If Your Tummy Can’t Deal With Traditional Ice Cream, Beckon Is THE Brand for You
When it comes to ice creams, I'm willing to try just about anything.
Whether it's low-fat, low-sugar, plant-based or whatever else, it's all worth a shot, and creative brands are getting more and more innovative with making odd variations taste as close as possible to the real thing—even if sometimes, they don't quite reach that goal.
When the folks behind Beckon Ice Cream reached out and told me about their full dairy, yet lactose-free, ice cream offerings, I was instantly curious. They sent me five pints in five different flavors, and here's everything I've since discovered about the brand.
The Brand
Beckon claims to be the first premium lactose-free ice cream made with real full-dairy milk and cream. Thanks to the addition of the natural enzyme lactase, their ice cream is lactose-free, without the addition of any gums or additives.
Why go lactose-free? Well, up to 50 million Americans can't enjoy traditional ice creams without discomfort because of gut-related conditions, such as lactose intolerance. Beckon is made specifically with those people in mind.
I was sent pints of the Vanilla, Mint Chip, Cookies & Sweet Cream, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Sea Salt Chocolate Chip flavors, but the brand also has Dark Chocolate Brownie, Peanut Butter Cup, Chocolate and Espresso flavors. And though I haven't (yet) had the chance to try them myself, Beckon also just dropped new single-serve snack cups with toppings inside the lid. Flavors include Vanilla With Rainbow Sprinkles, Dark Chocolate Brownie with Chocolate Cookie Gems and Mint Chip With Chocolate Cream Cookie Crumbs.
Beckon is available in some stores, as well as online, though their online order minimum is set at $60. Pints retail for $10 each, while quarts are $14 apiece—for twice the ice cream!
The Flavors
Vanilla
When I want to know the quality of an ice cream brand, I always look at their vanilla, first. It's the most basic, classic flavor, and yet it can be pretty difficult to get just right—and Beckon nails it. This vanilla ice cream is so rich and creamy, with a smooth flavor that beautifully complements everything from apple pie to root beer in a float. It's also really good on its own. And while I'm not lactose intolerant, I do tend to get an upset stomach if I eat too much ice cream all at once. I was able to eat basically the whole pint by myself without a grumbly tummy.
(via Beckon Ice Cream)
Mint Chip
With the Mint Chip ice cream, it was love at first bite. This ice cream's bold peppermint flavor was actually a little bit stronger than I'm used to, but that actually worked in its favor. That sharp mint plays well with the sweetness of the ice cream, and with the crunchy and abundant chocolate chips sprinkled throughout, it made this pint all too easy to scarf down. Unlike most mint ice creams, it's not dyed a bright green color just for show, and again, I had zero stomach issues after eating it. In fact, none of the flavors did.
(via Beckon Ice Cream)
Cookies & Sweet Cream
I was very much looking forward to trying Beckon's Cookies & Sweet Cream flavor, and I wasn't disappointed. Not only do they not skimp on the cookie pieces—they are ample—but they are super chocolatey and delicious, and contrast well with the sweetness of the sweet cream. Eating this ice cream is a lot like dipping your favorite sandwich cookie in a tall, cold glass of milk. I seriously can't get enough.
(via Beckon Ice Cream)
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
By the time I got to the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor, I had confidence that it would exceed expectations, and again, it absolutely did. There's no lack of cookie dough bites heavily sprinkled throughout this ice cream, and they're the perfect combination of rich cookie flavor with the smallest hint of salt, working so well with the surrounding vanilla ice cream. Basically, if you like cookie dough ice cream, this one's going to tick all of your boxes.
(via Beckon Ice Cream)
Sea Salt Chocolate Chip
The Sea Salt Chocolate Chip flavor was the last that I tried, making me wonder why I've never seen this flavor before. It is so good, with a little bit if sea salt adding complexity to both the vanilla ice cream and the plentiful chocolate chips embedded inside. Of all of the flavors, my family guzzled this one down the fastest—and has us tempted to add salt to all of our favorite ice cream flavors.
(via Beckon Ice Cream)
Bottom Line
If I were to do a blind taste test, I would have zero clue that this Beckon ice cream was lactose-free. It's super tasty and comes in perfectly formulated flavors, and as long as you give it a few minutes to thaw on a counter before digging in, the texture is incredibly creamy and smooth. It also left me with no stomach issues whatsoever, which maybe isn't so great if you're counting calories, but is great if you're sick and tired of getting an upset tummy after digging into your favorite ice creams. Of course, all of this comes at the cost of $10 per pint—so whether that sounds worth it is entirely up to you!
You can also use the store locator HERE to find out if Beckon Ice Cream is available in stores near you.
Love discovering new and unusual types of ice cream? Click HERE to find out about my favorite vegan ice cream brand, Brave Robot.