Battle of the Ice Cream-Filled Cupcakes: Aldi vs. Walmart
The temperatures are about to heat up as summer finds its groove right in time for the Fourth of July weekend. What else is heating up? The Internet buzz about a pair of ice cream-filled cupcakes. Aldi and Walmart have competing ice cream cupcakes, and the Internet is ready to taste test and take sides (if they can find them).
What, pray tell, is an ice cream cupcake?
One TikToker gave a straightforward response.
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"It's just a basic cupcake with ice cream," said Faith, who posts under @vsgandme on TikTok. "It's good."
Just a basic cupcake with ice cream (vanilla)? Faith, I admire your restraint, but let us fill in a few blanks. The Aldi cupcakes are from Sundae Shoppe and feature a vanilla ice cream center and an ice cream topping (with sprinkles).
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You can find the ice-cream-and-cake combo in the frozen novelty section of Aldi—maybe. Shoppers have really gotten into these treats, so some stores are sold out. But there's good news! Some ice cream-filled cupcake enthusiasts say their go-to treats are Walmart-brand Great Value's, which hit shelves this spring in three flavors, and are more likely to be available.
Which is better? Allow us to attempt to settle the food fight.
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Aldi vs. Walmart Ice Cream-Filled Cupcakes: Flavors
Aldi's Sundae Shoppe Ice Cream Filled Cupcakes appear to only be available in vanilla (with sprinkles) right now.
Walmart's Great Value Chocolate Ice Cream Filled Cupcakes come in three flavors: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. But the differences don't stop there. Walmart's treats offer different toppings too. Like Aldi's, the vanilla ones are topped with sprinkles. But the chocolate ones swap sprinkles for white chocolate chips, and the strawberry ones have chocolate curls. Variety is the spice of life, so Walmart gets the win here.
Winner: Walmart
Aldi vs. Walmart Ice Cream-Filled Cupcakes: Size
We keep using the plural "cupcakes" for a reason. When you purchase ice cream-filled cupcakes at Aldi and Walmart, you're walking out with more than one—and not just because you know you'll be having multiple. Aldi and Walmart's ice cream-filled cupcakes come in boxes of four cupcakes. Each weighs about 2.1 ounces.
Winner: Draw
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Aldi vs. Walmart Ice Cream-Filled Cupcakes: Price
Price is a differentiating factor for some (especially in this economy). Aldi's cupcakes will run you $4.95 (or about $1.23 per cupcake). Walmart's version costs $4.97 (or about $1.24 per cupcake).
Winner: Aldi (by a penny)
Aldi vs. Walmart Ice Cream-Filled Cupcakes: Availability
The Sundae Shop Vanilla Ice Cream Filled Cupcakes are an "Aldi Find," meaning they're available for a limited time. When they're gone, they're gone. Walmart frequently refills its stock, but the buzz on TikTok is that they can be hard to find. In fact, in a TikTok review of the Aldi cupcakes, one commenter tagged a pal and said that they looked like "the Walmart ones I can't find."
So, it depends on what your local Walmart or Aldi has. Our advice? Call ahead or check stock online so you don't leave empty-handed.
Winner: Draw
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Aldi vs. Walmart: Reviews
As you can see, it's close. Walmart has more variety, but Aldi's are a tiny bit less expensive. Availability varies, and the size is the same. So, we turned to the real experts: The people of the Internet. We scoured social and Reddit for reviews. Here are the hottest takes on the cold dessert.
Team Aldi
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TikToker @lillykneiher told her nearly 278K followers that she went to Aldi while bored and came home with a box of ice cream-filled cupcakes."Look how cute," she said. "They look divine."
But how do they taste? She's so hungry she decides to "dive right into it." One bite of the ice cream frosting and you can tell she's in heaven. "This is so good."
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TikToker Ashley, or @aldi.is.my.jam, a self-proclaimed Aldi connoisseur, declared that the cupcakes were her jam too.
"These were honestly really good for frozen," she wrote. "I know Walmart has something similar, but I definitely recommend picking these up on your next visit."
But one commenter on the video was lukewarm.
"They were good, but the cake was super dry from being in the freezer," the person said.
Over on Reddit, the reviews were mixed.
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One user wrote, "found some Aldi cupcakes" in the Aldi subreddit.
"Don’t waste your money," warned another.
Another had a similar reaction as the TikTok commenter.
"I tried them, and they just weren't good enough to get them again. Cupcake was pretty dry," the person said.
But another thread saw Redditors clamoring that the cupcakes were "to die for" and that they had "eaten three in two hours."
Team Walmart
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Walmart's ice cream cupcakes went viral in April, and one user, @authenticteecee, ran down the frozen aisle to snag a box of chocolate ones when she finally spotted them in stock. Unable to wait until getting home to try, she opened one and peeled off the wrapper in the car.
"I didn't expect to even like it," she said. "I'm going to be honest with you all."
We'll call this surprise a sweet one.
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Another TikToker, @Bootlegfoodreview, scored one box of each flavor for the ultimate taste test.
The users' review of the vanilla? "These things are amazing...9/10."
The TikToker isn't the biggest fan of chocolate but took one for the team and tried one. The verdict? 7/10.
The original poster (OP) was most looking forward to strawberry. Did it deliver? "This one is by far the prettiest, and it's the tastiest, too," OP divulges before rating it a 9.5/10.
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TikToker @hip2save tried out the chocolate ones, said they were "so good," and recommended them for a birthday or "just any day."
But one commenter wasn't the biggest fan.
"I tried them today, and they aren’t good—better to just have a cupcake and a scoop of ice cream," the person said.
Verdict: You'll have to try for yourself (if you can find either). If you can find both? Let's just say it's a good problem to have.