17 Trader Joe's Frozen Desserts, Ranked From Worst To Best

While some of us prefer fresh-baked treats for dessert, there is something to be said for ice cream and other frozen goodies. Overall, we have found that frozen desserts can be quite tasty, convenient, and even budget-friendly. Best of all, there is an enormous range of available options. At Trader Joe's, you can find everything from ice cream cones and sandwiches to chocolate-dipped fruit and decadent European desserts. We recently took on the challenging task of sorting out the best and the worst of Trader Joe's frozen dessert aisle.

To determine our favorites, we searched through dozens of potential offerings to narrow things down to the top contenders. Then, we sampled these selected treats in a sensational (and downright sugary) dessert extravaganza. Finally, we ranked the products based on quality, flavor, texture, and, ultimately, a whole lot of personal preference. It is worth mentioning that even our worst-ranked items were still pretty tasty –– so don't let a lower ranking stop you from trying something that sounds good. Below, we give you the full scoop on Trader Joe's frozen desserts.

Since we absolutely love lemon bars, which typically involve lemon curd over a thin layer of shortbread, we had some pretty high standards when trying out Trader Joe's Classic Lemon Bars. While Trader Joe's version offers bright lemon flavor and a thick layer of lemon filling, we found these bars a little too eggy for our liking. We understand that eggs are part of the deal in lemon curd, but a strong buttery crust can usually provide balance. In this case, the crust was not quite up to the job.

Don't get us wrong –– it's not like these lemon bars taste terrible. Plus, they are a convenient option if you need a quick lemon goodie fix. But if you have the time, energy, and ingredients, we definitely think you'll be better off baking your own at home. Each package contains 12 pre-portioned squares. Plan to defrost them for an hour before serving.

Gone Berry Crazy! is Trader Joe's follow-up to their best-selling Gone Bananas! (discussed below). In a similar approach, this product takes fresh strawberries grown in Thailand, slices them, covers the slices in dark Belgian chocolate, and then freezes them. These chocolatey berries are meant to be eaten frozen, so don't leave them sitting out.

That said, biting into a frozen berry is a very different (and, in our opinion, less delicious) experience from biting into a fresh one. In other words, we couldn't get past how much better fresh chocolate-covered strawberries taste, relatively. For a fresh strawberry and chocolate combo, try our recipe for black and white chocolate-covered strawberries, or dunk your strawberries directly into chocolate fondue. Look for plump, juicy strawberries, along with high-quality chocolate.

Although we don't think Gone Berry Crazy! are a dessert disaster, our tasting team had a clear preference for the banana version, along with many of Trader Joe's other frozen desserts.

While there may be more exciting cheesecakes on the market, you're probably not going to find a better one for the price. Trader Joe's New York Deli Style Cheesecake offers up an entire creamy cheesecake in one convenient cardboard box. All you need to do is thaw the cheesecake for one to two hours before serving.

Well, perhaps a little more is necessary. Ideally, we think this cheesecake would taste better with some toppings. Go ahead and add some fresh berries or cherry pie filling, along with a drizzle of chocolate or your favorite sugary sauce. If you want to make your own classic New York-style cheesecake, we can help. All you need is graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, salt, cream cheese, heavy cream, eggs, vanilla, sour cream, and flour. But if that list sounds like a bit much for you, just go with the Trader Joe's option. We assure you that it will get the job done.

Trader Joe's Gone Bananas! are meant to be eaten frozen, although you may be tempted to thaw this product. (Don't worry, they taste delicious as intended.) Trader Joe's used to make a similar product involving whole bananas, but in today's upgraded version, individual slices of kluai hom bananas from Thailand are coated with dark Belgian chocolate and then frozen. We like the new slices: They are easier to bite into, there's a greater surface area for more chocolate, and you can easily justify eating more than one. (For the record, a serving consists of 4 pieces, with 5 servings per box.)

If you can restrain from eating the entire box, Gone Bananas! is probably a healthier dessert option than most on our list. After all, bananas offer a range of important health benefits, including boosting heart health and digestion (per Healthline). Dark chocolate can also benefit your health since it is chock full of flavonols (per Cleveland Clinic). Flavonols can improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. Dark chocolate also contains a number of important minerals and can even help improve mood.

Trader Joe's Mint Chip Ice Cream is considered a "super premium ice cream". This means that it has less air than many other ice creams, resulting in a dense and decadent dessert. Along with less air, the product contains only simple ingredients: milk, sugar, egg yolks, peppermint extract, and chocolate chips. There are no artificial colorings, such as green dye, which are commonly used in other mint ice creams.

From a flavor perspective, we found the product somewhat lacking in the mint department. If you like a subtle mint flavor, then this might be a good thing. We, however, generally prefer to be hit over the head with the wonderful mint flavor. We did like the quantity and richness of the chocolate chips, which contrasted well with the ice cream's lush creaminess. Overall, Mint Chip Ice Cream scored high points for texture but needed a little more oomph flavorwise to move higher up our frozen dessert rankings. That being said, we have already finished off the entire container.

These mild-mannered ice cream treats taste pretty good and are super fun to eat. If you're not already familiar with mochi, it is rice flour dough that can be wrapped around various foods, including ice cream. The true brilliance of mochi-wrapped ice cream is that it allows you to eat your ice cream by hand without getting all sticky as you might with an ice cream cone or sandwich. Also, mochi and ice cream make for a cool texture combo.

Fans of mochi ice cream should definitely give Trader Joe's version a try. To experience the best texture, we recommend leaving your mochi ice cream to sit out for a few minutes before scarfing it down. This will soften up both elements, allowing their flavors and juxtaposing textures to come through more clearly. Trader Joe's mochi ice cream comes in three flavors: Vanilla, Strawberry, and Green Tea. All are rich and creamy, if not exactly exciting. The main drawback of this product is the limited flavor selection.

Trader Giotto's Tiramisu Torte is handmade in Italy, according to the product's packaging. After opening the box, you can enjoy a thin layer of coffee-soaked sponge cake, topped with a whole lot of mascarpone (an Italian cheese similar to cream cheese), the right amount of chocolate bits, and a dusting of cocoa powder. For the best texture results, plan ahead and thaw for two to three hours in the refrigerator before eating.

We quite liked this tiramisu, though, to be fair, we've yet to encounter a tiramisu that we didn't like.) The sponge cake was rich; the mascarpone creamy, the chocolate chocolatey. What more is there? At heart, a classic tiramisu is a pretty simple dessert. (If you make one at home, you can even use ladyfingers for the base in place of making sponge cake.) Overall, Trader Joe's did a good job here, for a fair price. The only thing lacking is the wow factor of a freshly made dessert.

The drive behind Trader Joe's Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches was to make a better ice cream sandwich than others on the market. To do this, product developers put together two respectably sized chocolate chip cookies, a generous amount of vanilla ice cream, and a whole lot of mini chocolate chips. Despite being frozen, the two cookies were still plenty chewy, along with being wonderfully sweet and chocolatey. Between the cookies, we discovered lots of dense vanilla ice cream. (All good so far!)

The assembled cookie sandwich was rolled on its side into mini chocolate chips, which stuck to the outer ice cream. Here is where the issue lies: We found that biting through the chocolate chips distracted us from fully enjoying the rest of the sandwich. We never thought we'd suggest that something could taste better without chocolate chips, but there you have it.

Our recent rankings of popular store-bought ice cream sandwiches didn't include this product in the mix, unfortunately. But you may wish to check out our favorites, including Tillamook Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich, 365 Organic Ice Cream Sandwich, and Coolhaus Classic Vanilla Sammie –– and don't miss Trader Joe's Brownie Crisp Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches (discussed further on).

Mmm. Trader Joe's Coffee Bean Blast Ice Cream is an awesome frozen dessert option. First of all, this ice cream is super dense. Like the Mint Chocolate Chip flavor (discussed above), Coffee Bean Blast and other Trader Joe's super premium ice cream flavors have low overrun, meaning less air is whipped into the ice cream.

Along with the dense texture, Coffee Bean Blast manages to deliver big on coffee flavor. This comes from brewed Colombian coffee and French Roast Colombian beans (finely ground). There is absolutely nothing subtle about the coffee flavor here, so if you don't like coffee, you probably won't like this ice cream flavor. But if, like us, you enjoy a good cup of joe, be sure to give this product a try.

Which reminds us — if you're looking for the best coffee brands to go with your ice cream, we've got you covered. After performing extensive product testing on dozens of brands, we came up with our top three picks: Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Intelligentsia, and Lavassa.

Well hello, you little pieces of heaven, aka Trader Joe's Vanilla Ice Cream Bon Bons. (Yes, sometimes we talk to our food). To make these simple but satisfying treats, Trader Joe's takes a dab of chocolate cookie crust and a dollop of vanilla ice cream and dips them into a delight of chocolate. The result is just the right size to eat in a bite or two. The hard chocolate shell makes a nice contrast with the cold and creamy vanilla ice cream –– and oh, that chocolate crust! Well done, Trader Joe's. Well done.

Surprisingly, the product's packaging maintains that a full box is a single serving. There are 12 in a box, with each bon bon containing 60 calories. (If you don't feel like doing math, this means 720 calories per box.) Don't get us wrong –– we would be happy to eat all of them, but what we really love about this product is how even a single bon bon can provide profound satisfaction. We suggest eating one, two, or even three and then calling it a day.

Talk about apple-sass! A long-time customer favorite, Trader Joe's Apple Blossoms are mini apple pies baked in the shape of a blossom. All you need to do is heat them up (via your oven or microwave) and then peel back the surrounding petals (pieces of crust) to discover the bounty of sweet baked apples inside. We suggest oven-heating for a crispier crust –– and you also won't go wrong by adding Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Dough Ice Cream on top. (We'll talk more about this ice cream flavor soon.) Each box contains only two tasty blossoms, so be sure to stock up.

If you decide to make your own apple creation from scratch, we can offer some expert tips for baking apple pie. First of all, choose a variety of apples, ranging from sweet to tart. Then, don't worry about peeling them; you can bake apple skins right into your pie. Finally, to avoid a gap between your filling and crust, consider pre-baking the filling for about 15 minutes. Some experts recommend adding sour cream to apple pie for a creamy taste and texture.

Oh, yum. How we love macarons! If you're unclear on the difference between macarons and macaroons: Macarons are a delicate type of sandwich cookie made from almond flour, meringue, and filling, whereas macaroons typically consist of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, egg whites, and salt. They are both delicious.

In a box of Trader Joe's A Dozen Macarons, you'll find two each of six flavors: Apricot, Coconut, Fig, Salted Caramel, Lemon, and Pistachio. While they are all pretty tasty, we especially enjoyed Salted Caramel and Pistachio. In an exclusive survey, we asked our readers about their favorite macaron flavors; chocolate and vanilla were the clear favorites. Trader Joe's also offers Chocolate and Vanilla French Macarons and right now, you can also find berry-flavored Heart Shaped Macarons for Valentine's Day.

With some skill and patience, you can even make your own macarons. Try to avoid the biggest mistakes made when baking macarons, which include substituting another type of flour for almond flour, not sifting ingredients together, and using egg whites from a carton to make the meringue.

Even given the fact that we absolutely love Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter, we really weren't expecting the Speculoos Cookie Butter Ice Cream to be quite this good. So let's just start by saying, very simply, that it works. Like, a lot. And for those who haven't yet tried Cookie Butter, what on earth are you waiting for? This hot product has been rated the most popular of all Trader Joe's products, according to Insider.

But back to the icy matter at hand. Trader Joe's Cookie Butter Ice Cream is creamy, delicious, and full of absolutely to-die-for swirls of cookie butter. We really wouldn't change a thing. Our only complaint was that despite copious amounts of cookie butter within the ice cream, certain team members still felt the need to excavate all the remaining cookie butter. The spoon wars got ugly, but we're all okay.

Anyways, we strongly encourage you to give this one a try! And if you want a little extra cookie butter on top (and really, who wouldn't?!), go ahead and pick up a jar of that, too. Or, you can make your own cookie butter from shortbread cookies.

Did you know that ice cream sandwiches are the second favorite ice cream dessert in the U.S.? While we're not particularly surprised at the sentiment, we also feel that Trader Joe's Mini Mint Ice Cream Mouthfuls are a particularly delightful treat. These mini ice cream sandwiches use a pretty basic equation for success: Two chocolate wafers with just the right amount of mint chip ice cream equals mint chocolate divinity. Popping one in your mouth is like eating a cold and creamy mint Oreo (or, in this case, Joe-Joe).

While some people may not care for the mini nature of these ice cream sandwiches, we absolutely adore their petiteness. Remember, you aren't required to only eat one. In fact, a single serving consists of four mini sandwiches –– and nobody is stopping you from eating more. We like to savor the flavor over a couple of bites, but we're guessing that you'll develop your own favorite eating technique. Whether you decide to bite them, lick them, or pull them apart, we are confident you'll enjoy this delicious frozen dessert.

Chocoholics, this one's for you. If you've ever tried to make your own chocolate lava cake, you'll understand that baking one can be tricky. If you bake one for too long, it will come out too firm. But if you don't bake it enough, the cake will collapse. Fortunately, Trader Joe's frozen aisle offers an excellent alternative to this delicate balancing act.

Trader Joe's Chocolate Lava Cakes, sold in packs of two single-serving cakes, deliver a decadent chocolate experience that is perfect every time. Chocolate Lava Cakes are probably more of a special occasion food, as opposed to something to eat every day –– but, you do you. After warming one up in your microwave or oven, you will experience a chocolate lava eruption that may also prompt you to erupt with pleasure. This sensation comes from light and fluffy chocolate cake filled with rich and melty chocolate ganache (aka lava). Keep in mind that this dessert may require some whipped cream and/or berries to help cut the volcanic intensity.

This is not a normal ice cream sandwich. Within Trader Joe's Brownie Crisp Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches, chocolate, ice cream, and coffee come together in perfect harmony. To create this drool-worthy product, Trader Joe's took two brownie crisps, then placed a scoop of decadent coffee ice cream between them.

Let's talk about those brownie crisps. Even when placed next to ice cream, they somehow manage to retain their crispy texture. As an added bonus, there are chocolate chips in them for double the chocolate pleasure. Alongside this abundance, an unearthly coffee ice cream melds itself from coffee syrup, Colombian coffee extract, and espresso grounds. In other words, the coffee's intensity can hold its own, even when surrounded by so much chocolate.

All of this results in a wildly rich and unique ice cream sandwich experience that frozen dessert lovers shouldn't miss. Your hands may get a little messy, but we think it's worth the trouble. Plus, Brownie Crisp Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches are the perfect size, with (surprise!) only 140 calories each. Truthfully, this seems like a caloric bargain. Each box contains four servings.

It is probably safe to say that Trader Joe's Mini Hold the Cone! Ice Cream Cones have reached legendary status. In January 2023, they were selected as the No. 1 sweet/dessert in Trader Joe's 14th Annual Customer Choice Awards. Beyond that, our team believes that the Chocolate Chip variety –– the latest and greatest of all Hold the Cone! flavors –– is more than worthy of a spot in Trader Joe's Hall of Fame. Even Ted Allen, a respected TV host and food judge, says he makes special trips to TJ's to get his fix.

Although Hold the Cone! comes in a variety of flavors (including chocolate, vanilla, and seasonal offerings like peppermint and pumpkin ginger), we think that the Chocolate Chip flavor has really raised the bar. For the first time, this variety involves a textured ice cream –– chocolate chip –– instead of pure smoothness. This is placed inside of a chocolate cone, instead of a plain sugar cone. But best of all, the entire inside of the cone is lined with the same chocolate that also tops the treat. What more could we ask for?

While these ice cream cones may draw you in with their cute mini-ness, that doesn't mean you should eat the whole box in one sitting. An actual serving is considered three cones, but we totally love how even a single cone can offer pure bliss. Enjoy!