It’s easy to forget that bananas and ice cream are a time-tested combination. Just look at the banana split, which was allegedly invented way back in 1907 by an Ohio man named Ernest R. Hazard. This is a combination that’s almost as old as spaghetti and meatballs (which dates back to about 1888).
But the Trader Joe’s Banana Pudding Flavored Ice Cream is here to remind us that these two things — bananas and ice cream — absolutely belong together. This is a dessert that’s sweeping the nation, at least according to some outlets.
Obviously, the Freezer Meal Frenzy crew was going to try this. So we drove out to TJ’s and picked up a carton of this wonderful treat to see if it lives up to the hype.
And let’s just say that, yes, it does live up to that hype — and more. It’s absolutely bonkers how good this ice cream is.
It starts out with a banana-based ice cream, which reminds us of the filling in a banana cream pie. It’s creamy and sweet, with that real banana flavor stealing the show.
We would have been totally fine with just a batch of this ice cream plain, but Trader Joe’s didn’t stop there. No, they went ahead and added salted caramel swirls and vanilla cookie pieces. The cookie pieces are mostly there for a little texture, as you won’t really taste them over the powerfully flavorful banana ice cream, but the salted caramel does serve as a little bit of a barrier for the sweetness. Just as the sweetness level of the ice cream is about to cross the line into “too sweet” territory, the caramel swoops in and prevents it from getting there. We’re not saying that the caramel isn’t sweet, but it’s salted, so the salted side of the flavor combo is what makes the difference here.
The recommended serving size is about a third of the container, and we think that’s a good rule to abide by. If you can do that, you’ll be looking at 300 calories per serving. Of course, if you go hog wild and scarf down the entire thing in a sitting, you’re up to 910 calories. You should definitely try to avoid doing this, but we’re totally not going to judge you if you can’t stop yourself. This ice cream tasty enough that it can become a pretty big temptation when it’s just sitting there in your freezer.
The Trader Joe’s Banana Pudding Flavored Ice Cream is a delectable treat that’s almost too good. If you’re trying to lower your calorie intake, you probably want to keep this ice cream out of reach. But if you do decide to indulge, this is a mega-craveable frozen treat that has to be tasted to be believed. This is some seriously amazing stuff, and we’re falling head-over-heels for it.
You might say that we’re going bananas for it…
To learn more about the nutrition content or ingredients for this Trader Joe’s ice cream, check out our carton photograph below.
