The Seasonal Trader Joe's Ice Cream We Wish We Had Year-Round

As you'd expect from a gold mine of tasty seasonal desserts, Trader Joe's is bursting with delicious ice cream flavors. The chain's lemon shortbread pints had customers drooling in spring 2022, while the holiday season that same year saw the release of a triple gingerbread flavor. Even though some seasonal ice creams aren't a huge hit, others have fans clamoring for more once they're gone. Trader Joe's Banana Pudding Flavored Ice Cream falls in the latter category. 

Since it consists of a base of banana ice cream with vanilla wafer cookie pieces and a salted caramel swirl, some fans have likened the taste to that of Magnolia Bakery's famous banana pudding. This year, however, it left people wanting more — not because of the flavor, but for the seemingly short time it appeared on store shelves. While Trader Joe's announced its return on Instagram on April 23, it may have only lasted until June. One Reddit user lamented, "Since TJs loves to discontinue products I become infatuated with, I will pass on trying this ... " while one Instagram commenter begged, "Please make this permanent."

While Trader Joe's Banana Pudding ice cream officially debuted in 2023, shoppers initially gave it mixed reviews. There had been plenty of anticipation leading up to its launch, as it was leaked on TikTok in 2022. But considering the number of agitated fans disappointed in its short shelf time this year, it's safe to say it's garnered a loyal fan base since then. One Redditor said it's a "12/10! One of their best ice creams!" Another said they couldn't stop eating it, despite the somewhat overly sweet and artificial banana flavor. However, there are still a few who aren't a huge fan of these pints. The main culprit seems to be the fake banana taste (although actual bananas are part of the banana puree in the ingredient list), with some customers comparing it to banana Laffy Taffy or Runts.

If you are one of the many who love it and are anxiously waiting its return, you can replicate it at home in the meantime. Whip up some homemade banana ice cream, top it off with a salted caramel drizzle and crushed vanilla wafers, and dig in. It may not be exactly the same, but it should be enough to hold you over until we see Trader Joe's version return to store shelves.