First Look: Snow Monkey Hemp Ice Cream

Snow Monkey Hemp Ice Treat
Price: Starting at $4.89

When presented with a treat that is paleo, gluten free, nut free, vegan and dairy free, one might be skeptical—dubious even. We runners love our healthy bowls and green drinks and protein-rich bars, but there is a line, right?

Snow Monkey is aiming to change all that with their line of protein-packed ice treats that combine hemp, fruit juices, banana puree, roasted sunflower seeds (not seed-free, apparently), antioxidants and fiber. 

There are five different flavors: Goji Berry, Cacao, Cinnamon, Matcha Green Tea and Passion Fruit—each one boasts 21 grams of plant-based protein, Vitamins A, B2 and C and Iron. Ice “treat” may be the key term, here. It’s definitely not ice cream, but it is sweet and icy and refreshing after a long run. And, if you decide to put down a whole pint in one sitting, you’ll just have a belly full of fruit juice and protein.

Hemp has more than double the protein per ounce compared to chia and flax seed and can be easier to digest than other proteins—important for athletes.

Perhaps the biggest selling point for this reviewer is that there is no added sugar. Oftentimes, when enjoying a dairy-free, gluten-free, guilt-free treat, added sugar makes up for the missing ingredients, rendering the health benefits obsolete.

This reviewer likes the cinnamon flavor best on its own and the other flavors used as smoothie bases for some added protein. That Snow Monkey uses banana puree as the base for all flavors does make each flavor taste subtly like, well, banana. 

—Megan Janssen is the Assistant Editor of Trail Runner Magazine