Every now and again, I pick up a product that I'm not totally into trying. But for the sake of public information, I put it out there. And every now and again, I get something I love and something I absolutely hate. Now, even though I have over 900 Trader Joe's reviews, I can't say that I've done too much of a deep dive into the salsas. Some people can say they've tried them all.
Taste and review
I've tried the Peach Salsa and was a bit underwhelmed. The refrigerated Pico de Gallo was pretty good. So while I have a few jars of salsa waiting to be photographed and reviewed, I cracked into this as it is likely a seasonal item.
Now, I'm not going to lie, but the bar wasn't very high when I cracked this open. I saw the pumpkin on the front thinking this might be more pumpkin flavored. But it isn't.
The pepita or pumpkin seeds is the nod to pumpkin, without that familiar pumpkin flavor.
But when I tried it, I was pleasantly surprised. Here is a salsa that is mild in heat, but full of flavor.
Yes, it is a tomato base, but there is the addition of red peppers. It gave my bowl a bit of red pepper oily sheen too. It is on the acidic side. There is a subtle smokey flavor here too from the chipotle powder.
But you might not notice the pepitas areas they are chopped and almost disappear into the salsa.
Because they are chopped I didn't feel like I was tasting them that much. The salsa didn't feel gritty. It had almost a slight creaminess to it in addition to a slightly orange hue. And I don't mean that there is any addition of a dairy product.
Nope, this is creamy in texture in the same way that Trader Joe's Vegan Kale and Cashew Pesto are creamy. It had that very smooth mouthfeel.
With only 2 net carbs per serving, this is a low carb option, but not necessarily Keto-friendly due to the addition of canola oil.
Overall
For $2.99 it's a reasonable price for this item.
Would I buy this again? Yes. I might pick up a couple of jars of this before the season is up. This sets the bar very high for other salsas.
Product photos
The jar of Trader Joe's Pepita Salsa:
Calories and ingredients
How Trader Joe's describes this product:
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The Bottom Line
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Trader Joe's Pepita Salsa
Product Name: Trader Joe's Pepita Salsa
Product Description: Salsa with tomatoes, peppers, and pepita seeds
Price: $2.99
Summary
A new bright flavored mild salsa that contains pumpkin seeds, but no other pumpkin beyond that.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- A very flavorful jarred salsa that is unique, bright, flavorful, and tasty
Cons
- It is very likely that this is a seasonal item when it does deserve to be on shelves year round.
- Those who love salsa who bring the heat might not enjoy this. It is mild in heat, but doesn't say that on the package
Alek says
I like how TJ's is experimenting with different salsas. I can see this in different mexican dishes and adding more pumpkin seeds to the dish or even a pasta sauce treatment would be great.
becomebetty says
Hey Alek! Me too. This would be a great addition to taco night too. I haven't tried the Harvest Salsa yet, which some people have told me to get. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing!
judilyn says
The "Like" button was visible today. The salsa looks good!!
Virtual hugs,
Judie
becomebetty says
Hey Judie! This is a good salsa. I totally can get into adding pumpkin seeds to salsa (or lots of other things too). Thanks so much for stopping by!
Dag says
Hmmmm. Not sure I'm interested enough in this product to actually buy it. I like my salsa on the spicy side. I did find out why the nutrition information has been abbreviated. Companies. are no longer required to list vitamin A or vitamin C because there is no widespread deficiency of those nutrients in the US anymore. Companies can opt to just provide this very abbreviated list of vitamins and minerals - vit D, calcium, iron & potassium or provide the whole panel. I don't know what the excuse is regarding the other vitamins and minerals. I think it really sucks. I want to see the percentage of all the nutrients in the food I buy.
becomebetty says
Hey Dag! I couldn't agree more with you on the labeling issue. Especially for companies that are focused on better or healthier products. I thought it would be a better selling point. Bummer 🙁 Thanks for getting to the bottom of that.
Amy says
Their harvest salsa is delicious!
becomebetty says
Hey Amy! I know! I keep hearing that suggestion being made. I guess I'll have to pick that one up too to have a good comparison point! Thanks so much for stopping by!
foureyedcurmudgeon says
Congrats on the Business Insider article and appearing on the podcast. You're becoming a big media star!
becomebetty says
Hey foureyedcurmudgeon! Thanks so much! I was so excited to be interviewed for both of these! Big media star, not yet. I try to get a little better each day. Thanks so very much for noticing and stopping by! I think the original article you mentioned is here: http://time.com/money/5411990/worst-best-deals-trader-joes/
Ttrockwood says
I read that too and was like OMG i “know” her!! Congrats :))
becomebetty says
Hey Ttrockwood! Thanks so very much! I had a blast being interviewed. Thanks so much for your kind words!
Ttrockwood says
Well now i wish i had bought this one....the fact it didn’t say how spicy it was scared me because I’m wimpy so i got the fall harvest salsa instead- which is very very mild- and I’m not a big fan of it, just kinda weird to have a squash like purée basically as the base of a salsa instead of tomatoes or tomatillos. It’s missing that acidic punch.
becomebetty says
Hey Ttrockwood! I think you might like the Pepita Salsa. No squash, just good flavor, mild heat and a bright acidity. Hope you try it!
Calig says
I like this salsa, but I'd almost hesitate to even call it salsa. It's more like a spread akin to ajvar or pinjur. Excellent on a sandwich to add flavor and moistness in place of mayo.
becomebetty says
Hey Calig! Thanks for taking the time out of your day to share. I think salsa makes it so that people are more familiar with the product, but it doesn't taste much like traditional salsa. Thanks again for stopping by!