Trader Joe’s is known for teasing well-loved seasonal items and exciting item drops, but there are some items that have not wavered from the store’s core product selection. And some of these are so good year after year, they’ve made it on the eclectic grocery store’s best-of-all-time lists. You’ll find these products available in every store (as long as they’re not sold out by fiends) and have sort of officially entered Trader Joe’s Hall of Fame among longtime fans and newbies. They’re the products that show up on best-of lists and have stood the test of time among a sea of hundreds of products that come and go (like the Coconut Aminos Smoky BBQ Sauce). Without further ado…
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1. Mandarin Orange Chicken
Trader Joe's inducted their Mandarin Orange Chicken into their official Product Hall of Fame created this year—and it's #1 on the list! This sweet and savory dish launched in 2004 (it's almost 20 years old). Customers have rated it their Favorite Overall dish and Best Entrée, awards given out each year in TJ's Customer Choice Awards, multiple years in a row. It was only right the chain placed it into a permanent hall of honor. We won't see its dismissal anytime soon.
2. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Can you guess the #2 item on TJ's Hall of Fame list? Yep, that's right—it's these rich dark chocolate peanut butter cup bites, which first launched in 2010. They've won "Best Dessert" in TJ's Customer Awards over the years. Trader Joe's fills the cups with real peanut butter made from slowly roasted and grounded Virginia peanuts and the chocolate shell is made from cacao beans free from artificial flavors and preservatives.
In a review thread on Reddit raving about the sweet treat, one fan wrote, "I don't even like Reese's cups at all but these I will eat until I'm ill." Admittedly, us too.
3. Unexpected Cheddar Cheese
TODAY rated TJ's Unexpected Cheddar Cheese block as its #1 "most iconic Trader Joe's product of all time"—of the countless products the chain offers, this is a high honor indeed! But what makes it so good? Customers love it because it tastes like it's from an expensive cheese shop, but it's pennies compared in price—a 7oz block is only $3.99!
READ MORE: Customers Agree: These Are The Worst Trader Joe's Items Nobody Should Be Buying
4. Hold The Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones
For the 14th Annual Customer Choice Awards list created by Trader Joe's through customer surveys, shoppers rated these mini ice cream cones the "#1 Sweet/Dessert" treat available at the grocer. These mini cones can be eaten in just a few bites, but fans love them for a quick, guilt-free sweet tooth fix. They come in six flavors: coffee bean, peppermint, vanilla, chocolate, chocolate chip, and pumpkin ginger.
5. Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips
Customers rated these Taki-like spicy scrolls the "#1 Snack" from Trader Joe's last year, ahead of other favorites like the Organic Elote Corn Chip Dippers and the White Cheddar Corn Puffs. The gluten-free crispy fingers are made from stone-ground corn masa and dusted with chili and lime seasoning. Their vibrant color is pulled from naturally derived vegetable juice, paprika, and turmeric extracts—forewarning, just like Hot Cheetos, they will stain your fingers. A 9 oz bag will run you $2.99.
