We Tried Publix’s New Summer Ice Creams

Of the grocery-store branded ice creams, Publix is leading the way with their massive and diverse array of flavors. Each season brings along a funky range of unique flavors that, honestly, you wouldn’t expect a grocery store to release. To prove that point, leading their summertime ice cream selection are their Guava & Cheese Pastry Frozen Yogurt and Sweet Tea & Lemonade Float Premium Ice Cream flavors, available in the half-gallon size.

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Now, I know what you might be thinking… it’d be pretty impressive if a grocery store could pull off such complex flavors for the same price as a single pint from brands like Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams or Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. And to that point, I’d concur. They sound less like grocery store ice creams and more like what you’d get from your local craft ice cream joint. So, naturally, we had to see if they were any good.

Here’s What We Think

Guava & Cheese Pastry Frozen Yogurt: This frozen yogurt was honestly really nice. The texture was quite soft due to the nature of the yogurt base and the guava flavor to the ice cream tasted natural and delicious. It definitely tasted like guava paste or jam had been blended into the base―like you would see in a pastry, rather than the flavor of fresh guava flesh. The yogurt element lends itself really nicely to the guava and cheese pastry flavor inspiration, as well as the ripple of cream cheese throughout the dessert.

And, perhaps best of all, the vanilla wafers mirror the pastry element of the treats in a delightful way. The way they are tenderized and moistened by being broken up and mixed into the ice cream is a refreshing change of pace through a mouthful of creamy guava frozen yogurt. Delightfully, this frozen yogurt didn’t fall victim to any of the over-whipped pitfalls that are usually associated with grocery store ice cream.

Sweet Tea & Lemonade Float Premium Ice Cream: As a Southern gal, I’m a huge fan of sweet tea―better yet, an Arnold Palmer. And that’s what this ice cream said it would deliver, so you can imagine my excitement. Unfortunately, it fell short in just about every way that mattered. The flavor of the tea ice cream was artificial and cloyingly sweet and the lemonade flavored chips were aggressively perfume-y and artificial as well. The taste was hard to swallow, honestly.

I will give it this, though―the texture was lovely, creamy, and rich with nice juxtaposition to the texture of the chips. But, that’s true for most Publix ice creams, so it doesn’t really redeem it to the point that I would ever purchase it again.