This $4 Freezer Find Is the Best New Fall Item at Trader Joe’s

When it comes to seasonal flavors, I’d consider myself pumpkin-neutral. I don’t really mind that everything seems to taste and smell like pumpkin for months (hummus, hot sauce, even Goldfish crackers), it largely means I can eat my maple-flavored items in peace.

But every year, without fail, I get too curious and inevitably convince myself to get a pumpkin cream cold brew to see how the flavor has evolved year after year. Is it more pumpkin and less spice this year compared to last? Is pumpkin turning into the grape flavor in grape soda, where it doesn’t actually taste like the fruit it’s trying to resemble? What else are we putting pumpkin into, and more importantly … why? 

This year, however, I found a product that has actually pulled me into “pumpkin-enthusiast” territory. It’s a savory, spicy little bite of fall you can pick up right now at Trader Joe’s. 

These new-to-me samosas had literally just come off the truck as I passed through the frozen aisle and had yet to even hit the cooler. Having worked at Trader Joe’s before, a crew-member friend of mine discreetly handed me the box of these fall-inspired samosas like we were making a private deal, which I guess we were in a way. Pumpkin hysteria is no joke at Trader Joe’s, where customers have commonly asked for pumpkin bread mix as early as April and stockpile pumpkin waffles to last them all year round. Now I can finally see why.

After safely getting my precious box of mini samosas home and into my air fryer (400°F for 7 minutes does the trick), I bit into a crispy, flaky, golden pastry crust revealing a spicy, delicately cheesy filling. Warm with the flavors of garam masala and chili pepper, and packed with paneer and chunks of sweet, earthy pumpkin, these Indian-inspired samosas will appeal to anyone who loves aloo matar and a bit of kick.

Pumpkin finally gets to be the star in these seasonal samosas, not overwhelmed with too much spice and sugar so you almost forget what pumpkin actually tastes like. Eat the samosas on their own, or dip them in green chutney, and you just might find yourself on Team Pumpkin, too. 

Find it in stores: Trader Joe’s Mini Spicy Pumpkin Samosas, $3.99 for 8.5 ounces

What are some of your must-have Trader Joe’s pumpkin products? Let us know in the comments.