Walmart’s New Desserts Keep Things Very Retro

We’ve been waxing lyrical about Walmart’s Bettergoods range all summer long, including its new fall desserts that sound pretty damn decent. But let’s spare a thought for Great Value. Yes, Walmart’s budget-focused line may not have the pizzazz of the bougier Bettergoods, but there’s still plenty to write home about: There are some excellent Great Value products out there, with a surprising level of variety. Whenever it gets a refresh, we’re all ears. 

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That’s happened this week, with some new desserts – and it feels like Walmart’s really leaning into a throwback vibe with these flavors. 

New Great Value Dessert Bars

Yesterday, @candyhunting over on Instagram revealed that Walmart is releasing three new frozen dessert bars, which are heading to its freezer aisle imminently. All three of them are infused with a retro spirit. They are:

• Banana Pudding Dessert Bar: A layered cake with a banana pudding interior, topped with a smooth cream mousse and caramel curls.

• Strawberry Shortcake Dessert Bar: Layers of cake, crumb, and cream mousse, hit with a strawberry sauce and what looks like sugar sprinkles. 

• Double Chocolate Dessert Bar: Not QUITE as obviously retro as the two above, but still a classic – and simple, too. This one’s a chocolate cake topped with a chocolatey melting sauce. 

So far, these new dessert bars have been met with a mixture of positivity and suspicion. Those in the former camp are praising the flavor variety here, with the strawberry shortcake getting particular plaudits. Those in the latter camp, meanwhile, are voicing concerns and speculating about their potential unhealthiness and extensive ingredient lists. 

That’s a fair concern; Great Value products, and particularly its desserts, aren’t exactly known for their organic nature or restraint when it comes to additives. Without an actual look at the ingredient lists, though, we can’t comment – and as these frozen dessert bars don’t seem to be in stores just yet, we don’t know how they taste. They’re on their way, though; it won’t be long. 

A World Of Old-School Flavor

Nostalgia has, as it always does, been reigning supreme this year in the food world, and both strawberry shortcake and banana pudding have been making constant appearances: Nothing Bundt Cake brought out an excellent Banana Pudding Cake back in Spring, while strawberry shortcake was recently soda-fied by Cove Soda. The appeal of old-school flavors knows no bounds — and hey, they’re classics for a reason. I could do without banana pudding soda, though, in case any brands out there are planning it.