Well my dudes, it’s the most wonderful time of the year at last. That magical month when we get to pause and reflect…on all the Trader Joe’s new items that were released this year, and then survey which of those items we hope end up on the nice list so they can come back again in 2025. Let me tell ya, there was a whole lot to like this year, from frozen entrees to apps and granola to snacks. Keep reading for our ranking of the nine best new Trader Joe’s products that hit shelves in 2024…and a fun little poem to get you in the holiday mood.
T’was the month before the holidays, and now we reflect,
on the new product pipeline, TJ’s did not neglect.
We tasted their treats—sweet, salty, and new,
we hemmed and we hawed and wrote many reviews.
We have likes and dislikes, but Sporks we don’t skew,
and we always tell all, because we love you.
- Trader Joe’s Honeycrisp Apple Granola
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This is exactly what it sounds like: granola made of rolled oats, dried Honeycrisp apples, cane sugar, honey, molasses, and spices like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and clove. It is fall in a granola, so if you are one of those girlies who lives to grab a cozy sweater and some cozy cocoa and sit by a cozy fire being all cozy, this may just be the cozy granola that puts it over the top for you. I mean come on, how often do you get cardamom in your granola? Or dried Honeycrisp apples for that matter? We suggest you pick this one up while it’s still around (or whenever you first see it next year).
- Trader Joe’s Crispy Battered Calamari
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Sometimes you just want to feel like you are at a crab shack overlooking the ocean while sitting in your apartment overlooking a 7-Eleven parking lot. Will these fried calamari pieces from Trader Joe’s get you there? Unlikely. But will they get you most of the way there? You bet your butt they will. Throw some of these in the oven or air fryer, blast the sounds of waves and seagulls from your speakers, throw a rotating slideshow of ocean cliff pictures up on your TV, and—BAM—ambiance complete. These oniony, garlicky, peppery calamari are pretty good, but add some seagull squawks to the mix, and it’s a multimedia experience.
- Trader Joe’s Pizza Party Potato Chips
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If you are a fiend for pizza-flavored salty snacks (we’re talkin’ Pizza Goldfish, Pringles, Combos, etc.), then boy do we have news for you: These Pizza Party kettle chips, which were new to Trader Joe’s this year, will rock your world. They have that classic “pizza-flavored snack” flavor (i.e. tomato and a lot of oregano), but they also have a hint of garlicky cheesiness and the illusion of crust flavor from the toasty kettle chips. In conclusion, ain’t no party like a Pizza Party potato chips party, ‘cause a Pizza Party potato chips party has Pizza Party potato chips.
- Trader Joe’s Papa Rellenas
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These are Trader Joe’s take on a Latin American dish that is essentially a ground beef- and sauteed veggie-filled potato coquette. And if you are keeping score, yes, that does mean these are essentially deep-fried shepherd’s pie balls. Is that every bit as good as it sounds? Yes. Should you this new Trader Joe’s item ASAP? Absolutely.
- Trader Joe’s Seafood Boil
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Have you ever wanted to turn your kitchen into the Boiling Crab? Have you ever wanted to experience the distinct pleasure of a seafood boil complete with shrimp, tilapia, clams, corn, potatoes, and andouille sausage, from the comfort of your own home but without having to source any seafood or make any sauce? Believe it or not, as of 2024 Trader Joe’s has got you covered. For just $9.99 you get this surprisingly fresh-tasting frozen seafood boil for two and all you have to do is boil the bag and voila: seasoned Cajun fish and sides ripe for the eatin’.
- Trader Joe’s Cheesy Herby Biscuits
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These👏Biscuits👏Made👏Our👏Day👏. Are they accurate dupes of the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay biscuits? NO! Because these are not Cheddar Bay Biscuits. They are Cheesy Herby Biscuits, and boy do they deliver all of the flavor that their name suggests. They have buttermilk tang and a buttery and flaky texture, complete with pockets of cheese and subtle kicks of rosemary and thyme. If you want a warm and savory dinner accoutrement that is not a simple dinner roll, give these a try this holiday season (or any season).
- Trader Joe’s Burrata Filling
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In the last year and a half, burrata has been having a moment. And if I am being real, it has been having a moment for the last 20 years or so…at least when it comes to my life. I am a diehard fan of an oozy, creamy mozz ball. That said, right now it is popular nationwide and TJ’s saw this, heard our pleas, and presented us with this absolute treasure of a product: the burrata filling. Yes, literally that mix of cream and mozzarella shreds that typically comes in the center of a ball of burrata. This new Trader Joe’s item is divine on pizza, salads, toast, or literally just straight to the dome (by which I mean in your mouth not on top of your head—there have been mix-ups before).
- Trader Joe’s Chocolate Dipped French Butter Cookies
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Walk with me here for a sec. Imagine a buttery, crumbly cookie. Light shortbread but less dense. You with me? Now imagine that beautiful circle of crumbly, buttery goodness enrobed in a thin layer of rich, dark chocolate. It’s not too sweet, the chocolate contains the cookie crumbs, and your mouth contains the chocolate. It is a perfect system. Bring these new Trader Joe’s cookies to all your little soirées in 2025 and let the compliments roll in.
- Trader Joe’s Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookie Mix
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Excellent, chewy, sweet, salty, homemade-tasting cookies? From a perfectly pre-portioned mix? Complete with pretzel pieces, coconut, walnut, chocolate, oats, caramel, and sea salt? It sounds impossible, and it was…that is until Trader Joe’s went and made all of our cookie dreams come true this year with their Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookie mix. And let me just say after trying these, the aforementioned “Everything” that these cookies possess included our hearts (not literally, these puppies are vegetarian).
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!