I’m a Trader Joe’s Superfan: 3 Affordable and Popular Items You Should Consider Buying in 2024
Written by
Heather Taylor
Edited by
Jenna Klaverweiden
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Every month, Trader Joe’s debuts new products throughout its grocery departments for shoppers to try out. Some items are instant hits with the masses and become so popular they’re inducted as winners into the Trader Joe’s Annual Customer Choice Awards. Other items are, well, more of an acquired taste. The majority of Trader Joe’s shoppers might swear by these items, but some customers might not get the appeal and regret spending their money.
What viral items are absolutely worth it at Trader Joe’s? GOBankingRates spoke to Jennifer Johnson, founder of True Fashionistas and a regular Trader Joe’s shopper, to find out what viral buys she recommends and what she advises skipping during your next Trader Joe’s shopping run.
3 Best Trader Joe’s Viral Buys
First, here are three of the best viral buys at Trader Joe’s.
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- Price: $4.49
There are a few peanut butter cups to choose from at Trader Joe’s, but Johnson’s favorite is Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.
“The juxtaposition is just right between the dark chocolate and peanut butter. Not too sweet but just right,” she said.
The dark chocolate peanut butter cups have also gone viral as snacks that offer the best value for your money. On TikTok, @foodinsider compared these peanut butter cups with similar offerings available from Whole Foods and the Reese’s brand. The video reveals Trader Joe’s had not only the least expensive option but also the most peanut butter cups per package with about 41 cups packed in each container.
Vegetable Fried Rice
- Price: $2.99
Having a reputation for being quick and easy to cook propelled Trader Joe’s Vegetable Fried Rice to go viral with creators on YouTube and TikTok. Johnson is also a big fan and said this fried rice might be better than takeout.
“We doctor it up with some soy sauce and add chicken, and it’s a great meal to make in a pinch,” said Johnson. “My teenage son can even make it!”
Hold the Cone Ice Cream Cones
- Price: $3.99
Johnson said Trader Joe’s Hold the Cone Ice Cream Cones are her guilty pleasure. She has one every night, adding that since the cones are so tiny, you don’t feel guilty for treating yourself.
Hold the Cone is so popular at Trader Joe’s that the product has spun off in every possible direction. It comes in different flavors, including chocolate and chocolate chip, and there’s a vegan option known as Hold the Dairy. Even the tiny waffle cone tips filled with dark chocolate are available to buy sans the ice cream: Hold the Cone Tips.
Skip These 3 Trader Joe’s Viral Buys
And here are three viral Trader Joe’s items you’re better off skipping.
Mandarin Orange Chicken
- Price: $4.99
You either love or loathe Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken, and Johnson fell into the latter category. The viral orange chicken looked and sounded good to Johnson, but the taste fell flat. She said it was too salty.
Gorgonzola Gnocchi
Trader Giotto’s Gnocchi al Gorgonzola, while no longer available to shop at Trader Joe’s, is another viral buy that Johnson said looked good on the package. Its taste was another story.
“After I cooked it, there was a strong taste and it kind of coagulated,” she said.
Bubble Waffles
Trader Joe’s enthusiasts remember the limited-time Bubble Waffles that made a splash on social media earlier this year. A combination of aesthetics helped the Bubble Waffles go viral, including the pink box packaging and the waffles themselves, which each had crispy edges and a mochi-like middle.
Johnson was among the Trader Joe’s shoppers who had to try them, but she found herself disappointed by the taste. She told GOBankingRates the texture was “just all wrong for me.”
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