Review: American Outdoor Products Astronaut Ice Cream

Ever tried Astronaut Ice Cream? Perhaps you've heard about Astronaut Ice Cream but weren't sure what it tastes like. Well, after more than 20 years of wondering what Astronaut ice cream tasted like after first being introduced to the concept as a kid, I decided to try some Astronaut Ice Cream and see what it really tastes - and feels - like.

While Astronaut Ice Cream is simply freeze-dried ice cream, I can't think of many other freeze-dried snacks that are as patriotic - or literally "far-out" - as freeze-dried Astronaut Ice Cream!

Where Do You Buy Astronaut Ice Cream?

American Outdoor Products, Inc. manufactures the Astronaut Ice Cream I'm reviewing here. Outside of ordering directly from an online retailer, you can always find Astronaut Ice Cream being sold in NASA and space-related stores, many museums, and some stores selling emergency supplies.

Practical Uses For Astronaut Ice Cream

Astronaut Ice Cream has far more uses than giving space explorers a tasty treat while floating around in zero-gravity conditions.

As you may have realized, Astronaut Ice Cream is a super snack or dessert item to buy when traveling, camping, or preparing an emergency kit. After all, freeze-dried ice cream delivers all the tasty flavor of regular ice cream without the need for freezing or refrigeration. It also can be stored in slim packaging, so there's no need to worry about carrying around bulky cartons of ice cream.

Flavor

American Outdoor Products Astronaut Ice Cream tastes much like regular ice cream, with the major exception that this freeze-dried ice cream is served at room temperature and isn't moist.

This Astronaut Ice Cream comes as a roughly 3-inch square, 3/4 -inch block of harlequin ice cream. The chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream are divided into three strips, those these 3 strips are basically attached to each other. The block appears to be scored, and the block is broken into several, square-shaped chunks easily manageable for eating.

The Astronaut Ice Cream reminds me of a large, sweet wafer. While the freeze-dried ice cream first goes into your mouth as dry as can be, your tongue quickly moistens the ice cream, and you can feel it melt in your mouth, deliciously releasing the flavor of the Astronaut Ice Cream.

The chocolate ice cream was my favorite flavor. It has a distinctly mocha flavor. The vanilla ice cream tastes like most vanilla ice cream I have tried, though a bit on the sweet end. The strawberry ice cream had a sugary strawberry flavor; there aren't any distinct chunks of strawberry as sometimes found in strawberry ice cream.

Nutrition

Be it your floating around in space or camping out on a mountain top, you want to know if your Astronaut Ice Cream is healthy for you - or will agree with your diet.

Check out these numbers as they relate to a 19-gram serving (full package) of American Outdoor Products Astronaut Ice Cream:

Calories 120
Calories from Fat 50
Total Fat 6 grams
Saturated Fat 4 grams
Cholesterol 25 milligrams
Sodium 50 milligrams
Total Carbohydrates 15 grams
Dietary Fiber 0 grams
Sugars 12 grams
Protein 2 grams
Vitamin A 4%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 8%
Iron 0%

Resources

Personal and first-hand knowledge and experience
American Outdoor Products Astronaut Ice Cream package