10 Products to Avoid at Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s has a million awesome products that I buy week in and week out. But there are also some big misses, too! Here are 10 products to avoid at Trader Joe’s! Are there any products you would add? Feel free to leave them in the comments below!
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1. Shelf-Stable Salad Dressings: Do a hard pass on any shelf-stable dressing (especially the Ranch) and head to the produce section where their refrigerated Buttermilk Ranch and Cilantro dressing really shine!
2. Pre-Made Sandwich & Wraps: I have tried almost ALL of these, and they are always a miss! If there is lettuce or tomato in any of them, it’s usually soggy and gross. The exception: the buffalo chicken wrap!
3. Frozen Beef and Broccoli: Huge fail. The sauce is too sweet and just ICKY. Opt for the Kung Pao Chicken instead (so GOOD!) or make your own Trader Joe’s Shaved Steak and Broccoli that’s 10,000 times better!
4. Frozen Pizzas: Every single one of the pizzas I’ve tried has the DRYEST crust. None of them pass the “kid” test, either. My exception is the Cauliflower Crust Cheese Pizza. That one gets me by in a pinch! Opt for making your own Trader Joe’s pizza like this one.
5. Ketchup: There are only a handful of things I have to get at the “regular” grocery store and ketchup is one of them. Say NO to the overly sweet, overly bland TJ’s ketchup, and go for the original Heinz! Skip the mayo at TJ’s, too while you’re at it.
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6. Sushi: I am not a store-bought sushi snob. Whole Food’s pre-made sushi is decent. Trader Joe’s–nope! Dry and flavorless. At $5.99 it’s a deal, but you get what you pay for in this case.
7. Kung Pao Tempura Cauliflower: Since I love the frozen Kung Pao chicken so much, I wanted to love this and I tried it multiple times…in the oven, skillet, and air fryer. Nope. Soggy and gross every time. The sauce is nothing like the Kung Pao Chicken sauce. Hard pass.
8. Egg Salad: I picked this up for lunch when I needed a higher protein meal. It looked super good and fresh. It was TASTELESS. Zero flavor. I added a little salt and pepper but it didn’t help much!
9. Sliced (sandwich) Bread: Whoever said “the best thing since sliced bread” wasn’t talking about Trader Joe’s sliced bread! All of the TJ’s sandwich-style breads are dry and have a “hard” texture. Their white bread is decent but we don’t eat a lot of white bread. My ride or die “seedy” sandwich bread is Dave’s Killer Bread. Trader Joe’s Cracked Wheat bread makes the most KILLER grilled cheese!
10. Tortillas: If you are used to the nice, soft Mission-brand tortillas, TJ’s tortillas don’t measure up. They aren’t as soft and just seem “stiff,” even when heated up. One saving grace, the TJ’s Carb Savvy Tortillas are yummy and soft! However, they only come in the small size 🙁
HONORABLE MENTION
Frozen Vietnamese Soup (Pho): I haven’t seen this in awhile so I am hoping they got rid of it, but this soup might be the worst fail of all…and not because I am half Vietnamese! This soup is just SO BAD. The grainy texture, the taste, the lack of noodles…If you ever happen to see it, RUN!
