My Go-To Trader Joe’s Products & Shopping List (Plus, Reader Favorites!)

Trader Joe’s Must Haves

If you’ve never been, it can be overwhelming — you don’t know what’s good, what to try, what you need, what you’ll waste… The good news is that I’ve never purchased something that was a total miss. Some items I purchase because they’re less expensive, others because they’re different… And, I’m not only sharing my favorites! At the bottom of my list, I’ve included the products that have been suggested the most by readers and Instagram followers. It would take a long time, a lot of meals, and more dedication than I have to sample everything Trader Joe’s carries but my tried and true shopping items are listed below. So what’s good at Trader Joe’s? I’ve included all the Trader Joe’s must haves below.

Sources: Beaded Chandelier | Round Mirror | Curtains | Curtain Rod | Pendant Lights | Cabinet Pulls

 Trader Joe’s Shopping List

Freezer/Refrigerated

• Organic Pesto Pizza w/Tomatoes & Broccoli — TIP: I ordered THIS pizza cutter with a great warranty and ergonomic handle after seeing the insane reviews!)
• Farfalle with Cheese & Spinach — I have this for lunch occasionally; it would also make a great dinner side.
• Asparagus Risotto — love this as an easy dinner side!
• Mashed Potato Medallions — so close to homemade taste and my mind is blown how with just a little milk, how thick and amazing these are. SUCH a timesaver! I also just purchased the mashed cauliflower and can’t wait to try it.
• Roasted Cauliflower & Cheese Ravioli & Arugula Ravioli– (refrigerated) I LOVE to toss this with olive oil and parmesan and serve it as a side. So quick and yummy.
• Organic Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls — (refrigerated) Even better than Annie’s (which has gotten so expensive, it’s wild!)
• Vegetable Fried Rice — I have an entire recipe on how I serve this HERE.
• Japchae Korean Glass Noodles & Vegetable Stir Fry — This is so delicious and is perfect for an individual lunch portion. Did you know the glass noodles come from sweet potatoes?
• Hatch Chile Mac & Cheese
• Mozzarella Cheese Sticks — They don’t have that freezer taste like most — I even like to serve these alongside a salad for a simple, different weeknight dinner.
• Riced Cauliflower — great as a rice alternative with veggies and a protein with a sauce on top.
• Supersweet Cut White Corn — inexpensive, quick, great flavor.
• Melange a Trois (cut tri-color bell peppers) — great short cut without paying a premium.
• Corn Cups — seasonal item only available during the Christmas holiday.
• Beef and Broccoli — one of my mom’s favorites.
• Mini Croissants — flaky and buttery and like nothing I’ve ever had.
• Pancake Puffs — Eliza loves these for a breakfast treat and at Christmas, they have chocoloate chip puffs!
• Hold the Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones — perfect dessert in a guilt-free portion… seriously DELICIOUS.
• Bubble Waffles — a new summer seasonal favorite of Eliza’s!
• Vegetable Bird’s Nests — These are awesome on the side of an asian meal, in lieu of a spring roll! And the sauce is amazing.
• Spinach & Artichoke Dip — So quick to heat up and prepare and while it’s perfect for an app, it’s also great to serve with chips as a dinner side.
• Cookie Butter Ice Cream — We purchased this for the first time during or last trip and I am forever changed.
• Gluten Free Breaded Shrimp — These are so crispy, already have the tails removed, and we love having them with traditional sauces or on top of a stir fry.
• Sweet Potato Fries — They have the best!
• Tater Tots — See above… the best.
• Parmesan Pastry Pups — A new fave of Dave’s, these are like fancy all-beef pigs in the blanket, in puff pastry, parmesan & seasoning.
• Gone Berry Crazy Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pieces — Like Tru Fru for a fraction of the price.
• Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup — (refrigerated) I like to add some shredded cheese on top.

TIP: As I mentioned, we have quite a trek to make to get to our nearest Trader Joe’s. We keep a freezer bag in the back of the car so we don’t have to worry about rushing home with food items spoiling or melting. THIS XXL bag is BIG, has thousands of 5 star reviews, collapses, is washable, and is perfect for both cold and food storage — it’s also waterproof 😉

THESE thin, large ice packs claim to freeze in 20 minutes, also.

As a tip, I just learned that if you take your freezer bag into the store, the check out clerk will pack your cold items in the bag for you. This sure beats stuffing full grocery bags into the freezer bag when you are loading your groceries into your car. You can also purchase frozen water bottles from TJs if you don’t have any ice packs on hand.

Dry Goods

• Organic Stone Ground Yellow Taco Shells TIP: If you’ve never tried using taco stands for easy assembly, they will change your taco nights forever! THESE come in sets of four, six and ten, have 5 stars, and are oven safe for heating. Plus, they’re stackable for easy storage.
• Pitted Kalamata Olives
• Vanilla Almond Clusters Cereal
• Hearts of Palm- love having these on hand for salads (they’re in a pouch)
• Canned Garbanzo Beans
• Canned Traditional Style Fat Free Refried Beans — my absolute favorite out there
• Canned Black Beans
• Canned Organic Joe’s O’s Pasta- like spaghettios, and yes, I am all about ’em 😉
• Canned Chiles
• Pasta — all the shapes are available for an amazingly low 99 cents a package!
• Baking Mixes — The vanilla cake is a fave, but I haven’t seen it in a while. We also love the cornbread mix.

TIP: When it comes to storing canned goods and jars, I use expandable organizer shelves I swear by. THESE large shelves can adjust to fit just about any space perfectly — from pantry shelves to kitchen cabinets.

Spices/Sauces

• Everything But the Bagel- the best seasoning I put on everything from meat to veggies; may be TJ’s most popular product.
• Taco Seasoning- we love this blend! Beware — it’s on the spicier side.
• Onion Salt — this is so good added to any meat or vegetable. Probably my most used seasoning.
• Everything But the Elote — Dave loves this on corn.
• Citrusy Garlic Seasoning — Excellent on chicken and fish.
• Ranch Seasoning — I love this on fresh sliced cucumbers.
• Seasoning In A Pickle — is another good one for fresh sliced cucumbers.
• 21 Seasoning Salute — a great spice blend with no sodium.
• Salsa Autentica- this is a finer salsa, like at a Mexican restaurant, and I especially like to use it on chicken in the crock pot.
• Salsa Verde- awesome on chicken enchiladas 
• General Tso Stir Fry Sauce
• Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
• Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce
• Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce — great on wings!
• Sweet Chile Sauce
• Spicy Honey Sauce — I love this as a chicken dipper.

TIP: THESE expandable spice jar organizer shelves — like the large can organizers above — are my favorite way to store spices. For a solution under $13, you can actually see all the spices you have “in stock” and don’t require matching bottles or jars of the same size and shape. The 3-tier self unit will expand to fit your cabinet perfectly! 

Also, THESE double-sided measuring spoons are not only magnetized to fit together nicely, but with one side of the spoon being tapered, up to 1/2 Tbsp. will fit inside the Trader Joe’s spice jars (unlike traditional round spoons). It’s also kind of like having two sets of spoons in one that can be used across multiple wet and dry ingredients, since each spoon has two ends.

Measuring Spoons

Produce

Trader Joe’s produce in general is reason enough to make a trip. We have always been lucky with some of the freshest, juiciest fruit and veggies and their prices can’t be beat. Plus, they have specialty items that are more difficult to find anywhere else. They package groupings together in a smart way too so be on the lookout and be thorough. If you are prepping for a party especially, spend some time combing through. Here are just a few items on regular rotation.

• *If they have the Saturn peaches when you go (summer), get them!
• Bananas
• Lemons
• Limes
• Bags of Mandarins
• Prepared Salads
• Asian Stir Fry
• Multipacks of Grapes (red, purple, and green)
• Artichokes
• Rainbow Carrots
• Mini Heirloom Tomatoes
• Melons
• Mini Cucumbers
• Mini Varieties of Avocados, Cabbages, Apples, etc.
• Champagne Grapes

TIP: I love THIS collapsible, expandable over-the-sink colander for rinsing produce. Unlike a traditional, round colander that takes up space, this one consolidates into a size thin enough (just over 1.5″) to be stored alongside baking sheets and racks.

Snacks

• “Walks Into a Bar” Breakfast Bars — like Nutrigrain but way better. Watch for seasonal flavors, like the peach bars in the summer.
• Gummy Scandinavian Swimmers — like Swedish fish in a few flavors
• Nuts & Seeds (smoked mesquite almonds are favs) — awesome prices on all nuts and mixes TIP: If you’re stocking up on nuts for baking and your recipe calls for “chopped nuts”, THIS manual chopper is incredibly efficient and so easy to use. Just toss whatever you plan to chop inside the container, snap on the lid, and pull the ring a few times and it will chop your nuts (fruit, veggies, etc.) in seconds. This is one of my new favorite gadgets and can be found HERE. If you are a pesto fan, TJs is also a great place to purchase pine nuts. You can find my recipe for Fresh Tomato and Pesto Pasta HERE.
• Dried Fruit — the cranberries are great for snacking and baking.
• Granola — another must have for Dave and seasonal varieties are available.
• Salted Tortilla Chips
• Corn Chip Dippers
• Cracker Assortment — the only box of crackers you need for a cheese platter.
• Sesame Sticks
• ALL Cheese Varieties
• String Cheese — the best (I am really picky about my string cheese!)
• Organic Yogurt Cups
• Oatmeal Cranberry Dunkers
• PB&J Dunkers (Eliza loves these!)
• Joe O’s — the seasonal varieties are lots of fun.
• Applesauce pouches — so inexpensive, quick and Eliza loves them! They come in a few applesauce flavors.
• Fruit Leather — a great grab and go snack to have on hand in the car.

Desserts/Bakery

• Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups — way better than the milk chocolate
• Dark Chocolate Covered Orange Jellies
• Lemon Squares- in the bakery area
• Brookies — in the bakery area (I prefer the regular over the peanut butter)
• Mini Hand Pies — in the bakery area and fun flavors like strawberry rhubarb and lemon blue berry change with the season.
• Sour Cream Donuts
• Hold the Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones — perfect for a taste and also one of Eliza’s favs! — freezer section

Other

• Pizza dough, pizza sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni (We always plan a homemade pizza night after a TJ’s run!)
• The ravioli in the fridge section is always a must for us. The butternut squash variety is my favorite.
• Flowers (especially silver dollar & seeded eucalyptus & tulip bundles. Plus the peonies are a must when they are in season.) Tip: Check out THIS POST where I shared several arrangements I created from under $5 all the way to $55, using Trader Joe’s flowers, exclusively.
• Charlee Bear Dog Treats Tip: Keep your dog treats in THIS POP canister for easy access, storage, and quick, one-handed handling! I have these for so many uses throughout our kitchen and laundry room, from plastic bag storage to storage for dishwashing tabs and laundry pods.
• Small House Plants Tip: I recently picked up a small olive tree from TJ’s and it fits perfectly in THIS inexpensive and versatile pot. I typically bring home at least one house plant on every trip to TJs.
• Herb Plants — Their basil plants are huge and I love to have one on hand in my kitchen to use as needed.

Sources: Match Cloche | Rattan Tissue Box Cover | Bud Vase | Rattan Tray | Bubble Planter | Tall Textured Vase

Sources: Plant Pot | Soap Dispenser Set | Marble Tray (similar) | Faucet

Seasonal (Non-Food)

• Pumpkins
• Pumpkin Bread Mix TIP: split this single large loaf recipe between multiple mini loaves (the loaf pans I use are HERE) and either freeze to enjoy throughout the season in smaller batches, or wrap them up as gifts!
• Boxwood Wreaths
• Olivewood Spoons and Boards (see below)
• Felt Wool Trivets
• Felt Wool Garland
• Silicone Serving Utensils
• Advent Calendars (for the last couple of years, Eliza has gifted one to each of her classmates!)

Reader Trader Joe’s Must Haves

I had a ton of feedback when I asked for reader Trader Joe’s must haves, but these are the most replicated answers, in addition to some of my own personal favorites above. So, what’s everyone else purchasing?

• Cookie Butter
• Chili Lime Seasoning
• Reduced Guilt Guacamole
• Edamame
• Chocolate Croissants
• Gnocchi (cauliflower & sweet potato)
• Wine
• Orange Chicken
• Microwave Jasmine Rice
• Spatchcocked Chicken
• Plantain Chips
• Pot Stickers
• Chicken Fried Rice
• Hummus
• Olive Oil
• Cauliflower Pizza Crust
• Roasted Cauliflower & Cheese Ravioli
• Cowboy Caviar
• Linguine w/ Clam Sauce

Have your own favorites / Trader Joe’s must haves not mentioned? Let us know in the comment section at the bottom of the post!

Other Posts You May Be Interested In

• Costco Shopping List & Favorites
• Trader Joe’s Flower Arrangements from $5 to $50
• Trader Joe’s Vegetable Fried Rice Hack
• Rise & Shine Breakfast Charcuterie Board
• 6 Ideas for Fruit & Floral Statement Arrangements

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