Every Tru Fru Frozen Fresh Flavor, Ranked

Chocolate-covered fruit always seemed so luxurious to me growing up, so I find it incredibly approachable that Tru Fru has a selection of frozen chocolate-enrobed fruits. It makes it easier to buy and enjoy the chocolate fruits, rather than having to hunt for special-occasion items at upscale grocery stores or luxury chocolate shops. While you can make and freeze something like black and white chocolate-covered strawberries, you need about 40 minutes of prep and cooking time in addition to the supplies. Instead, you can find Tru Fru at everyday stores like Albertsons and Target to save you plenty of time and effort. 

I took it as my mission to try out every Tru Fru frozen fruit that the brand sells, which is exactly nine items. These are a blend of milk, dark, or white chocolate options, plus variations with fruit and other flavorings. The top four are fantastic and are ones I would reach for (and praise) over and over again, while my bottom two were pure disappointment; I can't recommend them whatsoever. 

I determined my rankings based on the flavor combinations, the texture of the fruit, and the overall success or failure of those two qualities. I also followed the package instructions to let the fruit thaw for 15 minutes before eating. This ranking will help you determine which ones to pick up and which to put back on the freezer shelf.

Frozen milk chocolate-covered bananas are delicious; they remind me of good times at Disneyland, as that's the first time I recall having them decades ago, but not all chocolate-covered bananas can live up to the memories. And Tru Fru's version isn't even close. I can appreciate the sliced bananas, which make the fruit easier to eat than a whole banana on a stick, but these small morsels have a strange texture, almost like the bananas are mushy or overripe (the brand probably should have found a different way to use the overripe fruit, like making banana ice cream instead). This texture was evident, thawed for 15 minutes, and straight from the freezer, by the way.

The milk chocolate is a tad too sweet for me, which is only heightened when paired with the sweetness of the fruit itself. The peanut butter seems to dominate with its nuttiness, so nothing feels balanced in this Tru Fru selection. Also, one of the pieces appeared to have bloom on it, which usually happens during temperature changes — that seems odd given the frozen nature of the fruit. No part of this flavor works, and I suggest skipping it.

Cherries are one of my all-time favorite fruits thanks to their juicy sweetness with a twang of tartness. Texture-wise, they're almost meaty as you bite into them, but the flavors and textures I love aren't there in this Tru Fru frozen version. Unfortunately, the fruit is rather icy with barely any sweetness that doesn't even seem cherry-like. The brand doesn't tell us what type of cherries it uses, either (ingredients just say cherry), as this could help discern what type of flavors it could have offered.

I'm also a huge fan of dark chocolate, but when it's paired with white chocolate in this case, it overpowers the fruit. There's a richness of dark chocolate, then a creamier, milder taste of white chocolate, and that's about all I can gather from this variety. If you want something that's merely cold and sweet, you can certainly buy this, but it doesn't hit the spot for a certified cherry lover. I was most looking forward to this and felt totally let down. At least the icy texture is more palatable than the mushy one of the bananas, to give it a lead in the ranking.

In a ranking of 10 chocolate-covered frozen fruits, Tru Fru's dark chocolate peanut butter bananas came in last because of a mouth-drying exterior and then a bitter dark chocolate flavor. While they didn't suffer as poor a fate this time around (and not quite as mushy as the milk chocolate ones), they aren't that great either. I prefer the bitter notes of dark chocolate bananas over milk, but I can see how the peanut butter feels drying to the tongue; it feels a bit strange.

Additionally, for whatever reason, the dark chocolate bananas are more stuck together (compared to the milk choco bananas) with two or three pieces melded together. It's not a big issue, but it also means you can't enjoy one slice at a time without at least breaking it apart. The texture and taste are more successful than the previous two fruits; at least I can taste chocolate, peanut butter, and banana to make it a bit better than the tasteless frozen cherries. While these Tru Fru bananas are decent, you might want to try Aldi's store-bought version, which is highly regarded.

Next up, we have Tru Fru's frozen milk chocolate strawberries to receive sixth place. We've reached the part of the list where I simply have to get nitpicky because there isn't anything particularly unpleasant about them. But the reason these come in toward the bottom half of the list is that the strawberry chunks vary greatly in size — sometimes you get little bite-sized bits, and then sometimes you get larger berries, which messes up the texture. 

While the brand recommends leaving the fruit out for 15 minutes to thaw, this variety in size can give you a strange range of textures. After 15 minutes, the smaller pieces are more thawed and soft compared to the larger, firmer pieces, giving you a distinct texture difference. The sweetness of the various berries paired with the sugary nature of milk and white chocolate makes these quite a sweet, one-note snack. But at least the honeyed sweetness of the fruit and firmer texture mean it's more successful than the dark chocolate bananas. I also like the flavor combination more than the bananas, as the peanut butter is particularly strong.

The whole raspberries have a tart flavor that cuts through the sweetness of the milk and white chocolate, which is why they rank slightly higher than the sheer sweetness of the milk chocolate strawberries. The fruit itself sets it apart from everything else on this list in more ways than one. First, the tanginess offers dimension, so it doesn't feel like layers upon layers of sugar. 

Second, the berry's little seeds give it a welcome textural break that makes it much more intriguing to the senses compared to the strawberries or any of the lower-ranking fruits. There's noticeable mouthfeel as you chew and make your way through the fruit because the seeds make up the whole fruit (as opposed to the tiny exterior-only seeds of strawberries). The milk chocolate raspberries might be the best pick for someone who wants a truly sweet-tart experience. The fruit is the star here and makes this Tru Fru option much more successful than the milk chocolate strawberries, solidifying the highest spot in the ranking so far.

I prefer dark over milk chocolate, and that rings true all across Tru Fru's selection of options. It comes into play with the dark chocolate strawberries over the milk chocolate raspberries. The juiciness of the strawberries is more evident in this application after thawing because the fruit seems more uniform in size; most are mid-sized rather than the great variety I found with the milk chocolate ones. Not only does this make them easier to eat, but it also allows you to enjoy the taste of the sweet red fruit a bit more. 

That, coupled with the stronger multidimensional flavor of dark chocolate, gives it a slightly higher ranking than milk chocolate raspberries. If you're going for a classic spin on a classic chocolate strawberry, then this is the one you should get. It feels elevated but still familiar and approachable for the average consumer. Because of the smaller berries, I enjoyed eating them straight from the freezer for a fully frozen treat (you might chip a tooth if you tried that with the large milk chocolate strawbs).

I don't think I've ever had a chocolate-covered blueberry, so this Tru Fru offering is worth buying based on the novelty alone, but I think it is successful all-around. The fruit is made with slightly larger blueberries, which makes sense, as this wouldn't work well with teeny tiny berries; otherwise, it would be way too much chocolate than fruit. The brand doesn't tell us the type of blueberries, so it's hard to discern any identifiable qualities since they're enrobed in layers of chocolate.

The berry has a slightly icy and soft texture after thawing, but you can feel the seeds as you bite. This adds a pleasant, gritty texture to the mouth, making it feel like you're chewing on something substantial (even though it's the smallest fruit of the bunch). I like the texture slightly more than the previous strawberries, but there are superior flavors, too — from the sweet, mild tart quality of fruit to the sweet white chocolate to the rich bite of dark chocolate. I would buy these again in a flash, especially when I'm craving a smaller chocolate-covered morsel. These are the most snackable because of their size, and I'd recommend them to anyone who likes those Brookside chocolate-covered blueberry açaí candies because it has a similar flavor profile.

I figured a dark chocolate Tru Fru option would rank high, and that certainly is true with the dark chocolate raspberries. They have the same success as the milk chocolate ones, but it's even better with the toned-down flavors of dark chocolate. This is one of the more intriguing flavor combinations, ideal if you want a sweet treat that's more nuanced.

The raspberry itself is tart and bright, and then you get a hint of creaminess from the white chocolate, while the dark chocolate rounds out with a touch of earthy bitterness. This is truly a fantastic flavor that has levels as you bite into it. The more you chew, and the more you break down the berry, the more interesting everything is together. This is satisfying for the taste buds but also offers a blend of textures that gives it an easy second-place position. It's more fascinating and delicious than the blueberry, with a more obvious, compelling texture, with the crunchiness of the raspberry's seeds. I would reach for this at any time because I appreciate the stronger, bittersweet flavors. But I kept this as my No. 2 pick, since I think the next one is more enjoyable to a wider array of consumers.

These piña colada pineapples blew me away. The milky creaminess of the white chocolate is paired with the tropical notes of coconut to create a welcome palate cleanser compared to all the milk and dark chocolates. Based on my preference for dark chocolate, I assumed one of the dark chocolate fruits would get first position, and that's why these taste tests always surprise me.

The white choc and actual coconut bits are mixed together on the exterior, which creates a creamy and chewy profile unlike any other variety to set the piña colada pineapple apart. Then we have the pineapple, which, dare I say, is better straight from the freezer because it's firm, icy, yet totally biteable (compared to thawing it as instructed). Biting into this treat feels like I'm taking a vacation away from troubles and responsibilities. 

It's rich and indulgent, but it still feels light compared to some of the dark chocolate fruits; the mesh of flavors and texture is the most interesting and dynamic out of all nine Tru Fru options that I tried. The white chocolate really works (a shocker, for me), and I don't think it would be anywhere near as successful with milk or dark chocolate. If you want something that tastes truly divine, this would be the first thing I'd recommend and the option I'd purchase again over the others.

I purchased all nine Tru Fru products for pickup from Target. I picked the 8-ounce size for all except for the dark chocolate strawberry, which was out of stock, so I grabbed the larger 18-ounce size instead. I based my ranking on the flavor of the fruit and chocolate combo, as well as the texture. Items with enticing flavors that tasted like the advertised ingredients (the chocolate and the respective fruit) ranked higher than those where the fruit was bland or overpowered by the chocolate or peanut butter. 

I took the fruit's texture into account, as low-ranking ones were mushy and unpleasant compared to intriguing and desirable high-ranking varieties. The bottom one was most offensive with overarching issues that I wouldn't recommend spending hard-earned dollars on, while some of the middle ones weren't bad and could appeal to different preferences.