by Rae Frey

Welcome back to another edition of our Vegan Ice Cream Taste Test. If you missed our first blog post, you can read it here to catch up on why we are on this ultimate quest for vegan ice cream. This week we take a look at a local favorite, by CHLOE!

*Please note that our review does not reflect the views of New York University or the Office of Sustainability. We are a bunch of college students who are looking for a good time and love nature.

Around NYU’s campus are a plethora of vegan and vegetarian-friendly restaurants including the well-known chain, by CHLOE. by CHLOE offers an expansive all-vegan menu with classic meals like their Quinoa Taco Salad, Mac & Cheese, and Guac Burger. Recently they opened up ‘Sweets by Chloe’ right next door to their Bleecker Street location and along with that, joined forces with Alchemy Creamery (a local vegan ice cream company) to create a wide variety of ice cream flavors that are visually stunning. Many of us in the office have loved by CHLOE’s for their delicious vegan fast food, so we were all super curious to try their ice cream!

 

Sustainability

Overall, by CHLOE really hits a home run in the environmental department. They are very thoughtful about their products from start to finish in terms of where their ingredients come from and their packaging. For those in the NYC/Northeast area of the United States, by CHLOE is a very sustainable option for our region.

Packaging: When we picked up the ice cream at their store, it was great to see that all the pints came in all-recyclable packaging. Many ice cream pints are from Tetra Paks, meaning that they are made from a number of components that are layered together and synthesized. Tetra Pak is extremely hard to recycle since it’s nearly impossible to separate the layers in Tetra Pak. It is nice to see by CHLOE really think about sustainability in their packaging (and they make it look super cute too)!

Ingredients: The following quote is from by CHLOE’s website,

“We are committed to maintaining a sustainable and vegan lifestyle and actively contribute towards lowering our carbon footprint and preserving our planet’s water supply through our animal-free menu, mindful ingredient sourcing.”

By using local and in-season ingredients, by CHLOE is being SUPER mindful. Purchasing local ingredients reduces their food mileage, or transportation costs and the amount of energy it takes for ingredients to be produced and sent to their restaurant. Seasonal produce is also more sustainable because it grows easily without human assistance (aka strong pesticides and fertilizers that contaminate our local waterways).

Price: 4 oz – $4.95 & 16oz – $9.95

It’s a little on the pricey side for ice cream, but you’re paying for a pretty sustainable product that is both pleasing for the environment and your tummy.

Delicious (rated from 1 to 10, 10 being the best)

Flavors Tested: Raspberry + Cream, Coffee, Kale Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Chocolate, Salted Peanut Butter, Boston Creme Pie, Ube Smores, Strawberry Shortcake

Our favorites: Coffee (8.0), Kale Cookies & Cream (7.3)

As many of us in the office are college students, we look for every and any way to get coffee into our bodies. The “Coffee by CHLOE” ice cream definitely was a delicious way to caffeine our aching souls. This flavor also had bits of cinnamon rolls in it, making it even more decadent. Many of us were left “wanting more” and found the consistency to be “delightful”. Definitely, give the “Coffee by CHLOE” flavor a go if you are addicted to coffee like we are.

We were SHOOK when we tasted the “Kale Cookies & Cream”. It felt morally good to be eating ice cream while getting our daily intake of iron for the day. One coworker commented that it was “definitely the creamiest ice cream of any vegan brand” they tried and how it tasted like cookie dough, yum! If you are scared of kale or of any leafy green, fear not! We highly recommend you give Kale Cookies & Cream a try.

Although our staff enjoyed all the flavors, if we were to level a criticism, it would be about the Salted Peanut Butter ice cream. It was a bit too salty to go with the jam and wasn’t as enjoyable as the other flavors.

Conclusion

Overall, by CHLOE’s is a pretty ethical brand and can make some delicious ice cream flavors. If you are in the area, we recommend you stop by their store and indulge in some vegan goodness. Thank you by CHLOE’s for the delicious treats!

Stay tuned for this delicious weekly blog series next week on…Ben & Jerrys!