From the moment we entered our local Trader Joe’s, the store was alight with chatter about a mysterious new product: Trader Joe’s Ube Purple Yam Flavored Ice Cream.
“Ube? What’s an ube?”
“Wait, yam? They made ice cream out of yams? Gross.”
“… it looks good, though.”
“Maybe we should try it.”
After a whole lot of eavesdropping, we decided that we also wanted to try this yam-flavored ice cream. We definitely don’t think of yams when we think of dessert, but we do appreciate a good tuber.
Of course, before we grabbed our spoons and dug in, we did a little bit of research. Apparently, this ice cream is made from purple yams, which are sweet enough to be used in candies and all kinds of desserts. In the Philippines, where purple yams are grown, they’re used in cakes, pies, and yes, ice cream.
While yam-flavored ice cream might be the norm in some parts of the world, it was new to our staffers, and we weren’t sure what we should expect. We half-expected that we’d have to give up and toss the ice cream out after a bite or two. Thankfully, this treat isn’t as scary as it seems; it’s a sweet ice cream with a very pleasant flavor. In fact, if we didn’t know any better, we would have assumed it was made from some sort of berry.
That said, there are some complexities here. The ice cream has a nutty aftertaste, along with an intense creaminess. We thought for a minute it might be made from coconut milk, but a glance at the label confirmed that wasn’t the case. Apparently, that’s just what purple yams taste like, and we’re into it! The ice cream is a little rich, but in our opinion, that’s a plus; we prefer it when we’re not tempted to down an entire pint of ice cream in a sitting.
If you’ve heard people buzzing about Trader Joe’s Ube Purple Yam Flavored Ice Cream and you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, do yourself a favor and pick up a container for yourself. It’s okay if you’re not an adventurous eater. This ice cream sounds scary, but it’s not nearly as intimidating as it seems.
To learn more about the nutrition content or ingredients in this Trader Joe’s yam-flavored ice cream, check out our package scan below.
Just picked this up today! So delicious, it’s creamy and has tiny bits of what I assume is Ube. I occasionally enjoy ube cake or ube milk tea from a local asian market and was very excited when I saw this. Checked this review before driving to TJ’s for groceries. Very happy with this 🙂 hope it stays in stores.