5 July Trader Joe’s Finds We Can’t Wait To Buy

Ah, Trader Joe’s… the land of impossible-to-find parking and overly crowded aisles. It’s an absolute miracle an avoidant person like myself keeps being drawn to Trader Joe’s for the majority of their grocery runs, but there’s just something so irresistible about their novelty flavors and getting lost in the excitement of retro design and abundant florals. Each Trader Joe’s haul is inevitably filled with a cart 50% full of things I didn’t intend on buying but spontaneously decided I absolutely had to try. If you’re an adventurous taste tester like me and want to know what the next new things are to try, these are the five items you’re going to want to pick up this month.

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Peach Black Tea Drink Concentrate

Want a taste of the South this summer? Well, I don’t think you could be off to a better start than with a sweet tea and peach combo. Elite summer produce and the staple southern drink join each other in this tea concentrate. The container makes four 12oz drinks when diluted with the recommend quantities of water, so there’s plenty to share with your loved ones on sunny afternoons. Plus the sweetener is real cane sugar and the flavoring agent is actual peach juice. So, you have a bit more peach mind (see what we did there?) knowing your new fave summer drink is all natural.

Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips With Avocado Oil

One of the draw backs of shopping at Trader Joe’s is the lack of guarantee that it will be selling the goods you’re accustomed to getting at a standard grocer. One of my favorite grocery store items that I’ve not been able to source from TJ’s is salt and vinegar chips. A whole wall of chips, and I haven’t been able to get my #1… until now. Right in time for summer lunches on the sun, sitting poolside, or stuffing into your sandwiches, the Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips with Avocado are here now to make our summers just that much crisper. Personally, I can’t wait to pick these up.

Sweet Chili Black-Eyed Pea Tempeh Chips

Trader Joe’s said they were inspired by the rise of this tempeh-style chip in Indonesia and wanted to make it available to their consumers as well. In non-chip form, I can’t say I am the biggest fan of tempeh. The texture is too squeaky and I don’t love the aftertaste. But in a boldly-flavored chip, all of a sudden I can’t wait to check it out. Sweet chili is always so satisfying and I think far more chip companies should incorporate it into their flavor lineups in the United States. And the tempeh is made from black-eyed peas instead of soybeans, so I’m not too worried about the strange aftertaste either. Plus, it’s soy-allergy friendly!

Sour Confetti Chews

Before there was ‘swicy’ there was sweet and sour (although ‘swour’ doesn’t really have the same ring to it…). It’s defined Chinese-American chicken dishes and nostalgic candies in the U.S. for decades. Trader Joe’s has had their fair share of contributions to the sweet and sour category, too. I mean, the Sour Strawberry Candy Belts are top tier for snacking. And these new candies are an exhilarating new addition to the store’s inventory. They’re small pastel-colored candies that have a taffy-like gummy texture. They’re naturally colored and I couldn’t be more eager to check out these tart treats.

Mandu Korean Kimchi Potstickers

I think at some point most people who frequent Trader Joe’s have tried out at least one of their dumpling varieties. From gyoza to Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings), Trader Joe’s is far from short on its dumpling availability. But that hasn’t stopped it this month from adding yet another option. This time it’s Korean-inspired Mandu potstickers. Although Mandu can be filled with a wide variety of fillings, Trader Joe’s has sourced these directly from a Korean supplier that fills the dumplings with Kimchi and glass noodles. They recommend to use these just as you would any other dumpling, but the way I’m most excited to use them is by pan-frying them and adding them to Tteok Bok Ki for that extra little kimchi flavor.