Product Reviews and Buying Guides We Tried 6 Orange and Cream Bars and These Were Our Favorite Hello, nostalgia! By Lia Picard Published on June 22, 2021 Close Photo: Lia Picard When summer rolls around you can practically hear the faint tinkling of an ice cream truck off in the distance. Whether it's real or imagined, you're almost definitely craving ice cream these days and what better combo than classic orange and cream popsicles? The dreamy ice cream bars traditionally consist of a vanilla ice cream core enrobed in orange sherbet, thought it's not unusual to see the two components swirled together. You could make your own orange and cream bars, but if you need something more grab-and-go (aka RIGHT NOW), plenty of brands make the classic treat. To help you choose the best one, Allrecipes put six brands to the test — here they are from best to worst. Best Orange and Cream Bars at a Glance Best Orange and Cream Bar: Alden's New School Orange CreamRunner-Up: Mayfield Orange Cream BarsBest Dairy-Free Creamsicle Bar: GoodPop Orange n'CreamBest For a Twist: Trader Joe's Tangerine Ice Cream What We Looked For When Ranking Orange and Cream Bars: Taste: It was important that the orange and cream bars we tasted were all prominently orange with an undercurrent of vanilla — citrusy, slightly tart and sweet (but without being too sweet). It was also important that they don't taste artificial (no one wants than that fake orange flavor in 90-degree heat). Ingredients: When you're buying a mass-produced product it will almost certainly have some sort of preservative or thickening agent. While we understand that, we still aimed for ingredient lists that are minimally processed. How We Tested Each Orange and Cream Bar: For this test, I did what most people at home won't do: I lined up six orange creamsicle bars and tried a bite (or two!) of each one. This allowed me to get a true side-by-side comparison of each bar's flavor and consistency. Best Overall: Alden New School Orange Cream Instacart These bars just felt better the moment I took them out of the box. They had a nice heft to them, which is surprising considering that each bar is only 90 calories. Alden swirls the vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet together but both manage to be totally distinctive flavors. These bars were also ridiculously creamy which made them feel decadent despite not being that bad for you. Buy it at Instacart Runner Up: Mayfield Orange Cream Bars Walmart We'll admit that the ingredient list isn't so pretty for these bars (what exactly is Polysorbate 80?), but they did taste pretty good, all things considered. They were dense and creamy with a pleasant orange flavor. The main downfall here (besides the ingredient list) is that the vanilla flavor really only came through towards the bottom of the bar. Buy it at Instacart Best Dairy-Free: GoodPop Orange n'Cream Instacart thickening agent Trust me, you will not miss the dairy when you eat these bars. Like the name suggests, these are good. Made with vanilla-infused coconut cream, this bar is refreshing as heck and exudes tropical vibes which is exactly what you want on a hot summer's day. The ingredient list is really tame, too, Aside from guar gum (a thickening agent) the pops contain orange and carrot juices, coconut cream, vanilla extract, sugar and sea salt. Because they're dairy-free they aren't as sticky sweet. Honestly, if you're in the mood for a bar that's icy-light rather than creamy and dense, you might prefer this dairy-free treat over the traditional options on this list. This is the one that my toddler and I keep reaching for. Buy it at Instacart Dairy-Free Runner Up: JonnyPops Orange Smoothie & Oat Milk Instacart Instead of a vanilla cream core or even a swirl, JonnyPops blends oat milk with orange juice for a treat that's reminiscent of orange Creamsicle, but not quite. Vanilla isn't listed in the ingredients list, though, but it's okay because these are still pretty darn delicious considering. If oat milk is your alternative milk of choice then these bars will leave you satisfied. Buy it at Instacart Best For a Twist: Trader Joe's Tangerine Cream Trader Joe's I was skeptical when I picked up the box of tangerine cream bars at Trader Joe's. Tangerines taste distinctly different from oranges — sweeter but still boldly citrus — and I wondered if these would actually be noticeably different. Guess what? They were! They really did have a beautiful tangerine flavor coating the vanilla ice cream core. Because the tangerine component is sorbet instead of sherbet, it is cold, refreshing and creates a more crunchy exterior around the vanilla ice cream. These bars strike the balance between tangy and sweet making them a fun treat to include in your rotation. $2.99, Trader Joe's Not Our Favorite: Good Humor Creamsicle Walmart This is awkward considering Good Humor holds the trademark for the name "Creamsicle," but these bars are … not good. The orange coating is fluorescent which is never a great sign, but then it's also so thin that I could practically wipe it off. The orange flavor I could taste was pretty artificial. Sure enough, the ingredient list is packed with two types of corn syrup and other unpronounceable substances. We're not telling you to skip these … but you might want to. Buy it at Target Related: You Only Need 3 Ingredients to Make This Dreamy Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake 10 Ways to Satisfy Your Creamsicle Cravings We Tried 5 Types of Orange Sherbet and This Was Our Favorite Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit