12 Trader Joe's Desserts That Belong At Your Next Cookout

Finding a dessert suitable for a cookout can sometimes be a tall order. It has to be shareable, portable, and a universal crowd-pleaser. Plus, it has to be able to hold up to the elements, especially extreme heat and the occasional sudden rain shower. Luckily, Trader Joe's is up for the challenge, as it has an eclectic snack and sweet for every occasion, and cookouts are no exception. 

So, if you are making plans for your next cookout, you will want to make a stop at the beloved grocery store chain. Between all of the eye-catching packages and cheeky, hand-drawn signs, you might be intimidated by the vast selection of potential cookout desserts at Trader Joe's, but fear not — we have combed through the store's long list of shelf-stable and frozen desserts to find you the best of the best for your next cookout. Keep reading for a guide to the 12 must-have desserts.

When it comes to a cookout dessert staple, nothing feels more quintessential than a pie. But it can be sticky, fussy, and hard to share, especially if you are tasked with splitting it up among your party.

With Trader Joe's Teeny Tiny Pies, you can leave your serving utensils at home. The pies are available in two flavors: one filled with apple and topped with brown-sugar crumble and the other filled with strawberry and rhubarb and covered in a sugared pastry crust. They're relatively squat and just slightly bigger than the palm of a hand, making for a fun and easy hand-held dessert for each guest. Critics and shoppers alike say that while the crust is not exactly reminiscent of a traditional pie, it is still buttery and flaky and encases perfectly balanced fillings that are both sweet and tangy. As another point for convenience, heating these is optional. But if you choose to, shoppers recommend a classic pairing with ice cream.

On a blazing, sunny day, chocolate mousse, which is constructed with eggs, cream, and sugar, quickly melts into a messy and inedible puddle. Fortunately, Trader Joe's has found its way around this problem by adding a layer of chocolate cake and a hardened white chocolate coating to its Mini Chocolate Mousse Flowers.

These treats might be seasonal, but they are a massive sensation whenever they do hit the shelves. Shoppers love them for their soft cake base, rich chocolate flavor, and delicate mousse. It also doesn't hurt that they are adorably cut into flower shapes and colored vibrantly (and naturally!) with turmeric powder and beet juice extract.

If you are headed to an outdoor cookout, the dessert will already have some longevity thanks to its chocolate cake base. That said, shoppers love popping these in the fridge before consuming them for the ultimate combination of flavors, textures, and temperatures.

There is a reason why donuts are such a staple at gatherings of all types, from baby showers to office parties; they're easy to bring and share, and they're overall fan favorites. These old-fashioned glazed donuts, which feature a hint of sour cream, are no exception to the rule.

The addition of sour cream adds a hint of tang and a lot of fluffiness to the Trader Joe's donuts. Plus, their sweet-but-plain flavor means that they will go swimmingly with a variety of cookout dishes. 

Shoppers sing the praises of these donuts because of their affordability, but also because they shine at every temperature. Some swear by heating these up in the microwave or air fryer, while others prefer to eat them at room temperature or even frozen. This kind of flexibility makes them perfect for a cookout. Whether you bring them straight from the store or throw them in the fridge or freezer beforehand, these donuts will be a winner.

Although this dessert requires some advance preparation, its internet virality and glowing reviews suggest that it's worth the prep for your next cookout. In the Trader Joe's Strawberries & Cream Cloud Cake, you'll find layers of light and fluffy sponge cake sandwiching a layer of sweet custard, all topped with a mountain of syrupy strawberries.

The cake gets rave reviews from both shoppers and critics, especially for the strawberry topping, which fans say is sweet but also tart and not overly cloying. The lightness of the whipped frosting and of the sponge itself makes it the perfect cake for even the warmest of days.

This dessert comes frozen in its box, so you have a few options depending on your cookout. If you are hosting and will be serving straight from your home, Trader Joe's recommends using your fridge to defrost the cake overnight. However, if you are bringing this treat to an outdoor cookout, consider bringing it frozen and letting it thaw in the heat; by the time you are done with the main event, the cake will be ready to serve.

Trader Joe's receives high marks for both its macarons and its chocolate ice cream. Why not combine them for your next cookout? These Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches are a hit, with chocolate ice cream sandwiched in between two large macarons, made for the grocer in France. Shoppers can't get enough of these during the summertime. There's a consensus among reviewers that the dessert is incredibly rich, from its smooth ice cream to its  delicate, decadent chocolate macarons, but a slight bitterness from the chocolate gives the treat some dimension.

At a cookout, these treats win points for being exceptionally portable and shareable; they are hand-held and make for easy and fun personal desserts, and ice cream is always a go-to at a summertime cookout. Keep in mind that, like any other ice cream product, these do come frozen (and should stay frozen until shortly before serving), so make sure that you have access to a freezer nearby, or keep them in a well-iced cooler and prepare to serve quickly.

Nostalgic and ever-popular brigadeiros are a staple of celebrations across Brazil. Because they are made simply with butter, sweetened condensed milk, and cocoa, they are usually quick to melt when kept outdoors. But since Trader Joe's brigadeiros are frozen, these fudgy and dense truffles are a great option for your next cookout.

Bite-sized treats are always conducive to a festive gathering, and Trader Joe's brigadeiros fit the bill. Shoppers say that while the truffles are rich, they boast a balanced chocolate flavor and creamy texture. Their shells of chocolate sprinkles will also act as a slight insulator for the dessert's gooey interior, safeguarding against sticky hands for you and your guests. 

While several reviewers assert that homemade brigadeiros are superior to the frozen take at Trader Joe's, their convenience, affordability, and minimal prep time make them perfect for entertaining. If you have some remaining after the cookout, pop them in the freezer for later — but don't bet on having leftovers.

What summertime snack is more evocative of the outdoors than the s'more? With this fan-favorite dessert from Trader Joe's, a campfire at your cookout is entirely optional.

The frozen S'Mores Bars begin with a honey-graham-cracker crust, which is built upon with a dense, fudgy brownie and finished with a layer of toasted marshmallow creme — a healthy dose of nostalgia, but with a playful spin that is characteristic of many Trader Joe's desserts. Shoppers emphasize the richness of these hand-held treats, which come pre-cut for easy sharing at the cookout.

Although Trader Joe's suggests air-frying the bars before serving them, a significant number of shoppers say that they prefer to eat them straight from the freezer (after all, frozen s'mores are the ultimate cool spin on this classic gooey treat). Even more reviewers say that these are just as enjoyable thawed — no heat required. Even if they get a little toasty sitting in the sun during your cookout, nobody has ever complained about a s'more that was too gooey! 

Unlike some of the other Trader Joe's desserts on this list, prepping the Portuguese Custard Tarts, or pastéis de nata, will take a bit more forethought. However, once you bake, air fry, or microwave these iconic, bite-sized pastries from their frozen package, they will be ready to transport to your next cookout.

Trader Joe's Portuguese Custard Tarts are imported directly from Portugal, and they feature sweet egg custard encased in flaky pastry crusts. The crunch of the delicate pastry is a delightful contrast with the dessert's creamy center, and while shoppers note that these treats can get a bit crumbly, they concede that their sweet-but-balanced taste is well worth the mess.

In spite of the fact that these demand a bit of bake time, these desserts are ultra cookout-friendly. They each come in their own miniature aluminum tin, making for easy sharing and minimal crumbling in transport. Whether you serve them piping hot, chilled, or a little warmer than room temperature after a couple of hours in the sun, these are bound to be a success.

Eating citrus on a summer day is truly an unrivaled experience. With these fully baked and pre-cut Classic Lemon Bars from Trader Joe's, doing so could not be any easier.

Critics have asserted that these bars, which boast a crumbly shortbread crust with creamy and delicate lemon custard that leans more tart than sweet, are so tasty that they could pass as homemade. The Classic Lemon Bars also get points from shoppers for their crust-to-custard ratio, which allows for the perfect interplay of sweet and tangy flavors with smooth and dense textures.

Trader Joe's recommends that you thaw these bars for an hour before serving. When feeding a cookout, consider bringing frozen boxes and letting them sit outside during main-meal festivities. By the time plates are clean, guests will be ready to dig in. If you're hosting and forget to thaw them before it is time for dessert, fear not — to no one's surprise, shoppers love these bars frozen, too.

The Key Lime Pie from Trader Joe's is another treat fit for the warm weather and the sunshine and, as such, should be a shoo-in for your next cookout. The iconic Floridian dessert is sweetened with condensed milk and made tart with real Key lime juice for the ultimate balance of summertime flavors.

This dessert comes frozen and unsliced, meaning that you will need to defrost it in the fridge before bringing it to the cookout. If you know you will be outside in the heat for several hours, you might consider shaving off some defrosting time and bringing the dessert semi-frozen so that guests can savor a cool, buttery bite after a day of grilling.

Something else to know is that shoppers have many different takes on how best to serve this dessert. While some enjoy leaving it as is, others prefer it with whipped cream or coconut whipped topping. Whichever choice you make, you and your cookout party are in for a satisfying seasonal bite.

For a taste of tropical paradise in the no-mess format of a cookie, try out the Trader Joe's Guava Tartelette Cookies. These treats are far less labor-intensive and are more shelf-stable than a traditional tart, making them perfect for cookout season.

More like mini pies than cookies, these treats are baked in France. They consist of a deep, buttery cookie that's been treated to a layer of tangy guava. The Tartelettes are full of contrast, between a rich and crumbly base and a gooey, sweet-tart filling of guava (a tropical fruit that's unexpectedly high in protein). Countless shoppers recommend pairing them with a cheese product, such as pepper jack, cream cheese, or even Trader Joe's Unexpected Cheddar Cheese Spread.

The fact that these desserts come individually wrapped makes them even more optimal for cookout entertaining. Plus, unlike some of the frozen or chocolaty items on this list, you will not have to stress about climate control or melting if you reach for these.

When it comes to summertime memories, few desserts are as classic as cotton candy, which was once affectionately called Fairy Floss. With its sour cherry flavor, Trader Joe's cotton candy has brought this carnival staple to grocery shelves across the country.

This limited-time dessert has been a hit with shoppers, who say its intensely sour flavor keeps the spun sugar from being too cloying. Its packaging (1.5-ounce tubs) also makes it easier to eat than the cones you might find at the fair. Many shoppers say that, despite the sour cherry flavor being less common in cotton candy, a taste of this Trader Joe's dessert is enough to bring back summertime memories from childhood. It also doesn't hurt that it is dyed with natural colors, such as vegetable juice, turmeric, and annatto. 

This cotton candy is another one of the shelf-stable products on this list, meaning you don't have to be concerned about it melting (except for when it's in your mouth). At their affordable price point, the tubs could work as individual desserts, or they could be easily shared.

In order to determine the best and most cookout-friendly desserts from Trader Joe's, we first defined the parameters of desserts fit for a cookout. All of the desserts on this list are shareable, portable, and able to stand up to more extreme temperatures, including heat and rain, with the right (and oftentimes minimal) preparation and care.

To substantiate the popularity of these picks, we curated the list based on personal experience and the reviews of food critics, as well as shoppers on social media and in blogs. All of this was done with the goal of creating a roundup of desserts with a variety of ingredients, formats, and effort levels.