REVIEW: Jeni's Sweet Potato with Torched Marshmallows

After Jeni’s Loveless Biscuits + Peach Jam nearly stole the top overall spot on my all time favorite ice cream list, I had heightened expectations for the other pint I brought back with me from Nashville. Sweet Potato with Torched Marshmallows is broken down as pulverized roasted sweet potatoes (grown for us at Hirsch Fruit Farm in Chillicothe, Ohio) blended into grass-grazed cream with red-hot Vietnamese cinnamon and studded with made-from-scratch (blow torched) marshmallows. Sweet Potatoes are one of my favorite foods, both sweet and savory, so I was really looking forward to this one; especially at an easily manageable 220 calories per serving.

Like all the past hand packed pints I’ve bought from Jeni’s, this one was also filled to the brim with a pale orange ice cream that showed off the red-hot Vietnamese cinnamon flecks. The consistency is top-notch as expected and the taste is just as impressive. The initial flavoring can easily be mistaken for pumpkin, but once it fully develops, the distinguishable taste of a sweet potatoes come through. While it may sound strange, it was delicious. The large, made-from-scratch marshmallows were worthy sidekicks to the unique base and almost gave this the effect of a sweet potato pie ice with their blow torched exterior. While this couldn’t quite top the performance of Loveless Biscuits + Peach Jam, this was still an easy A.

Where I Found It: Jeni's 12 South Scoop Shop (Nashville, TN)
Grade: A

READER REVIEW: Kecia's Review of Turkey Hill Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

I have to say I was a bit hesitant to try this new flavor from Turkey Hill. I do like mashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg and I do like pumpkin pie ice cream, even though I usually get tired of the taste before the carton is empty.

So I decided to take a chance on this sweet potato flavor - and was a bit disappointed. When I opened the carton I was surprised to see the ice cream was pure white with a bit of the pecan swirl showing, no hint of an orange sweet potato color.

The base is was very soft and fluffy with a hint of some kind of spice. I say brown sugar and cinnamon, the husband said molasses, but it was more vanilla than sweet potato. Looking at the ingredient list sweet potato puree is listed more than halfway through, which perfectly explains why the flavor was very faint.

The pecan pie swirl is very thin and gets lost in the base. The carton does say contains pecans, but there are no pecan pieces, they must have been ground down to pecan dust.

Digging down deeper the pecan pie swirl is still not very prominent. I’ll give this carton the benefit of the doubt, it’s possible I got a bum swirl or maybe it’s hiding at the bottom.

Overall, if you are expecting a strong sweet potato taste or something comparable to Turkey Hill’s Pumpkin Pie ice cream you won’t find it here. I think they could have been a bit more adventurous and put the sweet potato higher up on the ingredient list. To sum it up, this ice cream failed to live up to its own title.

Where Kecia Found It: Lowes Food

Kecia's Grade: C