Trader Joe's Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix: Our Honest Review

For the past few years, ube has made its way into products in pretty much every aisle at Trader Joe’s. In the frozen section, the vibrant purple tuber makes an appearance in their Ube Ice Cream and Ube Mochi Ice Cream. Elsewhere in the store, you’ll find their Ube Tea Cookies and Ube Spread. And the ube empire recently expanded to the baking section with the release of Trader Joe’s Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix. I’m typically one to avoid boxed pancake mix. It takes about 30 seconds to throw together pancakes from scratch. But incorporating starchy, earthy ube into the batter? That’s above my pay grade. So, I’m willing to make an exception for one of Trader Joe’s wacky products in this case. And not to spoil things (which I sort of am…), but I really was happy with the end product.

There’s some real alchemy going on here. The mix itself is a talc-y, white powder with tiny flecks of purple in it. Once you incorporate wet ingredients, though, those flecks transform the batter. It becomes a bright and beautiful purple that’s the signature calling card of an ube product. That said, it doesn’t last long though. Once the batter is cooked, the outside browns and the inside turns a sad, dull grayish blue. Like it was made with blueberries instead of ube. If that isn’t a dealbreaker, read on!

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Pros: The ube shines so well in pancakes and waffles made with this mix. I was really worried that it’d get lost in the mix (ba dum, tss). In fact, I can still taste the sweet, slightly nutty ube it on my tongue after cleaning up all my dishes and putting the leftovers away. I’m loving every minute of it! The mix can be used to make both pancakes and waffles, so I gave each a try. Both were comparable, but I think I’d give pancakes the edge. That’s just because they held the ube flavor a tiny bit more. In terms of the mochi component, TJ’s talks about the chewiness of the pancakes/waffles in the description and I’d say it lands. The glutinous rice flour gives the pancakes a slightly higher chew factor than regular pancakes, so I’d count it as a win! And because this ube pancake mix is imade with rice flour instead of wheat, it’s also gluten free by nature. More pancakes for everyone!

Cons: The change in color from purple to dull blue is a little off-putting, but food scientists can only do so much. And while the ube flavor definitely stands out if you eat your pancakes and waffles plain, it gets a little lost if you add maple syrup. As since there’s maple syrup in the picture on the box, I expected it to work better. I think I’d go with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream next time. I really want that ube to hold my attention.

Rating:

9/10

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