9 Trader Joe's Ice Cream Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

Shopping at Trader Joe's is a unique grocery shopping experience. The store mostly carries items from its own brand, so many things that you get there can't be purchased at any other grocery store. From an endless supply of snacks to frozen premade meals and everything in between, many people leave the store with a cart full of much more than they intended to buy.

When it comes to ice cream flavors, Trader Joe's has a fairly large selection. The flavors that you can find may differ from location to location, or season to season, but overall — you should find a solid variety of flavors when shopping. I recently went to a local Trader Joe's in New Jersey, and I was able to pick up nine flavors to try out.

When conducting a taste test of these Trader Joe's ice cream flavors, I focused on a few key things. The level of creaminess in texture, flavor complexity, and the impulse to take a second bite were all considered as I tasted each pint. I also focused on whether the ice cream tasted accurate to the flavor listed on the container. For classic flavors, I compared it to what I expect that flavor to taste like. Without further ado, grab your favorite ice cream dish, and let's get tasting!

Although French Vanilla is ranked last on this list, I must say that it is absolutely not something I would describe as the worst. Each ice cream on this list was enjoyable, however, the French Vanilla was the least impressive. If we're strictly talking about vanilla ice creams on the market, Trader Joe's French Vanilla actually ranked second in our very own vanilla ice cream taste test.

This ice cream is made with a base of egg yolks, cream, milk, cane sugar, and natural vanilla flavor. By vanilla ice cream standards, this is a solid, no-frills set of ingredients. As I gave it a taste, the flavor and texture spoke for itself. This ice cream is very creamy, but not in an over-indulgent way. It has a classic, smooth consistency, an enjoyably light vanilla taste, and I can imagine it to be a perfect pairing for a warm apple pie or chocolate chip cookie.

However, compared to the other flavors in my taste test, this French Vanilla was the flavor that I didn't quite crave a second bite of. It's classic, simple, and enjoyable — but it's nothing absolutely spectacular that made me jump out of my seat.

Similar to the French Vanilla flavor, Trader Joe's Ultra Chocolate ice cream is made with simple and straightforward ingredients — a great sign in the store-bought ice cream world. This mixture is mainly made with cream, milk, sugar, cocoa, and egg yolks. At first taste, I was immediately pleased that this tastes exactly how I expect a high-quality chocolate ice cream to taste.

The ice cream had a natural chocolate flavor that didn't feel manufactured, and it wasn't overly sweet. I've had some chocolate ice creams that tasted like chocolate syrup was mixed in to give flavor, instead of actual cocoa. The non-overpowering level of sweetness allowed me to also enjoy the slight bitterness of the chocolate flavoring, making the flavor profile full and well-rounded. I also enjoyed how creamy the consistency was, which is a must when it comes to chocolate ice cream. It felt nice and full in the mouth, similar to the taste of chocolate ice cream that you would get from high-quality ice cream shop.

Although this Chocolate Non Dairy with Coconut Milk isn't considered a true ice cream, but rather a frozen dessert, you will find it in the ice cream section at Trader Joe's — and people who don't eat dairy deserve their version of ice cream, too! This treat is made with a base of coconut milk instead of cream and milk, and it also has water, sugar, cocoa powder, and a few thickening agents. Right off the bat, I will say that the texture turned out to be very different from the other ice creams on this list. However, I enjoyed it immensely.

This non-dairy ice cream actually reminded me of a cold whipped chocolate mousse in taste and texture. It was incredibly creamy, but it also had a very light and fluffy texture. Some non-dairy desserts tend to fall towards the thin side and sometimes have somewhat of an icy texture, but this is not the case here, so Trader Joe's really succeeded with this coconut milk dessert. The flavor was delicious as well, with the same pure cocoa taste as the regular chocolate ice cream had. I was surprised that I actually enjoyed this version a little bit better than the regular chocolate ice cream, and this was because of the unexpected and delightful texture that made me want to take one bite after another.

The Wildberry Cheesecake ice cream is made with a base of sweet cream and a berry swirl that blends raspberry, strawberry, and blackberry puree, as well as blueberries and elderberry concentrate. There are also pieces of actual cheesecake mixed throughout the ice cream. Even though the base is sweet cream, the mixture still tasted very cream-cheesy to me, even if there wasn't a piece of actual cheesecake in the bite. I think that the ice cream successfully tasted like a mixed version of a frozen piece of cream cheese in a pint.

The texture of the ice cream was perfectly creamy, just as you'd expect a classic, top-tier cheesecake to be. I will say that the mixed berry blend definitely popped out as dominant when I first took a bite, however, the aftertaste satisfyingly settled into the perfect cheesecake flavor. I enjoyed the range of flavors in this ice cream and the mixture of sweet and tart flavors from the berries, the sweet cream base, and cheesecake pieces all complemented each other well. This is definitely a more exciting and unique ice cream flavor, and I can't think of another common brand on the market that makes something exactly like this.

Cookie butter has become increasingly popular over the past few years, with people using it in their coffee, as a dip, on sandwiches, and in many other inventive ways. Trader Joe's took it a step further and created a cookie butter ice cream, specifically made with Speculoos cookies – a thin and crisp variety of spiced cookies that is commonly associated with Belgium and often made into a cookie butter. The cream that's used in this ice cream is "the freshest Midwest cream," according to Trader Joe's. The ingredient list is quite long on this ice cream compared to some of the others on this list, but that doesn't take away from how much I enjoyed this particular flavor.

The base of the ice cream was very smooth, and it had a very buttery taste. It actually reminded me of butterscotch candies, giving this ice cream a classic and nostalgic feel. Most of the cookie pieces were very small, and they added just a bit of crunch in every bite. There were also larger chunks that sort of swirled throughout, and I had to break those pieces with a spoon. That added a fun extra surprise to the ice cream, since you didn't know when you'd come across one of these larger nuggets. This ice cream is definitely one I'd highly recommend to fellow Trader Joe's shoppers.

This ice cream flavor from Trader Joe's is named after horchata, the Latin American drink typically made with rice, water, sugar, and cinnamon. It's a creamy beverage that is often accompanied by spicy dishes to help offset the heat. The ice cream version made by Trader Joe's is made with a creamy ice cream base that has egg yolks, cream, milk, and cane sugar. Then, cinnamon, brown rice flour, and sea salt are added to give it the classic horchata taste. There are also horchata cookies added throughout, which adds an extra texture to the mix.

Immediately with my first bite, I was taken aback by how strong the cinnamon flavor was. I was equally surprised by how much I enjoyed the sensation. Normally, adding too much cinnamon to a recipe can truly be overpowering and quite unpleasant, but in this situation, it was perfect. I think when blended with the extremely creamy ice cream base, the cinnamon didn't come off in a too-strong sort of fashion. It was perfectly bold and made for an exciting flavor. The pieces of horchata cookies are very soft, and they were a perfect match to the texture and taste of the ice cream.

Strawberry ice cream is one of my go-tos when heading to a local ice cream shop. However, I tend to avoid the grocery store versions. They never seem to achieve the level of creaminess and true strawberry flavor that I crave. I'm happy to report that Trader Joe's completely knocked it out of the park with its Strawberry ice cream flavor. This ice cream is made with egg yolks, cream, milk, sugar, actual strawberries, while fruit and vegetable juice are added for color.

Oftentimes, strawberry ice cream tastes like the strawberry powder that people used to make strawberry milk. This powder has an artificial strawberry profile that I'm not a fan of. Since Trader Joe's version uses real strawberries, this ice cream has a clean strawberry flavor. It tasted absolutely wonderful with this mix of the thick and creamy ice cream base and strawberries. I felt like the actual strawberry taste was much stronger than other strawberry flavored ice creams that I've had.

Overall, this ice cream could be incredibly addictive. There are actual chunks of strawberry throughout, which makes it seem very natural and refreshing, perfectly balanced with the sweetness you get from the cream. This is hands down the best strawberry ice cream that I've ever had from a grocery store.

I grew up having mint chip ice cream constantly for dessert, so I'm a harsh critic when it comes to this flavor. While I am used to seeing mint chip in the distinctive minty-green base color, I recognize now that the coloring is completely artificial and not indicative of a good mint chip ice cream. Trader Joe's Mint Chip has a white colored base made with egg yolks, cream, milk, sugar, and peppermint extract. Chocolate fudge chips that are mixed throughout are made from cocoa, coconut oil, and vanilla.

When I took my first bite of the Mint Chip ice cream, my eyes went wide. This was one of the most refreshing mint chip ice creams I've ever tasted. It's decadently creamy, and the peppermint flavor brightens it up flawlessly, making it have a delicate balance of refreshing yet indulgent characteristics. The chocolate chips are nice and crunchy, adding a satisfying texture change to enjoy with each bite. I could easily see myself buying this flavor each time I make a trip to Trader Joe's — it's truly that good.

If you're a fan of Starbucks Frappuccinos or the Baskin Robbins Cappuccino Blast, you're going to absolutely love Trader Joe's Coffee Bean Blast Ice Cream. I'm a huge lover of anything coffee flavored, and Trader Joe's exceeded my expectations with this ice cream flavor. The base of the ice cream is made with milk, cream, egg yolks, cocoa, and cane sugar. For the coffee flavoring, brewed Colombian coffee is added to the mixture as well as finely ground French Roast Colombian coffee beans.

When I say that this coffee ice cream truly bursts with flavor with each and every bite, I'm not exaggerating. There are many brands that carry coffee ice cream without a strong coffee flavor, and usually, the coffee is overshadowed by the creaminess of the base. In the Trader Joe's version, this ice cream somehow succeeds in having an extremely creamy base while also having an incredibly strong coffee flavor throughout. It is irresistibly delicious, so much so that I had to stop myself from eating the whole pint during my taste test. I love how genuine the overall taste is, and reading the ingredients only solidified what a high-quality product it really is. This was my clear choice for first place, and I definitely urge coffee lovers to try this flavor.

When I taste tested Trader Joe's ice cream flavors, I focused on a few key criteria. First, I noted whether the texture and consistency were creamy enough for my standards. High-quality ice creams, like the kind you get at a local ice cream shop, tend to have thicker, creamier consistency. Then, I took note of whether the flavor listed on the label was representative of what I was tasting. Lastly, I noted the balance of flavors — like the sweetness and the strength of the flavor itself. I ranked the ice creams according to which one I'm most likely to buy at my next Trader Joe's run versus the ones that I'm least likely to buy. Ultimately, I enjoyed every flavor, and I was pleased with what Trader Joe's has to offer in the ice cream section.