Forclaz Dessert Lyophilisé Review
Forclaz's freeze-dried desserts, egg custard and vanilla rice pudding, add 200-plus kcal for under 70 g. Easy to prepare, but the pouch weighs more than it should.
Overview
Forclaz’s Dessert Lyophilisé is a single-serving freeze-dried sweet, made by Decathlon’s trekking brand and sold in two versions: a cold-friendly egg custard (Crème aux Œufs) and a vanilla rice pudding (Riz au lait à la vanille). It suits hikers who want a hot-camp treat that costs a few euros and about 60–70 g of pack weight. The trade-off is the packaging. The pouch makes up a large share of each portion’s carried weight, and neither dessert is calorie-dense enough to replace a real dinner.
Key Specs
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight (packed, with pouch) | 57–70 g depending on version |
| Dry food weight | 45–50 g |
| Pouch weight | 12 g (rice pudding), 20 g (egg custard) |
| Energy per pouch | 203 kcal (rice pudding), 233 kcal (egg custard) |
| Rehydrated weight | 115 g (rice pudding), 150 g (egg custard) |
| Pouch size | 15 × 15 × 2.5 cm |
| Preparation | About 2 min (custard), 9 min (rice pudding) |
| Process | 100% freeze-dried, no preservatives |
| Made in | Poland |
| Price (France) | Around €4.99 for the rice pudding |
Versions compared
| Image | Version | Weight | vs. lightest |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Riz au lait à la vanille | 57 g (2.0 oz) | lightest |
| Crème aux Œufs | 70 g (2.5 oz) | +13 g |
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Calories per gram. The numbers are respectable for a dessert. The egg custard delivers 233 kcal from 50 g of dry food, or roughly 4.7 kcal per gram before the pouch is counted. Add the 20 g pouch and the figure falls to about 3.3 kcal per gram carried. The rice pudding is slightly leaner at 203 kcal from 45 g dry, about 3.6 kcal per gram with its lighter 12 g pouch. Neither approaches a spoonful of peanut butter or a stick of olive-oil-laced mash, but each gives a hiker a tidy 200-plus kcal for under 70 g.
Preparation. The pouch has a water-fill line printed inside, which removes the need to measure anything at the end of a long day. Forclaz lists about two minutes for the custard, so it works as a quick finish when the stove is already hot. The rice pudding needs nine minutes to rehydrate, which is a long wait for dessert but fits a routine where it soaks in a cozy while dinner is eaten. Instructions for the custard are simple: add water, stir, wait, stir again, eat.
Ingredients. The label lists a short recipe. The custard uses eggs from free-range hens. The rice pudding is 78% milk, 13% rice, plus sugar, vanilla sugar and a little butter. Neither carries preservatives. The rice pudding is the more fat-light of the two, so hikers chasing calories in the cold will find the custard the more useful pick.
Owner impressions. Buyers on Decathlon’s French site rate the rice pudding about 4.6 to 4.7 out of 5 across roughly 150 reviews, and the rest of Forclaz’s dessert line scores similarly. Hikers who have eaten through the range tend to single out the crumble as the favorite, with the rice pudding and custard as the gentler, more familiar options. Its appeal is simplicity: it tastes like what it is, and it is not trying to be a gourmet restaurant dessert.
Packaging and storage. Each pouch is flat at 15 × 15 × 2.5 cm, packs easily around a food bag, and sits in a protective atmosphere until opened. The pouch is the weak point from a gram-counting perspective. At 20 g, the custard’s wrapper is more than a quarter of its 70 g carried weight, and a hiker who decants the dry contents into a lighter bag saves real mass. Forclaz also advises eating the full portion after opening, so these are one-shot meals rather than something to ration across evenings.
Choosing a Version
Crème aux Œufs (70 g). The better choice for most hikers. It carries more energy (233 kcal against 203 kcal), rehydrates in about two minutes, and yields the larger 150 g portion. The price for those advantages is 13 g more weight, most of it extra wrapper.
Riz au lait à la vanille (57 g). The lighter pack, with a thinner 12 g pouch and a more filling, rice-based texture. It needs nine minutes to soak, so it suits camps where there is time to wait. It is a sensible pick for hikers who want the lowest weight and the more traditional, comforting flavor.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 203–233 kcal for 57–70 g carried weight
- Water-fill line inside the pouch removes guesswork
- Custard ready in about two minutes
- Short ingredient list with no preservatives
- Flat 2.5 cm pouch packs easily
- Priced at roughly €5, cheaper than most freeze-dried dinners
Cons
- Pouch weight is a large share of the total, especially the custard’s 20 g
- Rice pudding takes nine minutes to rehydrate
- Must be eaten in full once opened
- Too low in energy to serve as a meal replacement
- Widely available in France, but harder to find elsewhere
Who Should Buy This
Weekend trekkers, hut-to-hut walkers and thru-hikers in Europe who want a hot treat at the end of the day and are happy to pay a few euros for it. The custard fits hikers who value speed, and the rice pudding fits those who value the lowest weight. Hikers counting every gram will do better with homemade instant pudding mix in a bag, and anyone needing real calories per ounce should look to nut butters, olive oil or full-fat milk powder.
Verdict
Forclaz’s Dessert Lyophilisé is a simple, sensible way to end a trekking day, and it is cheap enough to buy by the week. The pouch weight and modest calorie count keep it from being an ultralight-grade pick. The Crème aux Œufs is the better version for most hikers.