6 New Trader Joe's Items, Reviewed By Someone Who Has Basically Tasted Everything Else On TJ's Shelves
Hi! I'm Hannah, and you may or may not know by now, but I'm a major Trader Joe's fan. I've tried more Trader Joe's products than I would like to admit, and I'm always keeping an eye out for new additions to the grocery aisles I know like the back of my hand.
On a recent spring grocery trip, I noticed that my local Trader Joe's was stocked with some pretty enticing options I'd never tried before. So, I decided to do a little haul and taste test several of them.
Here's what I came home with:
And here's what I honestly thought of all of them:
1.Spicy Tempura Seaweed Snacks, $3.29
I'm a big fan of basically anything seaweed. Nora seaweed snacks are one of my favorite snack foods, but they tend to be hard to find (and expensive when I do spot them in a store in Manhattan). So, when I saw a dupe of this Japanese-inspired treat at Trader Joe's, I was thrilled. At $3.29 for a relatively small bag, they aren't the cheapest snack option, but they're more affordable than most alternatives.
Ooooh, these are good, and they definitely pack some heat.
They're light and crunchy and a great mild, entry-level seaweed snack if you're not a fan of anything too fishy. I personally love eating these plain by the handful, but they would also be delicious crunched up over baked salmon, as a poke bowl^^ garnish, or added to a bowl of ramen soup. I only wish there were more in the bag...
2.Ube Pretzels: $2.99
Ube is having a dang moment at Trader Joe's. On my latest visit, I saw ube-flavored Joe-Joe's, ube tea cookies, and these ube yogurt coated pretzels. I'm someone who loves a good sweet and savory combination, so I gravitated right toward the pretzels.
I always forget how mini these candy coated pretzels are. As advertised, they really are adorably teeny tiny.
As for the taste... yeah, they're really freaking good. They are certainly more sweet than savory (I yearned for a little bit more salty pretzel in each bite), but I also couldn't stop eating them. They have that fruity-meets-nutty flavor that ube lovers will immediately identify (to me, it tastes somewhere between vanilla and blueberry). They are not my favorite of all the candy coated mini pretzels Trader Joe's has unleashed over the years (I'm still totally obsessed with the cookies and cream version), but I would not hesitate to buy these again.
3.Vegan "Poke" (Marinated Beets): $4.99
When I first spotted this vegan poke in the refrigerated aisle, sandwiched somewhere between the ready to heat soups and the premade wraps, I will admit I didn't have high hopes. But I am a 30-week pregnant woman with a normal diet that leans heavily on sushi and raw fish, so I was happy to give just about any substitute a try. Lo and behold: T.J.'s vegan poke, which is essentially chopped beets in a sesame soy sauce.
Not only was this stuff better than I was expecting, but I actually really enjoyed it.
The really distinct, juicy beet flavor is diluted by the soy and sesame sauces, and it even looks like tuna poke. Of course, the texture is a bit more firm and dense than buttery, melt-in-your-mouth raw tuna, but hey, it was a satisfying alternative. This poke isn't quite a ready-to-eat meal because on its own, it's not substantial enough, but you can easily transform it into a satisfying meal. I put the beet poke over a bed of sushi rice with a bunch of veggies, mango, and sesame seeds, and I would 10/10 make it again.
4.Strawberries & Cream Gelato: $3.49
Ice cream has always been one of my absolute favorite desserts, but throughout my pregnancy especially, I have been craving cold, refreshing sweets. Ice cream has become a nightly indulgence, one that I hope to never give up. And as a big strawberry ice cream girl, I was pumped to see this vanilla bean and strawberry medley in the frozen aisle.
I'd seen a lot of people raving about this ice cream on social media, but I personally don't get all the hype.
Funny enough, I preferred the vanilla portion of this gelato to the strawberry side, and I really wish they were mixed together so as to incorporate the flavors better. I noticed something slightly artificial tasting about the strawberry portion. And this stuff is not quite as rich and creamy as my ideal ice cream. Rather, it's on the lighter, airier side of the spectrum. This is a totally solid frozen dessert for those who like strawberry ice cream, especially if you want something on the lighter side, but if you ask me, T.J.'s has better options like their iconic cookie butter ice cream.
5.Perfectly Pickled Pups: $4.99
If I were stranded on a desert island and could only have three Trader Joe's products to survive off of, the original pastry pups might very well be one of my picks. They are my favorite party app and feel-good snack, and I was so excited to see a new iteration of classic cocktail franks in the frozen aisle at T.J.'s. I happen to love Trader Joe's pastry pups even more than I love the Hebrew National or Sabrett variety. I also love anything pickled, so you could say I had some pretty high expectations for these.
These aren't your traditional cocktail franks.
They're breaded almost like jalapeño poppers. The package suggests air frying the perfectly pickled pups, so that's exactly what I did. I air fried them at 350° for about eight minutes until golden brown. I gave them another extra two minutes, but unfortunately, I felt like they never got really, really crispy.
And sadly, I wasn't a huge fan of these.
For me, a good pig in a blanket is all about the flaky crescent dough. This breading was too dense, and it overpowered the mini hot dog inside. And TBH, I found the pickle flavor to be virtually nonexistent. I got some dill-y notes in the breading, but it was underwhelming. I'm glad I tried these, but I'll be sticking to the OG pastry pups from now on.
6.Calabrian Chili Spicy Pasta Sauce: $4.99
Trader Joe's has a whole lot of pasta sauces. Some are real winners (I'm lookin' at you, three-cheese pomodoro), while there are others I tend to avoid. I love a little spice in my pasta, so when I first noticed this new Calabrian chili spicy pasta sauce, I figured it was well worth a try.
Unfortunately, this Calabrian chili pasta sauce is going to fall under that do-not-buy-again category for me.
First things first, the texture of this sauce was off-putting. It felt slimy rather than creamy. And taste-wise, it didn't have that bright, fresh tomato flavor that you expect from a really good jar of pasta sauce. It was this strange blend of spicy and sweet at the same time, and I couldn't really wrap my head around it. If it's a spicy kick you're after, I'd go with T.J.'s Arrabbiata Sauce (or just add a spoonful of Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce to your classic marinara).
