8 Trader Joe's Ice Creams, Ranked

Over the years, Trader Joe's has become more than just a grocery store. It's garnered a cult following thanks to its unique farmers market-like setup and a wide array of snacks, desserts, and frozen foods, many of which are made with organic or whole ingredients. Combined with its low prices, Trader Joe's is a match made in heaven for shoppers who love to try out new treats with fun flavor pairings. 

The store's ice cream selection, in particular, is one for the books. With an assortment of beloved seasonal picks and premium takes on classic flavors, like French vanilla or coffee, there are plenty of options to choose from in the freezer aisle. However, there lies one essential question: How do you know which Trader Joe's ice creams are worth it?

To save you some time on your next grocery trip, we've compiled a list of the very best and assessed them based on taste, cost, customer reviews, and more. Below, check out some of the top Trader Joe's ice creams ranked from worst to best. 

Trader Joe's has quite a selection of ice cream sandwiches and bars, such as Figo! Half dipped chocolate & vanilla sandwich bars, a fun take on a classic frozen dessert. The sweet treat is almost a two-in-one experience since the vanilla ice cream is wedged between two chocolatey sandwich cookies, while the chocolate ice cream is dipped in frozen chocolate. According to the Trader Joe's website, these bars are made in Italy, hence the name. Figo is a common Italian expression to describe something hip and cool. 

While the concept is solid — especially if you can't choose between chocolate or vanilla ice cream on a warm summer day — reviewers aren't entirely thrilled with the taste of these sandwich bars. "I wanted to love it, but it's not good," one disappointed buyer wrote. "The vanilla has no flavor and the cookie sandwich is way too dry."

A number of customers weren't so pleased with the taste of the ice cream and found that it was a little lackluster in comparison to other options from the store. For that reason, we couldn't rank these desserts too high, but we'll commend TJ's for the unique idea.

The brownie crisp coffee ice cream sandwich landed next in our ranking of Trader Joe's ice creams. It features a complementary flavor profile since the coffee and brownie really work to enhance one another. "If you're a fan of coffee, ice cream, and brownies, this is a no-brainer," a reviewer wrote on Freezer Meal Friendly, noting that the brownie crisp, in particular, has an impressive fudge flavor and crispy texture. 

That being said, these won't be everyone's cup of tea. For instance, if you're not a fan of rich flavor profiles, this definitely won't be your favorite. Additionally, buyers remark that they melt really quickly, making them quite messy to eat unless you use a bowl. Lastly, you only get four small ice cream sandwiches in a box.

There's a fair amount of highlights to these brownie-coffee-combos, namely, the sweet and yummy taste. However, since TJ's customers still found some notable cons, we're placing this a bit higher on our list.

This is a classic flavor that you can find at any grocery store, but Trader Joe's manages to amplify its ingredients to make it feel just a tad more luxurious. The brand's mint chip ice cream boasts a spot-on ratio of ice cream to chocolate chips, with an incredibly creamy texture. Not to mention, a quart is priced at $3.99 as of March 2023, so it's impressively inexpensive, especially in comparison to ice cream brands from competing stores.

That being said, we'll fully admit that mint chocolate chip is a highly controversial ice cream flavor. Some people feel that it tastes like mint toothpaste and, while we don't entirely agree, everyone's entitled to their own opinion. Some customers on Trader Joe's Reviews described this pick as "dangerously good", while others felt the opposite. "This ice cream has no flavor," one person wrote, adding, "The mint is very weak." Another buyer echoed this sentiment, noting, "they seemed to forget to put the mint in. It's vanilla ice cream with chips." Whether or not you enjoy this ice cream will ultimately depend on your taste, but since the reviews aren't overwhelmingly positive, we're placing it in the middle.

If you're craving a small sweet treat, the Trader Joe's chocolate chip Hold the Cone! is a great option. These mini ice cream cones feature a chocolate cone, vanilla chip ice cream, and a frozen chocolate coating to top it all off. If you're a chocolate fan, then you'll love the way the chocolate topping really amplifies the light vanilla ice cream. Priced at $3.79 as of March 2023, you'll get eight cones per box. 

Mrs. Trader Joe's, a popular food blog about the store, gave these desserts a 9 out of 10 in its review. The outlet highlighted that "The thin chocolate coating pairs perfectly with the chocolate chip ice cream." That being said, while some folks adore the flavor profile of these tiny cones, they're not for everyone. Some may find them to be way too sweet or chocolatey, since the rich cocoa flavor is found in every element. However, there are other flavors available at Trader Joe's, such as coffee and seasonal options like peppermint or pumpkin. 

Here's another classic flavor that's been amplified by Trader Joe's dedication to premium ingredients. The store's Coffee Bean Blast ice cream is a bonafide winner in our eyes. From its thick and rich texture to the potent coffee taste, this pick really delivers on its promise of being a high-quality product. According to the website, the low overrun is responsible for the incredible consistency. Apparently, the aim when making ice cream is to have a lower overrun, which means less air whipped into the formula. Who knew?

We're not the only ones who are salivating over this TJ's buy, though. A review on Freezer Meal Friendly described it as "some fantastic ice cream" thanks to the smooth texture and mouthfeel. Meanwhile, the fragmented espresso beans dispersed throughout provide a rich coffee flavor without a weird texture. However, if you're not a total coffee lover, this might not be your favorite coffee-flavored ice cream on the market. Due to the impressively strong espresso taste, this is ideal for hardcore coffee fans. While Trader Joe's Coffee Bean Blast ice cream ranks pretty high in our roundup, this won't be everyone's top pick, so consider how much you really like coffee before making the purchase.

Rounding out our top picks is a unique seasonal flavor of wildberry cheesecake ice cream. Unfortunately, it is only sold during the summer months. Despite that being its main drawback, we still had to place this flavor relatively high because of its delicious taste. It boasts a light sweet cream base, along with a mixed berry swirl that's made with blueberry, elderberry, raspberry, strawberry, and blackberry, and — wait for it — little bits of classic cheesecake. We'll give you a moment to collect yourself. 

As if we needed another reason to rave about this fun profile of flavors, Freezer Meal Frenzy happily echoes our sentiments in their review: "The Trader Joe's Wildberry Cheesecake Ice Cream is yet another stunningly delicious ice cream from the mad scientists at Trader Joe's." They noted that there's a ton of cheesecake chunks throughout the delicious vanilla-like ice cream, while the berry swirl "adds a fruity flourish to this already dangerously decadent treat." We've taken off a point for its exclusive shopping window, but everything else about this ice cream flavor gets full praise.

We're getting down to the wire now! We had to include Trader Joe's iconic Sublime ice cream sandwiches, which have a notable following in the TJ's community. They received a 10-out-of-10 rating from Mrs. Trader Joe's, and we wholeheartedly agree. Most shoppers have tasted these treats and adore them, mainly because of the perfect ice cream-to-cookie ratio and the ice cream truck nostalgia factor (except, dare we say — these are better than any childhood summer dessert). 

Wedged between two decently sized chocolate chip cookies is a sweet and light vanilla ice cream filling rolled in mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. In her review, Mrs. Trader Joe's wrote that she "found that the chocolate chips added great texture." Though she noted that the vanilla ice cream was slightly bland, the other elements quickly made up for it since they match so well. It's a complementary experience that we seriously cannot recommend enough. 

If we had to give these ice cream sandwiches a lowlight, it's their price. At around $5 for a box of four as of March 2023, it's probably not the most family-friendly option to have in your freezer, unless you're not planning on sharing with anyone (which we won't blame you for, to be honest). 

Our favorite Trader Joe's ice cream goes to the famed Speculoos cookie butter flavor. Oh, how we love cookie butter, one of the store's most iconic specialty items. Inspired by Speculoos, a Belgian spiced gingerbread shortbread cookie, the jarred spread is similar to Nutella or peanut butter in texture, with aromas of nutmeg and cinnamon. To make it even better, you can have this delicious treat in ice cream. Are you sold yet?

It features a plain vanilla base with cookie butter swirled throughout. That's it! It sounds simple, but boy is it effective. In fact, Freezer Meal Frenzy's review states, "If you like ice cream at all, you need to get up, rush to the nearest Trader Joe's, and pick up a batch of this ice cream immediately." The outlet loved the rich flavor from the spices in the cookie butter and noted that the ice cream itself is creamy and still somehow light. 

The taste isn't the only reason why this came in at number one, though: It's a product that's totally unique to Trader Joe's, which means you won't find it at any other grocery store. You may come across similar options, but nothing is going to come as close to this tried-and-true pick from the TJ's chain.