All the Winners of Trader Joe’s 2025 Customer Choice Awards (and Our Thoughts)

It’s award season! No, we’re not talking about the Oscar noms. We’re talking about Trader Joe’s Customer Choice Awards. Everyone’s favorite store for small talk just announced the winners of their 17th annual awards and there are definitely some surprises. Here’s the full list of the winners, many of which you’ll be able to find in the “trophy case” at your local Trader Joe’s. 

Best Sweet Treat: Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches

Nailed it. These little ice cream sandwiches rule. In fact, they were our #1 top ice cream sandwiches for years, until they were unseated by Chipwich. Still, we’ll always have a place in our hearts (and freezers) for these little cookie ice cream sandwiches. 

Best Snack: Garlic Butter Irish Potato Chips

They’re not quite as punchy at Trader Joe’s Irish Blue Cheese Potato Chips, but we absolutely adore these buttery, garlicky crisps. We gave them 10/10 sporks and added them to our best chips ranking. 

Best Lunch & Dinner: Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice

We like Trader Joe’s frozen butter chicken. It ranked pretty high on our ranking of all the Trader Joe’s Indian foods. We’re still a little bit obsessed with the vegan Thai curry, but the butter chicken has broader appeal. 

Best Breakfast & Brunch: Hashbrowns

While these frozen hashbrowns are a staple in the Sporked freezer, they’re still not the best frozen hashbrowns you can buy nor the best breakfast food at Trader Joe’s. Our pick would have been the frozen chocolate croissants.

Best Appetizer: Creamy Spinach & Artichoke Dip

This is outrageous. It’s not even the best Trader Joe’s dip, let alone the best appetizer at Trader Joe’s. Heck, it’s not even the best spinach dip at Trader Joe’s. That honor belongs to the Spinach & Kale Greek Yogurt Dip. 

Best Produce: Teeny Tiny Avocados

I buy these little avocados a lot. They’re cute. They ripen quickly. And they’re generally not brown and/or gross on the inside. Personally, I’m a bigger fan of the mini heirloom tomatoes. But I’ll let these lil’ guys have it. 

Best Cheese: Goat Cheese

Trader Joe’s goat cheese is fine. It’s totally fine. It made it onto our ranking of the best goat cheese to buy. But the best cheese at Trader Joe’s? I don’t think so. At least the Toscano Cheese Spread was a runner-up. That stuff rocks. 

Best Beverage: Spiced Cider

Oof. Swing and a miss, TJ’s customers. This spiced cider didn’t even make our ranking of the best cider. What would we have picked? We might have chosen the Matcha Lemonade or the Espresso Tonic or even the green juice.

Best New Product: Protein Pancakes

I was a bit surprised by this award. Sure, these protein-packed pancakes are pretty good. But better than the Tom Yum Seasoned Snack Mix? Or the Mini Taiyaki? I don’t think so. Here’s our list of the best new Trader Joe’s products from 2025. 

Best Overall: Steamed Pork & Ginger Soup Dumplings

We are big, big fans of Trader Joe’s soup dumplings. In fact, when we tasted them against our local soup dumpling takeout, they came out on top! And they came in at a very respectable number three on our ranking of the best frozen soup dumplings. The customers are right about these dumplings and if you haven’t tried them yet, do it ASAP. (P.S. the chicken soup dumplings are great as well!)