Haagen Dazs minis review: Vanilla, Dulce de Leche, Chocolate Peanut Butter

Mini size 3.6 oz, retails $1.79, on sale $1.

Gone far too quickly. Hard to make in-depth assessment as the 14 oz pints. For those, I usually like to save half.

Did not have high expectations for these flavors. But actually, liked all.

Vanilla

Thought of as the more boring (and original, earlier) counterpart to Haagen Dazs Vanilla Bean. But actually, quite nice. Not bland. Has a distinct, but also soft and mellow vanilla flavor, with some custard notes.

Uses Madagascar vanilla, same as their Vanilla Bean flavor. It has 36% (25 grams total) added sugars per 2/3 cup compared to the 44% (28 grams total) of Vanilla Bean. I think this vanilla still has a sweetness to it but probably less so than Vanilla Bean.

I thought this could be a Sweet Cream tasting ice cream, but I think it recognizably tastes of vanilla. I haven’t actually tried a Sweet Cream ice cream before though.

• RATING – 8/10. In some ways I prefer HD Vanilla to Vanilla Bean, as it’s got a little less sweetness. I think I like them in different ways. Think of this one as a pleasant background flavor.

Dulce De Leche

“Rich caramel ice cream with thick, milky Dulce de Leche ribbons.”

The caramel ice cream sort of tasted like sweetened condensed milk to me. I actually thought the Dulce de Leche ribbons was the caramel. But googling, Dulce de Leche is not caramel, but slowly simmered and browned milk and sugar.

Regardless, in my misconception I thought this was the best caramel ribbon ever. Such a bold, but also sweet, deep and mellow flavor. Awesome! I might not have had Dulce de Leche before, but I have enjoyed sweetened condensed milk on shaved ice before, and it’s a similar but deeper flavor.

• RATING: 8.5/10. I love this caramel-like flavor of the ribbon. No artificial flavors detected!

Chocolate Peanut Butter

I’ve heard a lot about this flavor on Good Mythical Morning, as they like their peanut butter ice cream and this one is a top pick of theirs.

I was not really expecting the peanut butter of this mini cup to be frozen, like to the point of snapping. I probably haven’t had many ice creams with peanut butter swirl. I assumed it would have a soft, sticky texture like peanut butter. Is this not usually the case?

Anyway, despite its unexpected texture, the peanut had excellent peanut butter taste. Deep, hearty, rich. Yum.

I actually liked the chocolate base too. Not as rich or as sweet as Ben and Jerry’s chocolate base ice creams. More on the milky side. But at least in this mini size, quite nice to me.

• RATING: 8/10. I am not sure what I would think of this ice cream in a pint. But that is some tasty peanut butter, even if the texture isn’t what I thought.

Other Recommendations

• Haagen Dazs – Vanilla Bean. More fragrant. Sweeter.
• Ben and Jerry’s – Vanilla. Similar mild vanilla taste. But more heightened milk fat taste. And sooooo dense.

• Blue Bell – Homemade Vanilla. If you want to go all in on that custard, amber vanilla taste. But don’t mind an airier ice cream.

• Kroger’s Private Selection – Tres Leche Cake. A lighter caramel taste in the swirl. Sweet, but lighter condensed milk base. And large, chewy cake pieces for days!