Review Of Norco Classic Vanilla Ice Cream 2L
Norco is Australia’s biggest dairy co-operative and has been operating for over 125 years. Since then, they’ve developed an extensive range of cheese, butter, milk, custard, and ice cream.
If you’ve seen the Norco range of ice cream in your local supermarket, you may wonder if it’s any good. I bought a two-litre container of Norco Classic Vanilla 2L to find out if it’s worth a place in your freezer.
Scoop Club Rating: 60/100
The ice cream is light and easy to scoop without leaving it at room temperature to soften.
Pros
Cons
Is Norco Classic Vanilla Ice Cream any good?
Norco Vanilla ice cream delivers excellent value for money, offering a generous pack size ideal for families and larger households, all at a wallet-friendly price.
Once the lid is removed, you'll notice it's almost pure white, much like Haagen-Dazs Vanilla. The ice cream is light and easy to scoop without leaving it at room temperature to soften.
A tub of Norco is a good option for kids and households looking for a basic ice cream. It makes good shakes and goes well with practically any dessert.
No ice cream is perfect, though. Norco Classic Vanilla is very sweet and lacks the smooth creaminess of similar-priced brands.
It's good to see there's a high percentage of Australian ingredients. But the ingredients list shows water and sugar syrup are the main two components.
I'd love to see them dial up the dairy ingredients and make the product a better fit for their brand.
Why is Norco so cheap?
You may wonder why a sizeable two-litre pack of Norco costs less than smaller containers like Connoisseur and Murray Street.
Using cheaper ingredients helps, but a big reason is the amount of air that gets whipped into the ice cream. Premium brands incorporate less air, providing a denser, more indulgent consistency. Cheaper brands add lots of air, which results in a lighter texture.
As you can see from the table below, for every 100ml, you only get 45g of Norco ice cream. As a comparison, Haagen-Dazs has 86g.
| Product | Grams per 100ml |
| Connoisseur Ice Cream Classic Vanilla 1L | 94g |
| Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream | 86g |
| Bulla Murray St Ice Creamery Vanilla Bean 1L | 68g |
| Aldi Indulge Vanilla Bean 1L | 66g |
| Sara Lee Creamy French Vanilla | 62g |
| Bulla Creamy Classics Vanilla 2L | 46g |
| Peters Original Neapolitan 2L | 46g |
| Bulla Real Dairy Vanilla 2L | 45g |
| Norco Classic Vanilla 2L | 45g |
| Blue Ribbon Classic Vanilla 2L | 42g |
What other flavours are available in the Norco range?
You'll find the following additional products in selected Australian stores:
- Chocolate Choc Cookie
- Caramel Choc Honeycomb
What are the best alternatives?
Here are some tasty alternatives if Norco isn't available or you want to compare similar products.
Sara Lee Creamy French Vanilla 1L: This tub has punchy flavour with a creamy texture. It is well worth including in your freezer. SL French Vanilla Ice Cream Review>
Indulge Vanilla Bean 1L: A deliciously creamy, smooth ice cream containing tiny flecks of vanilla bean - one of the best-value vanilla ice creams in Aussie sold at Aldi. See the review of Indulge Vanilla here.
Haagen-Dazs Vanilla 457ml: A super-premium ice cream that's delicious. Its high price means this pint won't be for everyone. Here's a review of Haagen Dazs Vanilla.
Bulla Murray St Vanilla Bean 1L: This tub has a much nicer-looking ingredient list. Check out this review of Bulla Murray St Vanilla Bean ice cream here.
Connoisseur Classic Vanilla: This ice cream uses fresh cream, which makes it richer and more indulgent. Here's a review of Connoisseur Classic Vanilla>
Coles Irresistible Vanilla Bean: An excellent product that offers good value, even if the tub is half the size of the Norco one. Review of Coles Vanilla Bean 1L>
Woolworths Vanilla Bean 1L: A solid option for consumers wanting premium ice cream at an affordable price. You can read my review of Woolworths Vanilla Bean here.
Ingredients
The main dairy ingredients in this tub are milk solids and skim milk concentrate. Cream and/or milk fat are added to dial the creaminess.
Ingredients list: Water, Sugar Syrup (Sugar, Water), Dairy Ingredients (Milk Solids, Skim Milk Concentrate, Cream and/or Milk Fat), Glucose Syrup (Wheat), Maltodextrin (Wheat), Coconut Oil, Emulsifiers (471, 477), Vegetable Gums (412, 410), Natural Flavours, Natural Colour (Carotene).
Milk fat
Milk fat plays a vital role in ice cream's texture and mouthfeel. More of it results in a creamier, smoother textured ice cream associated with superior ice cream.
Norco doesn't disclose the milk fat percentage on its packaging, but it must be under 10%. Ice cream tubs sold in Australia with less than 10% milk fat can't label "ice cream" on the front of the pack. You'll notice the front of the pack doesn't say ice cream.
Nutrition information
No ice cream is good for you, so eat it in moderation. This tub has 1.9g of saturated fat per 100g and 22.0g of sugar.
Servings per package: 20
Serving size: 45g
Nutrition table
| Quantity Per Serving | Quantity Per 100ml | |
| Energy | 306kJ | 681kJ |
| Protein | 0.9g | 2.0g |
| Fat, Total | 1.6g | 3.5g |
| -Saturated | 0.9g | 1.9g |
| Carbohydrate | 13.7g | 30.5g |
| -Sugars | 10.0g | 22.0g |
| Sodium | 18mg | 40mg |
About the manufacturer
Norco is an Australian dairy co-operative based in Lismore, New South Wales. It is Australia's oldest and largest dairy co-operative, 100% owned by Australian farmers.
Norco has 326 active members on 190 dairy farms in northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland.
Norco is well-known for its ice cream production in its Lismore factory. The co-operative plays a significant role in the dairy industry and the local community, supporting farmers and providing employment opportunities.
