What are the 25 Best Things to Buy at Trader Joe’s? Our Readers Have Spoken.
Get overwhelmed when you walk in Trader Joe’s? Here are a few of our favorite things…
If you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, and you’re wondering which are the best buys worth snagging, wonder no more! Here are 24 Hip2Save reader favorites that you’ll definitely want to pick up the next time you shop…
Fresh Flower Bouquets
As low as ONLY $3.99!
Trader Joe’s Gruyere Cheese (& other cheeses)
Price varies
Trader Joe’s Chocolate Sunflower Seed Drops 7.5oz
ONLY $2.99
Trader Joe’s White Cheddar Popcorn 5oz
ONLY $1.69
Trader Joe’s Organic Maple Syrup Grade A 12oz
ONLY $7.99
Organic Sriracha Ranch Dressing 16oz
ONLY $2.99
Trader Joe’s Almond Butter with Sea Salt 16oz
ONLY $5.99
Trader Joe’s Creamy or Crunchy Salted/Unsalted Peanut Butter 16oz
ONLY $1.99
Trader Joe’s Speculoos Creamy or Crunchy Cookie Butter 16oz
ONLY $3.69
Trader Joe’s Vegan Kale, Cashew & Basil Pesto 8oz
ONLY $3.69
Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Tabbouleh 12oz
ONLY $3.69
Trader Joe’s Pineapple Salsa 12oz
ONLY $1.99
Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute 2.2oz
ONLY $1.99
Everything But the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend 2.3oz
ONLY $1.99
Trader Joe’s Creamy Tomato Soup Crackers 3.5oz
ONLY $1.99
Trader Joe’s Chocolate Croissants 4ct
ONLY $4.49
Trader Joe’s Frozen Chile Lime Chicken Burgers 4ct
ONLY $3.49
Trader Ming’s Frozen Mandarin Orange Chicken
ONLY $4.99
Trader Ming’s Kung Pao Frozen Tempura Cauliflower
ONLY $4.99
Trader Joe’s Broccoli & Cheddar Quiche 6oz
ONLY $2.99
Tarte D’Alsace Flat Bread with Ham, Caramelized Onions & Gruyere Cheese
ONLY $4.49
Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo, Conditioner & Body Wash 16oz
ONLY $3.99 each
Trader Joe’s Liquid Dish Soap – Lavender Tea Tree Scent 25oz
ONLY $2.99
Trader Joe’s Spray Sunscreen Water Resistant SPF 50+ 6oz
ONLY $5.99
Various Wines
As low as ONLY $3.99 per bottle
Add to that : dairy free garlic nan, coconut milk, dairy free chocolate chips, pretzel bagel with “everything -but -the -bagel” topping, instant coffee (the best instant around!!), banana chips, dark chocolates, tiny avocados, and vegan marshmallows!
Those all sound wonderful!
Yes, yes, yes!! Best place for dairy-free stuff! We buy A LOT of bread there. No dairy, no sugar, just good ole bread (with ingredients you can pronounce). If anyone is interested in oil-free bread – TJs is amazing for that!!
We also love their dried coconut and their cornichons! Fat-free pizza sauce too! Their organic canned beans are great and super cheap! And so is their pasta :).
WAIT! Where is EVERYTHING BUT THE BAGEL!?! It’s the only reason to go to Trader Joe’s!…I kid…sort of!
This! I was shocked not to see it on the list! It’s amazing on EVERYTHING.
My other must haves — no trip to TJ’s is complete without these:
Green Dragon Hot Sauce (soooo good as a marinade on pork chops).
Salsa Verde
Triple Ginger Snaps Cookies
French Liquid Hand Soap – Orange Blossom Honey (smells SO good!)
Spiced Chai
And adding to the cheese recommendations, the goat cheese brie is <3!
Finally, I recently discovered their tortillas, specifically the habanero lime ones. SO delicious and really durable for a tortilla. We make taco bowls out of them!
Yes, missing Everything but the bagel – My go to with avocado.
Also love the cinnamon pita chips!!
OF COURSE that should be on the list! We added it just now!
I love their hand cream, their pita chips (so much cheaper than Stacy’s brand) and their blue cheese and pecan dip!
Agreed – the blue cheese and pecan dip is heavvvven.
The hand cream is great!
Wait what!!! I’ll have to look for this dip next time I’m at Trader Joe’s👀
Oh wow! That does sound yummy! 😉
Cinnamon coffee cake Yum 😋
Peppermint patties ( honey. Peppermint, chocolate liquor), coconut chips, chocolate covered pretzels, and herb packs are cheap!
If u like Indian food, I recommend the fish curry(?) or fish tikka masala….don’t remember exact name but it’s definitely a curry type frozen dinner with fish ( and I think it’s the only one). Compared to other froEn Indian entrees, u get lot of meat instead of rice which I like
Their frozen berry cake and their single yogurts are the best!
Hummus and alphabet cookies!
My must-have list when I make a special trip:
Triple ginger snaps, salsa Verde, carrot juice, spiced apple cider, Vermont Maple Syrup, frozen macarons, and before they stopped carrying it, dark chocolate and milk chocolate dipped orange or raspberry sticks.
Don’t forget the dark chocolate peanut butter cups or dark chocolate almond toffee!
No hummus on this list makes it invalid.
LOL!
Ha ha! I agree. Garlic hummus, white bean hummus…..their hummus’ are good!
Yeeeessssss!!!!!
Me too. How could you miss the hummus? It’s the best around.
I shop at TJ’s about twice a week and can’t live without them. I have only bought like on of the items on this list! I don’t even understand how some of those things made it on there at all!
I was thinking the exact same thing. I go there once a week. Looking at what’s on here and what’s not.
SAY WHAT?!
Here, Here–everything but the bagel!!! and the Wines!!!! and the Lite Brie–love me some TJ’s
CLEARLY an oversight to not include Everything but the Bagel seasoning! 🙂 We’ve added it to the list!
Hands down their Mandrin orange chicken. Also a huge fan over the pita chips versed staceys.
White bean basil / red pepper hummus.
Lemon pepper garlic seasalt grinder seasonings because 4 the price it’s a good deal.
Their conveniently frozen rice /quinoa preportioned packs. For those who are alone lol.
Their dessert wine for sure.
I must be in the minority Im not a fan of their almond butter.
They have a real nice veggie pesto frozen pizza too.
I know u can find cheaper taco mix but theirs is good.
Also their canned black beans with jalapenos
I dont like spicey things but they amp flavor on taco night.
I second the mandarin orange chicken! And like others i would love to know who voted on these items. I haven’t seen (in the store) or heard of 2/3rds of them.
Not just the chocolate croissants by the way- any of them. And they arent at all “mini” as the box states.
When we asked on Facebook the Mandarin Orange Chicken was for sure a winner!
I always pick up Mandarin Orange on almost every trip to my local TJ, and I have the fortune of living only 2 blocks from one!
The sweet potato gnocchi in the frozen section is AMAZING!!!
Little known fact- Trader Joe’s is actually owned by the same company as Aldi!
Actually the companies are owned by brothers. One owns Trader Joe’s, the other owns Aldi
They split bc one wanted to sell alcohol and one decided not to!
Love their persian cucumbers,6 count vanilla and blueberry yogurt,or the other varieties. The selection of different nuts and seeds, pound plus chocolate, bagged geapefruit,pears, apples, bagged mini avacados,cocao nibs, Danish Kringles( don’t like the almond flavor myself), frozen pearl onion( pickle them with drued mint and vinegar and salt), frozen mushroom pizza from Italy, vanilla extract, and so much more ……
I would also like to add: garlic naan, garlic hummas, garlic spread/dip, chicken fried rice, frozen brown rice & frozen Jasmine rice (so easy and delicious), maple pecan cluster cereal, and cinnamon streusal coffee cake.
I would also like to add: Also: garlic naan, garlic hummas, garlic spread/dip, chicken fried rice, frozen brown rice & frozen Jasmine rice (so easy and delicious), maple pecan cluster cereal, and cinnamon streusal coffee cake.
Hands down… go for the wine! Great wines for under $5. I always stock up!
The tator tots taste like Sonics and all their seasoning is the bomb!!!
The long container of Cherry tomatoes, 5# bag little oranges, Persian cucumbers, bagged avocados, coconut oil spray, glass jar of local honey, and of course their yellow curry sauce (heat chickpeas and add in sauce, serve over your instant pot Janine rice…. soooo good I stopped making my own curry sauce). And I always add their cream of coconut to the curry when they have it in stock. Amazing.
Actually ran to TJ at lunch today to buy flowers to make an arrangement for a friends birthday!
I drive 90 miles to TJ’a for
Plantain chips (salty not sweet)
Rice crackers
Trail mix packs with almonds cranberries and cashews
Everyday seasoning
Veggie burgers
Corn tortillas (only 3 ingredients)
Organic animal cookies
Kettle corn packs
Finally made it to my TJ’s last wk and was sooo disappointed to find out they don’t carry the Everything But the Bagel Seasoning 🙁 But I did get the 21 Gun Salute and that stuff is AWESOME! Also got some frozen veggies for $0.99, apples for $0.29/lb and a pack of pepperoni for our pizza’s for only $1.99. My mom got some things too that were decent priced. I passed on the canned beans b/c my local grocery store sells an organic line and they go on sale frequently 10/10, and the TJ’s brand was $1.29/$1.49. Wish I had more time to browse, but the store was pretty packed and I hate dealing with small spaces and no room to move!!
Their Italian meatballs are also awesome!
Thanks for sharing Kat! I will need to try those!
I always see cheap wines at TJ’s.. which one do you guys recommend?
Don’t know if it is still the “two buck chuck” price it used to be in Cali as we live in Iowa now, but their “two buck chuck” — the clerk’s should know what it is (it’s 2.99 in Iowa) is really a great every day wine and award winning to. We usually buy a case whenever we go near a TJ’s. They have all kinds of price ranges though.
The frozen mac & cheese is amazing. We also love the freeze dried fruit! So good!
Mahi burgers, cauli pizza, everything but bagel seasoning, salsa,
peanut butter cups, kettle chip, coffee
LOVE their flowers. The last bouquet I got there lasted about three weeks – one or two flowers didn’t make it quite that long, but still pretty impressive.
Green tea mints. At the register. Just try them. They taste like a spa day and happiness!
So many great comments… Might I add Trader Joe’s greeting cards for 99 cents!
I second greeting cards! I even framed some because i love the messages and designs.
Checking those out next time I go for sure!
While I usually bake my own cookies and pretty good at it, OMG, don’t even go near the chocolate chip chocolate filled cookies or it will totally ruin any diet you might be on. They’re the bomb. Surprised it did not make Collin’s list (but that’s our dirty little secret, Collin).
Trader Joe’s Spinach & Kale Greek Yogurt Dip is Amazing! They sell out of it a lot
Also, their brand bagged nuts! Cheaper per pound than anywhere I else I shop. Their refrigerated pizza dough (all varieties) is also a great find.
Cowboy Bark!!
What about goddess dressing and meatless meatballs?! My favorites!
Love those chocolate crossaints!
Would add: chocolate covered marshmallows, basically anything frozen- including the frozen breaded eggplant (so easy to make eggplant park during the week!!), pita chips.
*parm
I also love the breaded eggplant- so good! Other faves are pretzel bagels, green canned olives, frozen chocolate crepes, butternut squash ravioli, rose toner facial spray & rose hand cream, & gigli pasta. The only things I haven’t liked from there are the lemon-elderflower drink & wasn’t real impressed w the frozen beef w brocolli(sauce was good but had a weird breading & kind of pricey for pkg portion).
The sky may fall if hubby does not have his gluten free waffles and g free pretzels – they have beautiful mini daffodils (with bulbs) right now. I buy 1 or 2 each year and replant in yard. Got 5 neighbors to do the same. Our neighborhood is so pretty! Cookie butter is a treat. Low sodium tomato soup and chicken broth. Frozen stir fry veg.
My favorites at Trader Joe’s:
Fat free sour cream
Pistachio dark chocolate toffee
Fluffy Cheese puffs (like Pirates Booty but cheaper)
Mini avocados
Balsamic veggies (frozen)
Everything but the bagel seasoning
Spray sunscreen- works better than costly ones and costs under $6
Green goddess dressing (refrigerator section)
Bagged cruciferous salad mix
Shrimp stir fry (quick go to on busy nights)
Nonfat Greek yogurt tub
Light shredded cheese bags
Bruschetta in a tub
Pita chips
Cookie butter
Dried fruits
Spaghetti squash (reasonable price)
Love their little bit size Everything crackers
Everything in the store should make the list! Definitely agree you need to add “Everything but the Bagel” seasoning. SOOO good on avacado toast.
We added it to the list! Of course the Everything but the Bagel seasoning should be included!
My fave item at TJ: pound plus chocolate. Seriously great chocolate.
And the flowers! We stopped at our local TJ the morning of our wedding, and got almost all the flowers in the store for our ceremony and center pieces at the table. It was perfect!
I <3 TJ
There are sooo many things, many of which have been mentioned above but for sure don’t forget the yogurt! It’s incredibly decadent and creamy!
I loooove the sweet potato gnocchi with butter & sage. So versatile for any time of day! I’m echoing their greeting cards too, they’re so sweet and look way nicer than dollar store cards. Their saltwater taffy is also delicious.
They have cheap 1 gallon organic milk. And their orchids in a pot are cheaper then most places too.
Takia White, reading your recommendation for the mandarin orange chicken….. you don’t think there’s more breading than chicken? I have avoided purchasing thinking that there’s hardly any chicken … I don’t like mostly breading with my orange chicken..
Their chocolate and vanilla macaroons are so good. I eat the whole box in a day. Also the triple cream brie cheese a favorite of my 3 yr old. He is a cheese snob.
I’m a big fan of the ginger mints they sell at the registers. We have a lot of motion sickness/tummy problems in our family and I never leave on a road trip with a box of those. They work surprisingly well. My girls are also in love with the frozen corndogs, and the shelled edamame is pretty popular here too.
Love the lightly breaded zucchini, the coffee brownie ice cream sandwiches and the guilt free Mac and cheese!! The Blueberry and Açaí exfoliater and rose water toner are also wonderful. Wish my closest store wasn’t 2 hours away.