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Copycat Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch Recipe

If you have found Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch to be missing from your local store, then fear not. With this copycat recipe, I've got you covered. With a handful of pantry items you too can make this at home and tailor it to your liking.

My copycat Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch on top of a bowl of linguine

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I can't tell you how many posts via social media I've seen of people looking to buy Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch, but their local stores have run out of it. I've even heard tales of people driving for hundred of miles to try to find some.

But this is one of those items that is relatively easy to replicate at home. There is nothing weird or commercial about the shopping list on this one. Just things that are going to make you shop outside of Trader Joe's.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Pantry-stable flavor bomb: No fresh ingredients means no mystery mold-just pure, spicy crunch.
Super versatile: Use it on eggs, toast, pasta, pizza, tacos-heck, even ice cream if you're wild.
Budget-friendly: Fetching a jar from the store is so 2020.

Tips for Making This Recipe

Here are my best tips for making my Copycat Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch:

Use only dehydrated spices and do NOT rehydrate them.
Do NOT substitute granulated for the minced, it won't have much texture and it will be overwhelming in flavor.
For best flavor, you'll need to heat the oil to infuse the heat of the chili pepper flakes and get the color from the paprika.
Store in an air tight jar or container
If you are on a reduced sodium diet, feel free to omit or adjust the salt as you see fit.
If you like it spicier, then add more red chili flake.
All my spices came from Penzey's in creating this recipe.

A round wooden board with all the ingredients on it in small bowls

Now, it is possible that another brand has something similar, but I haven't tried it out to compare.

But here are the items you'll need to make this recipe (again these are NOT affiliate links) exactly the way I made it:

Minced White Onions
Minced Garlic
Dried Red Bell Pepper Minced
Toasted Minced Onions
Medium Hot Chili Pepper Flakes
Salt (Coarse or Flake style)
Paprika
Extra Virgin Olive Oil- not sold at Penzey's but odds are you probably already have this on hand.

Why Does This Recipe Work?

As I noted in my review of the original product, the magic is in the fact that the spices are dehydrated. Even though you are adding oil, you aren't actually adding any hydration in therefore they retain most of their crunchy nature.

Watch Me Make This (58 Seconds)

How To Make a Copycat Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch

Step 1. In a jar add dehydrated minced white onions, dehydrated minced garlic, dehydrated toasted minced onions, and salt. Add the dehydrated minced peppers and dehydrated minced garlic to a spice grinder and grind for about 10-15 seconds). Pour in to the jar. If you don't mind the larger garlic and peppers, then add them straight to the jar and skip using a spice grinder.

A collage of three images showing the spices going into the jar

Step 2: In a pan, add EVOO, paprika, and chili pepper flakes. Heat until oil is about 250F or when you can smell the pepper flakes.

Step 3: Carefully add olive oil mixture to jar. When pouring into the jar the oil will be hot. Stir to combine. Take care to not touch the edges of the jar. When combined it is ready to use. If you aren't using it right away, then allow it to cool to room temperature and place a lid. Serve with pasta, potatoes, veggies, and even eggs (or some way that you are welcome to share in the comments).

The author holding a bowl of linguine covered in chili onion crunch

Other Trader Joe's Inspired Recipes You Might Like

Copycat Oven Baked Cheese Bites

Spicy Jalapeno Limeade Margarita

Winter Wassail Cocktail

Winter Wassail Mulled Wine

I hope you enjoy this Copycat Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch Recipe below!

If you try this, would you mind hitting the "Rate" button? I'd love to know what you thought of it. If you modified the original recipe here, please let me know how it turned out. I love comments!

If you've tried this Copycat Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch Recipe or any other recipe on the blog, I'd love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.

Print Recipe

4.62 from 62 votes

Copycat Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch

This recipe will have you doing a double take to compare it to what is sold in stores. With a few simple ingredients you can make this Chili Onion Crunch at home.

Prep Time5

Cook Time3

Total Time8

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chili Onion Crunch, Copycat Recipe, Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch

Servings:

Calories: 56kcal

Author: Brenda

Ingredients

2 tablespoon Dehydrated Minced Onion White
.5 tablespoon Dehydrated Minced Toasted Onion
½ teaspoon Salt Flake or Kosher
1 tablespoon Dehydrated Minced Garlic
1 tablespoon Dehydrated Mined Bell Pepper Red
¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon Red Chili Pepper Flake
½ teaspoon paprika

Instructions

In a clean and dry jar add the following dehydrated spices: onion, toasted onion, and salt. If your minced garlic and minced red bell pepper are a satisfactory size to you, then add it in also. If they are too large then, run them through a spice grinder for 5-10 seconds and add to the jar. I found these to be a bit large from Penzeys.
In pan on low heat add olive oil, red chili pepper flakes, and paprika. Heat until you can smell the chili pepper flakes. You are looking to infuse the flavors, but not cook them. When oil turns red from the paprika and you can smell the chili flakes it is done.
Carefully pour oil mixture into jar. Stir to combine spices.
This is ready to use immediately or keep in a container.

Video

Notes

Here are my best tips for making my Copycat Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch:

Use only dehydrated spices and do NOT rehydrate them.
Do NOT substitute granulated for the minced, it won't have much texture and it will be overwhelming in flavor.
For best flavor, you'll need to heat the oil to infuse the heat of the chili pepper flakes and get the color from the paprika.
Store in an air tight jar or container
If you are on a reduced sodium diet, feel free to omit or adjust the salt as you see fit.
All my spices came from Penzey's in recreating this recipe.

Nutrition

Smith and Wesson Cocktail

Here is a throwback to a classic 1950s cocktail. If you've ever had a White Russian, then you might be familiar with the taste of a Smith and Wesson Cocktail, perhaps the Smith and Kerns Cocktail is what you are more familiar with. But if you like the effervescence of a New York Style Egg Cream then you are in for a real treat with this drink.

Now, I'm not a big fan of heavy-hitting drinks. I drink purely for taste at least 95% of the time. Yes, I have bad days and yes, there are days I'm planning what I'm drinking with dinner and it's only 9:30 A.M. Has that ever happened to anyone else? Just wondering.

However, this is a mild end-of-the-day type of drink. But this drink combines the best of two worlds of drinks: the White Russian with a NY-style Egg Cream (which has no eggs in it by the way). It's frothy as if it had eggs, but is creamy with a hint of effervescence.

Origins of this Cocktail

Like just about any other cocktail, some cocktails are just derivatives of other cocktails. So this cocktail actually originates from the a Smith and Kearns cocktail. What's a Smith and Kearns?

A Smith and Kearns was named for two local patrons at Blue Blazer's. The bartender, Gerbert Doebber, in 1952 made this drink popular as the original cocktail included cream, Kahlua, and soda water. Now, how the Smith and Kearns became a Smith and Wesson is lost to history. So here is my thoughts on how this might have happened.

My hypothesis on this? Someone probably walked into the bar and asked for a "shot" to be put in a Smith and Kearns, leading to an easy name change: Smith and Wesson, since the name Smith is already there and you are making one substitution. Again, that's how I'm putting this story together. If anyone has a better cocktail history to this, just let me know.

Tips for Making This

Here are my best tips for making this drink:

Always use good quality ice.
This drink does not require any special equipment, just a spoon
You can play around with the ratio of Kahlua and creme de cacao.
If you don't care for the taste of creme de cacao use Kahlua in its place.

Variations of this Cocktail

If you omit the vodka you have a Smith and Kearns
If you want a richer tasting drink use heavy cream
If you want a something not too rich use half and half
If you want a lighter tasting drink use regular milk
If you aren't a chocolate fan, then double the amount of Kahlua.
Don't use fat-free milk as it will break.

Watch Me Make This (37 Seconds)

How to Make a Smith and Wesson Cocktail

Step 1: In a tall glass with ice add vodka, creme de cacao, kahlua, and cream to a glass.

Step 1 showing the addition of vodka, creme de cacao, kalhua, and cream to the glass

Step 2: Stir to combine

Smith and Wesson cocktail before being stirred and after

Step 3: Top off with seltzer

Seltzer being added to the Smith and Wesson Cocktail

Step 4: Sip and Enjoy or......

Step 5: Optional: Top with Chocolate Syrup and enjoy right away or with a straw.

Two finished Smith and Wesson Cocktails with chocolate drizzles hanging over the side

Other Dessert Cocktails You Might Enjoy

I hope you enjoy this Smith and Wesson Cocktail recipe!

If you've tried this Smith and Wesson or any other recipe on the blog, I'd love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Smith and Wesson Cocktail

Here is a throw back to a classic 1950s cocktail. If you've ever had a White Russian, then you might be familiar with the taste of a Smith and Wesson Cocktail. But if you like the effervescence of a New York Style Egg Cream then you are in for a real treat with this drink.

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: smith and wesson cocktail

Servings:

Calories: 457kcal

Author: Brenda

Ingredients

1 ounce vodka
1 ounce creme de cacao
1 ounce kahlua
2 ounces heavy cream see notes for substitutions
club soda to top off the drink plain seltzer can also be used

Instructions

In a glass filled with ice add vodka, creme de cacao, and kahlua and cream
Stir.
Top with club soda or seltzer
Optional: add some chocolate syrup to the top

Video

Notes

Here are my best tips for making this drink:

Always use good quality ice.
This drink does not require any special equipment, just a spoon
You can play around with the ratio of kahlua and creme de cacao.
If you don't care for the taste of creme de cacao use kahlua in its place.

Nutrition

Trader Joe's Banana and Almond Butter Protein Smoothie

I keep a blender solely for the purpose of making smoothies. Oh and wine slushies. My blender comes out at least once a week. And while I can make a good smoothie, I'll buy smoothies from time to time to see if they make one better. So this time I picked up Trader Joe's Banana and Almond Butter Protein Smoothie to see if they can outdo me.

Taste

My typical smoothie is usually a banana, peanut butter powder, an additional fruit, as well as some almond milk. For me, that is what a smoothie should be: thick and flavorful. Why are those two items important? Because if I'm making a smoothie I'm asking it to pretty much be a meal replacement on the go.

Now, Trader Joe's does have some gems on the shelf: the Strawberry Chia Smoothie and Mango are my favorites. I don't buy them too often even though I like them.

So when a new smoothie showed up, I figured it was time to give this a go. This is labeled as being non-dairy, kosher, and heavy on protein.

Good thing because this smoothie comes in at 320 calories. In other words, this is like a meal.

But here is the thing, it is made with coconut water. So this actually is a pretty thin smoothie despite the almond butter.

Don't get me wrong, you can taste the banana, coconut water, and almond butter but that is pretty much it. And while it does have a bit of salt and vanilla (as well as the pea protein powder), I had a hard time tasting anything but the banana and almond butter.

But as a comparison, it is only marginally thicker than a glass of whole milk (not a great comparison for a non-dairy beverage).

So while I really like a good smoothie, something that isn't thick just doesn't do it for me.

Plus the flavor here is just meh. Nothing that couldn't be done better at home. So while this is obviously a grab-and-go type of item; I'd rather grab something else than go with this again.

Overall

For $2.99 I'll pick up almond butter and make a better smoothie myself if I'm so inclined.

I think this is a smoothie they could have knocked out of the park, but there is nothing standout about the flavor or the consistency here.

Would I buy this again? Trader Joe's Banana and Almond Butter Protein Smoothie is worth skipping in my opinion.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Product Photos

The bottle of Trader Joe's Banana and Almond Butter Protein Smoothie:

Calories

Ingredients

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

The Bottom Line

Don't forget to share your thoughts by going to the "user review" at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below.

You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.

Trader Joe's Ketchup Flavored Spud Crunchies

It wasn't long ago that I reviewed Trader Joe's Patio Potato Chips. If anything, I learned that I did actually like the ketchup flavor that was found in that bag. Now they've transformed the powdered flavoring and put it on a slightly different shaped spud. Enter Trader Joe's Ketchup Flavored Spud Crunchies.

Taste and review

My husband and I both loved the Spud Crunchies when they were first released in 2017. However, given the recent release of the Patio Potato Chips, this flavor pairing makes a whole lot more sense.

So, if you haven't had a Spud Crunchie, allow me to explain: it's like a french fry that has the texture of a potato chip. Now, I don't know about you, but when I have french fries, there is always ketchup right next to it.

Now, I want you to imagine what ketchup would taste like in powdered form without any hydration. So it's vinegary and tangy and mildly tomatoey.

But this bag is unbelievably 4 servings. And in typical fashion, if you are trying to have some form of self-control, you'll need a clip to keep this bag closed.

Unfortunately, in my household, this bag lasted less than 24 with 2 people.

So much for portion control.

But alas, it is a good-tasting snack and a good flavor pairing overall. There is nothing weird about this combination at all, but it seems like these two flavors belong together.

Overall

For $1.99 it's an inexpensive snack that you probably don't need in your life, but it might just end up in your cart in the same way that it did end up in mine. But on a positive note, this is also labeled gluten-free.

Would I buy this again? While I don't need another snack in my life if my husband wanted a bag of Trader Joe's Ketchup Flavored Spud Crunchies I'm sure it would end up in my cart again. And I'm pretty sure he'd have to share.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Product photos

The bag of Trader Joe's Ketchup Flavored Spud Crunchies:

An unopened bag of Trader Joe's Ketchup Flavored Spud Crunchies

Calories

Ingredients

Ingredient list as well as description on the bag

Out of the package you get:

Trader Joe's Ketchup Flavored Spud Crunchies out of an open bag

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

The Bottom Line

Don't forget to share your thoughts by going to the "user review" at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below.

You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.

Trader Joe's Fiery Chicken Curry

There are some sections at Trader Joe's where they can do no right: sushi would be an example. It's so wrong, it has no chance of being right. There are other sections of the store where they can do no wrong. That section is the Indian selection, where they have now added Trader Joe's Fiery Chicken Curry.

Taste and review

Now, you might be saying to yourself, "What makes this different from the Chicken Tikka Masala?"

So in case you actually did say that to yourself, let's go through some of the key differences. First, there is the rice included with the dish. This has brightly-hued yellow rice from Turmeric a spice we are seeing in more products on shelves.

Next, there is the heat level. If the name did not give it away this is medium to medium-hot. I've eaten two of these so far. I could swear the second package was hotter than the first. It was enough to slow me down and mildly clear my sinuses. If you are familiar with their Lamb Vindaloo, it should give you a good sense of where the heat lands.

Third, this is Goan-inspired. So, there is a subtle element of sourness to this dish. A quick read through the ingredients puts vinegar pretty far up the list.

If the added elements of heat and sourness are ok with you, then this is completely in line with the quality of the rest of the frozen Indian entrees available at Trader Joe's. The chicken was tender, the sauce was well spiced and flavorful.

Overall

These are still the best-frozen meals out there that pack the most flavor for the money.

Now, given the option of all the Indian entrees, I'd still reach for the Vegan Tikka or Fish Korma first, but there really aren't major complaints here either.

For $3.49 this is another solid option in the frozen section.

Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's Fiery Chicken Curry again.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Product Photos

The box of Trader Joe's Fiery Chicken Curry:

An unopened box of Trader Joe's Fiery Chicken Curry

Calories

Ingredients and directions

Ingredients, allergy information, and how to prepare

Out of the package you get:

A frozen Trader Joe's Fiery Chicken Curry next to the original box

After being cooked you get:

A fully cooked Trader Joe's Fiery Chicken Curry next to the original box

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

The Bottom Line

Don't forget to share your thoughts by going to the "user review" at the bottom of the box (click on the number of stars you believe this product deserves) and leave a comment below.

You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see what I'm up to.