For whatever reason, I've stayed away from the Greek frozen yogurt line from Ben & Jerry's. When I buy frozen yogurt, it's typically because I'm trying to save a few calories, but these pints are barely any better than the full-fat flavors. Added with the fact that the tangy taste of Greek yogurt has yet to win me over, Ben & Jerry's has some serious obstacles to overcome before I even began. Looking over all the available flavors, Banana Peanut Butter easily beat out offerings like Blueberry Vanilla Graham and Strawberry Shortcake. Since I've only had Greek yogurt a few times, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from the banana Greek frozen yogurt with peanut buttery swirls, but I wasted no time taking off the top.
The first layer of their Greek frozen yogurt looks identical to their ice creams, even showing off some of the peanut buttery swirl that managed to sneak to the top, but the difference is made evident as I scooped out my first bite. Banana Peanut Butter still contains 210 calories per serving, which is only slightly less than their standard offerings, but the lighter base has a completely different feel when compared to their ice cream. This is slightly softer, easier to scoop out and melts down faster. The banana base leads with the unique taste of slightly tangy Greek yogurt, then incorporates the sweet banana flavoring from flavors like Chunky Monkey, and finally finishes with the richness of the peanut butter that makes its way into every bite. Because of the dominant nature of the Greek yogurt, some of the offsetting sweetness from the bananas is drowned out, but I grew to appreciate the full bodied flavoring after just a few bites.
On numerous occasions throughout the pint I ran across some heavily concentrated chunks of the peanut buttery swirls. These thick, chunky portions of peanut butter were reminiscent of those found in What A Cluster, and although they weren't overly salted, the natural saltiness complimented the banana Greek frozen yogurt. The bites including these hunks of peanut buttery swirl surpassed my expectations for what I thought this flavor was capable of, and only continued to get better as I became more accustomed to the taste of Greek yogurt. Although I still prefer their full-fat flavors, this was a nice change of pace and remained dense enough to still feel like a super-premium. This pleasant first experience with their Greek frozen yogurt lineup, coupled with the new releases, has me convinced to try some of the other flavors.
Where I Found It: Ingles Markets
Grade: B
