Trader Joe’s may be better known for its zany snacks and inexpensive frozen foods, but it has plenty to offer the shopper with a sweet tooth. Whether you want a bakery-worthy treat, cookies, ice cream, or something more unexpected, here are some of the tastiest and most popular desserts you can buy from Trader Joe’s right now.
Prices and availability are subject to change. Lacey Muszynski and Erin Kuschner contributed to this story.
Chocolate Brooklyn Babka
$5.99
While it’s possible to make a chocolate treat from scratch, this decadent babka tastes like you did but without going through the hassle. This swirled combo of bread and chocolate is so over-the-top that it’s tailor-made for dessert, not breakfast. Like the sign says, a warmed slice is amazing as a sundae with ice cream and fudge sauce.
Joe-Joe’s
$3.49
These Oreo-like sandwich cookies are such a beloved Trader Joe’s item that there’s multiple online rankings of which flavors are best. The seasonal candy cane version is usually tops, but it’s hard to beat the classic chocolate and vanilla combo year round.
New York Deli-Style Baked Cheesecake
$7.99
This freezer-case standby is always there for us, and while some reviewers say it’s too sweet, we say pish posh — it’s cheesecake. It’s also a blank canvas for toppings like berries, caramel, whipped cream, or anything else you want to add to fancy it up.
Gone Bananas!
$2.99
If you’re the type of person who always puts your chocolate in the freezer, this might be the treat for you. TJ’s frozen, chocolate-dipped banana pieces are a simple but toothsome customer favorite, and since there’s fruit inside, they can’t be that bad for you … right?
Chocolate Lava Cakes
$3.99
Chocolate lava cakes are usually reserved for restaurants, but the Trader Joe’s version has often been called “restaurant-worthy.” You heat the unassuming cakes, and the middles becomes a molten fudge center. Adorn them with additional goodies — berries, ice cream, caramel — if you want even more decadence.
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Brookies
$4.99
If you’re indecisive, this layered dessert is your spirit animal. Half chocolate-chip cookie and half brownie, it’s still 100% delicious. Just make sure you have a tall glass of milk on standby.
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
$5.99
A regular winner in the annual Trader Joe’s Customer Choice Awards, the dark chocolate peanut butter cups are a great addition to dessert, but are rich enough to stand on their own. The dark chocolate tempers the sweetness, so it feels like a grown-up Reese’s peanut butter cup.
French Macarons
$5.99
Chic French macarons are trendy, but quite a feat to make yourself. The frozen versions at Trader Joe’s aren’t cheap but are quite good, and come in two different flavor packages: chocolate and vanilla, and an assortment with ingredients like pistachio and fig.
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Jingle Jangle
$9.99
Jingle Jangle is only available around Christmas, but we have to give this favorite seasonal treat a shout. This mix of milk chocolate-covered mini pretzels, dark chocolate-covered caramel popcorn, dark chocolate-covered cookie bits, candy-coated milk chocolate gems, and mini peanut butter cups is a great gift for a holiday host — if you can manage to resist it yourself.
Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches
$4.99
Feel like a kid again when you eat these cookie and ice-cream sandwiches, rolled in chocolate chips for good measure. They’re a hefty five ounces each, and those mini chips give them a satisfying crunch.
Hold the Cone
$3.99
Another customer favorite, these mini chocolate-covered ice cream cones are great for portion control, when you just want something small after a meal or as a snack. They’re available with vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
Mochi
$4.99
These chewy Japanese rice cakes are filled with various and often unique flavors of ice cream. Reviewers have found little wrong with the green tea version, with one proclaiming that it has “just the right thickness, texture and elasticity.”
French Vanilla Ice Cream
$4.99 (quart)
Who needs name-brand ice cream when there’s Trader Joe’s? That’s the consensus of several expert taste testers, including our own. Setting the flavor apart from the competition: A custardy texture that makes for a richer taste and feel.
Scandinavian Swimmers
$3.99
You won’t find Swedish Fish at TJ’s, but you will find the equally gummy (and addictive) Scandinavian Swimmers. The sunny flavor combination of berry, peach, orange and mango is almost as mesmerizing as this video showing how they’re made.
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Joe-Joe’s
$3.49
Can’t get enough of the regular Joe-Joe’s? Upgrade to this version, made with the classic cookie enrobed with peanut butter coating with a chocolate drizzle. It feels like something you’d buy at a chocolatier, and that’s perfectly OK.
Lemon Bars
$4.99
For something with a little more tang, these lemon bars will likely make you pucker up. They’re made with a creamy layer of lemon and a shortbread base, and are served best at room temperature.
Tres Leches Cake
$8
Tres leches cake is a beloved Trader Joe’s, known for its light sponge soaked in a rich blend of three milks — heavy cream, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk — and topped with whipped cream.
Brioche-Style Liège Waffles
$3.99
Not all Belgian waffles are the same. While Brussels-style waffles are light and airy, liège waffles are richer and more indulgent — and Trader Joe’s Brioche-Style Liège Waffles follow that tradition, offering a sweeter, denser bite that works just as well for dessert as it does for breakfast.
More From Cheapism
- Holiday Treats From Trader Joe’s That You Don’t Want to Miss — Before the season’s over, stock up on these limited-time TJ’s sweet-and-savory holiday goodies that make hosting (and snacking) way more festive.
- 10 Best Trader Joe’s Gifts for the Holidays, According to Loyal Fans — If you need easy, affordable presents fast, these fan-approved Trader Joe’s picks turn everyday groceries and small finds into surprisingly giftable wins.
- Trader Joe’s To Open 4 New Locations This Week — Trader Joe’s is adding new stores in multiple states, meaning you might be closer than you think to your next run for cult-favorite snacks and seasonal steals.
