Affordable supermarket chain Aldi’s latest ice cream drop has got tongues wagging.
On May 1, the German-headquartered grocer released its latest set of Aldi Finds, where it provides low prices on everything from Tide Pods to gardening equipment and, of course, food and drink. Aldi recently brought back its Sundae Shoppe Fusion Ice Cream Bars in two flavors, and they truly give off luxury ice cream vibes for a fraction of the price.
One flavor, Vanilla and Forest Berry White Chocolate, swirls vanilla ice cream with a “forest fruit sorbet.” It’s all coated in white chocolate and dusted with raspberry pieces.
The other, Vanilla and Caramel Crunch Milk Chocolate, joins vanilla and caramel ice creams and coats the swirled bar in milk chocolate with “caramelized granules.” Both flavors come in three-count boxes and retail for $3.49.
“The Sundae Shoppe Vanilla & Caramel and Vanilla & Forest Fruit Fusion Ice Cream Bars are a May ALDI Find,” an Aldi spokesperson tells TODAY.com. “ALDI Finds are limited-time, specialty items ranging from unique foods and home goods to unexpected finds. New products are released each week and typically tied to a theme or season.”
Aldi has become known for its dupes, from its apparent take on a Nutter Butter to its seeming copycats of Velveeta, Chips Ahoy, Ritz Crackers and more. Some folks on social media have said the chain’s versions of other brand’s products tend to be better, and one TikToker has dubbed this frozen treat — which looks a lot like bars made by Häagen-Dazs — the “best Ice cream bar I’ve ever had.”
So how do Aldi’s Fusion Ice Cream Bars stand up to more expensive options? I started with Vanilla and Caramel Crunch Milk Chocolate bars, which have a comparable bite to Häagen-Dazs’ Dulce de Leche ice cream bars. The latter set me back $5.99 at my local grocer. (The name-brand’s bar features dulce de leche ice cream swirled with “thick, milky” ribbons of dulce de leche all dipped in milk chocolate.)
First, it must be said that nothing can compete with Häagen-Dazs when it comes to creamy and luscious ice cream. I could tell from the first bite of Häagen-Dazs that its top ingredient is cream, while the main ingredient in the Aldi bar is skim milk.
Still, while Aldi’s ice cream has a little less body and richness to it, it holds up flavor-wise to the caramel swirl of Häagen-Dazs. The Aldi version’s “caramelized granules” added a nice touch to the coating, and I couldn’t find a comparable inclusion in any Häagen-Dazs flavor.
Next up, I tried the Vanilla and Forest Berry White Chocolate bars from Aldi. These are a distinctive treat with a strong flavor. While many of Häagen-Dazs’ white chocolate covered ice cream bars are available in Canada, they’re not listed as options in the US and I couldn’t find any at my local stateside supermarket. I did, however, find a very similar treat: White Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream Bars coated in milk chocolate, also $5.99.
These close flavor relatives were neck and neck, though Aldi’s had more of a berry taste and a higher ratio of red, ribbony goodness to vanilla ice cream.
Overall, I thought Aldi’s bars were impressive — not bad for ice cream that costs just over half the price of the name brand versions.
Aldi’s Sundae Shoppe Fusion Ice Cream Bars will be available for a limited time only. Representatives for the company didn’t immediately respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment.
