The 12 Best Things You Can Buy at Trader Joe's
Add these customer favorites to your grocery list. Now.
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Anyone who has shopped at Trader Joe's most likely loves it for different reasons. For some, it could be the kitschy Hawaiian shirts, consistently helpful customer service, and the low price points. But for most, it's likely how high quality the chain's generic label goods are. And now that we're moving swiftly into the new year, Trader Joe's is sharing its customers' 12 favorite items from 2015—the products that keep them coming back for more and subsequently making the check-out lines as long as ever. Check out the entire list below and pick up the winners on your next shopping trip.
Favorite Overall
Speeculoos cookie butter is an undeniable favorite at nearly every grocery chain that carries the sweet stuff. (I mean who can resist swirling it into a cheesecake?) So it makes sense that the spread topped the list of overall customers' top picks, including the addictive Mandarin Orange Chicken and Joe's Dinner Mac 'n Cheese.
Favorite Bakery Item
Sourdough bread beat out the seasonal yet delicious chocolate babka and snack-able soft pretzel sticks for the top spot in Trader Joe's shoppers' go-to baked good.
Favorite Drink
Most surprisingly, spiced cider knocked Charles Shaw Wine (or, as it's lovingly known, Two Buck Chuck) off of the throne for best beverage. Other runners-up include non-dairy almond milk and cold-brew coffee concentrate.
Favorite Cheese
Unexpected cheddar cheese, which is aged extra long and also contains a hint of salty parmesan, was the favorite over other popular curds like double cream brie, cheddar cheese with caramelized onions, creamy Toscano cheese soaked in Syrah, and cranberry chevre.
Favorite Frozen Item
Trader Joe's is famous for its quality frozen aisle so I'm sure this was a tough call. Mandarin Orange Chicken was the winner over diner-style mac 'n cheese, french-cut green beans, chicken tikka masala, and four chocolate croissants.
Favorite Produce
Bananas were the clear winner here—in lieu of avocados, honey crisp apples, brussels sprouts, and haricots verts—likely because they've been the same price (just 19 cents each!) for more than 13 years.
Favorite Candy
Dark chocolate peanut butter cups—no doubt a great upgrade from Reese's—reigned supreme over sea salt and turbinado sugar dark chocolate almonds, dark chocolate sea salt caramels, and English toffee. But they also beat their milk chocolate counterparts!
Favorite Salad
Peppery organic arugula topped the chart for leafy greens, which included bags of baby spinach, butter lettuce, Caesar salad, and the Harvest Blend of baby kale, pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin cornbread croutons.
Favorite Condiment
In this case, convention was key. TJ's brand organic ketchup was chosen over Green Dragon hot sauce, sweet chili sauce, Sriracha and roasted garlic barbecue sauce, and dijon mustard with white wine.
Favorite Meat/Meatless Item
Spicy soy chorizo won over all varieties of chicken sausage, uncured apple smoked bacon, meatless meatballs, and traditional carnitas. Hot damn!
Favorite Snack
White cheddar corn puffs crushed other top hits like sweet potato tortilla chips, organic corn chip dippers, peanut butter-filled pretzels, and olive oil popcorn. (The sad part for us was that the salt-and-pepper kettle chips didn't even receive honorable mention.)
Favorite Pumpkin
It's unclear why pumpkin was called out and given its own category but the gourd customers liked most was the organic canned version. Its competitors were the pumpkin bread and muffin mix, pumpkin butter, pumpkin pancake and waffle mix, and the dangerously delish pumpkin ice cream.
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