Save your money by skipping these overhyped Trader Joe’s items that are a total rip-off.
Over the years, Trader Joe’s has developed a significant cult following for its quirky branding and unique selection of prepackaged snacks and frozen meals. While some swear by the trendy grocery chain, others question whether it’s worth all the excitement.
Avoid these overrated Trader Joe’s products, which are a complete waste of money.
Mandarin Orange Chicken
Trader Joe’s offers an impressive selection of frozen foods, including its famous Mandarin Orange Chicken. However, prepare for disappointment if you’re hoping for a dish that rivals your favorite Chinese restaurant.
The chicken cooks nicely in the air fryer, but the included sauce packet is far from the takeout you know and love. It has a one-note flavor profile and a strangely goopy texture.
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Gluten-free eaters beware: the Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Pizza Crust is not worth your money. It’s dry and gritty and quickly becomes soggy once you load it up with sauce and toppings. You’ll likely have to use a fork and knife to eat this disappointing pizza crust.
Speculoos Cookie Butter
Trader Joe’s fanatics were excited when the grocery chain released its Speculoos Cookie Butter. The Biscoff-inspired sweet spread features crushed biscuits and hints of gingerbread flavor.
However, many criticize the cookie butter for being overly sweet. A former Trader Joe’s employee told Delish, “All you can really taste is sugar, but nothing else.” It’s also a niche product that sounds tasty but is challenging to pair with other foods.
Cauliflower Gnocchi
Think twice before adding a bag of Cauliflower Gnocchi to your shopping cart. The classic Gnocchi is a favorite for its versatility and straightforward cooking process.
In 2018, Trader Joe’s launched a cauliflower version that is free of gluten, dairy, and eggs. Longtime customers complain about the Cauliflower Gnocchi’s texture, which quickly turns chewy and sticky.
Crunchy Chili Onion
Leave the Crunchy Chili Onion on the shelf next time you pick up groceries at Trader Joe’s. Traditional Asian chili crisp products inspired this condiment but with some key differences.
The Crunchy Chili Onion is less spicy and flavorful than brands like Lao Gan Ma. It also contains several out-of-place ingredients like paprika and dried bell peppers, which creates a confusing taste.
Everything But The Bagel Seasoning
Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel Seasoning became an instant cult classic. Its ingredients —sesame seeds, salt, garlic, onion, and poppy seeds—claim to make any food taste like a traditional everything bagel. Despite initial excitement over the product, many were disappointed by its coarse texture, which doesn’t evenly coat meat or seafood.
Brioche Buns
Brioche is an excellent bread option for its buttery taste and fluffiness. While brioche buns sound like a delicious addition to hamburgers, the Trader Joe’s ones aren’t your best bet.
Unfortunately, Trader Joe’s buns are known to get dry and hard incredibly fast. Consider a different burger bun unless you plan to eat the brioche ones the same day you purchase them.
Hashbrowns
Trader Joe’s shoppers go nuts for the store’s frozen hashbrowns. Many locations sell out of the shredded potato patties within hours of restocking them. Despite their popularity, these hashbrowns are relatively flavorless aside from salt and an unpleasant oily aftertaste.
Joe-Joe’s
Joe-Joe’s cookies are Trader Joe’s take on the classic Oreo. The chocolate and cream sandwich treats resemble milk’s favorite cookie but ultimately fall short. Joe-Joe’s are drier and taste more artificial.
Kimbap
Food lovers who enjoy international cuisine may want to try Kimbap, a vegan twist on Korean gimbap. The traditional dish consists of rice, vegetables, and fish rolled in dried seaweed.
Though the Trader Joe’s version went viral on social media in 2023, it hasn’t won shoppers over. Complaints include feeling skimped on fillings due to the ratio of rice to vegetables. Some also say the Kimbap is bland unless served with a dipping sauce.
Cinnamon Bun Spread
Don’t waste your money on the Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Bun Spread. The grocery store claims to pack everything you love about cinnamon rolls into one dessert-like paste. While this may sound appealing, the Cinnamon Bun Spread is overpoweringly sweet and lacks a distinct cinnamon flavor.
Jingle Jangle
During winter, you may spot tins of Jingle Jangle lining the Trader Joe’s shelves. This holiday snack mix contains chocolate-covered pretzels, cookies, peanut butter cups, and more.
Although the Jingle Jangle is delicious, one tin can cost around $10. Instead, create a DIY holiday treat mix in your kitchen to get more bang for your buck.
Chicken Tikka Masala
If you want to try a new Trader Joe’s frozen food item, skip the Chicken Tikka Masala. This microwaveable meal contains white meat chicken in a curry sauce with rice.
Many shoppers are frustrated by how quickly the chicken dries out once heated. Additionally, there isn’t enough sauce for the rice portion included, leaving you with bland rice at the end of your meal.
Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Are you craving a taste of fall? Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese may seem the perfect choice, but it struggles to live up to the hype.
One anonymous Internet user compared this frozen pasta to airplane food in an online forum discussing the most overrated Trader Joe’s products. The noodles are mushy, and the sauce tastes more like sage than butternut squash.
Danish Kringle
While Trader Joe’s Danish Kringle isn’t bad, it falls short compared to other desserts. Kringle is a ring-shaped, flaky pastry made with layers of sweet filling.
Trader Joe’s usually carries several seasonal flavors with additions like pecan and pumpkin. The treat is a holiday favorite, but there are better bakery options, such as pancake bread and cookie brownies.
Vegan Jackfruit Cakes
Trader Joe’s touts its Vegan Jackfruit Cakes as a plant-based alternative to crab cakes. Despite the claims, these cakes don’t pass for seafood at all. The texture is oddly meat-like, and the flavor is a confusing mix of spices.
Unexpected Cheddar
Leave the Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar off your next charcuterie board. This one-of-a-kind cheese combines cheddar and parmesan, which is pretty tasty upon first bite.
However, the grocer has far more delicious cheeses. Try the caramelized onion English cheddar instead for an equally unique but more palatable option.
Create a quick and delicious dinner using Trader Joe’s products that are worth the hype
While some Trader Joe’s food items fall flat, others are well-loved by many. Whip up a tasty weeknight dinner with these tried-and-true favorites.
14 Trader Joe’s Dinners So Easy and Inexpensive They Feel Illegal
Take the Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi to the next level
Have you tried the Sweet Potato Gnocchi from Trader Joe’s yet? Get inspired to turn this dinner staple into a satisfying, well-rounded dish.
How to Turn Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi Into an Easy Meal
Elise Armitage is an entrepreneur and founder of What The Fab, a travel + lifestyle blog based in California. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday. Since then, she’s launched her SEO course Six-Figure SEO, where she teaches bloggers how to create a passive revenue stream from their website using SEO. Featured in publications like Forbes, Elle, HerMoney, and Real Simple, Elise is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style.
