Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
The pros: Trader Joe’s Edamame Hummus is a very different hummus from the rest of the options on the shelf. In fact, the first ingredient here is edamame.
The cons: It doesn’t taste like much. It’s creamy, but you may find yourself needing to add things to make it more interesting.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Almond Cashew and Macadamia Nut Beverage is a new addition to a growing line of shelf stable, vegan, soy free, dairy free, and gluten-free options.
The cons: Depending on how sweet you like your nut milk might dictate how much you might end up liking this.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s 8 Mini Raspberry Pastries are a new addition to the frozen aisle. These are easy to make and the end product is good.
The cons: This bag should be resealable as 8 pastries might be more than you want to bake at one time. I found the cook time to be longer than what was mentioned on the box.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Potato Pancakes are a really good breakfast/dinner option. This is a regular year round item.
The cons: If you don’t care for the taste of onion, then reach for Trader Joe’s Hashbrowns instead.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Air Popped Popcorn is new and is a healthy popcorn.
The cons: My husbands reaction was “this tastes like diet popcorn.” You can take that on face value. The bag makes it obvious to anyone within 100 feet that you are consuming this product.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Peanuts Go On A Date Bars are new, gluten free and keep it simple.
The cons: The dates on a warm date might not make an ideal snack.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Matcha Almond Beverage is new to shelves. This is a half way point between a the canned matcha beverage and a matcha latte in terms of sweetness.
The cons: If you are not a matcha fan, then this is probably a flavor you can skip.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Bite Size Everything Crackers are a light and flavorful cracker combination.
The cons: If you are like me and think that caraway seeds are culinary kryptonite, they are present here.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Frosted Sugar Cookies are a sweet and decadent bit of sweetness.
The cons: One cookie is 160 calories. There are lots of other desserts that have far fewer calories.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mint Watermelon Flavored Black Tea is the newest tea to hit shelves, but is also a light but pleasant flavor combination.
The cons: Teas that come in a tin are always priced higher than ones in boxes. This tea is almost $5 for 20 tea bags.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Hummus with Freshly Ground Horseradish is a recent addition to the dips of the refrigerated aisle.
The cons: Does not bring the heat that you might expect.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Sparkling Pressed Apple Juice Beverage is new to the canned drinks.
The cons: This was not very sparkling or delicious.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Green Dragon Hot Sauce is a delicious condiment that is super versatile.
The cons: Don’t let the cartoonish dragon fool you. The dragon on the Sriracha sauce looks meaner, but this probably has more fire to it.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Dukkah is back on shelves after a hiatus. It also makes for a flavorful dip in addition to olive oil.
The cons: If you do not like the taste of anise or fennel, then it is best to skip this product.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Chocolate Whole Milk fills a gap in the dairy section.
The cons: It is much pricier than buying regular milk and doing it yourself.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Italian Artisan Pasta Gigli is one of three new pastas that are organic and artisan.
The cons: This is a premium priced pasta, but is still affordable. A few pasta pieces lost their cool shape.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Italian Artisan Pasta Orecchiette is one of three new pastas on Trader Joe’s shelves. All three are labeled as organic and kosher.
The cons: Mine took closer to 18 minutes to reach an al dente texture. Be sure to test before draining these.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Italian Artisan Pasta Capunti is a new and tasty pasta in a fun shape.
The cons: Other than the fun shape, there was nothing stand out about this pasta.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Mini Heart Cookies are another seasonal continuation of the super successful Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Stars. Five cookies to a serving for only 130 calories.
The cons: If you are looking for plain shortbread because that’s what the box makes it sound like, then you might be a touch disappointed. This is likely a seasonal product.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Quinoa and Rice Hot Cereal is a new item that is mixed in with all the other decadent flavors of the holiday season. This was ready in about 2 minutes.
The cons: You’ll want to add your own mix ins to this. It’s extremely bland on its own.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Lemon Elderflower Soda is lemon soda with the added twist of fragrant elderflower. Could probably be used as a solid drink mixer.
The cons: The floral fragrance might not be for everyone.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Midnight Moo is chocolate syrup that is good for sundaes or making chocolate milk (whatever your definition of “milk” happens to be) or any dessert that you can think og.
The cons: This was a previously discontinued item. It would be nice to see this on the shelves on a regular basis.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Rhubarb and Strawberry Soda is new, actually contains rhubarb and strawberry juice and is something fun to try.
The cons: I would still reach for Trader Joe’s French Berry Lemonade to get my strawberry soda fix over this.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Italian Linguine is well priced but otherwise completely average pasta.
The cons: The plastic bag saves space but can also lead to more breakage.
The verdict: …
