Trader Joe’s is known for its delicious snacks, easy frozen meals, and surprising low prices. Customers rave over items like the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, the Green Goddess Seasoning Blend, the Hold-the-Cone Ice Cream Cones, and many others, but according to employees, some items are super overrated. Keep reading to find out which items are just not worth it.
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1. Speculoos Cookie Butter
This sweet spread is comparable to a peanut butter or almond butter, but rather than a nutty flavor, you get the super-sweet flavor of crushed belgian biscuits. While this sounds pretty delicious, in an article by Delish, Trader Joe's employees say that it's "too sweet" and that "all you can really taste is sugar, but nothing else."
However, most customers seem to disagree. On X, formerly Twitter, one user wrote, "Cookie butter from Trader Joe's is like crack," and another said, "I rediscovered cookie butter from Trader Joe's so that'll be the only thing I eat for the next 3 weeks." Seems like this Trader Joe's employee might be a bit jaded...
2. Kimbap
Trader Joe's describes this freezer-section staple as "an assortment of sauteed greens, crunchy root vegetables, and crisp pickles around a base of braised tofu," which again, sounds pretty good to us. But an employee has other thoughts, citing its "overall blandness," and how it's much better at Asian grocery markets like H Mart.
But users on X disagree, with different customers writing, "This is so good," and "She's a hit!"
3. Mandarin Orange Chicken
Another freezer staple, Trader Joe's describes this item as "tender chunks of chicken in a crispy breading with a sweet and spicy orange sauce." Trader Joe's employees on the other hand, describe it as "just fine" as "the quality of the meat has gotten worse in recent years." Oof.
But, in what seems to be a pattern, many users on X disagree. "That orange chicken from Trader Joe's goes so crazy," one person wrote.
"The mandarin orange chicken from Trader Joe's sparks joy in my tummy," wrote another.
"Orange chicken from Trader Joe's is life changing," added another fan.
4. Hashbrowns
Seems like Trader Joe's employees just aren't a fan of the freezer section! These fully cooked, frozen hashbrown patties are so easy to heat up and enjoy in the morning with eggs or even on a sandwich, but Trader Joe's employees say that the hash browns "are bad both inside and out, with a texture that always ends up never quite crispy enough."
Plus, the non-resealable packaging ensures that each patty after the first one "always have the slightest hint of freezer burn as an added seasoning."
5. Jingle Jangle
Trader Joe's seasonal items are usually a 10/10 from all parties involved, so we were surprised to see the Jingle Jangle on this list. Trader Joe's describes it as an "assortment of a whole bunch of things that taste terrific, bathed in chocolate," customers call it "delicious" and "amazing," but employees?
"Someone once compated it to the sweepings from the candy room floor, and I can't get that image out of my head," one said. Yuck.
6. Crunchy Chili Onion
This condiment is supposedly great on pretty much everything: "pizzas, burgers, burriots, hummus," according to Trader Joe's. The website describes it as such: "The crispy, crunchy dried garlic and onion creates a delightfully bold, verging-on-umami base, while dried red bell pepper and chili flakes build onto that with complementary smoky, slightly sweet, subtly spicy notes."
But Trader Joe's employees think the grocery chain should "leave it to the pros," because of the "very un-traditional and distracting olive oil base." They explain that the olive oil flavor "totally clouds over the multi-tectural dream that chili crisp should be."
The Trader Joe's website, however, says that the olive oil is the "most important" ingredient, as it "not only binds the other ingredients together, but becomes infused with a balanced blend of all the other flavors, combining them all into one superbly savory seasoning." Seems like you'll have to try it for yourself!
7. Cauliflower Gnocchi
Heading back over to the freezer section, Trader Joe's employees aren't fans of the cauliflower gnocci either. One employee described its taste as "like the bits of dried glue that are stuck to the outside of a bottle of Elmer's Glue." Yuck!
Customers on X reported "the cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe's hella makes my stomach hurt :( was excited about her," and another said, "we can stop pretending cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe's tastes good."
8. Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Trader Joe's describes this item with some pretty delicious words: "The pasta is blended with an opulent sauce amde with three cheese, a classic béchamel sauce, the perfect amount of butternut squash pureé, and a sprinkling of seasonal spices like nutmeg and sage."
But employees and customers alike are not fans. One employee described it as "frost-bitten pasta with a nauseatingly sage-y sauce" and said it's "not worth it." One customer said they "regretted" eating it, and another said "it's just nasty."
