What Happened To Trader Joe's Frozen Garlic Fries?

Trader Joe's has plenty of products that everyone seems to love — from mandarin orange chicken to sublime ice cream sandwiches to the cowboy quinoa veggie burger. Customers' favorite meals and desserts from Trader Joe's are fairly diverse, and it's clear that with so many popular items, Trader Joe's isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Sadly, though, Trader Joe's has discontinued some of their tastiest products or temporarily taken them off shelves to make room for new potential favorites (per The U.S. Sun). Plenty of people are left scratching their heads when this happens — why are so many go-to snacks and meals no longer available? According to Mental Floss, one of Trader Joe's most beloved products, frozen garlic fries, is no longer on store shelves, but why did the favorite disappear? Are garlic fries gone forever, or will they be coming back? If you're curious about whether or not Trader Joe's garlic fries are permanently gone, this is what really happened to them.

Fans of Trader Joe's frozen garlic fries may have noticed that they don't seem to be easy to find anymore — it's as if they mysteriously vanished from store shelves. If you're wondering if you can still get them anywhere, the answer is "no" — your favorite frozen garlic fries were discontinued in 2018 (per Mental Floss).

Why did Trader Joe's shelve such a beloved product? Apparently, while the frozen garlic fries — which made for a quick, easy, and delicious side dish for a variety of meals — earned good reviews from customers (per Become Betty), not enough people bought them for them to stay on Trader Joe's product roster. Trader Joe's loves to swap out old products for newer ones, and sadly, frozen garlic fries didn't make the cut to stick around permanently. If you're a Trader Joe's fan, you may have found a side dish replacement for your favorite garlic fries by now, but if you haven't, there are plenty of other delicious options to choose from.

Frozen garlic fries may be gone, but if you love potato dishes, there are plenty of other side dish options you'll love — both in and out of Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's also carries frozen mashed potatoes (per Trader Joe's), and while you may feel reluctant to buy your potatoes frozen, this is a quick, easy dish that you can elevate with your own ingredients for a flavor profile you'll crave again and again (per Freezer Meal Frenzy). The potatoes don't have garlic — just milk, butter, and salt, but you can easily cook and add your own garlic or garlic powder to replicate your favorite flavors from Trader Joe's garlic fries.

If you'd rather try making a garlicky spud dish, there are plenty of recipes for garlic mashed potatoes as well. Per our garlic mashed potato recipe, just place your potatoes in a saucepan, cover them, bring them to a boil, then put them on low heat. Once they're simmered until they're tender, drain the potatoes and put them back in the pan on low heat. Then, add garlic powder, salt, and pepper before mashing the potatoes. As you mash, add in milk and butter and stir in some cheese. Trader Joe's frozen garlic fries may be discontinued, but you can still find plenty of tasty garlicky potato options to try.