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