Dippin’ Dots Fruit Pearls

If you’ve been to a zoo, fair, or museum, you’ve probably seen vendor stands or carts selling Dippin’ Dots, an ice cream that usually comes in an individual cup or pouch, is available in a variety of flavors, and is known for being served up in tiny balls, or dots. Dippin’ Dots ice cream has a unique texture in your mouth. The ice cream dots start out solid and are in individual pieces, and they gradually melt in your mouth.

Recently, Aldi sold some Dippin’ Dots that were different than what I’m accustomed to seeing from Dippin’ Dots. Instead of featuring ice cream, these Dippin’ Dots Fruit Pearls feature tiny balls of frozen fruit, frozen yogurt, and, in some cases, chocolate. I can’t recall ever seeing Aldi sell Dippin’ Dots of any kind in all my years shopping there. I picked up a box of each to try.

Dippin' Dots Fruit Pearls

Dippin’ Dots Fruit Pearls cost $4.99 at the time of publication for a 9.52-ounce box that contains six 1.59-ounce cones. That comes out to about 83 cents per serving. These servings aren’t large, but traditional Dippin’ Dots is usually on the pricier side for ice cream, so I consider these to be a good deal. These are packaged in thick cardboard boxes that are more substantial than what you usually see for frozen novelties. That’s a good thing because you don’t want those tiny balls of fruit and yogurt to melt on the way home from the store and lose that distinct texture, and these boxes provide some extra insulation to help prevent melting.

Dippin' Dots Fruit Pearls Wildberries 'N Cream

Dippin’ Dots Fruit Pearls Wildberries ‘N Cream.

These Fruit Pearls are an Aldi Find, which means they’re only in stores for a short time. (And Aldi won’t ship them to you after they sell out at your local store.) I’m not sure what other brick-and-mortar retailers sell these specific types of Dippin’ Dots Fruit Pearls, but as mentioned earlier, traditional ice cream Dippin’ Dots can be found in many places from regular large grocery stores to tourist destinations such as zoos, museums, and, in my region, even at our local Chuck E. Cheese. You can find specific locations in your area that sell Dippin’ Dots by visiting the locator page on the Dippin’ Dots website.

Dippin' Dots Fruit Pearls Chocolate, Strawberries & Cream

Dippin’ Dots Fruit Pearls Chocolate, Strawberries & Cream. The strawberries are diced into small squares rather than being spheres.

The boxes for these Fruit Pearls list the website for Dippin’ Dots along with another site: fruitpearls.com. Fruit Pearls are made in the U.S. by CitraPac, a Florida-based company that refers to itself as “a specialty manufacturer of unique real-fruit frozen snacks.”

Dippin' Dots Fruit Pearls Wildberries 'N Cream

Dippin’ Dots Fruit Pearls Wildberries ‘N Cream.

These Fruit Pearls were really good. The fruit has just the right amount of sweetness, and the yogurt is creamy and rich. It has the mouthfeel and texture of regular Dippin’ Dots ice cream, but in a healthier form with fruit and yogurt. The wildberries variety has tiny blueberries that blend perfectly with the tiny spheres of yogurt. The chocolate variety has strawberries that are more of a diced square shape rather than spheres, but it’s still delicious. Both varieties are fairly low in calories and added sugars, and the wildberries one is especially so with just 40 calories and 4 grams of added sugars per serving. I would definitely buy both of these again.

Read on for nutrition information and ingredients for each flavor.

Dippin’ Dots Fruit Pearls Chocolate, Strawberries ‘N Cream

Dippin' Dots Fruit Pearls Chocolate, Strawberries 'N Cream

Dippin’ Dots Fruit Pearls Chocolate, Strawberries ‘N Cream nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

Ingredients are: strawberries, chocolate, sugar, water, fruit juices from concentrate (orange, white grape, pear, lemon, lime), cocoa butter, milkfat, soy lecithin, natural flavors, cultured milk, whole milk, canola oil, strawberry puree, oranges, gum arabic, citric acid, pectin, and natural colors.

If you’re watching out for allergens, this contains milk and soy.

This has 90 calories per serving, along with 5 grams of total fat (8% DV), 2 grams of saturated fat (10% DV), no cholesterol, 4 mg of sodium (0% DV), 12 grams of total carbohydrates (4% DV), 1 gram of dietary fiber (3% DV), 11 grams of total sugars, 7 grams of added sugars (14% DV), and no protein.

Dippin’ Dots Fruit Pearls Wildberries ‘N Cream

Dippin' Dots Fruit Pearls Wildberries 'N Cream

Dippin’ Dots Fruit Pearls Wildberries ‘N Cream nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

Ingredients are: blueberries, oranges, water, fruit juices from concentrate (orange, white grape, pear), cultured milk, whole milk, natural flavors, strawberry puree, sugar, blueberry puree, gum arabic, citric acid, pectin, and natural colors.

If you’re watching out for allergens, this contains milk.

One serving has 40 calories, no fat, 1 mg of cholesterol (0% DV), 8 mg of sodium (0% DV), 10 grams of total carbohydrates (3% DV), 1 gram of dietary fiber (3% DV), 8 grams of total sugars, 4 grams of added sugars (8% DV), and 1 gram of protein.

The Verdict:

Dippin’ Dots Fruit Pearls feature creamy yogurt along with fruit, and one variety even has chocolate as well. These are like Dippin’ Dots ice cream where everything is formed into small spheres for a unique texture and mouthfeel, and each serving is packed into a “cone” that you squeeze up to eat, similar to an ice pop. They’re not very high in calories or added sugars, making for a reasonably healthy dessert or snack. Highly recommended.

About Rachael

Rachael is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. When she isn't busy shopping at Aldi, she enjoys cooking, gardening, writing gothic romance, and collecting more houseplants than she probably should. You can learn more about her at rachaelsjohnston.com.

3 Comments

  1. I just discovered the Dippin Dots and since it’s already November, they’re on their way out. I only grabbed a few boxes before all the stores in my area sold out.
    I definitely want to know about the seasonal items before they’re gone.. thanks for reviewing!

  2. Great healthier ice cream option!!!

    • Love them and need to make them a standard item, especially in the hot Memphis summer months. Better , healthy snack instead of traditional ice cream.

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