The Aldi Ice Cream That's Basically A Halo Top Copycat

Halo Top wasn't the first company to offer so-called healthy, low-calorie ice cream alternatives (we see you, Skinny Cow), and it certainly won't be the last. Case in point: Aldi's low-calorie, high-protein ice cream. Products from the Sundae Shoppe line, which offers regular ice creams as well, these pints proudly bear the calories and protein content contained in each pint, similar to Halo Top. 

Like Halo Top, Sundae Shoppe's high-protein frozen desserts are labeled "light ice creams," which generally refers to lower fat content. To reduce fat content, Halo Top uses skim milk rather than full-fat or cream as its main dairy component. However, Aldi lists both milk and cream as its primary ingredients. Yet, they both rely on milk protein concentrate, which is extracted from skim milk. This gives the ice cream that signature protein boost without adding much lactose. The other key similarity between these two high-protein ice creams is their use of erythritol. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol and tastes deceptively similar to regular sugar but only has .24 calories per gram compared to sugar's four calories per gram. This helps to significantly reduce carbohydrates and calories for both ice cream brands.

Many think Aldi's low-fat ice cream tastes similar to Halo Top, too. However, Sundae Shoppe has fewer flavors, offering only three varieties: chocolate, vanilla bean, and mint chip. One Reddit user says, "I think it's creamier than Halo Top," which is great if the crumbly dryness of light ice cream puts you off of low-calorie options. Another called it a "good Halo Top dupe."

As similar as these two high-protein, light ice creams may seem, they have a couple of key differences. For instance, Aldi's high-protein vanilla bean flavor contains 240 calories and 20 grams of protein per pint, while Halo Top's contains 50 more calories and 1 gram less protein. Aldi's chocolate variety offers slightly fewer calories and a few more grams of protein than Halo Top's. The biggest difference is in the mint chip offering. Aldi's contains 280 calories and 20 grams of protein, while Halo Top has 50 more calories and four fewer grams of protein per pint.