This Ice Cream Brand Uses High-Quality Ingredients

A trip down the ice cream aisle at most grocery stores can be exciting for those with a sweet tooth. There are seemingly countless types available in nearly every flavor you can imagine. However, exactly what you'll find inside the carton can vary quite a bit from one variety to another. Those looking to spend their dessert dollars on ice cream made with the highest quality ingredients possible should keep an eye out for Alec's Ice Cream, which goes out of its way to ensure premium quality.

Alec's was founded by Alec Jaffe in 2018, a former college athlete who sought to create an ice cream made with premium ingredients that didn't load up on unhealthy additions or sacrifice flavor for health. Billing itself as "a feel good ice cream", the core upgrade comes in the dairy used by the company to craft its products, known as A2 milk. What you need to know about A2 milk is that it contains only A2 beta-casein without A1 beta-casein, the latter of which can cause stomach upset in some people. Otherwise, A2 remains about the same as ordinary A1 milk, including the nutritional profile and presence of lactose, another troublesome substance for those who can't tolerate it. It's also worth noting A2 milk may be less commonly available and generally sells at a premium, similar to organic milk.

Another fundamental ingredient gets some extra attention to quality at Alec's: cane sugar, which is farmed under the first-ever Regenerative Organic Certification. This means it's grown without the use of pesticides or herbicides, using techniques that support sustainable farming. Alec's Ice Cream is also notable for what it doesn't contain. This includes no gums, seed oils, sugar alcohols, artificial flavors, or other unsavory ingredients. However, the company does add cassava root fiber, a prebiotic that helps improve gut health, a quiet addition that significantly improves the nutritional benefits of Alec's beyond other brands. 

In the eight years since the company was founded, its offerings have grown to nine different pint flavors, ranging from familiar options like Tahitian Vanilla Bean and Pistachio Crunch to exotic and unusual choices, such as Matcha Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Fudge Honeycomb. Alec's also sells unique Culture Cups – single-serving cups of ice cream infused with probiotics for digestive health. Although it's available at many Whole Foods, Sprouts, and even Target locations, it's still somewhat less common than everyday ice cream brands found in ordinary grocery stores.

High-quality ingredients are among the many reasons why you should never buy generic ice cream. Fortunately, that's not a concern for those who enjoy Alec's Ice Cream, thanks to the use of stomach-friendly A2 milk and organic, responsibly farmed sugar, combined with the lack of common additives.