EDITOR’S NOTE: View a roundup of products in Aldi’s Earth Grown vegan line here.
If you want alternatives to traditional ice cream — whether you’re looking for keto ice cream or non-dairy vegan ice cream — Aldi does not disappoint. The latest ice cream substitute to roll down the pipeline is a non-dairy frozen dessert based on coconut milk.
Earth Grown Vegan Coconut Milk Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts cost $2.99 for one pint (473 mL) at the time of publication. Each pint contains three 2/3 cup servings. These desserts are Aldi Finds (Special Buys), which means they’re only in stores for a short time, and then they’re gone for the foreseeable future.
The coconut milk ice cream comes in three flavors: chocolate peanut butter, mint chocolate chip, and raspberry cheesecake. They’re certified vegan through vegan.org and are also kosher.
All of these desserts have a slight coconut flavor or aftertaste, but that is to be expected, and I didn’t think it was that strong. These also are spot-on when it comes to resembling the texture of traditional dairy ice cream, and they are easy to scoop.
Nutritionally, compared to regular ice cream options at Aldi such as the Belmont brand, these are a bit high in saturated fat, especially the chocolate peanut butter flavor at 44% of your daily limit and the mint chocolate chip at 51% of your daily limit. That’s because of the coconut milk these are made with, which is naturally high in saturated fat. If you need dairy-free ice cream, though, this might not be a deal breaker. Or, another good non-dairy option that is lower in saturated fat is Aldi’s almond milk-based ice cream, which I’ve seen recently as a Seasonal Favorite in some of my local stores.
I found part of the ingredients list to be unclear for these desserts. The first ingredient for all flavors is listed as coconut milk. Then, in parenthesis, it lists filtered water, tapioca maltodextrin, acacia gum as the components of the coconut milk. However, in that breakdown of what goes into the coconut milk, it does not actually list anything having to do with coconuts. By contrast, the So Delicious brand of coconut milk ice cream lists coconut milk as its primary ingredient, and in parentheses it lists filtered water and organic coconut as the ingredients in the organic coconut milk. It’s possible I’m missing something, but on the face of it I find the ingredients a little confusing.
In addition, as is often the case with vegan products, this vegan ice cream also has more processed ingredients and additives compared to traditional ice cream. These vegan flavors contain ingredients such as maltodextrin and/or dextrose (made from corn), mono- and diglycerides, guar gum, and natural flavors. If you want ice cream made with whole, easily identifiable ingredients, Aldi sells a super premium ice cream.
Read on for details on each of the flavors.
Earth Grown Vegan Coconut Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
In terms of taste, this is a solid choice, with good chocolate flavor and plenty of large, thick chocolate flakes that add a bit of crunch or texture, along with a few chunks or small ribbons of peanut butter. There’s not a ton of peanut butter in this dessert, with some family members remarking that they wished there was a little more peanut butter while other members said it was adequate. When you do get a bite of peanut butter, you’ll definitely know it, and it’s good.
Ingredients are coconut milk (filtered water, tapioca maltodextrin, acacia gum), invert sugar (citric acid, sugar water), dextrose, chocolatey flakes (cane sugar, cocoa [processed with alkali], coconut oil, sunflower oil, sunflower lecithin, and natural flavors), peanut butter, chicory fiber, coconut oil, maltodextrin, cocoa (processed with alkali), mono- and digylcerides, canola oil, carob gum, Himalayan salt, guar gum, and natural flavors.
This contains peanuts and tree nuts (coconut).
Nutrition info and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
Nutrition info and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
One 2/3 cup serving (93 grams) has 220 calories, 13 grams of total fat (17% DV), 9 grams of saturated fat (44% DV), 70 mg of sodium (3% DV), 24 grams of total carbohydrates (9% DV), 6 grams of dietary fiber (21% DV), 15 grams of total sugars, 13 grams of added sugars (26% DV), and 3 grams
Earth Grown Vegan Coconut Milk Mint Chocolate Chip Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
This has a different taste. At first, the combination of mint and faint coconut flavor seemed kind of odd, but it grew on me after a couple of spoonfuls. This does have plenty of good-sized chocolate pieces.
Ingredients are coconut milk (filtered water, tapioca maltodextrin, acacia gum), chocolatey flakes (cane sugar, cocoa [processed with alkali], coconut oil, sunflower oil, sunflower lecithin, natural flavors), dextrose, chicory fiber, cane sugar, coconut oil, maltodextrin, invert sugar (citric acid, cane sugar, filtered water), mono- and digylcerides, carob gum, Himalayan salt, and guar gum.
This contains tree nuts (coconut).
Nutrition info and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
Nutrition info and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
A 2/3 cup serving has 170 calories, 11 grams of total fat (15% DV), 10 grams of saturated fat (51% DV), 20 mg of sodium (1% DV), 26 grams of total carbohydrates (10% DV), 6 grams of dietary fiber (21% DV), 18 grams of total sugars, 16 grams of added sugars (33% DV), and less than 1 gram of protein.
Earth Grown Vegan Coconut Milk Raspberry Cheesecake Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
This has classic cheesecake flavor with bits of graham cracker crust, and some family members really liked the raspberry goo ribbons interspersed in this dessert. It’s also the lowest in calories of all the coconut milk ice cream flavors.
Ingredients are coconut milk (filtered water, tapioca maltodextrin, acacia gum), cane sugar, dextrose, chicory fiber, coconut oil, graham crackers (graham flour, sugar, wheat flour, molasses, baking soda, cinnamon, malted barley flour, salt, and soy lecithin), maltodextrin, invert sugar (citric acid, cane sugar), filtered water, glucose, natural flavors, raspberries, mono- and diglycerides, carob gum, citric acid, Himalayan salt, guar gum, and pectin.
This contains soy, wheat, and tree nuts (coconut).
Nutrition info and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
Nutrition info and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
One 2/3 cup serving has 150 calories, 8 grams of total fat (11% DV), 7 grams of saturated fat (37% DV), 25 mg of sodium (1% DV), 28 grams of total carbohydrates (10% DV), 5 grams of dietary fiber (19% DV), 19 grams of total sugars, 14 grams of added sugars (27% DV), and less than 1 gram of protein.
The Verdict:
Earth Grown Vegan Coconut Milk Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts are ice cream for those who want to avoid dairy products. We’re not quite sure what to make of the ingredients, but as far as taste goes these are good. My family’s favorite flavors were chocolate peanut butter and raspberry cheesecake.
