I know its been asked before but can't find it. Trader Joes must tries.

[lynn]

We finally got a trader Joes so what must I try?  Tia

[MercyA]

I was going to post this very thing! Are you in Indiana, by chance? 🙂 

[lynn]

7 minutes ago, MercyA said:

I was going to post this very thing! Are you in Indiana, by chance? 🙂 

No, north Alabama. 

[Miss Tick]

The Kringle, if you like breakfast pastries.

Their coffee is decent and relatively cheap.

They have fruit spreads (jam) that don't have added sugar and are cheaper than what I can find elsewhere.

Their nut butter options are varied and cheaper than I can get elsewhere. (Peanut allergy)

Other than that it is our store of impulse buys. If something looks good, we'll try it!

We only get to one once a quarter, or so, and everything else I can get cheaper at their cousin store, Aldi.

[kbutton]

All the things, lol! 

I don't really buy staples there, so I don't mean it, but we like pretty much everything we try. Some of my recs are based on how they go over here--I have sensitivities that limit me a lot.

If you like sausage, their uncured kielbasa is really good. 

The 85% chocolate bars at the checkout are amazing and a good price. They are more "fruity" than some chocolate, but I love them.

The kids like tamales, pot stickers, mandarin chicken, naan, samosas, Indian frozen meals, dunkers (cookies), Jo-jo's (cookies), etc. I like the chocolate almond flour cookies.

Tea tree tingle shampoo tames my oily hair and doesn't build up. It's also an excellent for washing bras--mine get dingy gray over time if I use anything else. It's not the tea tree oil specifically that makes it work this way because I've used other tea tree oil products. 

I like their puffcorn and Inca corn. Their GF oats are good. Coffee and tea are good. The kids love fruit bars and yogurt. Cream is usually a good deal there. 

No cook lasagna noodles are good.

Oh, the meringues! They are a hot commodity here. The butter cookies are good. 

For frozen veggies, we really like their brussels sprouts and their petite peas. 

My son says baguettes are essential. 

The dried fruit is all good--we like that you can get them without yucky additives. 

Seasonal stuff.

[gstharr]

The frozen Indian dishes are great.  

[Arcadia]

 

[Storygirl]

The orange chicken in the freezer section. We use two packages for our family of six.

They have a lot of other unique frozen items, but I'd have to buy multiple packages for my family of six (most come with two or four servings), so I haven't tried many.

Dog treats -- nice quality in flavors I can't find elsewhere

JoJos -- their version of the Oreo cookie. Comes in many flavor varieties. My favorite are the chocolate covered peppermint ones, only available at Christmas, but the fall flavor (peanut butter) is also great

Cocoa truffles. Yum! These melt in your mouth

They have many sweet treats on the shelves above the freezer section. I usually try a few new things each time. Too many to list. Just walk along the aisle and throw some in your cart.

They often have big basil plants in pots, nicer than what I find elsewhere

In the dried pasta section, they have tiny tortellinis and mini raviolis that we like to put in soup. I also buy their dried orzo pasta

DH likes their sriracha ranch dressing

They have items that you might not find elsewhere. I just bought some ground flax seed, for example.

I only go to TJ three or four times a year, and I stock up on treats that I can only get there. I don't use them as a regular grocery, but they do have regular grocery items. They have a nice selection of cheeses.

They have fun items around the holidays, so stop in there in November or December. Go first thing, before they get busy.

[Scarlett]

13 minutes ago, SusanC said:

The Kringle, if you like breakfast pastries.

Their coffee is decent and relatively cheap.

They have fruit spreads (jam) that don't have added sugar and are cheaper than what I can find elsewhere.

Their nut butter options are varied and cheaper than I can get elsewhere. (Peanut allergy)

Other than that it is our store of impulse buys. If something looks good, we'll try it!

We only get to one once a quarter, or so, and everything else I can get cheaper at their cousin store, Aldi.

Ha! Ours too.  We always spend about $100 and it is never on anything we actually need.  I love that store.  

[MEmama]

Ok, I'm going to swallow my embarrassment and admit that we LOVE their frozen mashed potatoes. Yup. It’s ridiculous, but they are better than any homemade mashed potatoes that I've ever had. 
 

I always stock up on their frozen fire roasted onions& peppers. Also, the frozen orange chicken and mock chicken are really yummy, as is the frozen chow mein. We like the frozen Indian foods too. Oh, and the egg rolls and vegetarian gyoza. My freezer is usually pretty well stocked with TJs items.
 

They have really good prices on smoked salmon. And cheeses. And cereal.

I usually buy olive, avocado and sesame oils there. Most of their oIives are delicious. I always have some of their tinned dolmas on hand for a quick lunch starter. I use quite a bit of their jarred pesto in wintertime. 
 

Their peanut butter and almond butter are less expensive than anywhere else we have near us. 

 

[whitestavern]

On rotation here: everything bagel seasoning, caramelized onion feta pastry bites, Bomba hot pepper sauce, chili onion crunch, grilled artichoke halves, Nourish facial cleanser, cauliflower gnocchi, frozen organic rice (white and brown), salted caramels

[YaelAldrich]

White cheddar popcorn. Better than anything else on the market. Only buy if you intend to eat the whole dang bag in one sitting.

Midnight Summer's Eve Cream lotion. Used to be even better but still awfully good for the price. 

Baguette

Japanese sweet potato (Murasaki). So different and yummy.

[lynn]

47 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

 

Thank you.

[lynn]

Thank you for the suggestions as soon as the line isn't wrapped around the building I'll get there list in hand.

[Scarlett]

28 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Ok, I'm going to swallow my embarrassment and admit that we LOVE their frozen mashed potatoes. Yup. It’s ridiculous, but they are better than any homemade mashed potatoes that I've ever had. 
 

I always stock up on their frozen fire roasted onions& peppers. Also, the frozen orange chicken and mock chicken are really yummy, as is the frozen chow mein. We like the frozen Indian foods too. Oh, and the egg rolls and vegetarian gyoza. My freezer is usually pretty well stocked with TJs items.
 

 

 

That is another thing we love from there.

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, lynn said:

We finally got a trader Joes so what must I try?  Tia

Congratulations!!!

Um, everything? Ok, so I wasn't quite a fan of their baked mixes. I find the fresh veges/fruit turn quickly, so I go easy on them. I don't like their premade guacamole as well as Walmart's, go figure. And some things I get there are basically the same as Kroger or anywhere else, like the kefir is the same, not noteworthy. On my good list?

pizza dough

turkey bacon

fresh garlic

potatoes (all kinds)

white bean dip 

spinach kale dip

plantain chips to go with the spinach kale dip

all the yummy snacky dessert type foods in small tins above the freezer goods--thin chocolate wafers, crunchy oatmeal cookies, jo jos, these little peanut butter cups, everything honestly

orange chicken (frozen)

pot stickers and other chinese sides

quinoa melange (frozen)

bean burritoes (frozen)

hash browns (not greasy)

frozen spinach (it's loose, not packed, so you can add it to quiche or pasta or whatever easily)

breakfast smoothie blend (though actually I think Kroger's is a better value because you aren't overpaying for banana)

fish (cod, pollock bites, halibut, salmon, all of it)

frozen shrimp 

eggplant parmesan (a little $$ for one serving but I bake it with a chicken breast for a delish solo meal)

(sometimes I do the frozen fish or chicken burgers, but I think they're only tolerable)

frozen green beans

frozen garlic (shh)

frozen peas, etc. (good value)

feta salad dressing (adore)

olive oil (fair price)

nonstick sprays

brown rice pastas (way cheaper)

wild rice (we use this a LOT)

maple syrup

canned baked beans (yes, please laugh)

unsalted tortilla chips

salsa--green, red, they're all good

cheese curls

cheese puffs (cheap, my vice for on the way home)

nuts and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, walnuts, cashews, etc.)

Honestly almost anything that strikes your fancy will probably be fine. I've had very little there that I didn't like or just wouldn't buy again. I'm usually looking for value (not willing to pay more for the same thing I could buy at a store with sales). So maybe just go through and try things, knowing you can come back. Some things change seasonally, so pretty soon they should be bringing out hams and foods for the holidays. 

Edited October 4, 2021 by PeterPan

[whitestavern]

Forgot to list the frozen Shakshuka starter. 

[PeterPan]

48 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

Only buy if you intend to eat the whole dang bag in one sitting.

Best way to remove the evidence. 🤣

 

48 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

lotion.

Oo yes, lotions!! I FINALLY found something even I can use. The other ones we tried from TJ were fine, just I'm super sensitive. I get their Hydrating Hyuralonic Body Gel Cream. They also have tea tree oil.

1 hour ago, gstharr said:

The frozen Indian dishes are great.  

Ok, maybe I need to try these. I was eyeing them. I got whatever those pocket things are called from an indian grocery and I was afraid I'd be disappointed. I'm guessing they're fine.

 

[PeterPan]

2 minutes ago, whitestavern said:

Forgot to list the frozen Shakshuka starter. 

I was just looking at this!!! Was it good? I mean, it's not so terribly hard to make shakshuka. I did it once using their marinara. Of course the *once* in that probably is indication.

Edited October 4, 2021 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

I don't like their taco seasoning btw. It's not interesting and is too spicy for my peeps, a total flop.

Their chicken broth/stock/I forget is AWESOME. It's all lovely and yellow in the box and comes out adding unctuousness to your dishes. Stock up on this, like 10 or 12 containers. I usually get it and the vege and the beef. I bought the miso ginger broth but haven't gotten around to trying it, oops.

 

[Kareni]

Some of the things we buy at Trader Joe's ~

Low sodium chicken broth

No sodium added tuna

English muffins

Bagels

Muesli

Granola bars

Eggplant hummus

Shampoo

Cheese crunches

Pound plus milk chocolate bars

Mini peanut butter cups

Regards,

Kareni

[whitestavern]

3 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

I was just looking at this!!! Was it good? I mean, it's not so terribly hard to make shakshuka. I did it once using their marinara. Of course the *once* in that probably is indication.

Well, it was my introduction to Shakshuka, and I haven't had it anywhere else, nor have I tried to make it (though I do love to cook) but it's soooo easy and I think quite delicious. Lots of flavor and a bit of spice to it. 

[cintinative]

yikes y'all. I guess I need to go back to Trader Joe's. The trouble is it is 25 minutes away and their parking lot is about the size of a postage stamp (kidding, of course, but what gives? It seems like every TJ I have ever been to have impossibly small parking lots). 

Also, as an FYI. TJ's and Aldi's are owned by the same parent company, so sometimes you will see similar items at Aldi.

[mathnerd]

They have a new almond butter cup and almond filled pretzels for those with peanut allergies which I can recommend.

If you like fried cheeses for snacks, try their Bread Cheese and Halloumi.

My son will refuse most snack cheese that is not TJ's single-serving French Brie.

If you don't have an Asian grocers near you, their Frozen Korean Green Onion pancakes, Chinese Green Onion pancakes, vegetable gyoza and vegetarian bird's nest are all delicious.

All their Indian Frozen food is authentic and delicious. I make an individual size pizza for lunch using their frozen garlic naan.

 I buy condensed milk and seasonal pancake mixes of various flavors.

Maple Butter and Sunflower seed butter are staples in my house.

Their falafel mix is good if you are not up to making your own.

I get Taco Shells and organic tortillas and lavash from there.

My husband's favorite is their Brooklyn Babka and their "Dunkers" with icing on top (cranberry, oatmeal etc). He also buys their yoghurt coated pretzels, their oatmeal raisin cookies etc which I don't eat, so I can't comment. I like their 12 Grain Snack Crackers which is surprisingly delicious and their gorgonzola crackers.

Frozen mochi icecream, Ube ice-cream and boba tea ice-cream.

Their dairy products are well priced. I buy kefir from there and previously used to buy organic yoghurt for kids from them until my son outgrew the baby and toddler yoghurts.

I will post more if I remember what else I buy every week from there ...

Edited October 4, 2021 by mathnerd

[YaelAldrich]

2 hours ago, PeterPan said:

I was just looking at this!!! Was it good? I mean, it's not so terribly hard to make shakshuka. I did it once using their marinara. Of course the *once* in that probably is indication.

I use it as matbucha dip instead of cooking it further into the starter sauce for shakshuka. It is way better than any other brand I've tried. Fresh but well spiced. I make matbucha once or twice a year. It's not hard to make but it takes time to make a good tasting one 

[Spy Car]

Their organic mayo is very good. 

Also the tomato soup that comes in aseptic packaging is tasty. Good pantry item.

Bill

 

[prairiewindmomma]

The only two things we have ever not liked are their broccoli pizza crust and their cashew queso. 

[Clarita]

We just tried their Chili Onion Crunch and it's yummy. It's only spicy if you eat it from the jar, you put it on food and the spiciness is not there. If you like spicy you are going to have to add more kick.

Our family must haves frozen petit peas, frozen corn, jelly beans (seasonal), calabrian chilis (not the best Calabrian chilis, but it's more affordable), and shishinto peppers.

[J-rap]

I go there about once every three weeks, and favorites:

Trader Joe's European Style Organic Plain Nonfat Yogurt

Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels 

Wisconsin Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Frozen Arugula Pizza

Chicken Potstickers and Vegetable Fried Rice

Power Green Organic Juice Beverage

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

Garden Patch Vegetable Juice

Tea Tree Shampoo and Conditioner

Frozen Roasted Corn

Boxed Tomato Soup

Trader Joe's brand peanut butter  (I like their unsalted crunchy!)

Tamales

So many other things but those come to mind!

 

 

[kbutton]

5 hours ago, Storygirl said:

They have a lot of other unique frozen items, but I'd have to buy multiple packages for my family of six (most come with two or four servings), so I haven't tried many.

They have many sweet treats on the shelves above the freezer section. I usually try a few new things each time. Too many to list. Just walk along the aisle and throw some in your cart.

The packaged stuff isn’t really sized to large families, but it’s great for individual or small group lunches—my kids will split a package of this or that for lunch, and DH takes some dishes to work also.

The bolded is the best advice in this thread so far. Love it!

 

[mmasc]

Some of our favorites:

definitely the kalamata olive oil. Simply the yummiest I’ve had. 

vegetable spring rolls (frozen) with...

Yuzu hot sauce 

dried fruits, especially apricots and mangos. 

Roasted hazelnuts. All of their nuts are good though!

Everything But the Bagel Seasoning. (I like this on my avocado toast)

Brookyln Chocolate Babka (I buy these as Christmas presents every year bc my grandmothers love them so much)

100% fruit bars (the ones that are apple&strawberry, coconut, mango)

big jug of body wash. It’s a good price, smells good, and my kids like it.

[SoCal_Bear]

Pretty much we like everything there except any canned or boxed shelf stable soups. My bias here is showing because I make soup all the time from scratch and make my own stock...so it has to be pretty good if I'm going to buy it.

I'm Asian so we pass on all things Asian that they make EXCEPT mochi rice nuggets which the chips are. Those are addictive. 

The brioche style sliced bread is the most amazing bread to use for French toast.

If you dislike anything, they will take it back. Seriously...for any reason.

My dd is lactose intolerant but loves cheese. The lactose free yogurt cheese is awesome. 

And weirdly, I like keeping the TJ lemon kitchen soap on hand because it really gets my hands smelling fresh after handling onions and garlic.

Edited October 5, 2021 by calbear

[Clemsondana]

One of my kids prefers their chocolate milk.  Their prices on butter are usually good.  My yogurt-eater likes some of their yogurt flavors.  The frozen samosas are good.  Their cinnamon graham crackers are a favorite.  Their whole wheat pasta is still in 16 oz packages instead of 12 oz like some of the grocery brands.  They do seasonal items that are special every month or 2 - apple flavors, then pumpkin, then peppermint around Christmas...some of the items are good and we stock up.  We've tried several of their frozen pizzas and have liked them.

I have stocked freezers at home so my grocery trips don't usually include meat and any vegetable that we grow and freeze. But, many weeks I can get everything else that I need at TJs and its a quick trip.

[Spy Car]

I suspect that this may be a local California item only, but if they have "Cream Top" non-homogenized whole milk, it is worth trying at least once.

It is not "raw milk" and has been pasteurized, but not homogenized. So it will separate into cream (on top) like milk in the olden days.

Bill

[Kebo]

Here's some things that are on our regular repeat list:

 

Shrimp Gyoza

Japanese fried rice (makes a nice meal with a soft fried egg and some Tamari on top)

Frozen edamame in the shell

Pizza Parlano when in stock

Frozen garlic and ginger cubes, a timesaver

Frozen white and brown rice packets

Quinoa Cowboy vegan burgers -- good with pickles, mustard, lettuce and hot peppers

Hold the Cones, especially the seasonal peppermint ones

Classic potato chips.  Like Lays but more addictive to me.  I shouldn't buy them, but I do.

Good selection of nuts!  We buy several kinds

tri-color small carrots

99 cent greeting cards

chocolate covered peanut butter filled pretzels (better when frozen!)

almond butter filled pretzels.  Just sweet enough.

Blood Orange and Grapefruit sparkling drinks

chicken jerky stick dog treats

They have some interesting live plants -- we have bought coffee plants, Venus flytraps, orchids, bromeliads, etc

Pizza sauce. The shelf stable one, not the refrigerated one.  They also have refrigerated whole wheat pizza dough that's good, but I usually make my own dough

Vegetable broth in the green box, my favorite of the ones I've tried

Wild caught salmon filets

Heirloom chickens to roast

Bavarian bratwurst

Greek yogurt, unsweetened and full fat.  Great with drizzled honey. 

Vegan items for the vegan in our house : vegan cream cheese, Sriracha tofu, vegan chorizo

Columbe coffee drinks

The Christmas tasting caramels 12 pack : it is a holiday tradition to have a taste-off and see who can guess the most correctly

Chocolate covered peppermint JoJo's

Almond biscotti

Dark choolate covered caramels with sea salt

Chocolate filled croissants (frozen)

 

And many more that aren't coming to mind right now

 

ETA: Oh, and I just read that their lemongrass coconut body oil works to repel mosquitos, but I haven't tried that yet

 

 

 

Edited October 5, 2021 by Kebo
Added an item

[katilac]

I didn't really love anything we bought from the common 'must try' lists. Like the various frozen foods, like orange chicken and so on, were fine but not exceptional. 

No one in my family likes their chocolate very much at all (we actually had some go stale, lol), so I think that must be a specific taste appeal. 

Their produce section was great, good quality and a lot of variety. 

[ScoutTN]

On 10/4/2021 at 4:03 PM, lynn said:

Thank you for the suggestions as soon as the line isn't wrapped around the building I'll get there list in hand.

That might be 2022!

[ScoutTN]

20 hours ago, Spy Car said:

I suspect that this may be a local California item only, but if they have "Cream Top" non-homogenized whole milk, it is worth trying at least once.

It is not "raw milk" and has been pasteurized, but not homogenized. So it will separate into cream (on top) like milk in the olden days.

Bill

We cannot get this at TJ’s, but a local, grass-fed dairy has milk like this and it is yummy! Available at WF and some small markets. ALMOST as good as the raw milk we buy each week. 

Edited October 6, 2021 by ScoutTN

[Spy Car]

Just now, ScoutTN said:

We cannot get this at TJ’s, but a local, grass-fed dairy has milk like this and it is yummy! ALMOST as good as the raw milk we buy each week. 

My parents used to tell stories of how (non-homogenized) milk would be delivered to their homes (in cold climates) and how the cream would rise to the top and then freeze, and how they'd eat it like ice cream. LOL.

Non-homogenized milk just tastes more real. I'm sure raw is even more so, just never had a source I've really trusted living in a big city.

Bill

[mlktwins]

I agree with some of the previous posts about the orange/mandarin chicken.  Quick and easy favorite here.  2 adults and 2 teens go through 1.5 bags per meal.

Also love the various Joe-Joe's, especially their chocolate covered peppermint ones!!!  The regular peppermint ones are awesome too.

And...I stock up this time of year on their pumpkin bread mix.  Very yummy!!!  It is only out in the fall.

[Ali in OR]

Our faves:

Organic yellow corn tortilla chip rounds (had to look at the bag I'm eating from to see what they're called--I just recognize the bag)
pizza dough (and youngest dd likes breadsticks made from their herbed pizza dough--with a garlic cream cheese spread)
chicken gyoza
hashbrowns for disabled dd
applesauce (it just tastes better from a glass jar)
sesame oil
EV olive oil--the one with a pour spout

Special treats: dark chocolate covered pretzel thins, chocolate cat cookies, chocolate chip cookies, dark chocolate covered powerberries, peanut butter cups, mini peanut butter cups, chocolate biscotti, the mini ritz bitz like crackers, the ruffled sea salt potato chips--like Costco's Himalayan sea salt chips, but in a more reasonably-sized package for us, plus many other cookies.

[Pam in CT]

Let's see.  In rough order of frequency of use..

I use the smoked chipotle black bean paste as a spice mix ALL THE TIME - imparts a glorious smoky flavor and acts as a thickener.  We literally call it the "elixir of life."  I also find a lot of uses for the olive tapenade and the sundried tomato bruschetta - super easy to whip up an easy appetizer with either or both of those.  Another appetizer wonder is the frozen blue-and-other Greek cheese spiral, wrapped in filo dough and baked until golden - mmmm.  I just keep a couple of those in the freezer for impromptu guests.

They have a mixed nut & honey jar that I use to gussy up hors d'doevres.  Also the regular mesquite honey is my second favorite, and vastly more affordable, honey that I use (BIG honey user, I am).

They have a frozen palak paneer that I use as a base for a hack dish (apologies to all real cooks) -- I take a large hunk of plain paneer, chop it into chunks, plonk it into a pyrex dish with olive oil, a generous handful of garam masala, and a small onion cut into chunks along with a few garlic cloves, roast that for ~20 minutes, plonk the TJ's frozen pp and another package of frozen spinach, go take a shower or putter around the garden for 20-90 minutes while the rice cooks, and voila! a hacked vegetarian dish that isn't exactly palak paneer but is, nonetheless, delicious; serve with chutney, serves 5.

They also have moroccan- and green/yellow thai- ish "simmer sauces" that I use for similarly hacked dishes - cook a protein with vaguely on-point spices, toss in garlic and onlon and vaguely-on point vegetables, plonk in simmer sauce (often with tomato sauce and/or coconut milk and/or smashed olives or whatever to extend it).

The dark chocolate peanut butter cups, *chef's kiss* there is no going back, ever, to Reese's.   One of my kids loves the frozen thai tea mochi.  The frozen chocolate croissants are surprisingly good, heat with care.

I puffy heart love the just the clusters ginger granola.  They also have a ginger snap cookie that I get when the kids are home.

 

[KungFuPanda]

I’ll try not to do repeats, but we like:

Everything But The Bagel seasoning

Irish Breakfast Tea

olive tapenade

oatmeal soap

tea tree conditioner (great for curly hair)

Their selection of cheeses and marinated meats is nice. 
 

I think that people who don’t have a Trader Joe’s get the idea that it’s fancy or expensive, but it’s really not. It’s mostly cleverly marketed store brands. It’s more expensive than Aldi, but cheaper than Wegmans and Whole Foods. 

[marbel]

I can't keep track of all the things people said. I think you should just try the things that seem interesting to you, and see how it goes.

My family buys the orange chicken, and the orange chickenless nuggets, but I know plenty of people don't like them. 

On the other hand, the JoJos cookies are wildly popular, but we don't like them at all. I find they have an odd, almost fruity flavor.  

Things are generally inexpensive and most thing will at least be edible even if they turn out not to be favorites. We've had some things we've finished and just determined not to buy again but I can't remember anything we threw away or requested a refund for.  But we have never bought anything we don't like in general. Like I wouldn't bother buying tilapia because anytime I've cooked it (from different sources), my family says it tastes like dirt. So... 😎