From drinks, to snacks, to dinner hacks, sauces, and everything in-between \u2013 these are the products I love right now at Trader Joe\u2019s!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Trader Joe\u2019s is one of the all-time great grocery fun-run stores!<\/p>\n
Sure, you can buy great produce, milk and yogurt, pantry essentials, and normal practical things at Trader Joe\u2019s. <\/p>\n
But for this post I wanted to convince you to try some of these unique \u201cfun run\u201d items \u2013 the things that, if you\u2019re making a special trip from out of town or stocking up on your quarterly trip, you should absolutely be buying here.<\/p>\n
I split this post into three sections: <\/p>\n
- \n
- 20 things you should absolutely be buying at Trader Joe\u2019s<\/li>\n
- 13 things that our Instagram community recommended<\/li>\n
- 3 popular items that I think you can skip<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For a total of 33 items that deserve a spot on your shopping list!<\/p>\n
If you love something that I didn\u2019t mention here, let me know in the comments! I\u2019m always eager to try the things that you all love and recommend.<\/p>\n
\n1: Sodas \u2013 In Particular, Strawberry Or Watermelon Soda<\/h2>\n
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Why I love it: <\/p>\n
- \n
- Made sweet with real fruit juice and no added sugar.<\/li>\n
- Taste is so nostalgic to me! <\/li>\n
- Perfect little skinny can size with just the right amount in each serving. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2: Nuts \u2013 In Particular, Chili Lime Cashews<\/h2>\n
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Why I love it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Tons (I mean tons) of seasoning!<\/li>\n
- A little spicy.<\/li>\n
- Great in a Thai-ish chopped salad (see here<\/a>, and here<\/a>). <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
3 \u2013 Unexpected Cheddar<\/h2>\n
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Why I love it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Tastes hard and salty and aged, like a Parm.<\/li>\n
- Eats really nicely with crackers.<\/li>\n
- A little slice melted over the air fryer chicken<\/a> is *chef\u2019s kiss* amazing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
4 \u2013 Frozen Roasted Corn<\/h2>\n
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Why I love it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- It\u2019s hard to find frozen corn that is *roasted*!<\/li>\n
- Only need a little bit in each recipe so the bag lasts forever.<\/li>\n
- Perfect in the red chile chicken taco corn dip<\/a> topping (which, conveniently, is also great for eating with chips). <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
5 \u2013 Frozen Vegetable Fried Rice<\/h2>\n
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Why I love it: <\/p>\n
- \n
- Great basic meal starter that is, as advertised, ready in 5 minutes!<\/li>\n
- Plays really well with a shot of soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, some scrambled eggs or tofu, and a few more fresh veggies.<\/li>\n
- My kids love it!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
6 \u2013 Frozen Chicken Wontons<\/h2>\n
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Why I love them: <\/p>\n
- \n
- These ones are mini-size which I absolutely love. <\/li>\n
- They\u2019re deliciously chewy \/ tender and the chicken isn\u2019t weird.<\/li>\n
- They are a must for saucy wontons<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
7 \u2013 Frozen Brown Rice<\/h2>\n
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Several of you also recommended this and guess what? I LOVE IT. It\u2019s a new staple for me \u2013 thanks for the recommendation! Why I love it: <\/p>\n
- \n
- It\u2019s extremely convenient. <\/li>\n
- This is truly some of the only brown rice that I actually like \u2013 it is very soft and tender and eats more like a white rice!<\/li>\n
- Organic!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
8 \u2013 Sea Salt and Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds<\/h2>\n
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Why I love these (and have loved them for years):<\/p>\n
- \n
- THE TEXTURE ON THESE IS AMAZING. <\/li>\n
- I think they also recently may have increased the amount of chocolate around each almond? They are hefty and chunky. <\/li>\n
- They are a perfect grab-a-handful-for-a-hit-of-chocolate moment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
9 \u2013 Sun Dried Tomato Focaccia<\/h2>\n
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Why I love this: <\/p>\n
- \n
- For this specific turkey sandwich<\/a>. <\/li>\n
- It\u2019s heavy and dense but also has a good amount of squish and bounciness to it? Is that possible? <\/li>\n
- The roasted tomato topping is elite. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
10 \u2013 Everything Crackers<\/h2>\n
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Why I love them: <\/p>\n
- \n
- They go with everything (get it?)<\/li>\n
- Such great texture.<\/li>\n
- My favorite is loading these bad boys up with the olive tapenade. I buy them specifically for that purpose.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
11 \u2013 Multigrain Crackers<\/h2>\n
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Why I love them: <\/p>\n
- \n
- These are an actually delicious basic cracker.<\/li>\n
- They have sunflower, flax seeds, and other good stuff in them.<\/li>\n
- My girls love them and they make a perfect kid-friendly snack starter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
12 \u2013 Trail Mix Crackers<\/h2>\n
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Why I love them: <\/p>\n
- \n
- They\u2019re just fun.<\/li>\n
- They\u2019re loaded with seeds, nuts, and dried fruits and they eat almost more like a buttery cookie but still salty?<\/li>\n
- They don\u2019t need any toppings whatsoever (although these with a slice of Unexpected Cheddar is a next-level combo). <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
13 \u2013 Salt and Pepper Chips<\/h2>\n
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Why I love them:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Salty, peppery, and max amount of textured ridges.<\/li>\n
- They make any sandwichy \/ grilled hot dog \/ burger meal feel just a little more special and fun.<\/li>\n
- Amazing with a creamy dip \u2013 like, dare I say, the bacon cheddar ranch dip!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
14 \u2013 Dill Pickle Chips<\/h2>\n
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Why I love them:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Best dill pickle chips of all time.<\/li>\n
- Extra seasoned \u2013 like, TONS of dill pickle flavored powder on each chip.<\/li>\n
- Very substantially cronchy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
15 and 16 \u2013 Zhoug and Chimichurri<\/h2>\n
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Why I love them: <\/p>\n
- \n
- 99% of the time I don\u2019t like pre-made herb sauces, but these are my two exceptions to the rule.<\/li>\n
- The chimichurri is more of a fresh and zingy herb sauce (yum)\u2026<\/li>\n
- Whereas the zhoug has warmish spices and tends to be spicy (also yum).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
17 \u2013 Olive Tapenade<\/h2>\n
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Why I love it: <\/p>\n
- \n
- This is hands-down the best olive tapenade I\u2019ve ever bought. <\/li>\n
- It\u2019s not cluttered with any raw onions or anything else we don\u2019t want in there. Just lots of olives, herbs, olive oil and little flecks of pimento. <\/li>\n
- It is SO DELICIOUS loaded onto those Everything crackers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Serving size is 7, but it only takes me 2-3 passes at this to finish it all off myself. Woopsies.<\/p>\n
17 \u2013 Roasted Tomatillo Salsa<\/h2>\n
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Why I love it: <\/p>\n
- \n
- Great as a salsa.<\/li>\n
- But also great as a semi-homemade sauce starter!<\/li>\n
- I like to whisk it with their mashed avocados to make an avocado-tomatillo sauce. Add a bit of extra salt, maybe some fresh garlic if you\u2019re feeling sassy, and it\u2019s an amazingly fast, actually good sauce shortcut.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
18 \u2013 High Protein Tofu<\/h2>\n
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Why I love it: <\/p>\n
- \n
- It doesn\u2019t require much pressing.<\/li>\n
- It\u2019s super high protein. <\/li>\n
- It\u2019s my go-to tofu for Air Fryer Tofu<\/a>!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
19 \u2013 Non Alcoholic Beer<\/h2>\n
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Why I love it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- It\u2019s non-alcoholic!<\/li>\n
- It\u2019s mild-tasting, wheaty and golden, and just really good.<\/li>\n
- Perfect end-of-night bev when you want to chill out without the alcohol.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nAnd The Most Loved Products By Our Community On Instagram:<\/h2>\n
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This is a list of a few products that didn\u2019t make my best of list (and\/or things I haven\u2019t tried) but these were recommended over and over again by our community on Instagram! <\/p>\n
- \n
- Brookie clusters<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Cinnamon Roll JoJos<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Everything seasoning<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Buffalo chicken dip<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Elote chip<\/strong>s<\/li>\n
- Frozen veggie birds nests<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Dark chocolate peanut butter cups<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Pizza crust<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Kimbap \/ Gimbap<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Scallion pancakes<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Snacky clusters<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Chili onion crisp<\/strong> <\/li>\n
- Cannoli dip<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nDon\u2019t Hate Me \u2013 3 Popular Items I Think You Can Skip<\/h2>\n
Orange Chicken<\/h3>\n
Why I DON\u2019T love it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- The orange sauce is underwhelming. Too sweet, not enough contrast. <\/li>\n
- The fried chicken has dark meat. Not a fan.<\/li>\n
- The house always gets a weird smell when I make it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Bambas<\/h3>\n
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Why I DON\u2019T love them:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Flavor is meh.<\/li>\n
- Texture is meh \u2013 very dissolve-y on impact.<\/li>\n
- Leaves a weird film in my mouth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Cauliflower Gnocchi<\/h3>\n
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Why I DON\u2019T love it:<\/p>\n
- \n
- I used to love it\u2026 so, the potential is there, but maybe I overdid it and now I\u2019ve ruined it for myself. (Also it\u2019s easy enough to make my own<\/a>!)<\/li>\n
- Smells and tastes a bit too watery and\/or cauliflowery.<\/li>\n
- Never really something I look forward to eating.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nGot anything to add? Give me all your best Trader Joe\u2019s intel and I will note it for my next trip!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
- I used to love it\u2026 so, the potential is there, but maybe I overdid it and now I\u2019ve ruined it for myself. (Also it\u2019s easy enough to make my own<\/a>!)<\/li>\n
- Cinnamon Roll JoJos<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Brookie clusters<\/strong><\/li>\n
- For this specific turkey sandwich<\/a>. <\/li>\n
![\"Sparkling](\"https:\/\/pinchofyum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Strawberry-Soda-Trader-Joes-scaled.jpg)
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"Unexpected](\"https:\/\/pinchofyum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Unexpected-Cheddar-scaled.jpg)
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"Everything](\"https:\/\/pinchofyum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Everything-But-The-Bagel-Crackers-scaled.jpg)
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"Bag](\"https:\/\/pinchofyum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Brookie-Candy-scaled.jpg)
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