I Tried Whole Foods’ Crowdsourced Ice Cream Flavor and It Was Well Worth the Wait

As The Kitchn’s non-official (but official) ice cream taste tester I am always up for trying new ice cream things. As a result, I am always excited about any new releases that are hitting shelves or are on their way to them. And the brand piquing my interest this time around? Whole Foods.

On National Ice Cream Day last year, the brand revealed its first-ever crowdsourced ice cream flavor: Almondmilk Birthday Blondie! Okay, technically it’s called a frozen dessert since it’s made with almond milk to make it vegan, but you know what I mean. It finally arrived on shelves in mid-April and I got the opportunity to try it out! 

In general, birthday cake flavors lean on the sweeter side. What matters to me is how powerful the sweetness is. This ice cream was definitely sweet, but the almond milk helped keep the sweetness balanced without taking away from that classic birthday cake flavor. Inside the ice cream, you get pieces of birthday cake blondies from Greyston Bakery. This was my main disappointment because the blondie bits were not quite as substantial and/or firm. They were more underbaked and gooey in my pint. But, that is a personal blondie preference. 

Since ice cream scoopability is an important factor to consider (look, it gets you your ice cream faster), I’d like to note that this did well. I dislike pints because scooping can be challenging, but this ice cream is very scoopable. In fact, it’s so scoopable that when I first tried to get some out, I over-estimated my strength and a scoop went flying across the floor. It was TRAGIC.

So, did I enjoy it? Yes, but if it came down to choosing between a dairy and non-dairy option, I’m going to lean towards dairy because I could still taste the difference. Overall though, it still tasted good and if you’re vegan or lactose intolerant or not a fan of cow’s milk, this is definitely a top contender for your frozen treat needs.