Redditors Are Unsure About Trader Joe's Banana Pudding Ice Cream

If you've tried Jell-O Banana Cream flavored pudding, you still might not know what banana pudding is. Unlike chocolate pudding, which The Pioneer Woman's recipe shows is nothing but chocolate-flavored milk and cornstarch, banana pudding is a more complicated concoction. Serious Eats explains that a true banana pudding involves sponge cake layered with sliced banana and custard. It's a variation on an English dessert known as a trifle that uses sweet items stacked atop one another in a dish.

According to Serious Eats, the first version of banana pudding can be traced to an 1888 issue of Good Housekeeping. That publication broke the dam. Once people saw how they could turn a trifle into something even more delightful, there was a flood of new recipes. That tradition continues to this day since any number of things can be added to banana pudding. Some of the most common recipes call for Nilla wafers, whipped cream, and caramel. However, there are some mistakes to avoid if making banana pudding from scratch.

Trader Joe's is even trying to create its own spin on the dessert by offering an ice cream that has everything good about banana pudding all put into a creamy frozen mixture. Though the idea is sound, Reddit isn't so sure this is a winning proposition.

On a Reddit post, a thoughtful Trader Joe's shopper tossed up a quick review of the banana pudding ice cream. They said the dessert was, "a bit on the sweet side, but worth a try." The major problem they noted was repeated by the commenters. "Banana flavor too artificial," said one of the top-voted comments. Someone else made an unflattering comparison, advising, "It tastes like a banana laffy taffy." The original review said nearly the same thing, noting, "Tastes more like banana essence (artificial) than actual bananas."

Though there was generally a consensus regarding the artificial flavoring, there was certainly debate about the other parts of the ice cream. The poster thought that the "Vanilla wafers gave it some nice texture," while others felt it needed more wafers. "Not enough wafer pieces," complained a reviewer who gave the dessert a respectable "3 out of 5 stars."

A few liked the idea of a more manufactured taste. "If it tastes like banana laffy taffy, I'm in," they offered. However, the overall tone from those who tried it was that it was too fake, and lacked enough additional flavors to distract from the synthetic feel. Anyone seeking a more authentic experience would be served well by this quick, no-bake banana pudding recipe.