GoodPop/Ore-Ida Ice Cream Review: This Odd Flavor Pairing Is A Match Made In Dessert Heaven

French fries dipped in ice cream is a food fascination that curious eaters have been experimenting with for generations. But it took a 21^st century food producer's imagination to add fries to a premade ice cream creation and turn the surprisingly satisfying combination into a store-bought confection. The mindful ice cream designers at GoodPop have partnered with the frozen vegetable masterminds at Ore-Ida to create the Fudge N' Vanilla French Fry Pop, a limited-edition invention that wraps up the best of both brands in a unified sweet on a stick.

If you're having a "why didn't someone think of this sooner" moment, you aren't alone. When we heard these twisted treats were hitting the market, we were intrigued enough to give them a test run without a second thought. With GoodPop recipes addressing some diets via vegan and gluten-free ingredients, plus the possibility of French fries going soggy when embedded in ice cream, we thought that the mixture could go mind-bogglingly wrong ... or brain-bendingly right. We had to know which side of the freezer this creation landed on. Was it the one where the cool kids get the superior snacks they're searching for, or the one where ice cream fans get frozen out for daring to expect great things? Here's what we found.

Maybe the most surprising aspect of these GoodPop goodies — yes, even more than the inclusion of French fries — is that the bars are both dairy- and gluten-free. This means that many eaters with expectations can indulge without worry, a considerate move for a company dedicated to making better sweets. The rich vanilla ice cream is made with extra-creamy oat milk, which we found to be an impeccable replication of traditional dairy-based ice cream. The coating is a blend of chocolate and cacao, creating depth and complexity you might expect from premium treats made by Dove or Magnum. And the sugar and vanilla used in the ice cream are fair trade ingredients, a bonus reason for anyone looking to give GoodPop a go.

Giving eaters with restrictions a seat at the ice cream counter isn't a new angle for GoodPop. The company's ethos supports sustainability in food production by featuring fair trade cane sugar and vanilla extract and uses organic oats, sunflower oil, cacao nibs, and pea protein, among other organic components. It's also a certified B Corporation, making it clear the company goes out of its way to make a frozen dessert with a conscience.

GoodPop creations are something of a first-class selection, meaning these are specialty frozen delights created with a conscience that puts the price squarely in the second-tier range. Similar GoodPop specialty treats are listed at $4.49 at Kroger and $6.99 at Sprouts, though Fudge n' Vanilla French Fry Pops will currently ring up at $9.99 for four pops. They can be shipped directly from GoodPop.com, and if the packaging is anything like what we encountered, orders will be well-protected from the summer swelter for intact delivery.

Compare the $9.99 price for four of these GoodPop bars with the $8.99 or so you'll pay in stores for six Magnum bars. Yes, you get two extra bars for a dollar less. But you also get potentially unfavorable ingredients like high fructose corn syrup (GoodPops uses cane sugar) and you'll be missing out on GoodPop's nine organic ingredients, trading them in favor of the same old stuff found in just about every high and low-quality ice cream in the freezer section. If you're going to pay more, shouldn't you be getting something better? GoodPop seems to think so.

GoodPop isn't playing it safe when it comes to promoting this potentially sweet sensation. The company is making sure these pops pop up just in time for National Ice Cream Day on July 21, which not coincidentally hits the calendar squarely in the sweltering heat of summer, at least as far as much of the northern hemisphere is concerned. Is there any better inspiration for testing out a brand-new ice cream invention than the total dog days of summer, when temperatures can hit 100 degrees or higher around the U.S.?

Though you can find other GoodPop items in Kroger, Walmart, and possibly other grocery chains, there's no indication that Fudge n' Vanilla French Fry Pops are currently available anywhere other than at the GoodPop.com website. If this one-shop-only approach is designed to draw maximum buzz for these bodacious bites, then anyone interested should be ready to hop online and place an order as soon as possible so they don't miss out.

Click around the GoodPop website and you'll find all sorts of classic cold storage creations made using more modern recipes. These include an extension of its Creamy collection of old-fashioned ice cream pops with all the questionable elements removed and all the fun parts left in. Other items in the collection include Fudge n' Caramel Crunch, Fudge n' Vanilla Crunch, both of which have chocolate shells studded with crispy cacao nibs, in contrast to the fries used in this new variation.

And speaking of the fries used here ... your first impression upon hearing that there's an ice cream bar covered in French fries somewhere out in the world is sure to be different from the actual product. Namely, rather than using soggy full-sized fries, Ore-Ida offers up shoestring potatoes for its contribution, a move that provides slivers of salty, crispy French fry goodness that adhere neatly to the chocolate coating. It's a bit of food craft cleverness that lets the fries occupy their own sphere without crowding the surface. It also makes for a much more attractive appearance, an important factor for anyone who eats with their eyes first — which is pretty much everyone.

Considering the quick-and-easy composition of many frosted sweets on the market, it's a red-letter day when you find popsicles made with high-quality ingredients that have a more modest impact on your dietary goals. GoodPop keep nutrition in mind with its organic, dairy-, nut-, and gluten-free ingredients, as well as its rather sensible portion sizing that gives careful eaters reason to celebrate. The crispy potatoes embedded in the coating of Fudge n' Vanilla Pops takes the plant-based concept a step further, incorporating actual vegetables into the design.

Potatoes aren't the only plant element you'll find worked into the formula, either. With pea protein and oat milk as featured players, this pop is practically a salad on a stick (okay ... that's an exaggeration). There's an easy-to-digest nutritional rundown here, with 160 calories per pop and a small but present protein boost to balance out the 10 grams of fat from coconut, sunflower, and vegetable oils (in the potatoes). And at nine grams of sugar, you'll be taking in about 18% of your recommended daily allowance — not bad considering what similar desserts put on the plate.

There's nothing about GoodPop and Ore-Ida Fudge n' Vanilla French Fry Pops that doesn't scream "elegant treat." Even the modest size makes the pops feel like a premium goodie made more for grown-ups than the kiddie crowd. The solid wall of bittersweet chocolate seems impenetrable upon first bite, but well worth breaking through. Beneath that was a creamy oat milk ice cream robed in a thick layer of dairy-free dark chocolate, itself studded with crispy shreds of fried potato that lend crunch and saltiness, if not full-fledged potato flavor. That's fine, though. The combination is still sublime, presenting a rich mix of flavors and textures that give your teeth plenty to chew on and your tastebuds a ton to enjoy.

Since these pops are a limited edition prodcut rather than a regular part of the GoodPop line-up, anyone who finds themselves intrigued by the prospect of pre-dipped French fries in a chocolate-vanilla mix should scoop them up while they're on the market. Who knows if they'll make a return appearance in the future Something this special deserves all the attention it can get while it's still fresh and hot — er, fresh and frozen, rather.

We received a package of Fudge n' Vanilla French Fry Pops from the folks at GoodPop in exchange for an unbiased review. Knowing the parcel would be traveling through the ever-growing summer heat made the wait tenuous, with nightmares of melted goo possibly complicating the timeline dancing in our heads. Fortunately, the pops were intact upon arrival and ready to be photographed and taste-tested.

Not realizing the fries would be bite-sized crisps, we fully expect to find full-sized French fries either stuck to the coating or embedded in the ice cream. It was a relief to find the fries in potato crisp form, a natural extension of the usual peanut- or toffee-based toppings used on similar bars. To give the pops a fair shake, we tried the one-bite test, carefully sampling the chocolate, fries, and ice cream separately to gauge their contributions. Once we knew how delicious it was, we devoured the rest of the bar within minutes, a testament to their quality and a lead-in to an easily written review.