Although Trader Joe’s has been trotting out lots of non-dairy frozen dessert options over the last couple of years, it’s interesting they went the standard dairy route for their Horchata Ice Cream. Sure, rice milk isn’t necessarily known for rich creamy mouthfeel, but using regular dairy in this one and with a cinnamon forward flavor, really just makes it horchata INSPIRED. A fact that they note in the actual name on the carton, but lots of us might have initially missed.
So you get a creamy, cinnamony ice cream with “horchata flavored” cookie pieces in it. I’m not really sure what that last bit means, but I think the cookie is where the brown rice flour on the ingredient list comes in. I tried scooping it a few hours after I bought it and it was pretty soft, but another solid 24 hours in the freezer, and it was perfect for an ice cream cone. The picture is of that second day.
Overall, I like it. But if you served this over apple pie, I’d just assume it was cinnamon. So maybe the key to maximum enjoyment is to have it for dessert after Mexican food, so you’re specifically in a horchata frame of mind. Or, make some bunuelos to go with it.
Would I buy it again? Yes.
Check out some other We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Joe-Joe’s