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gluten_freeHigh off my success with S'mores Oatmilk Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert last year, I decided to try more So Delicious products. I had some winners and some...runners up.
Here are the results of a year-long trial, arranged in decreasing order of pleasingness. All of the following products are soy-free and certified GF and vegan.
The Best
Dipped Salted Caramel Bar: A tiny little treat dipped in really good chocolate that's not waxy or greasy at all and melts in your mouth, but also on your fingers if there's some on the stick, so watch out for that. The cashewmilk ice cream is smooth and creamy without a hint of coconut. The caramel swirl is thick and gooey and may be a bit maple forward, but is still really good. This is a real winner.
S'mores Oatmilk Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert: Still in the top five. Here's my original review from last year.
Salted Caramel Cluster: The cashewmilk ice cream is smooth and creamy. What flavor is it? Uh, sweet and white? Either vanilla or maybe caramel. The packaging refuses to divulge this information. The caramel swirl is, once again, maple forward, but gooey and tasty. The cluster is, recursively, cashews. There are also flakes of their delicious dark chocolate. This has a butter pecan vibe to it, and I liked it a lot.
Mint Chip: This is from their coconutmilk line, which I was reluctant to try because I don't enjoy being slammed in the face with a coconut, but there's really only a hint of coconut and this was very tasty with sweetly minty ice cream and nice dark chocolate flakes that aren't greasy or waxy. PLUS the ice cream is actually white!
Very Vanilla: Because of my luck with their cashewmilk ice creams, I dared to try this straight vanilla. It is as pleasingly smooth and creamy as the others, but the flavor is more maple than vanilla and it leaves a bit of an aftertaste. It also has the beige color you might expect from blended cashews. Still, it's perfectly edible straight, and it'd probably be great on top of some berry cobbler or next to a slice of apple pie, and it's very edible under some chocolate sauce.
The Rest
Chocolate Cookies 'N' Cream: Smooth and creamy chocolate ice cream with lots of chocolate flavor. The Oreo analogues are fine but really get lost in the ice cream as you can't really taste the cookies or the cream. I suspected as much and only tried it because it was in their cashewmilk line and their cashewmilk ice creams are really consistently nice, as was this.
Dark Chocolate Truffle: I'm so neutral on this one I wasn't sure how to rank it. Despite being from the cashewmilk line, the ice cream was hard to scoop and not particularly smooth or creamy as it's filled with chocolate chunks, making it...chunky. There are also dark spots of what the website assures me is "fudge." The flavor's okay, but I was too put off by the constant interruptions of the chocolate pieces.
Chocolate Salted Caramel: Soft and scoopable oatmilk chocolate ice cream with chocolate flakes and a gooey caramel swirl. I do not pick out the salt. What this ice cream tastes overwhelmingly of is burnt. The caramel tastes like burnt sugar and the ice cream has a bitterness that reminds me of coffee, and the whole thing has a dark edge to it that is maybe trying to be sophisticated, but mostly just tastes burnt. Not necessarily in a bad way!! But in a way.
Peanut Butter Brownie: Sweet and salty (almost too salty!!) cashewmilk peanut butter ice cream that's smooth and creamy. Little bittersweet drops of chocolate. And large chunks of double chocolate brownie. I would have been happier without the brownie, which is dry and frankly weird tasting. But the ice cream is very nice, though I did find it harder to scoop than the others, like it was too fragile when cold. It shattered more than scooped. Better to let this one warm up a bit before serving.
Cookies & Crème: This was my first attempt of their Wondermilk line. My first impression was not a positive one: The ice cream has a distinct coconut taste (and smell!) (and aftertaste!!) that doesn't really compliment the flavor, but more concerningly to me it has what can only be described as a spongy texture. It is neither smooth nor creamy. It's...chewy. It's even a little gritty, though part of that may be because of the cookie crumbs. The chocolate cookie pieces themselves are a nice medium size and are crisp and taste just like an Oreo, but there's little sign of any creme filling, and the ice cream, tasting mainly of coconut, doesn't fulfill that role either.
Yet somehow it grew on me??? My second and third servings weren't as off-putting as the first once I knew what to expect, and it wasn't a chore to finish off this pint. Still nowhere near as good as the oatmilk or cashewmilk ice creams, though. Also does it bother me that the name of this ice cream is styled in a different way than their chocolate cookies and cream? Yes. Yes it does.
Strawberry: This was my second try from their "Wondermilk" line, which instead of using any particular milk it spoofs one with a mix of water, coconut oil, and pea protein. This ice cream is smoother and creamier than the Wondermilk Cookies & Crème (see above), but I can't tell you what flavor it's supposed to be, and I don't think they know either: "Consider your mind blown with masterfully blended dairy-free ingredients and luscious strawberries swirled into a spoonful of sweet, sweet amazement." I'm sorry but amazement isn't a flavor. This has chunks of strawberry in it, which I think are the only source of strawberry flavor because this doesn't have a strong impression of strawberry about it. Instead, there's a distracting sense of coconut that made me feel like I was eating a strawberry piña colada paired with a faint chemical taste and then a strong coconut aftertaste. I won't be trying any more from this line.
Here are the results of a year-long trial, arranged in decreasing order of pleasingness. All of the following products are soy-free and certified GF and vegan.
The Best
Dipped Salted Caramel Bar: A tiny little treat dipped in really good chocolate that's not waxy or greasy at all and melts in your mouth, but also on your fingers if there's some on the stick, so watch out for that. The cashewmilk ice cream is smooth and creamy without a hint of coconut. The caramel swirl is thick and gooey and may be a bit maple forward, but is still really good. This is a real winner.
Current Ingredients: Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert (Cashewmilk [Filtered Water, Cashews], Cane Sugar, Organic Coconut Oil, Caramel Sauce [Organic Tapioca Syrup, Water, Pea Protein, Organic Molasses, Natural Flavor, Organic Cocoa Butter, Sodium Citrate, Salt, Pectin], Organic Tapioca Syrup, Pea Protein, Sea Salt, Locust Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Caramel Syrup, Natural Flavor), Chocolate Coating (Cane Sugar, Coconut Oil, Chocolate Liquor, Organic Sunflower Oil, Cocoa [Processed With Alkali], Cocoa Butter).
S'mores Oatmilk Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert: Still in the top five. Here's my original review from last year.
Salted Caramel Cluster: The cashewmilk ice cream is smooth and creamy. What flavor is it? Uh, sweet and white? Either vanilla or maybe caramel. The packaging refuses to divulge this information. The caramel swirl is, once again, maple forward, but gooey and tasty. The cluster is, recursively, cashews. There are also flakes of their delicious dark chocolate. This has a butter pecan vibe to it, and I liked it a lot.
Current Ingredients: Cashewmilk (Filtered Water, Cashews), Cane Sugar, Caramel Sauce (Organic Tapioca Syrup, Water, Pea Protein, Organic Molasses, Natural Flavor, Organic Cocoa Butter, Sodium Citrate, Salt, Pectin), Chocolate Chip (Cane Sugar, Organic Coconut Oil, Cocoa, Chocolate Liquor, Natural Vanilla Flavor), Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Roasted Cashews (Cashews, Canola Oil), Pea Protein, Sea Salt, Guar Gum, Natural Flavor, Locust Bean Gum.
Mint Chip: This is from their coconutmilk line, which I was reluctant to try because I don't enjoy being slammed in the face with a coconut, but there's really only a hint of coconut and this was very tasty with sweetly minty ice cream and nice dark chocolate flakes that aren't greasy or waxy. PLUS the ice cream is actually white!
Current Ingredients: Organic Coconutmilk (Filtered Water, Organic Coconut), Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Coconut Oil, Chocolate Chips (Cane Sugar, Organic Coconut Oil, Cocoa, Chocolate Liquor, Natural Vanilla Flavor), Organic Tapioca Syrup, Pea Protein, Locust Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Natural Mint Flavor.
Very Vanilla: Because of my luck with their cashewmilk ice creams, I dared to try this straight vanilla. It is as pleasingly smooth and creamy as the others, but the flavor is more maple than vanilla and it leaves a bit of an aftertaste. It also has the beige color you might expect from blended cashews. Still, it's perfectly edible straight, and it'd probably be great on top of some berry cobbler or next to a slice of apple pie, and it's very edible under some chocolate sauce.
Current Ingredients: Cashewmilk (Filtered Water, Cashews), Cane Sugar, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Pea Protein, Sea Salt, Guar Gum, Vanilla Extract, Natural Flavors, Locust Bean Gum.
The Rest
Chocolate Cookies 'N' Cream: Smooth and creamy chocolate ice cream with lots of chocolate flavor. The Oreo analogues are fine but really get lost in the ice cream as you can't really taste the cookies or the cream. I suspected as much and only tried it because it was in their cashewmilk line and their cashewmilk ice creams are really consistently nice, as was this.
Current Ingredients: Cashewmilk (Filtered Water, Cashews), Sugar, Creme Cookie (Cane Sugar, Tapioca Flour, Rice Flour, Palm Oil, Cocoa [Processed With Alkali], Organic Tapioca Syrup, Cassava Flour, Cocoa, Potato Flour, Salt, Sunflower Lecithin, Natural Flavor, Baking Soda, Xanthan Gum), Organic Coconut Oil, Cocoa (Processed With Alkali), Pea Protein, Sea Salt, Locust Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Natural Flavor.
Dark Chocolate Truffle: I'm so neutral on this one I wasn't sure how to rank it. Despite being from the cashewmilk line, the ice cream was hard to scoop and not particularly smooth or creamy as it's filled with chocolate chunks, making it...chunky. There are also dark spots of what the website assures me is "fudge." The flavor's okay, but I was too put off by the constant interruptions of the chocolate pieces.
Current Ingredients: Cashewmilk (Filtered Water, Cashews), Sugar, Organic Fudge Sauce (Organic Cane Sugar, Water, Organic Cocoa [Processed With Alkali], Organic Tapioca Starch, Organic Chocolate Liquor), Organic Coconut Oil, Chocolate Flake (Cane Sugar, Organic Coconut Oil, Cocoa, Chocolate Liquor, Natural Vanilla Flavor), Organic Cocoa (processed With Alkali), Organic Tapioca Syrup, Pea Protein, Sea Salt, Locust Bean Gum, Guar Gum.<
Chocolate Salted Caramel: Soft and scoopable oatmilk chocolate ice cream with chocolate flakes and a gooey caramel swirl. I do not pick out the salt. What this ice cream tastes overwhelmingly of is burnt. The caramel tastes like burnt sugar and the ice cream has a bitterness that reminds me of coffee, and the whole thing has a dark edge to it that is maybe trying to be sophisticated, but mostly just tastes burnt. Not necessarily in a bad way!! But in a way.
Current Ingredients: Oatmilk (Filtered Water, Whole Oat Flour), Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Organic Coconut Oil, Cane Sugar, Cocoa (Processed With Alkali), Pea Protein, Cocoa, Salt, Natural Flavor, Chocolate Liquor, Organic Molasses, Locust Bean Gum, Organic Cocoa Butter, Sodium Citrate, Guar Gum, Caramel Syrup, Pectin.
Peanut Butter Brownie: Sweet and salty (almost too salty!!) cashewmilk peanut butter ice cream that's smooth and creamy. Little bittersweet drops of chocolate. And large chunks of double chocolate brownie. I would have been happier without the brownie, which is dry and frankly weird tasting. But the ice cream is very nice, though I did find it harder to scoop than the others, like it was too fragile when cold. It shattered more than scooped. Better to let this one warm up a bit before serving.
Current Ingredients: Cashewmilk (Filtered Water, Cashews), Cane Sugar, Organic Coconut Oil, Peanuts, Rice Flour, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Peanut Oil, Invert Sugar, Palm Oil, Cocoa, Pea Protein, Sea Salt, Cocoa (Processed With Alkali), Chocolate Liquor, Canola Oil, Guar Gum, Locust Bean Gum, Salt, Natural Flavor, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla Extract.
Cookies & Crème: This was my first attempt of their Wondermilk line. My first impression was not a positive one: The ice cream has a distinct coconut taste (and smell!) (and aftertaste!!) that doesn't really compliment the flavor, but more concerningly to me it has what can only be described as a spongy texture. It is neither smooth nor creamy. It's...chewy. It's even a little gritty, though part of that may be because of the cookie crumbs. The chocolate cookie pieces themselves are a nice medium size and are crisp and taste just like an Oreo, but there's little sign of any creme filling, and the ice cream, tasting mainly of coconut, doesn't fulfill that role either.
Yet somehow it grew on me??? My second and third servings weren't as off-putting as the first once I knew what to expect, and it wasn't a chore to finish off this pint. Still nowhere near as good as the oatmilk or cashewmilk ice creams, though. Also does it bother me that the name of this ice cream is styled in a different way than their chocolate cookies and cream? Yes. Yes it does.
Current Ingredients: Filtered Water, Organic Cane Sugar, Creme Cookie (Cane Sugar, Tapioca Flour, Rice Flour, Palm Oil, Cocoa [Processed With Alkali], Organic Tapioca Syrup, Cassava Flour, Cocoa, Potato Flour, Salt, Sunflower Lecithin, Natural Flavor, Baking Soda, Xanthan Gum), Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Organic Sunflower Oil, Rice Starch, Pea Protein, Sea Salt, Guar Gum, Natural Flavors, Locust Bean Gum, Vanilla Extract.
Strawberry: This was my second try from their "Wondermilk" line, which instead of using any particular milk it spoofs one with a mix of water, coconut oil, and pea protein. This ice cream is smoother and creamier than the Wondermilk Cookies & Crème (see above), but I can't tell you what flavor it's supposed to be, and I don't think they know either: "Consider your mind blown with masterfully blended dairy-free ingredients and luscious strawberries swirled into a spoonful of sweet, sweet amazement." I'm sorry but amazement isn't a flavor. This has chunks of strawberry in it, which I think are the only source of strawberry flavor because this doesn't have a strong impression of strawberry about it. Instead, there's a distracting sense of coconut that made me feel like I was eating a strawberry piña colada paired with a faint chemical taste and then a strong coconut aftertaste. I won't be trying any more from this line.
Current Ingredients: Filtered Water, Organic Cane Sugar, Strawberries, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Organic Sunflower Oil, Rice Starch, Pea Protein, Sea Salt, Guar Gum, Locust Bean Gum, Natural Flavor, Pectin, Xanthan Gum.
Congratulations
Date: 2024-04-25 09:09 pm (UTC)on a year's very hard work! We appreciate the research, and reading between the lines, it seems like some pints were a chore to finish.
Re: Congratulations
From:no subject
Date: 2024-04-25 11:00 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2024-04-26 11:32 am (UTC)Only slightly envious of the sheer range of options you have! Locally, there appears to be hazelnut and something (might be chocolate? I don't have any to check, because this is absolutely the best, and runs out within a week of purchase), two soy based options -- vanilla and chocolate, and a range of fruit sorbets which manage to have the Wrong texture and the flavour doesn't balance it for me.
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2024-06-02 01:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From: