#trader-joes

#trader-joes

I've been shopping on a budget since I got my first job when I was 14, and I have my weekly grocery shopping routine down to a science at this point. Because I'm always trying to save money, I usually go to two or three stores to make sure I'm getting the best deals on my weekly pantry staples. But the one store I look forward to visiting each week is Trader Joe's.

As it turns out, nearly every item I found for Valentine's Day is a sweet or chocolate, except for the ravioli. But you don't have to go in and buy everything. I tried as many items as I could to give you my honest thoughts on them to help you determine what you should actually purchase and what's better to leave behind. I judged them on flavor, texture, value, and how highly I'd recommend them to a TJ's customer.

Trader Joe's is now king of the grocery aisles, according to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index. The California-based specialty grocer scored 86 out of 100, up 2% from last year, while Publix remained at 84 for the second consecutive year. H-E-B ranked third at 83, followed by Sam's Club at 82 and Aldi at 81. What makes the win even more impressive is that Trader Joe's keeps opening new stores across the country, which usually hurts consistency.

If you're shopping in a state where grocery stores are allowed to sell liquor, you might even see Trader Joe's brand whisky on the shelves with a low price tag attached to it. So, how is it that a grocery chain can put proper, single-malt Scotch on the shelves for just $20 to $30 a bottle? The answer is similar to that of most of the deals you find in the store: A private label bottled by a non-distiller producer (NDP) in Scotland.

One of the top ranked Trader Joe's vegan desserts is, in fact, one of its best desserts overall. A steadfast offering that's as reliable as it is delicious, Trader Joe's speculoos cookies are always a hit. As the base for its acclaimed cult-favorite cookie butter and a frequent rival of Lotus Biscoff in the battle for the better cookie butter, Trader Joe's speculoos cookies are inspired by Belgian biscuits.

Trader Joe's doesn't just have customers; it has devoted fans who go nuts for its unique items and constantly discuss which ones are the best. It's no wonder why the company has its own Customer Choice Awards, which are decided by loyal shoppers who vote on their favorite products. For the 17th annual round of winners, the number one beverage is not a huge surprise: TJ's Spiced Cider took home the crown for a fifth time.

Despite one or two less than stellar Trader Joe's frozen dumpling flavors, the grocery giant really hit its stride with its pork gyoza potstickers. Easily earning the top spot in our ranking of the chain's dumplings, the pork potstickers provide savory goodness in each bite. Filled with pork, cabbage, green onions, and a touch of garlic and ginger, the potstickers don't skimp on the meat. From the first taste, pork is clearly the main character, with the veggies adding an herbaceous balance.

If you've ever been to Nobu, you'll know that the Miso Black Cod is one of their most beloved menu items. And for good reason: It's tender, flaky, slightly sweet, and so buttery it practically melts in your mouth. The only catch - no pun intended - is that it's $49. Obviously, I'm not trying to drop $50 on a single serving of fish, because well, that's just unsustainable for me. So, when I saw a TikTok about a $10 Trader Joe's alternative that allegedly rivals Nobu's Miso Black Cod, I knew immediately that I needed to try it.

Believe it or not, seasonal fruits still exist. Although it may be convenient to buy your favorite apple variety year-round, the sustainability benefits of growing and consuming in-season produce are indisputable. Besides, what could beat the bright, tangy flavors of a winter orange, or the dribble-down-your-chin juiciness of a summer nectarine? While some fruits are available throughout the year (often because of their long shelf life, ability to withstand transport, and capacity to grow in both the northern and southern hemispheres), this is not universally true.

Trader Joe's can help upgrade weeknight dinners with ready-made foods. While it can take some time to whip up a mushroom pizza from scratch, Trader Joe's has packaged a flavorful dish that can be baked and served in under 10 minutes - all while having you feeling a bit bougie. Hailing from Italy, Trader Joe's Mushroom & Black Truffle Flatbread has netizens raving. Not to mention that for $5.49, the ready-to-bake product also gives you a bite of the good life without breaking the bank.

As a former Trader Joe's employee and dietitian, I've tried a lot of popular products from the chain To me, Trader Joe's dark-chocolate peanut-butter cups and sweet-potato gnocchi are worth the hype. I 'm not totally sold on the chain's nondairy oat beverage or cauliflower gnocchi. Before I became a dietitian and intuitive-eating counselor, I worked at a Trader Joe's. Years later, I still regularly visit the grocer when planning my meals and following an intuitive-eating framework.

You can find virtually any flavor profile under its roof. I've purchased many meals, snacks, and drinks over the years (decades, really). This time, when I stepped into the store, I set out to find a range of its high-protein items. I found 18 items to test out, ranking them based on their taste, versatility, value, texture, and protein content.

When was the last time you restocked your spice cabinet? As it might be after a big move, it's likely been years since you did a full audit of your seasonings. Or, maybe you've just been out of cumin for months and keep forgetting to pick some up from the store. Whatever your reasons are for hitting up your local grocer's spice section.

The new year is the perfect time to clean out your pantry. The holidays are over, the hustle and bustle have subsided, and it's time for a fresh start. Not only can you get rid of anything expired, but you can also donate any nonperishable and unexpired food that you aren't planning on using. A pantry cleanout will give you a chance to reorganize what's left, and the perfect excuse to stock up on new snacks and beverages you've been eager to try.

I love shopping at H-E-B and Central Market, but a Trader Joe's was recently built in my area. So, I decided to stop by and check out some of the brand's fan-favorite products, like kimbap. However, some products didn't live up to the hype, including Trader Joe's bubble waffles. I'm a devoted shopper at H-E-B and Central Market, but when a Trader Joe's was built in my area outside Austin in Texas Hill Country, it felt like the entire town was bursting with excitement.

"Sorry Trader Joe's, but I simply hated these crackers," wrote Tasting Table's Emily Hunt. "They actually gave me a negative opinion of parsley, and now I'm convinced it should never be the main flavor profile in anything." While a desperate person with a box of these on hand could potentially use them as a crunchy topping for a dish like baked mac and cheese, she ultimately believes "that's far more trouble than they're worth."

Per reporting from the Los Angeles Times' Studios arm, Monrovia-based Trader Joe's has spent eight figures on a 1.4-acre parcel just over a mile inland from the coast. The corner site doesn't just offer premium visibility for high-net-worth locals in Santa Monica, where the median home price is over $1.8 million, it also offers 125 parking lot spaces and over 17,000 square feet of retail possibilities, both larger than the average Trader Joe's store.

The jellies in this TJ's boxed offering are round discs covered in coarse sugar, coming in cherry, pear, mango, and peach flavors. As far as texture goes, they represented the slightly toothsome yet soft consistency of a jelly candy. The sugar coating gave a nice crunchy contrast, but even the best texture couldn't make up for their flavor. We wanted to give these candies points for originality, as pear isn't a flavor you see every day.

Trader Joe's is well known for its private-label products. As far as where Trader Joe's food comes from, many of the items are actually made by popular name brands in a process known as "white-labeling." From tea to crackers to spreads, dips, and more, fans frequently try to determine which brands are behind the Trader Joe's items they enjoy the most.

I've never met a soul who doesn't appreciate a good cracker. The pantry staple is wildly versatile and, most likely, holds special meaning for each of us, whether you (like me) frequently feasted on Ritz and cream cheese in younger years, or regularly housed bowl after bowl of your favorite Goldfish flavor after getting home from school. Some are tasty enough to eat solo, while others beg to be placed on a fancy charcuterie board or used to top a crunchy casserole.

Every product undergoes a rigorous tasting panel process, in which every aspect of quality, taste, and price is thoroughly evaluated before the product can earn a spot on our shelves,

We've done the hard, yet frequently delicious, work for you and ranked a handful of the holiday items available in 2025. We don't recommend the eggnog or the oat-based eggnog, but a few of our favorite items are included in the list below. In addition to considering our own experiences tasting these products, we also consulted online customer chit-chat. We based prices on what we found listed online for our local store.

There's nothing quite like a Trader Joe's seasonal drop, especially when it comes to all of the Christmas-themed treats that start appearing on shelves this time of year. We've already tried out 13 of this year's winter holiday items, and it's going to be a long road to the end of the year, because many are hard to put down.

Our taste tester found that the tart crust baked up perfectly flaky and golden, without that frustrating sogginess that can plague pie doughs, especially frozen versions. Infused with cream cheese and cinnamon, the apple filling is rich in taste and texture, and a sliced almond topping adds crunch and an extra dash of visual appeal. The overall flavor profile is buttery and fruity with just the right amount of sweetness.

In our ranking of 17 different Trader Joe's Thanksgiving products, the brand's Cornbread Stuffing with dried cranberries, roasted apples, and savory herbs came in last place. Don't be fooled by the tasty description and misleading photograph on the front of the box. A sweet and savory cornbread stuffing sounds delicious, but all we tasted with this box was salt. In fact, it was so salty that the sweet and bright cranberries and caramelized roasted apples were completely lost.

One thing the brand truly excels at is bringing seasonal and unique items into the fold - whether that's summery Trader Joe's snacks or autumnal Trader Joe's hits. I love the wintery holiday season because it's known for cheer, giving, and some flavor profiles that I'm already quite fond of such as peppermint, gingerbread, and cranberry orange. I went through the aisles

Recently, at least once a day, you can find me singing: "Pass the cranberry sauce, we're having mashed potatoes!" in my best Linda Belcher voice. It's a compulsion that I don't try to control - just like the carb-loading you'll also find me engaging in around this time of year. My favorite part of Thanksgiving is undoubtedly the sides. Mac and cheese, stuffing, cornbread - you name it, I'm probably eating it. And while I usually opt for homemade everything, Trader Joe's got me curious: Can pre-made Thanksgiving foods stack up to the DIY versions?