1Speculoos Cookie Butter Spread
Trader Joe'sTrader Joe's Cookie Butter is way (way!) too sweet. It actually exemplifies all things that tend to go wrong with sweets and desserts at the store: That all you can really taste is sugar, but nothing else. As the kids say, this spread is very mid and is not deserving of all the hype.
2Crunchy Chili Onion
Trader Joe'sIf Trader Joe's Crunchy Chili Onion was your first (or only) introduction to the wonder that is chili crisp, it's time to branch out. This traditional spicy-crunchy Chinese condiment is something Trader Joe's should leave to the pros (some favorites of ours are made by Fly by Jing and Lao Gan Ma), since Trader Joe's uses the very un-traditional and distracting olive oil as a base, which totally clouds over the multi-textural dream that chili crisp should be!
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3Hash Browns
Trader Joe'sMany bad products at Trader Joe's just get worse thanks to their equally horrible packaging. Sadly, Trader Joe's hash browns are bad both inside and out, with a texture that always ends up never quite crispy enough. But wait, it gets worse, because thanks to its non-resealable packing, these hash brown patties always have the slightest hint of freezer burn as an added seasoning.
4Kimbap
Trader Joe'sTruth be told, I really don't mind the kimbap, but it is the current Most Overhyped Product of many of the crew I interviewed. Eye rolls were aplenty when they discussed this particular item, with many employees wishing customers would "calm down" over this TikTok-viral item. This is mostly due to its overall blandness in relation to how often it sells out (and how often customers beg for intel on when it will be back). Plus, like other items, kimbap is pretty prevalent (and more delicious) when you pick up the ones sold at Asian grocery markets like H Mart.
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5Mandarin Orange Chicken
Trader Joe'sMuch like the kimbap, Mandarin Orange Chicken earns the "it's just fine" stamp of approval from many Trader Joe's employees. The sticky orange sauce reaches glazed-donut levels of sweetness and the quality of the meat has gotten worse in recent years (many of the chunks of dark meat chicken are mostly just breading). You're better off just going to Panda Express.
6Jingle Jangle
Trader Joe'sOne of my favorite employee reviews of the this overhyped seasonal product reads as follows: "Someone once compared it to the sweepings from the candy room floor, and I can’t get that image out of my head." And now I can't get it out of my head either.
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7Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Trader Joe'sOne Redditor summed this product up so perfectly, likening this ultra-popular frozen item's taste to be closer to "airplane food." Sadly, many crew members I interviewed overwhelmingly agreed that this frost-bitten pasta with a nauseatingly sage-y sauce is not worth it.
8Everything But The Bagel Seasoning
Trader Joe'sEverything bagels? Incredible. But Everything But The Bagel Seasoning is something that many Trader Joe's employees do not want to see on their own spice rack.
Not only does it often lack a whole lot of depth as of late (making most dishes you add it to just feel flat and "basic" according to employee interviews). Also, sometimes when you near the end of the jar, it's more salt than seasonings, making for a very sad, borderline inedible sprinkling experience.
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9Cauliflower Gnocchi
Trader Joe'sThere's no other way to say it: These taste like the bits of dried glue that are stuck on the outside of a bottle of Elmer's Glue, especially if you follow the given instructions to pan-fry them (with half of them getting stuck to your pan. The only way these are made more-than-okay is by essentially roasting them to a crisp in plenty of olive oil in the oven or air-fryer. If you don't heed this advice, enjoy your edible glue.
10Unexpected Cheddar (all forms)
Trader Joe'sAs someone who used to run the cheese section at a Trader Joe's (and was a cheesemonger afterwards), I can say that there are just way more exciting cheeses at Trader Joe's. Their Unexpected Cheddar is absolutely fine (it's a mix of cheddar + salty parmesan and comes shredded and in a spread form), but it lacks any novelty after a few bites. You'd be much better off sticking with any of the grocer's English cheddars (like the caramelized onion) or a nutty alpine cheese like Comté.
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