Trader Joe's Customers Say These Mini Ice Cream Cones Are One Of Its Best Frozen Items

There's no shortage of Trader Joe's ice cream for fans of frozen desserts. The grocery's private-label Ube Ice Cream and Speculoos Cookie Butter Ice Cream are among the most popular pints. If you're into handhelds, there's Mango & Cream Bars or Mini Mint Ice Cream Mouthfuls (ice cream sandwiches). But of all the dairy-licious options in the freezer aisle that customers can't get enough of, Hold the Cone Mini Ice Cream Cones currently wears the crown.

If you haven't had the pleasure, allow us. These treats start with a miniature sugar cone, lined with a chocolatey coating for durability and flavor. Next, they're topped with a small scoop of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, and chocolate chip are the core flavors, although there are more). Finally, the ice cream is dunked in more chocolatey coating, which solidifies into a crunchy, sweet exterior.

They're so popular that it's not uncommon for stores to be sold out. The cones even placed second in our ranking of Trader Joe's frozen desserts, plus they were runners-up in Trader Joe's 17th Annual Customer Choice Awards. Customers say the hype is real. "These are my absolute favorite. ... I bought, like, eight boxes and dumped them into a [Ziploc]," raves one Reddit user. "I absolutely have had an entire box on the way home as dinner. I regret nothing," jokes another. "The chocolate chip mini cone 100% beats the other flavors. My go-to!" asserts a third. "My kids are obsessed with these. So, so, so good," adds another.

Trader Joe's Hold the Cone Mini Ice Cream Cones date back to 2011, beginning with the vanilla variety. Folks loved their flavor and size, as well as their caloric content. Each cone has fewer than 100 calories, which is why the serving size is three cones. Customers like that they can have multiple without a true caloric splurge.

The treat has come a long way since its vanilla-only days. Chocolate chip and chocolate options are available year-round. The brand also got more creative with its fillings, including when TJ's fans freaked out about the new coffee Hold the Cone flavor in 2021, not to mention the new vegan frozen dessert cones that launched that year. Seasonal favorites include pumpkin ginger, peppermint, strawberry, and coffee bean.

Still, some customers aren't Hold the Cone superfans due to inconsistent texture and quality. "These have been so soft and squishy lately, and a lot are missing the chocolate filling in the cone tip," one Reddit user writes. "Mine have been mushy as well, but it's definitely not my freezer," replied another. "I bought the one that's chocolate all the way through, and the cone [was] soft and mushy every time I bought it for the past month," added a third.