Trader Joe’s Black Tea & Boba Coconut Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Review

Fro-yo girl here. Last summer, Trader Joe’s introduced their first boba ice cream: Cold Brew Coffee & Boba Coconut Frozen Dessert. Their frozen dessert is vegan and available in pints. On a recent trip to Trader Joe’s (I go every week), I noticed a new boba ice cream there: Black Tea and Boba Coconut Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert. A pint was $4.49.

On the side of the pint, TJ’s describes how boba is found in Taiwanese bubble tea. They also say that “in this Black Tea & Boba coconut non-dairy frozen dessert, you’ll find the pearls throughout, intertwined with a sweet brown sugar swirl.”

Black Tea & Boba Coconut Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert: I liked the dense, creamy, smooth texture – very ice cream like. The brown sugar swirl overwhelms the other flavors, the way the coffee overwhelmed the other flavors in TJ’s Cold Brew Coffee & Boba Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert. Plus, the ice cream is far too sweet. The tapioca pearls were firm, sweet, and chewy.

One 2/3 cup serving is 240 calories, 5g total fat, 47g total carbs, and 31g of total sugars. The Cold Brew Coffee & Boba Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert had 24g total sugars per serving.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Trader Joe’s Cold Brew Coffee & Boba Coconut Frozen Dessert Review

Fro-yo girl here. Trader Joe’s knows about the boba ice cream trend! They recently introduced their own boba ice cream, Cold Brew Coffee & Boba Coconut Frozen Dessert. Yes, it’s vegan. One pint is $4.29. A product of Thailand, the main ingredients are coconut milk, water, and sugar.

Plant-based is on trend, and making it coffee flavored also makes it different from the brown sugar and tea-based boba ice creams on the market.

Trader Joe’s describes it as follows, “Among the things we’ve learned whilst working in the food business is that if it looks like ice cream and it tastes like ice cream... it isn’t necessarily ice cream. You see, to be ice cream, a frozen dessert must include that defining ingredient – cream. So, if your frozen dessert happens to be made with a non-dairy liquid base – say, coconut milk (itself a potentially controversial moniker) – it may taste familiar, but it’s not technically ice cream. What it is, in the case of Trader Joe’s Cold Brew Coffee and Boba Coconut Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert, is darn delicious. It begins with a smooth, rich, and yes, creamy coconut milk base – coconut milk is the first ingredient – yet it doesn’t taste even a bit like coconut. Instead, what you’ll taste is cold brew coffee, made from Thai-grown Arabica coffee beans. You wouldn’t guess it’s non-dairy; you will be reminded of your favorite cup of coffee. This is especially true if you’re a boba aficionado – each pint is loaded with the much-loved, chewy tapioca pearls so often found in specialty tea & coffee shops. Frozen Dessert and Boba may seem like an odd pair, yet somehow the partnership really pops. Grab a pint, secure a spoon, and find out for yourself. You’ll find this vegan treat in our freezers with the other ice cream (and ice cream-like) desserts.”

Cold Brew Coffee & Boba Coconut Frozen Dessert: The coffee flavor is super strong, like Vietnamese coffee strong. They actually put ground coffee beans in the frozen dessert. The coffee flavor is so strong that it overwhelms the other flavors – you can’t taste the coconut or appreciate the flavor of the tapioca pearls. The pearls are firm, sweet, and chewy, so they do add a pleasant texture. And the pearls are plentiful. One serving is 230 calories, 9g total fat, 37g total carbs, and 24g total sugars. I like coffee and coffee ice cream, but I found the coffee flavor to be too strong.

4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Trader Joe’s Organic Creamy Cashew Cultured Yogurt Alternative Review

Fro-yo girl here. I have to say that Trader Joe’s usually has good yogurt products. They seem to like yogurt quite a bit, judging from the number of yogurt products over the years. This past July they introduced Trader Joe’s Organic Creamy Cashew Cultured Yogurt Alternatives. Their cashew yogurt alternative is dairy-free, comes in 5.3 oz cups and is priced at $1.69 each. The two flavors are Vanilla Bean and Strawberry.

Vanilla Bean: The texture was thin and the flavor mild, sweet but tangy. I could taste a hint of coconut and a hint of vanilla. I could see the vanilla bean flecks. Flavor wise, it tasted like eating a yogurt and I think it would be amazing in a smoothie or other recipe that calls for yogurt.

Strawberry: While the strawberry was considerably thicker than vanilla, it had a stronger bitter aftertaste and a pasty quality. The strawberry flavor was mild. I liked the vanilla better.

Ingredients (Vanilla): Organic cashew base (filtered water, organic cashews), organic cane sugar, organic tapioca starch, organic locust bean gum, pectin, natural flavor, organic lemon juice concentrate, organic vanilla beans, organic coconut cream (organic coconut, water), live active cultures.

One serving of vanilla is 140 calories, 6g total fat, 20g total carbs, 13g total sugars and 3g protein.

4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

New at Trader Joe’s: Strawberry Greek Frozen Yogurt Parfait Bars Review

Fro-yo girl here. It’s been awhile since TJ’s introduced a new frozen yogurt product. Prior to the new Strawberry Greek Frozen Yogurt Parfait Bars, they had Frozen Vanilla Greek Yogurt way back in 2012. In 2009, they introduced Nonfat Plain Frozen Yogurt. The strawberry froyo bars are their first yogurt popsicles. What took so long?

Trader Joe’s product developer wanted to created the “ultimate breakfast popsicle” using creamy yogurt, crunchy granola, and summer fruits. TJ’s parfait bars are made with Greek yogurt, strawberry puree, strawberry pieces, and Just the Clusters Vanilla Almond granola. One box contains 4 bars and is priced at $2.99. According to Trader Joe’s, the bars will only be available this summer.

* Strawberry Greek frozen yogurt parfait bar: Delicious – these seem like the kind of bars you’d make at home. They’re full size, tangy, and creamy. I like that they taste like yogurt because many frozen yogurt bars on the market do not. They taste simple and natural, with lots of strawberry flavor. The chewy granola bits are found throughout the bar.

One bar is 100 calories, 2g total fat, 18g total carbs, 14g sugars and 3g protein.

Ingredients: Greek yogurt (cultured pasteurized skim milk, yogurt concentrate (cultured whey, nonfat dry milk, yogurt cultures), dextrose, milk protein concentrate, mono- and diglycerides, guar gum, maltodextrin, strawberry puree, diced strawberries, oat clusters (rolled oats, sugar, expelled pressed canolaoil, rice flour, almonds, cornstarch, honey, natural flavor, salt, barley malt syrup), sliced strawberries (strawberries, sugar), natural flavor, vegetable juice (color), citric acid (acidifier).

Get these if you love the taste of yogurt and strawberries! I plan to get more and have them for breakfast.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Trader Joe’s Oat and Greek Yogurt Sandwich Cookies Review

Fro-yo girl here. I try not to look at the Trader Joe’s cookie section – too many temptations, but I spotted something new on a recent visit, Oat & Greek Yogurt Sandwich Cookies filled with Yogurt Crème. The box describes the cookies as “almost like breakfast in a cookie, Trader Joe’s Oat and Greek Yogurt sandwich cookies are made in Greece with a slightly tart filling sandwiched between two crisp oat cookies made with Greek yogurt.”

Greek cookies made with Greek yogurt? Sounds delicious. The cookie sandwich was two inches in diameter and ¾ inch in thickness. The oat cookies were thick, crisp, and hearty, like McVitie’s Hobnobs. I could taste a hint of salt and yogurt. The filing was soft, creamy, and slightly tangy. I didn’t think the filling added much. The cookies were good without the filling.

One box is 7.92 oz and contains 9 sandwich cookies. One cookie is 140 calories, 9g total fat, 13g total carbohydrate, 7g sugrs, and 2g protein. TJ’s is selling the cookies for $2.99 a box.

4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Trader Joe’s Adds Icelandic Yogurt and Yogurt Cheesecake

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve mentioned Icelandic stye yogurt (known as skyr) on this blog quite a few times, because I’ve been a fan since the first time I tried Siggi’s in 2010. Since then, I’ve tried every brand of skyr that I’ve run across. Skyr is strained until it’s rich and thick.

Trader Joe’s has two flavors of skyr, Plain and Strawberry. Both are nonfat. The 8-ounce cups are $1.39 each. Trader Joe’s describes the product as follows, “Just like traditional skyr—which has been a staple of the Icelandic diet since it was brought over from Norway a millennium ago—our Icelandic Style Nonfat Yogurt is strained so that it’s exceptionally thick and creamy. It’s reminiscent of nonfat Greek yogurt, but even smoother and with slightly less bite.”

* Strawberry Icelandic yogurt: This is a blended style yogurt. One container is 190 calories with 0g fat, 26g carbs, 24g total sugars and 20g protein. TJ’s version has more sugar than Smari or Siggi’s, but it’s still got a sourness to it that I like. It’s tangy, sour and pretty sweet at the same time, with intense yogurt flavor. The texture is smooth and thick. Since it has more sugar and isn’t quite as thick as Siggi’s, it doesn’t seem different from Greek yogurt to me. I wish it had less sugar.

Ingredients: Nonfat milk, cane sugar, strawberry puree, strawberries, water, natural strawberry flavor, fruit pectin, locust bean gum, carrot extract (color), streptoccus thermophilus (culture), lemon juice concentrate.

I also noticed that Trader Joe’s now has Chocolate Swirl Icelandic Style Yogurt Cheesecake. It’s huge (650g), so I probably won’t get it but it does sound good, if it’s tangy and not too sweet. You can find this new cheesecake in the frozen foods section with the other frozen pies, cakes, puddings, etc.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.



Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Trader Joe’s Frozen Greek Vanilla Fro-yo Review

Fro-yo girl here. Someone at TJ’s really likes yogurt. They’ve come up with a new product, 0% Frozen Vanilla Greek Fat Free Yogurt. Their first Greek fro-yo product is currently available in just one flavor (vanilla). One serving (1/2 cup) is 100 calories and contains live and active cultures. Ingredients include milk, sugar, natural stabilizers, vanilla flavor, citric acid and live and active cultures. 

The frozen yogurt wasn’t as creamy as I had hoped. The texture was rather stiff and chewy. The vanilla flavor wasn’t very strong either. While I did like how there was some slight tanginess, the sweet bland chewiness of the frozen yogurt outweighed the positive quality of tasting like yogurt. It was still quite sweet. I recommend having the fro-yo with fresh fruit toppings because it doesn’t taste that good on its own.

A quart of TJ’s Greek vanilla fro-yo is $3.99.

3 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Trader Joe's Yogurt Covered Almonds and Lassis

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurt covered pretzels and raisins have been around for awhile. Now Trader Joe's has yogurt covered whole almonds. California almonds are roasted and dipped in thick white yogurt coating. The creamy coating is quite sweet but a little tangy. It's made with yogurt cultures and yogurt flavored powder. An 11 ounce tub is $3.99. 4 out of 5 stars.

The TJ's Indian style lassis are good too. The plain lassi is quite sour, very thick and very creamy. It's much more sour than it is tangy. I like to either stir in honey or sugar and drink it or add cereal. Lassis are available in mango and plain ($2.69) for 32 fl. ozs. 4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.