The Trader Joe's Sweet Treat You Can Buy At Aldi For Less
It has been suggested that Trader Joe's is like Aldi's fun, quick-selling Finds aisles, except it's an entire store filled with treasures. That's not technically true, as TJ's does have a good selection of core pantry, fridge, freezer, and baked items, like its customer-favorite sourdough bread. Still, the maritime-themed grocery chain, which shares an unexpected connection with Aldi, nonetheless stocks a multitude of craveable products that its fans go wild for, including its frozen Hold the Cone! mini ice cream cones, first released in 2011. Now, well over a decade later, Aldi is also getting in on the mini ice cream cone action, with one of its food Finds, the Sundae Shoppe Tiny Cones.
@britkirwin Is the serving size is 0.25?#aldifinds #fypシ #bitesize #mini
Even better, while the prices for both are technically the same, at $3.99 per box, Aldi is giving you more of a sweet thing; the Sundae Shoppe cones weigh in at 11.3 fluid ounces, and feature 12 to a box — while the Trader Joe's cones only come with eight, and weigh 7.9 ounces. Still, TJ's has Aldi beat in the flavor department (they've had a head start, okay?), with five different varieties, including strawberry, chocolate, chocolate chip, and coffee bean, plus a non-dairy chocolate iteration (and a box of just the tips) while Aldi's version features three flavors: Chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla.
How different are Aldi's Tiny Cones in contrast with TJ's Hold the Cones?
Aldi's Sundae Shoppe Tiny Cones aren't exact replicas of Trader Joe's' Hold the Cones, and besides their tiny size and similarly-shaped cones, the two cool treats actually have some significant differences. For example, TJ's cones actually get a slathering of chocolate on the inside to keep the ice cream from leaking through; Aldi's apparently has no such safeguard.
There's also the ice cream portion of the cones to contrast. The Sundae Shoppe cones from Aldi have flat ice cream directly above the cone, then the top portion is textured like a swirl, and topped with various bits and pieces, like roasted hazelnut on the vanilla flavor and chocolate curls on the chocolate ones. The Hold the Cones from TJ's, on the other hand, feature dollops of swirled ice cream that get then dipped in chocolate, forming a delightful shell and a contrast in textures: The crunch of the chocolate layer gives way to the softness of the ice cream.
There's also availability to consider. While Trader Joe's freezer section is usually stocked with Hold the Cones, Aldi's Tiny Cones were a short-lived Aldi Find that the company released in June 2025. However, not only does the discount grocer tend to bring Finds back annually (especially if they are popular), but it also sells mini vanilla chocolate-dipped cones as part of its core freezer items.