I Tried Dozens of New Groceries Hitting Shelves This July — These Are the 12 I’m Most Excited About

As the heat waves washed over many of us these past few weeks, our local grocery stores offered more than an air-conditioned respite. Beyond the cold stuff in the refrigerated and freezer aisles, retailers have new ways to help us feel refreshed.

Piles of cool new items are popping up on shelves this month, including a fun breakfast options for kiddos, a trio of chill drinks, and frozen pizzas. It even got a little nutty (as you’ll see) narrowing our favorites down to a digestible dozen. After much consideration, though, we did it! Here are our top picks for July.

In an oversaturated granola market, how do you stand out? With butter, of course. This Pennsylvania brand’s granola started as a treat for guests of the owners’ B&B, and after much acclaim, it’s available to everyone who has access to a Whole Foods or Wegmans. Arriving on shelves this month is the new toffee flavor, which come in big clusters, much like the chunky brittle. Its caramel notes are just the right amount of sweet and it has a savory depth that only butter can offer.

Buy: The Granola Factory Toffee Almond Granola Clusters, $8.69 for a 10 ounces at Wegmans

If you ever wished a chocolate bar was more substantial or rice cereal treats were draped in melt-in-your-mouth chocolate, get ready for your dreams to come true. With soy protein crisps and a generous coating of rich chocolate with hints of almond butter, this ridiculously good keto (and plant-based!) bar is now yours for the snacking. No stars or fairy godmothers required.

Buy: CanDo Keto Krisp Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt Bar, $35.99 for a 12 (1.59-ounce) bars at Whole Foods and CanDo

This lower-sugar, whole-grain-focused brand is once again expanding the breakfast menu with its new CUBS line. Joining the Original and Cinnamon Adventure Waffles are kid-portioned packets of instant whey protein-fortified oats. They come in three flavors: classic Maple Brown Sugar, sprinkles-studded Birthday Cake, and S’mores, with chocolate and marshmallows right in the mix. The oatmeal doesn’t have any artificial flavors or additives and they’re fragrant without being too sweet.

Find it in stores: Kodiak CUBS Oatmeal, $5.76 per 8-packet box of oatmeal, available at Walmart and Acme

Ever wonder how a classic warm, soft-baked, cinnamon-y cookie could get any better? The good news is, so did the folks at Pop-Tarts! They’ve just released another cookie-inspired flavor (the first launch this year), this time inspired by old-school snickerdoodles. The topping is crunchy cinnamon sugar and the inside has more cinnamon, plus vanilla and butter flavor. They’re soft even without heating up, which means you can skip the toaster and get straight to breakfasting or snacking.

Buy: Snickerdoodle Pop-Tarts, prices vary for 13.5 ounces at Instacart

When I first learned that Starbucks’ pistachios lattes are seasonal, I was pretty bummed out. But then I was turned onto Táche’s shelf-stable, drought-friendlier pistachio milk (the nuts require about 75% less water than almonds) — and gone was my grief. Now the brand’s new sweetened and unsweetened Vanilla varieties are stepping up my at-home iced-coffee barista game, adding aroma to the experience. I prefer the one without sugar so I can add in my own stevia for perfect summer sipping.

Buy: Táche Unsweetened Vanilla Pistachio Milk, $48.00 for a 6 (32-ounce) cartons at Táche

Thai iced tea is the chilled drink I can never get enough of. Which is why I was so excited to get my hands on this product. This shelf-stable mix is sourced from a small farm in Northern Thailand and is set apart by fresh-cut Pandan leaves, pure cocoa, natural beta carotene for color, real sugar and vanilla, and organic caramel. Plus, it’s pesticide- and herbicide-free. To make a glass, just combine equal parts tea concentrate and your dairy of choice — half-and-half, whole milk, or your favorite plant-based milk.

Find it in stores: Thaiwala Original Thai Tea Concentrate, $6.99 – 8.99 for 32 ounces at Whole Foods Market, The Fresh Market, and now Albertsons, Safeway, and Jewel-Osco; coming to Hannaford, Stop & Shop, Giant, and Walmart in September

It seems like cherry limeade is having a moment. Fast-food favorites Sonic and Firehouse Subs have been serving the sweet-tart combo for years, then major soda companies started developing their own versions, and now Poppi prebiotic soda is picking up on the cherry limeade flavor trend. The soda is made with cherry juice, lemon juice, and lime juice, plus natural flavors and non-GMO sweeteners. It gets its signature prebiotic boost from raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar. 

Buy: Poppi Cherry Limeade Prebiotic Soda, $2.49 for 12 ounces at Target; $29.99 for a 12-pack on Amazon

If you’re of the “crust is a must” camp and love a Naples-style pie, all bubbled and blistered with a pliant center, you’re going to love this latest addition to the Newman’s Own pizza line. The pies are imported from Italy and as traditional as it gets: Sparse on toppings but high on ingredient quality, using buffalo mozzarella and fine-ground 00 flour for a delightful taste and texture. Choose from three options: Margherita, Quattro Formaggi, and Spinaci & Formaggi (not pictured).

Find it in stores: Newman’s Own Stone-Fired Crust Pizzas, $7.29 for 13.8 ounces at Krogers, Publix, Hannaford, Harris Teeter, Giant Eagle, Buzzutos, and select Albertsons and Bashas 

New-school flavors meet old-school ways with Woodstock’s new organic line of stuffed pastas, which are produced in Italy then zipped over to the U.S. The Red Lentil & Eggplant Ravioli is stuffed with sweet eggplant and boosted with red lentil for added protein. Two other vegan ravioli options include Butternut Squash and Garlic and Roasted Veggie flavors. On the cheesy side, choose from Spinach & Cheese (made with ricotta, provolone, and mozzarella), Cauliflower & Cheese (made with ricotta and provolone), and Four Cheese (made with ricotta, provolone, Fontal, and Emmental), which comes in tortelloni form.

Find it in stores: Woodstock Raviolis and Tortelloni, $10.99 for 20 ounces at Solomon’s, Earth Fare, Associated Grocers, Good Earth Organic and Natural Foods, and Decicco’s Marketplace

Salty-sweet is a dynamic duo; add a little spice and three’s company! Planters’ new peanuts have done just that, adding dried red chile peppers to the classic honey-tinged dry-roasted nuts for a flavor that’s like kicked-up barbecue without the excess sweetness. They’re nice and crunchy, and the smoky heat creeps up slowly for sustained snackability. They’re the perfect home-bar snack to go with a chilled summer brewski.

Buy: Planters Sweet & Spicy Dry Roasted Peanuts, starting at $3.28 for 16 ounce at Amazon; also at retailers nationwide, including Jewel, Target, and more

Simple Mills just launched two very nutty cookies — Cocoa Cashew Crème and Creamy Peanut Butter — with nut flours and nut butter as the first ingredients. Both flavors are fantastic. Cocoa Cashew has a smoky, coffee-ish flavor and the PB option tastes like a Biscoff cookie dipped in honey peanut butter frosting. Yeah. You need to try these.

Find it in stores: Simple Mills Nut Butter Stuffed Sandwich Cookies, $6.99 for 6.7 ounces at Sprouts; Cocoa Cashew Crème at Whole Foods Markets; both coming soon to Amazon and Thrive Market

My favorite lower-sugar ice cream brand is back at it, but with a whole new look to go along with its four new flavors. (Not a bad way to kick off National Ice Cream Month!) There’s Kookie Dough that’s studded with chocolate sandwich cookie chunks; Chocolate PB Crunch that’s a swirl of peanut butter, nuts, and chocolate; Coffee Toffee with fudgy candy pieces; and the self-explanatory Chocolate Caramel Pecan Crunch. Take your pick — or try all four.

Find it in stores: Enlightened Ice Creams, $5.99 for 16 ounces at Sprouts, Albertsons, Stop & Shop, Publix, ShopRite, and more

Which of these are you most excited about? Tell us in the comments below.