Tag: Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy

When Ben & Jerry’s first began its foray into non-dairy “ice cream” pints in 2016, it chose one base option to replace its coveted creamy dairy – almond milk. Since then, there have been sunflower butter experiments, but all that is about to hit the wayside. A lot has changed since the B&J’s non-dairy inception, one of which is the widespread popularity of oat milk. The nut-free alternative has taken over in bougie third-wave coffee shops and cereal bowls. By 2024, every Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy pint and scoop shop offering will transition to an oat base, which the company claims creates a creamier texture that allows the flavors to shine as intended.

The reformulation begins with two classics: original launch flavor Chocolate Fudge Brownie, which features chocolate non-dairy frozen dessert with fudge brownies, and fan favorite, more recently vegan-ified, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, which boasts vanilla non-dairy frozen dessert with chocolate chip cookie dough and fudge flakes.

The timing of this changeover is interesting for me, personally. I was visiting family recently, some of whom are vegan, and they brought out a pint of non-dairy The Tonight Dough. I remarked how Ben & Jerry’s almond base seems to have gotten markedly better over the years, and I was impressed with its creaminess and flavor. Not only that, but my favorite new B&J’s pint of 2023 is the non-dairy Oatmeal Dream Pie, which has a sunflower butter base, and I thought the vegan version of Lights! Caramel! Action! was just as good as its dairy counterpart. That said, I was primed to go into these new oat milk pints with a plethora of experience with the older formula as recently as last week.

So, how does the oat milk stack up? It’s pretty good! Both bases have a solid flavor but a slightly thinner, almost watery finish that tends to be the case for most non-dairy bases not made with coconut. There’s no true fatty density to leave a creamy imprint on your tongue, but there also isn’t any almond or coconut aftertaste. There’s a bit of an oat taste that lingers in the finish, but it isn’t as aggressive as its nutty counterparts. The “ice cream” is incredibly smooth and tempers wonderfully. It takes longer to get there than dairy, but once you let it sit for 15 minutes or so, it has a delightfully smooth and pleasant texture that provides a clean background for the cocoa and vanilla, respectively.

From the beginning, Ben & Jerry’s mission statement has been all about the chunks, and they really shine in these pints. Although both flavors are very basic, the brownies and cookie dough taste and feel nearly identical to those submerged in cow’s milk. The brownies are soft, chewy, and have a chocolatey pop, while the cookie dough brings a gritty brown sugar blast accented by crunchy yet melty chocolate chips. For non-dairy pints you can pick up at the grocery store, the mix-ins don’t get much better than this.

These are two very safe flavors for Ben & Jerry’s to launch its new base with, and I don’t think any vegan ice cream lovers will be disappointed in the change, but I don’t find them mind-blowingly better, either. The chocolate base has less of an aftertaste, and the cookie dough has a more dynamic chunk-age, so they’re both equally tasty but fairly standard in my rankings. The real test of this new recipe will be how it performs in the true non-dairy standout exclusives like Oatmeal Dream Pie, Coconut Seven Layer Bar, and Peanut Butter & Cookies.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: One Pint
Purchased at: Sent samples for review from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 7 out of 10 (for both)
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough – 340 calories, 13 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 55 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 33 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Chocolate Fudge Brownie – 260 calories, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 25 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

When I look back at the 2010s, I think of the abundance of two food products — Oreo cookie varieties and products made with nuts, seeds, and grains that I didn’t know could be made with nuts, seeds, and grains.

I’m talking about milks made with almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, peanuts, oats, hemp, peas, flax, and walnuts. I’m also talking about butters made with almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.

Perhaps the most popular has been almond milk, which Ben & Jerry’s has been using it in its non-dairy varieties so far. But the company’s newest line of non-dairy pints uses the seldom seen sunflower butter, making Ben & Jerry’s the first national brand to offer frozen dessert made with the seed butter.

There are three flavors available: “Milk” & Cookies (vanilla non-dairy frozen dessert with chocolate chip cookies, chocolate sandwich cookies, and chocolate cookie swirls), Mint Chocolate Cookie (mint non-diary frozen dessert with chocolate sandwich cookies), and Creme Brûlée Cookie (burnt caramel non-dairy frozen dessert with brown sugar cookies, and salted caramel swirls).

If you’re a regular peruser of the Ben & Jerry’s section at your local grocery, you’d know two of these are non-dairy versions of standard flavors — Milk & Cookies and Mint Chocolate Cookie. As for Creme Brûlée Cookie, sadly, it isn’t a vegan version of the flavor that sits in Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard.

With “Milk” & Cookies and Creme Brûlée Cookie, I got a hint that I was eating something created with sunflower seeds. But if I told you these were made with almond milk, you might believe me because they have the same not-quite-as-creamy-as-ice-cream texture, and the flavor from the seeds could be confused for almond milk’s nuttiness.

“Milk” & Cookies and Mint Chocolate Cookie are great non-dairy versions of the popular varieties. Both are loaded with mix-ins. Mint Chocolate Cookie tastes like Thin Mints, but less chocolatey and minty, and only if your spoonful has a nice chunk of the soft cookies.

The photo above of “Milk” & Cookies doesn’t show the mix-in riches I discovered as I excavated more from the container, which I forgot to take a picture of because as soon as I saw it, I was like a gold rush prospector and dug up everything. The sunflower butter is most noticeable in this, which I’m okay with, but most of the time it gets overwhelmed by the chocolate from all the cookies and/or the brown sugar flavor from the chocolate chip cookies.

While both are good and I have no problems recommending them, I’m partial to “Milk” & Cookies because the original version is one of my top 10 favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavors.

Creme Brûlée Cookie was the one I was most excited about, but it’s also the one I ended up have the most concerns about. It tastes more like a blondie brownie than a creme brûlée, which, I’ll be honest, might be a delicious nonissue to many. But with all the components’ flavors being from the same sweet family tree, this pint is a bit one-note to me. Also, I wish there was something in it to replicate the crunch of hardened caramelized sugar, which is THE BEST thing about creme brûlée. Actually, I wish all three pints has something to add some texture.

I’m a fan of most Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy almond milk frozen desserts. Heck, I even wrote that I preferred the non-dairy version over the dairy version of one of its recent flavors. So it’s not surprising to me that I found these pints to be enjoyable.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free samples from Ben & Jerry’s (Thanks, you awesome Vermonters). Getting them did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 8 out of 10 (“Milk” & Cookies), 7 out of 10 (Mint Chocolate Cookie), 6 out of 10 (Creme Brulee)
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) “Milk” & Cookies – 350 calories, 18 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 29 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein. Mint Chocolate Cookie – 300 calories, 14 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 27 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Creme Brûlée Cookie – 310 calories 14 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 mg 160 milligrams of sodium, 46 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 28 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Pretzels seem like an odd inclusion in Ben & Jerry’s new Netflix & Chilll’d Ice Cream. Is it popular among Netflix subscribers and password sharers? Maybe it’s just me, but popcorn and potato chips are probably munched on more during a binge-watching.

Is there something in Netflix’s algorithm that not only knows we might like Interior Design Masters because we’ve watched Queer Eye, but also what we like to eat while we watch Tan France turn folks from Le Eek to Le Chic? Or maybe Netflix’s algorithm watches us through the cameras in our phones, tablets, and compu…

(Knock at the door)

Hi. Who are you guys? Hey, nice red suits. Wait. W-w-what are you doing? Let me go! LET ME GO! HELP! HELP!

Oh, hello. I’m back. Forget that whole thing about Netflix’s algorithm binge watches our lives through our cameras. Netflix’s algorithm is definitely not watching us right now or threatening me with revealing the amount of high school romance anime I watch.

Just like Netflix has something for everyone in the family, Ben & Jerry’s is offering Netflix & Chilll’d in varieties that will satisfy everyone’s deal with dairy. The regular version features peanut butter ice cream with sweet and salty pretzel swirls and fudge brownies. The non-dairy one has peanut butter-flavored frozen dessert made with almond milk, sweet and salty pretzel swirls, and fudge brownies.

After trying both, I have to say I prefer the non-dairy one.

The combination of the peanut butter frozen dessert with the saltiness and flavor from the pretzel swirl tastes something like a Nutter Butter cookie to me, which is something I haven’t experienced with ice cream (or frozen dessert). Also, the PB flavor in the non-dairy one is more prominent than the dairy version. Maybe the almond milk used in the base makes it a little nuttier. The peanut butter ice cream in the regular Netflix & Chilll’d is fine, but the frozen dessert stands out a bit more.

The pretzel swirls in both pints add a welcomed saltiness that contrast and enhance the sweet components. The swirl in the non-dairy one also gives off toffee notes. I feel the flavor is more prominent in the regular one, but that might be because the peanut butter ice cream doesn’t have as strong a flavor as the frozen dessert. Also, although “pretzel” is in both descriptions, the swirls don’t provide any crunch, which is disappointing.

Unlike the pretzels and their lack of texture, the fudge brownies bring the expected chewiness to each spoonful. And, like we’ve seen hundreds of times with peanut butter and chocolate, combining it with the peanut butter ice cream/frozen dessert results in sweet tooth satisfaction. Actually, the fudge brownies help make the regular version taste similar to a peanut butter cup.

I know. The previous sentence makes it hard to believe I prefer the non-dairy and non-peanut-butter-cup-tasting one.

Both Netflix & Chilll’d pints are NOT binge-worthy. Well, they are, but I don’t want to encourage anyone to eat entire pints in one sitting. Again, I prefer the non-dairy one, but I feel you can’t go wrong with either.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Non-Dairy), 7 out of 10 (Regular)
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) Regular – 390 calories, 24 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 290 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 29 grams of sugar, 7 grams of protein. Non-Dairy – 380 calories, 22 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 250 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 27 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free samples of the product from Ben & Jerry’s (thanks Ben & Jerry’s!). Doing so did not influence my review in any way. Although, with ratings like that, you might think it did. But I assure you it did not.

Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert is a non-dairy version Ben & Jerry’s iconic Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream. It features vanilla-flavored frozen dessert made from almond milk, gobs of vegan chocolate chip cookie dough, and fudge flakes.

Before stuffing my mouth with a spoonful of it, I thought I would definitely love it. The original dairy version is one of my favorite flavors, I enjoyed the two Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy varieties I’ve tried so far (Cinnamon Buns and Chocolate Salted ’n Swirled), and I like the vegan snackable chocolate chip cookie dough bites Ben & Jerry’s offers in bags. But, despite all that, I didn’t love this pint.

The vanilla base is what broke my heart. I can taste the almond milk in it, but its flavor also makes Cool Whip flash in my head. I’m fine with the frozen whipped topping. I won’t say anything bad about it, like it could probably be used as hair product in a pinch. Heck, there have been moments in my life when I ate it like ice cream. But I don’t want my ice cream, er, non-dairy frozen dessert to taste like Cool Whip. There’s something not quite right about that.

There’s a good amount of the vegan chocolate chip cookie dough in the pint, but not enough so that every time you dip your spoon into the container you’ll pull out one of those gobs. While there’s a lot, they don’t help improve my opinion of the flavor overall.

As for the fudge flakes, I’m not sure there were any in mine. I don’t know if the fudge in the chewy cookie dough bites are the fudge flakes, but there weren’t any dark brown mix-ins suspended in my pint.

Because the base is made from almond milk and the cookie dough gobs are vegan, this whole pint is vegan. So no animals were harmed or touched in the making of this flavor. Although I imagine some animals were probably petted along the way.

I finished the pint, but that doesn’t reflect of how I truly feel about this non-dairy frozen dessert flavor. Of the three Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert varieties I’ve tried, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is, disappointingly, my least favorite so far.

Purchased Price: $3.50 (on sale)
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/2 cup) 260 calories, 12 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 25 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Thank you, Ben & Jerry’s!

Thanks for adding a space between “almond” and “milk,” and not making it a compound word like Silk and Starbucks do. Spelling it almondmilk irritates me because my autocorrect always splits it up and then I have to go back to turn it into one word because I have to spell it the way they do. It’s like how I have to use “doughnut” instead of “donut” when referring to Krispy Kreme products because that’s how the chain spells it.

Also, thanks for your Chocolate Salted ‘n Swirled Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert.

Ben & Jerry’s newest non-dairy treat features chocolate sandwich cookies and salted caramel swirls in a chocolate-flavored frozen dessert made with almond milk. It’s currently a Target-exclusive.

Will it ever be free to see other stores? If we look throughout Ben & Jerry’s flavor history, exclusive products usually remain in a committed relationship.

This is the first time I’ve had the brand’s non-dairy almond milk chocolate base, and it’s not going to be mistaken for Ben & Jerry’s chocolate ice cream. Its flavor is still quite pleasing, but it’s also familiar to my taste buds. It reminds me of Silk’s chocolate, ugh, almondmilk.

When I saw “chocolate sandwich cookies” listed on the front of the container, I didn’t expect to see a whole cookie standing in the middle of my pint like it was the crash-landed Star Destroyer in The Force Awakens. I expected chunks throughout the container. I mean, there were some, but most of the cookie mix-ins in the pint consisted of that whole one and another half that sat at the bottom of the pint. Having an entire cookie wasn’t too much of an issue because I treated it as if it was one of Ben & Jerry’s Core varieties and just scraped away some of the, unfortunately, soggy cookie while getting a spoonful.

While those two components are good, the gooey salted caramel swirl is a bit odd. It doesn’t taste like caramel or have much saltiness. Instead, I get more of a toasted marshmallow vibe. Of course, your results may vary, or I might’ve broken my taste buds after doing over 1,250 reviews. But that’s what I get, and I guess if it’s going to taste like something different, toasted marshmallow is one of the best scenarios. So I shouldn’t be saying the swirl is odd because when eaten together, all the components make a sweet, satisfying, and almost s’mores-like spoonful.

Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Salted ‘n Swirled is, I believe, the second non-dairy frozen dessert I’ve had from the company, the first being Cinnamon Buns. I enjoyed my first dip into Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy frozen world, and I also liked my second, although not as much as my first.

Purchased Price: $3.50 (on sale)
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 320 calories, 15 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 28 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.