Leave it to Trader Joe’s to come up with yet another viral seasoning. The champion of the Everything Bagel shaker recently released two new powdered foods to the spice section: Ketchup Sprinkle Seasoning Blend and Pizza Sprinkle Seasoning Blend. We tried them so you don’t have to.
It’s a great idea in theory. One of my favorite packaged popcorns is Bloody Mary flavored, which is not far off either pizza or ketchup’s flavor profile. But what do you do with seasoned tomato powder beyond putting it on popcorn? On the website, Trader Joe’s recommends “shaking it over hot french fries, roasted cauliflower, scrambled eggs, and creamy soups.” Okay, okay, I’m listening—especially to the eggs part. I love the idea of spicing up eggs with a dash or pizza. And we all know someone who dips their scrambled eggs in ketchup. So, now that we know there are actual use cases for these new seasonings, how do they taste? I tried each spice blend alone and also sprinkled a very heavy dose of each onto lightly buttered microwave popcorn to find out.
New!
Trader Joe’s Ketchup Sprinkle Seasoning Blend
When I first licked this pale red seasoning off my hand as if I was eating a savory Pixie Stick, I was excited. It has a concentrated tomato flavor—like tomato paste rather than ketchup. So, it’s not powdered Heinz. But it’s still tasty. I had visions of sprinkling it onto a grilled cheese or some waffle fries. But then I tasted it on popcorn. Or, I should say, I tried to taste it on popcorn. It just didn’t show up. I poured on more, which is easy to do because of the big holes in the shaker top (points for packaging). I still couldn’t really taste it. It just doesn’t have enough oomph to actually season anything. My colleagues confirmed it. Sadly, until Trader Joe’s really flavor blasts this seasoning, I can’t recommend it to you unless you just want to eat it straight.
Credit: Liv Averett
Rating:
3/10
Sporks
New!
Trader Joe’s Pizza Sprinkle Seasoning Blend
Much like the ketchup seasoning, the pizza seasoning tasted pretty good eaten alone. You get lots of oregano and dried garlic flavor, and a ton of tang. Out of the two, this is much more unique. It tastes like the tomato sauce that gets baked onto the crust of a Domino’s pizza. But, once again, it is not flavorful enough to make itself known on popcorn. I’m scoring the pizza seasoning higher than the ketchup seasoning because I think it would be very good on the rim of a Bloody Mary since you would actually taste it on its own that way. Maybe next time, TJ’s.
Hi! I’m the editor-in-chief of Sporked. I will never turn down a fresh-shucked oyster but I’ll also leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and I love a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients.
Why you should trust me: I have been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and am an avid at-home cook and snacker. I began my career writing about fine dining and recipes, moved into cocktails and spirits, and now I talk about groceries. If you can eat it or drink it, I’ve probably written about it.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s dried okra. Appleton Farms prosciutto from Aldi. Some sort of Trader Joe’s cheese (I’m into the aged gouda at the moment). Frozen waffles (usually the Eggo Cinnamon Toast Minis). Spindrift water (loving the Cosmopolitan right now).
Favorite ranking: Smoked salmon. Imagine me as Scrooge McDuck but instead of coins I’m diving into a vault of slippery smoked salmon slices. Pure joy. I also found some real steals in that taste test!
Least favorite ranking: Canned oysters. I had such high hopes for this but it quickly became a chore. The kitchen smelled like an uncleaned aquarium.
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