The $2 Holiday Baking Staple That’s Been Missing from Trader Joe’s Shelves — Until Now

“Baking is going to be just a little bit more fun this holiday season,” says Tara, a Trader Joe’s employee and cohost of the weekly Inside Trader Joe’s podcast. Why is that, you might be wondering? “Because,” explains Tara, “finally Trader Joe’s has sprinkles.” 

You see, the latest podcast episode dropped earlier this week, and in addition to celebrating the 10th (!) anniversary (and return of) the beloved Jingle Jangle, she, and fellow TJ’s employee and cohost, Matt, are giving us a little sneak preview of the festive items to come. The most colorful and cheerful, in our opinion, is a holiday baking staple that’s been mysteriously absent from the store’s shelves — until now. 

After rounds of tasting and reformulating, Trader Joe’s Christmas Sprinkles are (finally) making their seasonal debut. Plus, the santa-red bags have already been spotted in select stores. 

Made by a “trusted confectionery supplier in Spain,” according to the TJ’s website, the bag of Christmas sprinkles contains a mix of hues (red, white, and green) and holiday-themed and classic shapes (conifers, candy canes, snowflakes, stars, circles, and rods). In lieu of artificial dyes, the sprinkles are colored with “naturally derived ingredients,” says Tara, like juice from different fruits and vegetables. 

According to Lori, a product developer at Trader Joe’s who traveled to Spain and worked with suppliers to create the final blend, “the colors don’t run” (even after freezing or “on very, very wet icing”). “This is unusual for sprinkles in general,” she says. “And for a naturally colored sprinkle to hold all of its color like this, I think this is a great product.” 

We and Matt know what you’re thinking: “Sprinkles have been available for a long time in lots of different stores” — present grocer, excluded. The decorative gem previously failed to enter the chat because, as Matt explains it, the folks at Trader Joe’s — particularly who take part in the grocer’s tasting panel — are “picky.” Every product is tasted and voted on by this exclusive panel, and each one must receive “a minimum of 70% of the panelists approving a product” before it can enter stores. We can’t wait to break out the buttercream and judge for ourselves.

Find it in stores: Trader Joe’s Christmas Sprinkles, $1.99 for 3.5 ounces

Have you tried these new sprinkles yet? Tell us about them in the comments below.