If you’ve never had mochi ice cream, then you’ve really been missing out. Based on a traditional Japanese sweet dough, mochi ice cream is a small frozen dessert wrapped in a soft, chewy dough made from rice flour and filled with delicious, creamy ice cream. Trader Joe’s just so happens to carry quite a few varieties of this amazing treat. In fact, they sell a few different kinds, including ice creams and cakes.
Keep reading to find out all about Trader Joe’s Mochi.
Trader Joe’s Mochi Ice Cream is produced by a company called Bubbies Ice Cream based in Hawaii. Bubbies also supplies mochi products to major retailers like Whole Foods Market.
Contents
What Kind Of Mochi Does Trader Joe’s Have?
As of December 2022, Trader Joe’s stocks the following mochi products:
- Trader Joe’s Mochi Ice Cream (assorted flavors)
- Trader Joe’s Mochi Cake Mix (seasonal)
- Trader Joe’s Chocolate Mochi Cake Mix (seasonal)
- Trader Joe’s Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix (seasonal)
The only mochi product available at TJ’s all year long is their mochi ice cream, available in the frozen section. Trader Joe’s Mochi Ice Cream can be found in several different flavors, including vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, green tea, and mango. Other flavors may become available seasonally.
Is Trader Joe’s Mochi Healthy?
As far as nutrition goes, you won’t find much in the way of “health” when it comes to mochi. But we wouldn’t expect that from a sweet treat after all.
Trader Joe’s Mochi Ice Cream comes in boxes of six individually wrapped treats. Each treat contains between 9 and 11 grams of sugar depending on the flavor. Vanilla contains the most sugar of all the flavors because of the vanilla extract which is sweetened with cane sugar.
It’s also worth noting that even though each piece of mochi is only about the size of a golf ball, they contain a whopping 80 calories each. This is due to the dairy and sugar content.
Is Trader Joe’s Mochi Cake Seasonal?
Trader Joe’s doesn’t just sell mochi ice cream–they also sell a super popular mochi cake mix that’s been quickly gaining a cult following.
But unfortunately, you won’t be able to find mochi cake mix on TJ’s shelves during most of the year. That’s because Trader Joe’s Mochi Cake Mix is a seasonal item, released in January each year and available while supplies last.
TJ’s also sells a delicious Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix in late spring each year. Boxes typically only last for a few weeks to a month before they sell out.
How Much Does Trader Joe’s Mochi Cost?
Each box of Trader Joe’s Mochi Ice Cream costs $4.79 and contains six individual ice cream treats.
When available, Trader Joe’s Mochi Cake Mix retails at $4.49 per box and their Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix sells for $3.99 per box.
Trader Joe’s Mochi Cake Recipes
If you manage to get your hands on a box of Trader Joe’s Mochi Cake Mix in 2023, you’ll be set and ready to go with easy instructions on the side of the box.
But why just stop at the basic directions?
To make your mochi cake even more delicious, Trader Joe’s recommends throwing in a handful of blueberries or a spoonful of matcha powder to their Chocolate Mochi Cake Mix. And both of those ideas would go just as well with the regular Mochi Cake Mix, too.
They also suggest substituting the water in the recipe for coconut milk to give the cake a richer texture and flavor, or garnishing the top of the cake with shredded coconut before baking.
And of course, you can never go wrong with adding a few chocolate chips to a cake! Try grabbing a bag of TJ’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips next time you plan on making a mochi cake to add some texture and sweetness to your cake.
Here’s a list of other things you can do to spice up your Trader Joe’s Mochi Cake:
- Add lemon zest to your TJ’s Mochi Cake batter for some citrus tang
- Serve with lemon or coconut gelato
- Turn your TJ’s Mochi Cake into a pineapple upside down cake by laying pineapple rings at the bottom of your cake pan
- Mix shredded coconut into your cake batter for added texture and flavor
- Try marbling some raspberry jam through the cake batter after you pour it into the cake pan but before baking to create colorful swirls of flavor
Is Trader Joe’s Mochi Good?
There’s no question about it–Trader Joe’s Mochi Ice Cream is super delicious! Unless you’re just not a fan of ice cream, sweet treats, or rice dough, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to love TJ’s Mochi.
The vanilla flavor of TJ’s Mochi Ice Cream is definitely the sweetest, packing a really powerful vanilla flavor. The ice cream on the inside is super creamy and delicious and the mochi “wrapper” is a really satisfying texture to bite into.
An important tip for maximizing your mochi experience is to let your mochi ice cream balls melt just a little before eating them. If you try to bite into them straight out of the freezer, you’ll probably end up with a toothache or brain freeze. It’s best to let them sit at room temperature for about five minutes before digging in to guarantee they’ll be the perfect soft texture. Just don’t leave them out for too long, otherwise you’ll end up with a liquid mess when you finally bite into one.
The strawberry flavor of TJ’s mochi contains real strawberry puree, and you can definitely tell the second you take a bite. It doesn’t have that gross artificial strawberry flavor. It tastes just like eating a spoon full of really high quality strawberry ice cream, wrapped in a soft, chewy dough. Delicious!
TJ’s Green Tea Mochi Ice Cream is the most traditional take on a true Japanese mochi dessert. The green tea flavor makes this treat more subdued in its sweetness, while still being very enjoyable to eat. If you aren’t a fan of green tea or matcha, though, you might not enjoy this one as much as some of the other flavors.
Overall, TJ’s Mochi Ice Cream is very high quality, offering rich and creamy ice cream enveloped by a perfectly soft mochi rice dough. For less than $5 a box, it’s really hard to pass up these treats when you’re browsing the aisle at TJ’s.
FAQ’s
What does Trader Joe’s Mochi Cake taste like?
Inspired by traditional Hawaiian recipes, Trader Joe’s Mochi Cake is sweet, buttery, and rich with a distinct flavor of coconut.
Are Trader Joe’s Mochi Rice Nuggets gluten free?
No. Unfortunately, TJ’s Mochi Rice Nuggets are produced on equipment that is also used to produce glutenous foods.
Does Trader Joe’s still have Mochi Rice Nuggets?
Yes. Many stores have struggled to keep these treats in stock due to popularity and production delays. But TJ’s has not indicated that they will be discontinuing this product any time soon.
Does Trader Joe’s sell mochi ice cream?
Yes! You can find as many as five different flavors of mochi ice cream desserts in the Trader Joe’s frozen section all year round.
Is Trader Joe’s Mochi vegan?
No. Trader Joe’s Mochi ice cream is made with dairy milk.
Conclusion
Trader Joe’s carries a decent selection of mochi products, including ice cream and cake mixes. To enjoy Trader Joe’s Mochi any time of the year, hit up their frozen foods aisle to find a box of Trader Joe’s Mochi Ice Cream in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, green tea, or mango. In January, you can expect to find boxes of Trader Joe’s Mochi Cake Mix on the shelves, while in May, TJ’s releases their seasonable Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix. Whatever you plan to buy, you can rest assured you’ll never pay more than $5 for any of TJ’s mochi products. And if you’re a newbie to the world of mochi, Trader Joe’s is a great place to start.
