Trader Joe's

From morning bagels to lunchtime sandwiches to dinnertime burgers, bread is often the cornerstone of our meals. So we wanted to know which stores have the best prices, as well as selection. To satisfy our curiosity (and help you shop smarter) we took a tour through three common stores: Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Costco. We found out that Whole Foods definitely has the best selection of organic options (no surprise), but you’ll pay at least a dollar more for them.

I was TODAY years old when I learned that Trader Joe’s is a dip emporium. (What can’t Trader Joe’s do?) Just in time for the Super Bowl, I filled up my basket with every single dip on the shelf (plus three different types of dip vessels) and scurried home for a very important taste test. Here are the results. Spinach dip is the mother of all dips.

"You can never have enough Parm. Everything is better with Parm!"

Trader Joe’s is an amazing store for so many reasons, but one consistent complaint from shoppers is that the produce spoils quickly and isn’t necessarily as good as produce from other grocery stores. (See: Why Is the Produce at Trader Joe’s So Freaking Disappointing?) For these reasons, many people pick up their bagged salads (which we totally support!) and then move right through the produce section to shop for snacks, wine, and frozen goodies.

As great as the other sections are at Trader Joe's, the produce section is just so ... meh.

Costco and Trader Joe’s are both known for their super-low prices and good selection of organic products. Ditto for Aldi. Whole Foods has long been a go-to for organic foods, and now that it’s owned by Amazon, prices on some items have gotten a lot more competitive. So, even though shopping at each of these stores is a wildly different experience, we thought it made sense to compare the prices for some fruits and vegetables at each store.

Did you read my ode to the humble air fryer? If not, let me bring you up to speed: Basically, I try to eat healthfully as much as possible; my boyfriend, however, is less concerned about that. In fact, he says he’s “allergic” to greens. So I’m always searching for groceries, ingredients, and recipes that are nutritious enough for me, and tasty enough for him. (Actually, let’s say tasty enough for me, too. It’s not like I want to eat cardboard!

Nothing gives me a case of FOMO quite like a trip to Trader Joe’s. I’m always very sure I’m missing something good. I wander the aisles, on the hunt for all those remixed snacks and snazzy new ingredients. I even check the area where new items are often showcased (usually an endcap in the back of the store). And yet I still usually leave with a cart full of my standard goodies. How do people find the really good stuff?

As much time as we all spend cooking, Kitchn editors probably log an equal amount of hours on Slack. We use it to talk about recipes we love, recap episodes of Nailed It, and obsess over common supermarket ingredients. (Oh yeah, and to talk about work.) This morning, I was chatting with our Food Director, Hali Bey Ramdene, and she mentioned that, on a recent trip to Trader Joe’s, she couldn’t find her beloved smoked trout. “I am WORRIED,” she typed.

If you saw the headline of this story and thought to yourself, because Trader Joe’s has fun, yummy frozen snacks and meals that I can’t get at my mainstream supermarket, you’d be half right. We actually have a lot of freezer aisle-related stories coming up in July (when it’s bound to be way too hot and we’ll all want to stick our heads in one of those cases) and we’ll be talking about Trader Joe’s freezer goodies a lot.

The number of new product introductions at Trader Joe’s is so high, it can be downright dizzying. In fact, we’ve written about how you really should go online to learn about these new products before you even step foot in the store (see: If You’re Not Doing This Before a Trip to Trader Joe’s, You’re Doing Your Shopping All Wrong!). Just in the last few days, we’ve seen a new salad topper mix, jars of giardiniera, and cauliflower gnocchi.

I’ve been loving listening to Trader Joe’s new podcast, Inside Trader Joe’s. It’s well-produced and the people on it are pretty funny, and it really does keep surprising me with new information. I just listened to episode four, though, and it broke my heart because they explain why they will never sell their products online.

My kids love smoothies, so I’ve been tossing those bags of frozen fruit into my shopping cart for years. It’s a no-brainer in the winter, too — of course a bag of frozen strawberries is going to be less expensive than a carton of out-of-season (and probably terrible-tasting) fruit! Plus, frozen fruit makes the smoothie extra frosty. And as nutritionist Marion Nestle points out in her 2006 book What to Eat, freezing food has “no effect on the nutritional value of produce.

We’ve already talked about how all of us are more likely to buy frozen groceries at Trader Joe’s than most other supermarkets (it has to do with the fact that TJ’s stores don’t have doors blocking the freezer case!). We’ve also already acknowledged (again and again) that the amount of groceries at Trader Joe’s can be overwhelming.

Flamin’ heat was the best thing that ever happened to Cheetos. Regular Cheetos were pretty good, but once they became spicy, look out. Trader Joe’s famous Cheese Crunchies don’t have a particularly catchy name or slogan, and they don’t have a cool cartoon spokes-cheetah, but they’re crunchy and cheesy and they still make an excellent road trip snack. And now, finally, the Trader Joe’s version of Cheetos comes in its own hot flavor.

By early May it had already hit 90°F in Charlotte and I began to panic: If this is spring in my new city, what the heck is summer going to be like? Turns out it’s just as hot and even more humid — welcome to the South! So while I usually lighten up my meals for just a few sticky months back home in the Northeast, I’ve been doing it for months already down here.

I learned on my very first Trader Joe’s trip in New York City that attempting to do my weekly grocery haul at 5 p.m. on a Sunday was a rookie mistake. Not only is there an obscenely long checkout line that snakes throughout the aisles, but there’s also a trail of people just waiting to step foot in the store.

I recently read that the TSA is increasingly cracking down on travelers’ snack foods, ordering additional inspections of, like, suspicious-looking goldfish crackers or requesting that we place our KIND bars in the plastic bins beside our shoes, belts, and oversized bracelets. I snarled at that article the day before I flew to Europe, so part of my packing process included a few minutes of unpacking, as I shook all of the snacks out of my usual carry-on bag.

Non-dairy milk is a booming market right now. Even among nut milks there are a ton of different options, like almond milk, cashew milk, and more. Now Trader Joe’s has come out with a new non-dairy milk of its own, and this one is really interesting because it is actually a blend of several different nuts for optimal flavor and creaminess. “Why have one nut when you can have three?” Trader Joe’s writes.

I live in the South, where the local meteorologists give each day’s forecast by just showing an illustration of Earth slamming into the side of the sun. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but it’s hot is what I’m saying. And this time of year, when the heat index starts flirting with triple digits, is when it’s straight-up cold brew coffee time.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cyclospora cayetanensis is a nasty microscopic parasite that can cause an intestinal infection called cyclosporiasis. We won’t go into the details about what cyclosporiasis does – although the CDC uses the words “sometimes explosive” to describe it.

August might seem a bit late to jump on one of the biggest summer beverage trends of the year, but Trader Joe’s thinks rosé cider has staying power. The grocery giant just released their own brand of rosé cider, even though fall is just on the horizon and Starbucks has already started shipping its Pumpkin Spice Lattes to stores. Trader Joe’s new Henry Hotspur’s Hard Pressed for Rosé Cider is bright-pink and fizzy, as a rosé cider should be.

Watch out, Cup Noodle.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Trader Joe’s is a snack mecca. Within the aisles, you will find all sorts of private-label snacks that are exclusive to the grocery chain. The best part about TJ’s snacks, other than the unbeatable price, is the unique selection. And so many of these snacks were practically designed to go in a lunch box. Check out these pack-able steals, but be warned: You’re going to want to stock up. 3 Seed Beet Crackers, $2 for 6.

A couple of months ago, I reviewed nine of the best cheeses at Trader Joe’s, because I have the best job in the history of jobs. Because pretty much everything in the cheese case is delicious — and because I am the kind of person who would spend all of her money on cheese — I asked my Facebook friends to help me narrow it down by recommending their favorites.

In addition to its quirky snacks and cult-favorite foods (looking at you, cauliflower gnocchi!), Trader Joe’s is known for its unbeatable super-low, budget-friendly pricing. It’s part of the reason we all love it. So, it’s no surprise that you’ll find a shocking number of items that ring up under five dollars. Of all those inexpensive finds, these are my seven favorites. 1.

Look, we love Trader Joe’s, you love Trader Joe’s, everyone loves Trader Joe’s. In the past few months, we’ve written about everything from the store’s best frozen foods, top snacks, and the must-have dips for those bags of plantain chips we can’t live without. We’ve covered their wines and cheeses. We’ve done our favorite breakfasts, a customer-favorite dessert, and even the stuff you can’t eat.

If we didn’t know any better, we’d guess that Trader Joe’s just hired a Vice President of Sheet-Themed Products. What the heck are we talking about? Well, last month the grocery chain came out with adorable mini sheet cakes. And now, the brand is launching sheet masks. (If they come out with actual sheet sets soon, we’ll know our theory was right!) Anyway, back to these sheet masks. You may have noticed that sheet masks are huge right now.

Trader Joe’s is known for stocking its shelves with trendy, sometimes quirky, and often utterly crave-worthy snacks made just for the store — things like pickle-flavored popcorn, fried mochi squares, and apple pie cheddar cheese. There’s also the baking mixes, which are worth calling out. Although they’re not ready to eat right out of the box, almost all are ready to bake in less than five minutes.

I’m from North Carolina, where BBQ is serious business. The state is damn near split in half by an imaginary line of demarcation: one that determines whether you eat your pulled pork or chopped plates Lexington-style, or you eat them the wrong way. (FIGHT ME!

In 1964, Nico Jacobellis, the manager of a movie theater in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, was fined $2,500 and accused of violating Ohio’s obscenity statutes, all because he screened a then-controversial French film about adultery.

I have a love/hate relationship with my Trader Joe’s. I love pretty much everything in the store, but hate that it’s an absolute circus in my neck of the woods. (Read more about my highly scientific method to determine the ideal weeknight for a TJ’s haul here.) Nevertheless, I continue to brave the crowds and stock up on budget-friendly salad kits, inventive snacks, and glorious freezer aisle staples because TJ’s has my heart.

Step away from the cider. Don’t even think about making a batch of hot cocoa. Summer isn’t over yet, and Trader Joe’s has a blood orange rosé wine to prove it. In fact, this unusual wine is perfect for dealing with that awkward phase in between seasons. You know what I’m talking about: It’s not rosé-all-day season anymore, but you’re not yet at the ‘let me pile on the sweaters, and sit by a fire with a hot toddy,’ stage.

Apple cider doughnuts, hard cider, pumpkin spice everything — the arrival of these beloved things at shops, cafes, and farmers market stands sweetly whisper fall is coming. Candy corn popcorn? Ahh … we’re not sure we’re ready to add that one to the list. The fall-themed snack was recently spotted at a Trader Joe’s store in Elk Grove, California, by Instagram user @vegan_tinymomgram.

The hardest thing about being a Trader Joe’s shopper has nothing to do with budgeting for groceries or dealing with the crowds (that’s just the most annoying thing about being a Trader Joe’s shopper). The hardest thing is keeping up with all the new product introductions. (And, I guess, saying bye to the things you love when they have to go away to make room for new items.) We’re only halfway into September and, already, there have been at least a half-dozen new products.

Fall, more than any other season, seems to have the most iconic foods. The pumpkins! The apples! The caramel! You get the point. And if any grocer leans into this the most, it’s Trader Joe’s. Year after year, the chain brings back and adds new festive foods to get us all in the mood for sweaters and hay rides. Honestly, it’s kind of working!

Among the short list of ingredients I always have stocked in my freezer, puff pastry ranks high at the top. It’s a good thing to have on hand to turn out fast and fancy appetizers like baked brie and cheesy pinwheels — and it makes for quick savory dinner tarts and bakery-worthy breakfast treats. So it’s totally worth having a couple of boxes on hand at all times.

In its most recent "Fearless Flyer," Trader Joe's announced the arrival of a new condiment: Carrot Cake Spread. I'm sorry to say it was disappointing.

So novel, so smart.

No two Thanksgivings are the same. We may all celebrate with nearly identical menus, but family dynamics are different for everyone. And they’re, um, pretty interesting. So, I’ve decided to offer wine pairings based on some of the most awkward situations possible. If you’re wondering why I’m not addressing the more traditional food-and-wine pairing aspect of Thanksgiving, there are two reasons.

While it would be great if we could all exclusively buy wine from cute independent wine shops, it’s not always possible. Not everyone lives near a great independent wine shop. Not everyone feels comfortable in one. And sometimes you have to buy toilet bowl cleaner, socks, and a gift for a housewarming party — all in one shopping trip because you’re busy and that’s just how life works sometimes. I get it.

Tasting wine isn’t just for sommeliers who can call what vineyard a wine came from in a single sniff. Blind tasting helps you hone in on what you actually like without being influenced by labels, prices, or marketing, so it’s something that anyone who likes wine should try a few times. Plus, it’s fun! In order to find out what people really think of wines from Trader Joe’s, Aldi, and Costco, I strong-armed a few folks into blind tasting them. My tasters?

The perfect go-to gift — one that’s sure to please just about anyone and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg — is pretty hard to find. But there’s one thing at Trader Joe’s that I buy for everyone I know, and I’ll keep doing it until I die. I’m talking about succulents, those delightful diminutive plants that everyone’s crazy about these days. They’re cute and they are easy to care for.

With Prime shipping, no less!

Just when you thought #pumpkineverything had reached peak saturation, Trader Joe’s has raised the stakes (again) with even more pumpkin offerings than last year. We’ve already told you about a couple, but there are more, people! Many, many more. So naturally, when October rolled around this week, I did as any card-carrying fall-lover might do and headed to my local TJ’s (in flannel, of course) and filled my cart with a little taste of the season.

I mean, why not?

I’m a grazer — it’s probably one of my biggest diet downfalls. I’d rather pick on a couple of little things every few hours than down a heavy meal. (I blame it partially on the fact that I haven’t had a job that actually encouraged taking a lunch hour in more than a decade.) Which brings me to a recent road trip I took. I obviously needed car snacks! And Trader Joe’s was clearly the place to go for such provisions.

Have you tried any of these?

You would think her favorite product would be something low-calorie, but it's not.

They're only $1.99!

You can currently buy a four-pack of the sparkling coconut water for $3.99.

It feels almost sacrilege to utter these words, but my favorite grocery store, the one that can do (almost) no wrong, actually makes the world’s worst sushi. Now, before the Authentic Sushi brigade comes out, let me get in front with a proclamation: I have a thing for grocery store sushi. I know I shouldn’t. I know it’s, well, it’s grocery store sushi. And I’ve even had good sushi.

Ice cream is never really on my shopping list, but I tell myself I should walk down the aisle “just in case,” which means I’ll inevitably fall for a sale, or a new flavor will convince me to grab a pint. A couple of weeks ago, I did exactly this at Trader Joe’s and I like to think it paid off because I spotted a Talenti lookalike (which Trader Joe’s announced this week)!

Butternut squash is really, really good on top of pizza. But what happens when the butternut squash BECOMES the pizza? That’s what I imagine was the lightbulb moment somewhere in a faraway Trader Joe’s HQ conference room, during their company-wide brainstorm for their newest seasonal, alternative pizza crust offering: Butternut squash pizza crust.

For the past four or five years, my friend has hosted a pre-Thanksgiving dinner that he calls “Sidesgiving” because everyone brings their favorite holiday-season side dish. Even though he sets the date and sends invitations several weeks in advance, every single year I’m late because, at dinnertime, I’m still leaning down and peering into the oven, wondering whether hissing “OMGGGG COME ONNNNNN” will make those sweet potatoes cook any faster.

Stuff your cart, then your stockings.

Every single year, despite my best efforts to plan ahead, I wind up with a lot of last-minute gifts to buy. As hard as this is to admit, when absolute desperation strikes there’s one last resort: the grocery store. (Please make me feel better and say that you’ve been there too.) While perusing my local Trader Joe’s for some fun holiday finds, I found one grocery store gift that is, dare I say, actually kind of cool and might just save my butt in a pinch: the chocolate passport.

I have finally found the END ALL, BE ALL condiment, people! To be completely honest, when I first heard about my favorite grocery store’s (Trader Joe’s) new Blue Cheese Mustard, I had a few questions and concerns. Do those two entities go together? Why are we messing with a good thing? Do I really need another mustard in my fridge? (I already have yellow mustard, Dijon mustard, honey mustard, and spicy brown mustard.) What will it SMELL like?

I’ve been writing a lot about Trader Joe’s fantastic seasonal pop-up items (like wheat stalks!) over on Apartment Therapy. It’s my go-to favorite store for lazy decorating on the fly, and on the cheap. Their latest offering: Dried lavender, which you can find in bundles right inside the front door and throw in your cart while you do the regular weekly grocery shopping. Buy these while they last at the store, because they’ll last forever at home.

Season’s greetings to all of my fellow Trader Joe’s fans suffering from super-scaly appendages, thanks to this lovely cold front we are experiencing! It might be frigid and dry outside, but GUESS WHAT? You still have to wash copious amounts of dishes. Perhaps even more than usual. Yay! (Should I have the above inscription printed on my Shutterfly holiday cards?) I have four words for all of you: Ultra Moisturizing Hand Cream.

Trader Joe’s is the Wonka’s Chocolate Factory of grocery stores — except, instead of Everlasting Gobstoppers and Wonka Bars, they’ve got Frozen Mandarin Orange Chicken and Cauliflower Gnocchi. The grocery chain is shrouded in mystery, and to make matters even more secretive, their corporate headquarters are pretty tight-lipped. To get around this, I’ve decided to become an insider by keeping close tabs and shopping there on more than a once-a-week basis.

If you aren’t already bringing your own reusable shopping bags with you on your Trader Joe’s visits, you really should start. Not only because it’ll help reduce unnecessary waste, but also because it could help you save money!

When we’re not shopping at Trader Joe’s, we’re listening to the Inside Trader Joe’s podcast. (PSA: If you’re not already listening to the podcast, you should start now.) The podcast gives fans insider information about everything you didn’t know you needed to know about the store.

It's a big undertaking, but also a huge step toward renewable, sustainable grocery stores.

In a recent Reddit AMA thread, a New York City-based Trader Joe's employee revealed why everyone who works at the beloved grocery store seems so happy.

It's a squeeze pouch of the Indian-Iraqi-Israeli fermented mango sauce that you find everywhere in Tel Aviv. But is it any good?

Have you tried this?

When I woke up this morning, an idea for a perfect on-the-go sandwich came to me in a flash. So, I took to Twitter and shared what I thought could be the Next Big Thing in breakfast: two freshly baked cookies (chocolate chip) hugging a nice, thick, breakfast-y layer of butter, completed with a slice or two of bacon. ( … What?) As you can tell, I have a something of a sweet tooth, and poor concern with food logistics (the butter would melt, Joe).

When my eighth-grade math teacher told me I’d use algebra every day in my adult life, she was right. I just never realized how much of my daily brainpower would be devoted to calculating and managing the cost of an early-onset seltzer habit. Do you go with store-brand, or LaCroix? Is there a better deal online, or in stores? And what do you do if you get a taste for Spindrift, the Champagne of flavored seltzers, and ordinary bubbly water won’t cut it anymore?

On your next trip to Trader Joe’s you just might spot a mugshot on a bottle of Merlot. But don’t worry or run away — this doesn’t mean there was a prison break in your area. Instead this uptick in criminal activity on aisle wine is thanks to 19 Crimes, an Australian brand that touts bottles of vino labeled with vintage mugshots of criminals-turned-colonists.

I have a confession to make: My entire family is obsessed with a snack food that I initially purchased for my toddler. Like many new moms, I stressed over the importance of introducing peanut butter into my child’s diet. Too soon? Too late? A spoonful? A smudge?

Limited-time seasonal items are such a delicious tease. They make you fall in love with them, and just when you think you can’t live without them, they vanish and you’re left with nothing but memories and pumpkin spice-scented candles. Rude. Trader Joe’s is one of the best there is at seasonal items.