Trader Joe’s fall ice cream track record is a little bit mixed. A few years ago, they did a Salted Maple Ice Cream, then there was the Caramel Apple mochi ice cream (not for me), and now they’ve rolled out Apple Pie a la Mode. For me, it’s got nostalgia vibes. I think Dreyer’s might have had an apple pie flavor when I was growing up.
I gave it the standard 24 hours in my freezer after buying it, and it’s firm but scoopable after a few minutes out of the freezer.
It’s good. Just know that if you like a really cinnamon-y apple pie, this is not that. It does have a bit of cinnamon, so says the ingredient list, but you could also get a little Penzeys apple pie spice and give it an extra hit. Initially I was a little worried, because it didn’t look like there was much apple or pie bits in my pint, but I just had to dig into it a little and it was pretty respectable. The pie crust bits give it some nice texture, too.
For me, this is a, “I’ll have a couple of bites” ice cream. I didn’t have the urge to immediately crush the entire container. It should pair nicely with the pumpkin ice cream once it comes in. Or if you’re a pie and ice cream person, you could def do a little scoop with your pumpkin pie.
Would I buy it again? Maybe. But I’ll be waiting to see what other desserts TJ’s comes out with for the fall.
Check out our first round of Trader Joe’s fall items as spotted in the PNW earlier this week:
Trader Joe’s Pumpkinpalooza 2026 Is On
And here’s last year’s roundup:
Trader Joe’s Pumpkinpalooza 2025, Round 1
Trader Joe’s Pumpkinpalooza 2025, Round 2