I’ve Become Completely Obsessed with This Frozen Treat at Trader Joe’s (and You Will, Too)

Falling in love with a product at Trader Joe’s is a dangerous game. It’s there one day and gone the next, leaving a gaping hole in your stomach that’s unable to be filled by any imposters you may try to shove into it, like a square peg in a round hole. At the end of the day, though, we’re ruled by our taste buds. We’re helpless at stopping tragedy from striking even when we can see it coming head-on. All that’s to say, I’ve fallen madly in love with a frozen treat at Trader Joe’s and I’m ready to share my story with the world, even if it means they sell out faster than usual.

Alright, spill the beans, you freak. Tell us about this mystical treat.

I fear I’ve built it up too much but…nah. I’m taking about Trader Joe’s Taiyaki (full name: Trader Joe’s Japanese Mini Taiyaki). Their very being is a metaphor for one’s experience when they first encounter them. They’re simple in nature: a crispy, fish-shaped waffle exterior that houses a luscious creamy custard inside. They’re easy to prepare, too—just pop them in the oven, air fryer, or microwave.

A simple treat, no? But that’s the thing. They’re so deceptively simple that you don’t expect how perfect the first bite truly is. The mini nature of it all ensures that every single bite you take has the ideal ratio of crispy, tender waffle and velvety, rich center. I don’t say this lightly—this dessert showed me the meaning of life.

Okay, surely that is hyperbolic. You cannot be serious???

I (un)fortunately am. I may have partaken of the devil’s lettuce one night about a year ago and started getting very heady about this all. Life, that is. At the end of the day we’re really just floating on a rock, left to our own devices. That’s scary to think about! I was soul searching for something to give meaning to all of that uncertainty and, I shit you not, Trader Joe’s Mini Taiyaki brought some order back into my freezer…and my life.

This is a Trader Joe’s product we’re talking about—can I even get these?

At the moment, yes. Well, probably. As you’ll see on the website, Trader Joe’s Taiyaki is labeled a “limited time” item. They’re currently in stock at my local TJ’s, but that’s liable to change at any moment. Before their fleeting nature makes you spiral, rest assured that these have come and gone a few times from TJ’s frozen section. And they seem to have enough of a fan following to justify future returns.