I'm Desperate For Trader Joe's To Bring Back My Favorite Vegan Ice Cream

Most grocery store ice creams are nothing to write home about. Sure, you may come across a great vanilla ice cream once in a while, or perhaps you'll add a brand of chocolate peanut butter to your cart. As a whole, these flavors tend to lack innovation and are almost always predictable — especially when it comes to non-dairy options. As someone who's eaten a plant-based diet most of their life, I've had my fair share of mediocre, barely passable vegan ice creams and other treats. 

But if there's a supermarket that's innovative when it comes to ice cream flavors, it's Trader Joe's. In my wanderings through its aisles, many moons ago, I discovered one of the most unique — and delicious — non-dairy ice creams that I've had to date: the non-dairy cold brew and boba ice cream. Now, I'm a snob when it comes to coffee ice cream, and especially when it comes to dairy-free anything. So you can trust me when I say this ice cream was fantastic. Not only was this frozen dessert boldly coffee-flavored, balancing both bitterness and milkiness, but it also didn't taste like the coconut milk it was made with. The boba pearls were plentiful and chewy, even though I entirely expected them to turn icy and tooth-breakingly hard.

My love affair with this ice cream (I used to scoop up four pints at a time) was short-lived, though, because Trader Joe's discontinued it. It's truly an example of "you don't know what you have until it's gone" — mainly because I haven't found anything comparable since. 

For a grocery store with a notably loyal following, Trader Joe's ice creams tend to receive a "love it or hate it" reaction from customers, but it seems that this ice cream was popular among not just sweet-treat lovers but the dairy-free community at large. I should note that it was discontinued with its black tea boba ice cream brethren, though it seems like everyone is team coffee over team tea. "I think we should start picketing until they bring them back," suggested one Reddit user — and I have to agree. Others were inspired to create a Change.org petition that, despite not receiving many signatures as of April 2026, still does an excellent job of summarizing why this ice cream is so important to people. "This isn't just food to me — it's a source of comfort and happiness, accompanying me through many highs and lows, even in hospital wards where my parents brought it to lighten my mood," the petition's creator wrote. 

The sentiment is shared on Instagram as well. "This is quite possibly the best vegan ice cream I've ever had. The boba are an awesome addition & the coffee flavor isn't too strong," said one commenter on a review of the ice cream. This non-dairy treat really did have all the makings of a great dessert: a solid coffee base, just enough ingenuity and novelty to make you say "Huh?" and add a pint to your cart, and whimsical branding. I can't fathom why Trader Joe's pulled it from stores, and I can only hope it returns soon.