Trader Joe’s Shoppers Are Raving About Its Korean Pancakes

Temperatures are dropping, days are getting shorter, and those winter layers are coming out of storage, which means prime cozy season is just around the corner, and with it, a craving for warm and soothing comfort food. Trader Joe's has us covered when it comes to low-effort, high-reward meals and treats that combine gourmet flavors with super-simple prep. And there's one treat in particular that you need to add to your cart.

Trader Joe's devotees have been raving about the Sweet Cinnamon Filled Korean Pancakes, the store's pre-made take on classic Korean street food staple hotteok. While today, these hot, flaky hotteok pancakes can be found in Korean eateries filled with savory additions like kimchi or bulgogi, the classic version comes with ingredients like brown sugar, cinnamon, crushed nuts, and honey, and that's exactly what the Trader Joe's product emulates.

Trader Joe's describes these heat-and-go goodies as "chewy-flaky dough" filled with a "gooey" cinnamon sugar filling, and says the dough has a "mochi-like chewiness." You can prepare these pancakes, which come four to a box, by popping them frozen in the air fryer for five minutes at 350 degrees or defrosting them first and then heating in an ungreased pan for three to four minutes per side over medium heat. (If you don't have an air fryer but forgot to defrost, you can also microwave for 20-30 seconds from frozen, then fry them up for about five minutes per side.)

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Shoppers who tried the pancakes are weighing in on the Trader Joe's Subreddit to express their delight, with one satisfied snacker writing, "Wow! 10/10," and adding "I need to go back and buy more before they're gone." Another shopper chimed in: "as a Korean, I approve!"

If your go-to breakfast errs more sweet than savory, then these pancakes are a great addition to your morning line-up, and if you have kids, it's pretty much a guarantee that these quick and easy sweet pancakes will become a family favorite. If you prefer a savory breakfast but find that sweet tooth hitting after dinner, shoppers (and TJ's itself!) recommend enjoying these as dessert, made especially tasty with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting all over that hot and crispy goodness.

As we saw with the Great Cauliflower Gnocchi Rush of 2018, once Trader Joe's has a hit product, it can take off with a vengeance and become impossible to find. So we recommend swinging by the frozen breakfast aisle and picking up a box (or two or three, we're not judging) so you and your family can see whether these extra-sweet pancakes live up to the hype. As far as we're concerned, you really can't go wrong with this classic dough-and-filling combination—from dumplings to ravioli, knishes to pork buns, and empanadas to pierogi, this tasty format is a classic for a reason.