made up my mind to havevit for my Christmas dinner. And I did. I was very disappointed with the current product. Only tastes sweet, no vanilla flavor at all. I was embarrassed to serve it. I do not recommend this at all. Nothing at all like the Bryers version other than the same look.
The mint one is the flavour I remember from childhood.
Sadly all Good Humor products are garbage now. I really used to like the Toasted Almond bars.
@Matt
I think you’re right. Good Humor products are garbage now. I used to like the Strawberry Shortcake and Chocolate Eclair ice cream bars. I tried both for the first time in years and I didn’t like them much at all. Then I bought the Shoprite brand version of both and they tasted much better than the Good Humor versions.
It sucks that all of these once good independent food brands have been bought out by larger food manufacturers like Unilever, Nabisco, and Kraft. Freakin large conglomerates buying out the smaller brands and messing with the original recipe ingredients in the process and discontinuing certain products.
Back in the ’90s, Breyers and Good Humor were independent companies. Since then, Unilever purchased both, leading to the changes from “ice cream” to “frozen dairy dessert”. If I had to guess, they branded this as Good Humor instead of Breyers because Good Humor is all novelties, while Breyers is all cartons (and single cups).
Looks like some serious cost-cutting with the re-launch of Viennetta in Australia as well. 48 reviews — 1.2 stars. One reviewer labels the product the “death of a classic”. Streets is a brand of Unilever as is Good Humor.
https://www.productreview.com.au/listings/streets-viennetta
It’s a Walls product in the UK.
It’s probably all the EU’ s fault that it’s not proper ice cream as they opened the door to it by removing ice cream standards.
So much for protecting the consumer!
https://www.scotsman.com/news/uk-news/traditional-ice-cream-under-threat-eu-rules-1517952?amp
I remember the original it looked much nicer than this Good Humor thing.
Those flakes of chocolate were everything. Pairing them with a subpar dairy product is a shame.
I tried it a couple of nights ago and was so disappointed. The ice cream barely tasted like anything 🙁
Where is California can I buy this ?
I need this from my 90s childhood
Which chain did the author get this ?
Where in California can I buy this ?
I need this from my 90s childhood
Which chain did the author get this ?
I found mine at Safeway. Still haven’t tried it yet though!
I live in the U.S. nd I ABSOLUTELY LOVE these I get one every week, from my local FamilyDollar Store, for my g’babies & I, & we have a fancy ice cream day, (as they call it)… lol nd I have to say the VIENNETTA has never failed us.. its ALWAYS so Delicious, & they always have the BEST Time.. Just hanging out with their Ella nd her fancy Ice Cream….