What's Happening
David, the high-protein brand founded by RXBAR creator Peter Rahal, has brought its frozen dessert pints to Target stores nationwide. Announced July 28, the rollout is the product's first national retail expansion after an online debut in June, when all four flavors sold out in 28 minutes.
The pints follow the same formula that defines David's bars: as much protein as possible for as few calories as possible. Each pint contains 30 grams of protein, 210 to 260 calories, and 2 grams of sugar or less, numbers that apply to the entire pint, not a half-cup serving. The lineup has four flavors: Vanilla Bean (30g protein, 210 calories, under 1g sugar), plus Cookie Dough, Triple Peanut Butter, and Triple Chocolate (each 30g protein, 260 calories, 2g sugar). They are available now at Target for $7.99 per pint.
"People typically have to choose between a dessert that tastes indulgent and one that aligns with their nutritional goals," said Rahal, founder and CEO of David. "We created David Frozen Dessert to eliminate that tradeoff, and we're excited to expand into Target to make it available to more consumers."
Why It Matters
The macros are the entire pitch, and they are aggressive. A full pint at 30g of protein and roughly 210 to 260 calories means a whole container competes with a single serving of most premium ice creams on calories while delivering a day's worth of a protein snack. That "eat the whole thing" framing is exactly what made David's bars go viral, and it translates cleanly to a freezer format where portion guilt is the usual barrier.
The 28-minute online sellout gave David the demand signal it needed to justify shelf space, and Target is a deliberate first stop. The retailer has leaned hard into wellness and skews toward exactly the label-reading, protein-focused shopper David is built for. Landing nationwide rather than in a limited regional test signals real confidence from both sides.
It also puts David squarely into a suddenly crowded high-protein ice cream aisle. Halo Top pioneered the low-calorie pint years ago, Nick's and others followed, and Wells' Protein Pints and similar brands have made 30-gram tubs a category rather than a novelty. David's edge is brand heat and Rahal's track record, not a first-mover claim.
Bigger Picture
David is one of the breakout stories of the current protein boom. Rahal built RXBAR into a business he sold to Kellogg for a reported $600 million, then launched David in 2024 with a bar engineered around an unusually high protein-to-calorie ratio, and the brand became a social media fixture almost immediately. Extending into frozen dessert is a textbook platform play: take a trusted macro promise and apply it to the next category where consumers feel they are compromising.
The move reflects how thoroughly protein has reorganized the grocery store. Ice cream, once pure indulgence, is now another surface for the same functional arms race playing out in bars, drinks, cereal, and candy, where every legacy treat gets a high-protein reformulation aimed at shoppers who want the experience without the nutritional cost.
The open question is durability and taste. Cramming 30g of protein into a pint while keeping calories low requires heavy use of protein isolates and sugar alcohols or other sweeteners, and the category's history is littered with products that nailed the macros but not the mouthfeel. David has earned trust on its bars; whether the frozen version holds up to repeat purchase, rather than a curiosity-driven first buy, is what will determine if this becomes a staple or a viral moment.
Sources
David (PR Newswire) - https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/david-frozen-dessert-arrives-at-target-nationwide-302836836.html
David Protein - https://davidprotein.com/collections/pints