Arctic Zero’s own store locator currently greets visitors with a maintenance notice, and in its place the brand points shoppers to two online sellers, Ice Cream Source and Amazon Fresh. That one detail explains most of the frustration around this non-dairy frozen dessert. The pints are still made, but finding them takes a plan: online sellers first, a live inventory check second, and a short drive only once a store actually shows stock.
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What Arctic Zero Sells Now: Pints on a Faba Bean Base
Arctic Zero is a light, plant-based frozen dessert sold by the pint and built so a whole container fits inside a daily calorie target. Its maker bills it as the first faba bean based frozen dessert, and the official flavor page carries Certified Plant Based and Non-GMO Project Verified logos. Bars were sold in earlier years; the current lineup is pints only.
Because the fat content sits far under the federal minimum, the FDA’s standard of identity for ice cream means these tubs cannot legally use that name.
The official flavor page advertises 11 varieties and pictures ten: Purely Chocolate, Classic Vanilla, Vanilla Latte, Salted Caramel, Cake Batter, Cookie Shake, Hint of Mint, Pistachio, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Strawberry Shortcake. Anything outside that list on a retailer page is older stock or a discontinued recipe.
On nutrition, the company’s “Us vs. Them” comparison lists 160 calories, 0 g fat, 33 g carbs, and 25 g sugar per container, against 1,110 calories for most traditional ice creams. The panel on the tub you buy is the final word, since recipes have changed more than once.
Reading an Arctic Zero Pint Before It Goes in the Cart
Check four things on the tub: the total for the whole container, the ingredient panel, the allergen line, and the condition of the product itself. Each predicts something different about how the purchase goes.
- Total per container, not per serving. The panel lists a half-cup serving and almost nobody eats a half cup. Multiply it out before deciding whether the tub really fits your day.
- The ingredient panel. Recent versions have been built on purified water and faba bean protein in place of dairy cream, with organic cane sugar, allulose, monk fruit concentrate, natural flavors, sea salt, and a gum blend of acacia, tara, and guar doing the work fat normally does for texture.
- Allergens by variety. The company says its base is free of dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, and soy, but Pistachio and Chocolate Peanut Butter add nuts and peanuts. Gluten-free claims are made per variety, not across the line.
- Sweeteners and fiber. Light desserts swap sugar and cream for allulose, monk fruit, gums, and fiber, and people tolerate these differently. A first order is a bad time to buy a case of one variety.
- Ice crystals under the lid. Visible crystals mean the tub thawed and refroze somewhere in the supply chain.
The reason a thawed pint never recovers is structural. In dairy ice cream, butterfat coats the ice crystals and keeps them small; a base that is mostly water has almost none, so once it is allowed to thaw and freeze again, melted water regroups into larger, crunchy crystals that no freezer can undo. Give a sound tub a few minutes on the counter before scooping, too. Straight out of deep cold it scrapes like a snow cone; softened, the gums can do their job.
Where to Order Arctic Zero Online
Ordering online is the more dependable route, and the one the company itself recommends while its locator is down. Cold-chain packaging matters more than the sticker price, and it is where the extra cost hides.
Amazon and Amazon Fresh
Amazon, the largest online retailer in the United States, has carried multi-pint packs through its grocery section, and Amazon Fresh, one of two sellers named on arcticzero.com, reaches some metro areas the same day. Frozen shipments travel with dry ice and insulated liners, which is what raises the delivered price. Confirm the listing is fulfilled by Amazon or by a seller with a cold-shipping record, since third-party fulfillment is where most melted deliveries start.
IceCreamSource
This specialty seller handles frozen goods and nothing else, and it is the other named retailer. Its catalog has included varieties the big chains stopped stocking. Browse their current selection, and remember that a bigger haul spreads the shipping surcharge across more tubs.
Instacart
Instacart, the same-day grocery delivery service, pulls from stores near you and shows live inventory before you commit. Set a substitution preference, or your shopper will swap in whatever light dessert is on the shelf.
The Brand’s Own Site
There is no shop button: the company does not sell direct. The flavor page is still where to confirm what is in production before chasing a variety that no longer exists.
Grocery Stores That Have Carried Arctic Zero
Shelf availability is regional and has been inconsistent for years. The brand’s store locator is the official source once it is back up; until then, treat every chain below as a lead to confirm, not a guaranteed national source.
Walmart
Walmart Supercenters have been the most commonly reported source, usually beside the other light desserts. Check your own store’s shelf count through the Walmart listing instead of the general product page.
Target
Target has stocked select varieties in its better-for-you freezer set and supports same-day pickup where stock exists. Verify on their website first; the assortment runs narrower than a Supercenter’s.
Whole Foods and Sprouts
Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Farmers Market both give real space to plant-based labels, so when they stock the tubs they sit with the other non-dairy options. Regional buyers set the assortment, so one location has four varieties and another none. Our guide to the best things to buy at Whole Foods covers the rest of that aisle.
Kroger, Safeway, Publix, and Regional Grocers
Kroger and its banners, including Ralphs, Fred Meyer, and King Soopers, have carried the pints in some markets, and banner sites list store-level stock, so search your location rather than the chain. Safeway and Albertsons stores have listed the line in the West, Publix in the Southeast, and Shaws, Winn-Dixie, and Tops Markets in their own footprints. Our list of what to buy at the grocery store covers the rest of a regular run.
- Open the official store locator and pick your state; if it still shows the maintenance notice, go straight to the next step.
- Check Instacart for live counts at nearby stores, which rules out a wasted trip in about a minute.
- Call the store that shows stock and ask the grocery manager to hold it.
- If no store shows stock, order from IceCreamSource or Amazon Fresh for a day you will be home.
Flavor Picks, Current and Leftover
A light base needs an assertive flavor, which is why cocoa, mint, and mix-in varieties read richer than plain vanilla. Two picks below are current; the other three are older varieties still turning up in marketplace listings, so treat them as remaining inventory.
Best overall: Arctic Zero Purely Chocolate. Cocoa depth masks the lighter body better than anything else in the range, and it is still in the current lineup. Check price on Amazon
Best budget pick: Cake Batter. Usually the cheapest tub in the lineup and the best base for toppings. Also current. Check price on Amazon
Best texture, if you find it: Cookie Dough Chip. Dough pieces add chew and contrast, the most effective way around a thin base. Cookie Shake is the closest variety still made. Check price on Amazon
For nut lovers, if you find it: Buttery Pecan. Pecan pieces carry the taste without adding richness the format cannot deliver. Pistachio is the current nut option. Check price on Amazon
Clean finish, if you find it: Cool Mint Chip. Mint reads clean in a light base where creamier options can taste watery; Hint of Mint now fills that slot. Check price on Amazon
Price ranges recorded for this guide in September 2026 ran roughly $4 to $6 per tub in store and $8 to $12 delivered once cold shipping is included. Prices move, and that delivered figure is why repeat customers order four to six tubs at a time.
Why Some Orders Disappoint
The costliest mistake is ordering a case of something you have never tasted, then paying cold shipping on it.
- Expecting premium density. This is a light product by design, and buyers who want the mouthfeel of a rich, creamy dairy tub come away disappointed. That mismatch drives most one-star reviews.
- Grabbing clearance tubs blind. Discount bins are where thawed inventory and discontinued recipes land. On a slow seller, check the date code twice.
- Assuming every tub fits your diet. Reformulations and nut varieties have carried different allergens and sweeteners, so read the specific package.
Alternatives When the Freezer Case Comes Up Empty
If your store dropped the line, five brands cover most of the same ground. None go quite as light.
| Brand | Base | Format | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arctic Zero | Water and faba bean protein | Pints | Lightest totals, dairy-free |
| Halo Top | Milk protein, plus an oat line | Pints and pops | Widest distribution |
| Enlightened | Dairy, keto and high-protein | Pints and bars | Protein per serving |
| Nick’s | Swedish-style light dairy | Pints and bars | Variety on the shelf |
| Rebel Creamery | Heavy cream, very little sugar | Pints | Keto, not counting |
| Yasso | Greek yogurt | Bars only | Built-in portion control |
Halo Top is the easiest swap because distribution is far wider, and its oat line is the closest thing to true vegan ice cream in most freezer cases. Check current Amazon pricing. Enlightened has been the pick when protein matters most, though production is paused, so treat any listing you find as remaining inventory. For bars instead of tubs, Yasso ships nationwide, and keto buyers should look at Rebel Creamery instead. Store labels from Kroger and Aldi cost less but lean harder on sugar alcohols. If the calorie count was never the point, a classic dairy tub such as Blue Bunny ice cream is easier to find in almost any supermarket.
Start with IceCreamSource or Amazon Fresh if you want a sure thing, since those are the two sellers named on the official site while its locator is offline. If you would rather shop locally, run Instacart’s live counts first and call the store that shows stock. Arctic Zero is worth that small hunt when a light, dairy-free total is the point; if it is not, one of the alternatives above will reach your freezer faster.
Common Questions About Arctic Zero
Is Arctic Zero still in business?
Yes. The official site is live and lists 11 pint varieties, but grocery distribution pulled back sharply from its peak years and the store locator is down for maintenance. An empty freezer section reads like a shutdown when it is really a distribution gap.
Is Arctic Zero ice cream?
Legally, no. Federal rules reserve that term for products containing at least 10 percent milkfat, and these tubs sit far under it. Buyers file it beside vegan ice cream on the shelf, but the package has to say frozen dessert.
Is Arctic Zero vegan?
The company describes the line as non-dairy and certified plant based, with a faba bean base free of dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, and soy. Its flavor page does not use the word vegan, so anyone strict about it should read the ingredient panel on the specific tub.
Why is it so hard to find now?
The light dessert category got crowded fast. Halo Top, Enlightened, Nick’s, and a wave of store labels split the same freezer space, and grocers cut the slowest sellers first. Regional chains tend to drop an item before national ones do.
Is Arctic Zero healthy?
It is lighter than conventional ice cream, per the company’s own comparison, and it is still a dessert, not a health food. Alternative sweeteners, gums, and fiber do the work fat and sugar normally do, and some people find them hard on digestion. Ask your own clinician if you have a digestive condition.
How is it so low in calories?
Water and plant protein replace cream, which strips out nearly all the fat, and sweetness comes from allulose and monk fruit concentrate. Fat carries nine calories per gram against four for sugar, so removing it collapses the total.
Arctic Zero vs Halo Top: which is better?
Halo Top tastes closer to the real thing because milk protein gives it density, and it sits in far more stores. The other wins on the lighter total and on being dairy-free across its range. Pick on the constraint that applies to you.
About This Guide
The wheretobuyguides.com editorial team checked retailer stock and pricing for this guide in September 2026, and the brand-site details (lineup, per-pint figures, and the locator notice) were rechecked in October 2026. Availability is regional and changes often, so a live inventory check and a phone call beat any published list. We do not accept payment for placement in our picks.
Looking for more guides like this? Browse our Food Category for additional shopping resources.