Trader Joe’s was on a streak with great ice creams. The Yuzu Ripple and the Chocolate Raspberry sorbet/ice cream mix are pretty dang good. And this Trader Joe’s Strawberries and Cream Gelato with candied strawberry pieces had the potential to be win #3 in a row. But…it reminds me a lot of a strawberries and cream hard candies.
Strawberry gelato is a lot more intense than regular strawberry ice cream is, so the deep color and strawberry flavor wasn’t unexpected. But the other flavor in this gelato is described as vanilla bean on the container, which to me it definitely isn’t. The ingredient list even calls out “vanilla bean specks” and you can see some, but taste-wise, It’s just sweet cream. Which is fine, but are we talking strawberries and cream or strawberry and vanilla? Your expectations are gonna be different. Not to mention, the candied strawberry bits weren’t much of a factor in the pint I got.
Would I buy Trader Joe’s Strawberries and Cream Gelato again? Nah. Though I couldn’t do a side-by-side comparison, and it’s not exactly apples-to-apples, my memory says the oat milk-based strawberry ice cream Trader Joe’s had a couple years ago was a tastier, if less intensely flavored, option.
My advice? Get you a pint of the Yuzu Ripple or the Chocolate ice Cream/ Raspberry Sorbet.
Check out some other We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s:
Strawberry Shortcake Sandwich Cookies