Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Trader Joe’s rolled out two new ice cream options (one vegan, one not) and they’re both winners. Trader Joe’s Yuzu Ripple is our vegan selection with a coconut base. The other, Chocolate Raspberry Swirl, combines chocolate ice cream and raspberry sorbet in pretty much equal parts.
I like citrus desserts just fine, but I assumed the chocolate raspberry would be my ultimate pick, but these two are really neck and neck. While the texture of the Yuzu Ripple is a little icier than we’ve seen with other TJ’s non-dairy desserts (that strawberry one with oat milk set a high bar), I still like it a lot. Going yuzu instead of lemon or Meyer lemon is a great choice. If you’ve never had it, it’s a Japanese citrus, and flavor-wise it’s somewhere between a lemon and a grapefruit. So while it’s still tart, it doesn’t read here as harsh as lemon sometimes does.
C’mon, how pretty is that scoop?! And I know what you’re gonna ask! Nope, it’s not too sweet!!
This one is a little less gorgeous, but I love that you get plenty of both flavors. The raspberry is nice and sharp and a nice counterpoint to the creamy chocolate ice cream. The first time I scooped it, it was a little soft, but my freezer tends to need 24 hours after buying to get back to firm scoopability.
Would I buy Trader Joe’s Yuzu Ripple and Chocolate Raspberry Swirl again? Yes to both!
Check out some other We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s:
Very Chocolatey Non-Dairy Dessert