Many people assume that when you become vegan, you'll forever miss out on all the dairy-filled fun that all the non-vegans still get to have. From here on out, the kind of fun you grew up with on hot summer days, the kind of fun that came in a chocolate-vanilla swirl adorned with brightly colored rainbow sprinkles, the kind of fun that melted down the sides of your waffle cone and left your hands covered in a sweet, sticky mess.. it's gone. That kind of fun has left the building, only leaving you with sadness, regret, despair, and some severely intense frozen dessert cravings. Sigh.
Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss products are a must for vegans and those with dairy-allergies everywhere. This is by far my absolute favorite vegan ice cream brand on the market right now - and it's about to be yours, too. Somehow, someway, they have managed to concoct the most delicious dairy-free ice creams I have ever tasted in my life. They're also entirely gluten- and soy-free, yet don't compromise on taste or texture at all.
The secret? Coconut milk plays the key component in the ice cream's base, leaving it just as creamy, sweet and delicious as it's dairy-based counterpart. It currently comes in 15 different flavors, such as Chocolate Walnut Brownie (pictured above), Naked Coconut, Vanilla Island, Cappuccino, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cherry Amaretto, and my personal favorite, Salted Caramel & Chocolate (also pictured above). SO. GOOD.
Let's move on to the review:
FLAVOR: ★★★★★ (5/5)
The Chocolate Walnut Brownie as well as the Salted Caramel & Chocolate tasted AMAZING, though both did have hints of coconut flavor. (I love coconut, so this wasn't a problem for me!) The Chocolate Walnut Brownie paired deliciously with the coconut flavor, but the Salted Caramel & Chocolate was a PHENOMENAL combination, especially with the saltiness from the caramel - mmmm. How can you possibly go wrong with salted caramel, chocolate, and coconut?!
TEXTURE: ★★★★★ (5/5)
The texture was PERFECT in both varieties, but especially for the Salted Caramel & Chocolate. The variety in texture from the brownies and walnut chunks in the Chocolate Walnut Brownie made it even more delicious, though I would have appreciated a few more brownie chunks thrown in there - they were so fudgey!
I really adored the creaminess as well as the swirls of thick caramel and chocolate in the Salted Caramel & Chocolate. Every spoonful was DECADENT and left me especially wanting more of the caramel swirl.
Both varieties lacked nothing in texture and tasted identical in texture to their dairy counterpart. Wow!
AUTHENTICITY: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
If you don't mind the coconut flavor and are looking for a seriously good replacement to dairy ice cream, I think I've found your fix. I'm 99.9% sure that if you threw this into a sundae or onto a non-vegan's ice cream cone, they'd have no idea it wasn't dairy unless you told them! The creamy, smooth texture is identical to that of dairy ice cream. The coconut is fairly obvious though, so do take note!
COST: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
Coming in at about $7/8 a pint, this ice cream is pricey - even for vegan ice cream. Typically this ice cream serves as a treat for a special occasion (like this upcoming Valentine's Day!) as it's far too pricey to be buying every week or so.
(Consider, however, that a custom large serving of dairy ice cream with mix-ins at Cold Stone Creamery can be just as expensive for ONE single serving of ice cream, so personally I don't mind the price when I want a vegan ice cream fix.)
AVAILABILITY: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
I'm always able to find this brand at my local Whole Foods as well as other specialty health food stores, though have yet to see it at my local Kroger, Mejier, or other large grocery store chains in my hometown. (availability will vary by state)
OVERALL PERSONAL RATING: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
The actual product is amazing - creamy, flavorful, and so similar to the "real" thing! It's one of my favorite products and I'm absolutely obsessed. However, I do wish it was available in more chain grocery stores nearby (hopefully one day it will be!) and that it wasn't so pricey - even though you're paying for the quality of the product, which is pretty amazing. Minimal complaints here!!
NON-VEGAN RATING: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
This was averaged right down the middle. I had two non-vegan friends both try it and got two COMPLETELY different responses (both tried the Salted Caramel & Chocolate). The first friend tried it and thought it was DELICIOUS - then proceeded to steal spoonfuls from my pint when I wasn't looking. Then another non-vegan friend took a spoonful, but she almost spit hers out. She absolutely did NOT like the coconut flavor (or the combination of all the flavors for that matter).
Later on I purchased a pint of the Chocolate Walnut Brownie flavor and both my mother as well as my sister tried a few spoonfuls. My mother, who isn't a fan of most vegan products (but adores coconut), thought it was only OK - nothing special and certainly nothing she would go out of her way to eat again. However, my sister absolutely adored everything about it, especially the coconut flavor. That, my friends, leaves me with a very tightly-tied average 3/5 stars. Oh well!
(understandably, if coconut isn't one of your most preferred flavors... this ice cream may not be for you, but I think it's definitely worth a shot!)
What do you think? Have you tried any of the Coconut Bliss varieties, and if so, which ones? Let me know and leave me a comment below - I'm on the prowl for my next new favorite flavor..
..though I'm pretty sure they're all bound to be my favorites, haha!
Click HERE for the Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss website for a list of all products as well as all flavors available for the Coconut Bliss ice cream pints.
Happy (non-dairy) Ice Cream hunting!
- xoxo, The Friendly Foodie ♥
No comments:
Post a Comment