In tonight's review of something you didn't think you need in your life is Trader Joe's Chocolate Lava Gnocchi. Now, I can honestly say I've never thought about pairing chocolate and potato before. Heck, I've seen a lot of hype via the internet. But would it be as strange as the Chocolate Hummus? Or would it need to be made crisp like the Outside in Gnocchi?
Taste
When I bought the package, the cashier mentioned that they were new, however, she did warn me that she felt that they were a bit mushy. That told me a lot which helped to guide this review.
According to the directions, your only option is to saute this item. No microwaving this is allowed lest you'll have a bowl of mush. Instead, you'll be rewarded to 6-8 minutes of staring at one of the most visually perplexing items I've ever encountered.
I didn't give the person charged with photographing this food enough credit for their work on the packaging. A dusting of powdered sugar did wonders because when I poured my bag into a frying pan they looked like tiny turds. As a part-time food photographer, I can tell you that brown foods are my nemesis. It takes a lot of garnish to make a photo look good with a mostly brown item. It is even harder when they have this shape as well.
The fact that the directions stated to brown these a bit further only added to me giggling behind the frying pan and wondering how I'm going to eat something that looks like something I scooped out of my cat's litter box.
So if you are a visual eater, these are not for you.
If you are willing to look past the unpleasant visuals, then you have a unique product here.
I can't say that I was loving it.
But I can say I had a few and lost interest in it.
It has the same texture as the Outside In Gnocchi. It does need to get a solid browning to not taste like mush.
There is a small bit of molten chocolate in the middle, but not enough to justify the whole chocolate meets potato thing. It is a weird combination with a really off-putting visual appearance. And yes, trying it with whipped cream helped a bit, but couldn't make up for the fact potatoes and chocolate are best combined as chocolate-covered potato chips.
And yes, they are chocolatey, but you'll probably want something else to cut through that taste too.
If you are looking for a chocolate lava cake, then Trader Joe's sells a frozen one that is pretty good. Otherwise, if the hype has you excited and you can't find it, this is one of those items that is perfectly ok to pass on. There are just too many good treats on shelves to waste it on hype without substance.
Overall
Trader Joe's gets points for trying this product out, but for $2.99 I'd pass on this one especially considering these are seasonal and will likely be in short supply.
Would I buy this again? One bag of Trader Joe's Chocolate Lava Gnocchi was sufficient. However, if you are looking to alienate a possible romantic partner, these would be excellent for pranking purposes. In all honesty, it isn't the worst thing I've eaten but is also no standout either.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Visual rundown
The bag of Trader Joe's Chocolate Lava Gnocchi:
Calories and ingredients
Instructions
What this really looks like
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.
Trader Joe's Chocolate Lava Gnocchi
Product Name: Trader Joe's Chocolate Lava Gnocchi
Product Description: Trader Joe's Chocolate Lava Gnocchi is the much hyped holiday product thanks to their popular podcast.
Price: $2.99
Currency: USD
Availability: Discontinued
Summary
Trader Joe's Chocolate Lava Gnocchi are the new, seasonal, and much-hyped food item of the season.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- Trader Joe's Chocolate Lava Gnocchi are culinarily an adventure, but they won't be for everyone.
Cons
- Mostly hype and not a lot of substance in terms of taste.
- The worst visual appearance of any food I've tried.
- If you want the lava cake experience, get lava cake instead.
Pamela Bartholomew says
LOL! Cat poo is right!
becomebetty says
Hey Pamela! OMG without toppings this looks sooo bad. Thanks for sharing (and sharing in my humor).
Mychols Fabulous Playground says
LOL LOL LOL....Yes-that visual!!! I'd totally serve these to my kids just to see how they'd react!
becomebetty says
I would love, love, love to see a kids reaction to this!!!! Thanks for sharing!
Alek says
They do look like turds. Fun prank if you took graham crackers and ground it up. "Kitty Litter" dessert. Idea is great but could been better. How about sweet potato gnocchi with marshmallow filling. That would been better for sure.
becomebetty says
Hey Alek! This is prank level of bad looking. And I'm not sure how a kitty litter dessert would go over. But the sweet potato gnocchi does have the butter and sage sauce so you might be better off reaching for the frozen mashed sweet potatoes.
Catherine of VegCharlotte says
LOL! A frying pan full of tiny turds. Even if I wasn't vegan, I'd pass on this one ... I am a visual eater. Thanks for the honest review.
becomebetty says
Hey Catherine! I figured some people (including myself) would be put off by the appearance. The packaging did not make it look so bad, but out of the bag it was not easy on the eyes. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!
Dagmar says
OK I decided to give this a go. I made it for a couple of colleagues at work who love trying new Trader Joe's things. I have to admit they are not the most visually appealing product. Once plated there was no amount of embellishment or artistic food design that could disguise the fact that it looked like a Poo Poo Platter! One of my colleagues finally agreed to try it.....with her eyes closed! Unique concept but a no go on repurchase.
becomebetty says
Hey Dag! When you mentioned a poo poo plater you had me in stitches!!! I wish they were better. Out of curiosity did you air fry this or go with the directions on the bag? Thanks again for sharing!
Dagmar says
I air fried. Air fried turdettes!
becomebetty says
Omg! That's the most epic thing ever. Thanks for sharing!
Tami M Adams says
Ha! Thank you for a laugh and for steering me away from these little balls of chocolate cat poo, as well as the chocolate garbanzo bean mash. I was tempted to try these but now I know that I would be extremely disappointed! I love your reviews; keep them coming!
becomebetty says
Hey Tami! Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you appreciate my humor and I'm happy I can save you a bit of disappointment. Thanks so very much for sharing!