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: …
kosher
Trader Joe’s Dukkah
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: …
Trader Joe’s Organic Italian Artisan Pasta Gigli
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: …
Trader Joe’s Organic Italian Artisan Pasta Orecchiette
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: …
Trader Joe’s Organic Quinoa and Rice Hot Cereal
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: …
Trader Joe’s Lemon Elderflower Soda
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: …
Trader Joe’s Organic Midnight Moo
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: …
Trader Joe’s Rhubarb and Strawberry Soda
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: …
Trader Joe’s Sriracha Hummus
The pros: Trader Joe’s Sriracha Hummus is a nice hummus with a kick.
The cons: My container was emptied in about two days.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Skipjack Tuna
The pros: Trader Joe’s Skipjack Tuna is a tuna that is just ok in terms of flavor.
The cons: Other brands seemed better.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Organic Frosted Strawberry Toaster Pastries
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Frosted Strawberry Toaster Pastries are super fresh tasting and do taste like real fruit.
The cons: Some people prefer their toaster pastries without frosting (which is not available at Trader Joe’s) and some people will prefer the thick coating of a Pop Tart.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Crunchy Nutty Rice Bites
The pros: Trader Joe’s Crunchy Nutty Rice Bites might remind you of a more adult flavored Rice Krispies treat, just better. Gluten free and kosher if that is a priority for you. Bag can be resealed so you don’t feel obligated to eat the whole thing.
The cons: Nothing really jumps out.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Organic Frosted Cherry Pomegranate Toaster Pastries
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Frosted Cherry Pomegranate Toaster Pastries is organic, fresh, and fruity.
The cons: There was a serious lack of generosity with the frosting. I still wished they were individually wrapped.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Organic Frosted Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Toaster Pastries
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Frosted Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Toaster Pastries are Trader Joe’s answer to Pop Tarts.
The cons: They don’t quite live up to the originals they are trying to replicate.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Organic Sugar
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Sugar is kosher, organic, and tasty. There are some noticeable differences between regular sugar and organic. It comes in a bag that can be resealed.
The cons: Organic sugar comes at a premium price. The last time I was at Costco, sugar (in a much larger and non organic package was about $0.40 cents per pound). This is about triple the price per pound.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Pinks and Whites
The pros: Trader Joe’s Pinks and Whites cookies are a nice treat. They are tasty short bread cookies with a yogurt topping. Sprinkles add texture
The cons: No taste difference between the pink or the white cookies.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Organic Silver Dollar Pancakes
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Silver Dollar Pancakes are very quick to make and you get to eat a bunch of these teeny tiny pancakes in one serving.
The cons: As always, it’s cheaper to make your own than to have them pre-made in a box.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Organic Beet Strawberry Juice
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Beet Strawberry Juice is organic and will be a beet lovers dream.
The cons: If you had any hopes of a strawberry flavor, you’ll be wrong because the beet took over.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Creamy Salted Peanut Butter
The pros: Trader Joe’s Creamy Salted Peanut Butter is real peanut butter with nothing added beyond salt and peanuts.
The cons: My jar had a substantial amount of oil at the top that never really mixed well with the rest of the product. Product mentions that you should refrigerated after opening.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Fries
The pros: Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Fries (Frites) are crispy and delicious from bag to oven. They have a crisp outside and a tender inside. The flavor on these was really good. Most fries are (mostly) evenly cut to ensure even cooking. Considering these are coming from a freezer bag, they are pretty good.
The cons: Bag of Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Fries is not resealable. No microwave allowed on this product. You might want to add your own seasoning here as these are just plain sweet potato fries.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Vanilla Joe Joe’s
The pros: Trader Joe’s Vanilla Joe Joe’s will remind you of a more familiar Keebler cookie, but with a more natural vanilla flavoring and appearance.
The cons: The flavor here might be more adult friendly than kid friendly. I brought this in to share with my students and the kids were a little bit polarized by it. They either loved it or hated it.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Beefless Ground Beef
The pros: Trader Joe’s Beefless Ground Beef has a texture that is pretty close to ground beef. This is a blank canvas that will take well to your cooking abilities. This product does need your love an attention.
The cons: This probably will not make a good “hambuger.” It needs something to be added to make this product better. Strongest flavor present is onions.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter and Oat Bars
The pros: Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter and Oat Bars are tasty. The frosting adds a nice peanut butter sweetness to it.
The cons: If you are looking for a bar with a smooth texture, Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter and Oat Bars isn’t it.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Thai Sweet Chili Veggie Burger
The pros: Trader Joe’s Thai Sweet Chili Veggie Burger is an Asian spin on their other veggie burgers. Was tasty out of the frying pan. Heat is subtle but present. Trader Joe’s Thai Sweet Chili Burger had enough oil in the burger to cook it without oil in a pan.
The cons: If you are looking for that fake meat flavor, you are out of luck here.
The verdict: …
