It’s been hovering in the upper 90s here in Atlanta, and weather like this makes me crave ice cream like no other. This year, I’m on the hunt for my favorite vegan ice cream! The plan is to try new pints each week and share my findings right here. I know, it’s a tough life I’ve got.
OK, confession: We had a strange temperature drop over the weekend, but I remained dedicated to my quest. This is in the name of science, after all!
I got adventurous this week and picked up a pint of organic, gluten free Banana Fudge ice cream from Good Karma. Like the Purely Decadent last week, this one is not soy-based, but it isn’t soy free, either.
On Monday night the Lady Rogue Business Network, local underground supperclub Rogue Apron’s business-oriented spin-off, hosted a Bring Your Own Pint Ice Cream Social. What better opportunity to try out a new ice cream and see what other folks thought?
The Stats
- Ingredients: organic rice milk, organic dehydrated cane juice, organic banana flavor (organic banana, organic evaporated cane juice, salt, ascorbic acid), organic chocolate fudge (organic dehydrated cane juice, water, dutch cocoa powder, tapioca starch, natural flavors, salt and carageenan), organic sunflower and/or canola and/or safflower oil, chicory root extract, organic tapioca starch, organic locust bean gum, natural flavor, soy protein concentrate, organic guar gum, carageenan, xanthan gum, soy lecithin, citric acid, natural color, sea salt
- Calories per 1/2 cup: 150
- Total fat per 1/2 cup: 6g
- Total saturated fat per 1/2 cup: 0g
- Total fiber per 1/2 cup: 1g
- 1/2 cup contains: 2% of your calcium and 2% of your iron (based on a 2000 calorie diet)
- Price: $3.99 per pint
The Verdict
This pint was lower in fat and calories than either of the previous sorts I tasted, but it also had the longest ingredient list. Part of the reason for that is the flavor I chose. Take out the banana and fudge, and the ingredients are a lot less daunting to read through. The number of organic ingredients is pretty impressive, too! Who knew that you could find organic locust bean gum?
Not too many people tried this one. I heard a lot of folks saying that they don’t like banana-flavored things as they reached for pints of mint chocolate chip. No worries…that meant more for me! It’s probably for the best that the banana-haters didn’t try this ice cream, because the banana taste was pretty powerful. It still had that gentle sweetness that you’d expect from a rice milk ice cream, but the main thing I tasted was BANANA. Sort of a shame, because I could see the fudge in there but could barely taste the chocolate!
This ice cream is definitely worth another shot in another flavor. The Mudd Pie sounds intriguing: coffee ice cream with chunks of almond and chocolate chip cookies!
If you want to pick up a pint, check the Good Karma store locator to find a retailer! Good Karma makes rice milk and all sorts of rice-creamy dessert treats.
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I have tried the Carrot Cake flavor in this brand and found it pretty sweet but quite yummy. My only disappointment was that it is manufactured on equipment that also produces milk products, a no-no for those with a diary allergy.