Food
Review by Amena Ahmed
- I ranked products from Walmart's new house brand, Bettergoods, from worst to best.
- I tried the flavored butter, frozen desserts, and ice cream I found in my Pennsylvania location.
- The black-truffle butter and strawberries-and-cream ice cream were my favorite products.
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Many retailers like Trader Joe's have generated notable sales from lucrative private-label house brands — and it looks like Walmart is throwing a pretty appealing hat into the ring.
The retailer recently launched its private label Bettergoods, targeted toward shoppers who want premium products at a lower price.
The chef-inspired line contains about 300 items ranging in price from under $2 to $15, with most coming in at under $5. The full Bettergoods line — which includes plant-based ice cream, soup, beverages, pasta, coffee, and more — is set to roll out in Walmart stores over the next few months.
Accessible premium groceries sounded pretty great to me, so I visited Walmart to see which Bettergoods products I could find to try.
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At my nearest Pennsylvania location, I found three types of Bettergoods products on the shelves: flavored whipped butter, plant-based frozen desserts, and ice cream. Each butter was about $2.60, and the frozen desserts and ice creams cost about $3.50 per carton.
Here's how each Bettergoods product stacked up, ranked from worst to best.
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I usually love foods that are sweet and spicy, so I was excited to try the hot-honey butter.
I tasted each butter with a plain Triscuit cracker to keep things fair.
The butter's packaging listed suggested food pairings (biscuits, fried chicken, and seafood), which made it seem more upscale.
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The hot-honey butter was OK, but it was too sweet for me.
I thought the hot-honey butter was too sweet. I would've liked more spice, especially because the sweetness tasted more like sugar than honey.
This butter may have also been better with a saltier cracker or meal to balance the sweetness.
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I wanted to try a basic frozen item, so I got the Bettergoods double-vanilla premium ice cream.
I don't typically reach for plain vanilla ice cream, but I wanted to try a basic Bettergoods flavor.
This carton also caught my eye. This flavor is labeled a "double vanilla" and says it is made with Tahitian and Madagascan vanilla.
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The flavor was good, but nothing stood out to me.
This ice cream tasted like a run-of-the-mill vanilla treat. There wasn't anything spectacular about it, but it was still a solid flavor and a great price.
It also had an excellent creamy texture. I'd eat it in a milkshake or by itself with fun toppings to enhance the flavor.
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The Bettergoods garlic, Parmesan, and basil butter seemed to have a lot going on.
Three flavors in a single butter seemed overwhelming, and I thought the basil might overpower the Parmesan and garlic.
The suggested pairings for this butter included garlic bread, chicken, vegetables, and pasta.
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The garlic flavor was very prominent — but I wished there was more of a basil taste.
When I tried the spread, I didn't taste much basil flavor, and I wished it had come through more.
Still, the Parmesan and garlic notes were tasty, and I look forward to using this butter when cooking vegetables or salmon.
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I hoped the Bettergoods chocolate-covered-cherries premium ice cream would taste good.
I had high expectations for this Bettergoods ice cream because I'm a huge fan of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia flavor, another chocolate-and-cherry dessert.
This dessert featured cherry-flavored ice cream, cherry pieces, and chocolate-flavored chunks, all of which sounded delicious.
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I loved the cherry flavor, but I wished there was more chocolate.
The cherry taste in this dessert was delicious. Cherry flavors can sometimes taste medicinal, but they tasted perfectly tart in this ice cream.
However, I wished there were more chocolate chunks. There were chunks of cherry, and the ice cream was flavored like the fruit, so the chocolate was a bit overpowered.
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The Bettergoods plant-based blueberry-swirl oat-milk nondairy frozen dessert seemed interesting.
Bettergoods carries several plant-based desserts made with oat milk in blueberry-swirl, salted-caramel, strawberry, mint-chocolate-chip, chocolate, and coffee flavors. Although I haven't found it at my Walmart yet, Bettergoods also has a plant-based cheese alternative, too.
I was excited to try this particular plant-based blueberry-swirl oat-milk dessert because it had a jam-like swirl of blueberry flavor. Plus, I sometimes prefer to purchase nondairy items.
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Its texture reminded me of Italian ice, so I was a huge fan.
This was my favorite frozen dessert texture-wise because it reminded me of soft, creamy, and flavorful Italian ice. The blueberry flavor was also tasty.
The only downside to this frozen dessert was how fast it melted. It didn't bother me too much, but it started to melt after about five minutes out of the freezer.
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I didn't have high expectations for the black-truffle butter.
According to the black-truffle butter's packaging, this option can be used to "elevate" potatoes, steak, and scrambled eggs.
Most items made with truffles that are actually high quality are pretty expensive, so I didn't have high hopes for this $2.60 butter.
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I was pleasantly surprised by the strong truffle flavor.
I had low expectations, but the black truffle's strong, earthy flavor shined through. The butter was great.
This might be my new favorite black-truffle item, and I could see myself adding it to pasta, steak, and even toast.
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I wasn't sure I'd enjoy the Bettergoods plant-based salted-caramel oat-milk nondairy frozen dessert.
I don't usually reach for salted-caramel-flavored items, but I wanted to step out of my comfort zone for this taste test.
This frozen dessert included a caramel-flavored base and a nondairy salted-caramel swirl.
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This frozen dessert is one of the few salted-caramel desserts I've enjoyed.
I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed this product. The salty-sweet swirl perfectly balanced the milder caramel-flavored base.
This product was plant-based, but it had a creamy texture that reminded me of classic dairy-filled ice cream.
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I thought I'd like the brand's strawberries-and-cream premium ice cream.
I expected the strawberries-and-cream premium ice cream to be my favorite Bettergoods item because I love strawberries.
This dessert featured strawberries-and-cream-flavored ice cream, strawberry pieces, and a jam-like fruit swirl.
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The strawberries-and-cream premium ice cream was indeed my favorite product.
This might be one of my new favorite ice creams, period. The strawberry flavor didn't taste artificial and was felt refreshing and sweet without being overbearing.
I also enjoyed the strawberry-flavored ice-cream base's taste alongside the jam-like fruit swirl. I can see myself repurchasing this in the future.
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The Bettergoods items impressed me, and I can't wait to try more.
Overall, ranking each Bettergoods item was difficult. The foods I tried impressed me so much that I'd repurchase even my lowest-ranked, least favorite items.
I spent only about $25 for eight items, which I thought was an amazing deal. And for a low price, I experienced a wide variety of tasty, affordable options.
I especially loved the black-truffle butter and strawberries-and-cream premium ice cream, and I plan on repurchasing them when I finish the containers I already bought.
I'm excited to see what else hits Walmart shelves over the next few months.
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