16 Underrated Trader Joe's Snacks You Need To Try

The man behind Trader Joe's is Joe Coulombe, and he created an alternative grocery store in 1967 that has become a beloved institution in the United States. Trader Joe's, which is now owned by Aldi, has always had a knack for spotting trends and delivering great new products under its namesake private label name, which always seem to be rung up at amazingly low prices. Year after year, new items that borrow from tastes locally, and importing flavors from across the globe, hit shelves and keep customers coming back for more.

There are actually almost too many great products on shelves, especially the more snackable ones, and The Takeout is here to remind you of some of the more overlooked, underrated, forgotten, or perhaps even taken for granted ones you should be looking out for, or even revisiting. Let's go shopping and get our snack on to find these gems.

Trader Joe's has a very robust bread section, including a variety of English muffins. However, if you want a real English muffin-like experience, try to dig around in the same area to find the nondescript British Style Crumpets (which are different from pikelets) sold. They essentially look like any English muffin you've ever had before, with all the nooks and crannies of a holey texture that the folks at Thomas' have been pushing for eons. The good news with these secretly awesome crumpets is that they require no slicing or separating, and are perfectly ready to be used.

Like any muffin, the best way to enjoy a crumpet is to toast it up until golden brown. While it can stand on its own to munch on, it is merely a base bread for you to up its deliciousness. Why not spring for a jar of one of Trader Joe's fine fruit spreads? Sadly, the chain doesn't sell clotted cream, yet, but it may be worth procuring a bottle elsewhere, or whipping up some yourself to have a proper British-style brekkie.

Dips used to be some sort of herb or spice punching up the flavor of sour cream, but their definition has changed in more recent times. Dips sold in stores are still primary containers holding something creamy, and ripe for veggies to scoop them up, but some are so delectable, they don't need a carrier and can be enjoyed by a direct spoonful. Buffalo chicken dip was once a recipe shared by football fans. Now its arrived premade with great fanfare when Trader Joe's started selling its own version of it. While it can be added to an array of other foods, it's also a great snack as-is.

Today, buffalo chicken dips are now being sold by all kinds of snack makers, over-saturating the market. While the dip has perhaps dipped in its popularity since its height, lest we forget about one of the best ones — Trader Joe's. With a combination of cayenne pepper sauce, vinegar, garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, Monterey Jack, and, of course, chicken, this is a wondrous place where hot savory spice and cool creaminess unite an scrumptious equilibrium.

If you're a cookie fan (and who isn't?), Trader Joe's has got your beyond covered, running quite the gamut flavors, shaped, textured, and deliciousness. While the wordy Chocolatey Coated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers may be a well-known entity within the Trader Joe's snack community, it's possible their greatness is still vastly underrated. I mean, we all know how amazing The Beatles are, but in a way, they are underrated, too. Shouldn't we be throwing a parade in their honor daily, and for these Chocolatey Cookie Dunkers, too?

In a hefty 24-ounce plastic tub, but coming in at a not so hefty price, approximately 36 of these cookies stand waiting for action. While their name spells out that they're ripe for dunking, to be perfectly honest, in all the time I've ever spent eating them, I've never once submerged them in milk. They're so good that they can stand on their own.

Chocolate makes everything better. That isn't always the case when it comes to fruit, but some are better suited than others. Confectioners have been selling chocolate covered bananas since at least the dawn of the 20th century, and things got super cool with this combination in 1945 when the Sugar 'N Spice parlor in Balboa Island, California started selling frozen versions of them. Trader Joe's once sold a similar treat, as a whole banana covered in chocolate. That was a lot to take on for one eater, so Trader Joe's replaced it with the perfect snackable version with its Gone Banana Bites.

Each box of Gone Banana Bites contains about 20 of them, which is more manageable for those who seek a smaller dessert. For those who indulge, or who never have, you're going to love Trader Joe's version where the slices of kluai hom bananas from Thailand are complete enveloped in dark Belgian chocolate.

While the Madeleine remains a deliciously fluffy and buttery cookie, it isn't exactly a household name in America. Trader Joe's has been employing a Northern California bakery that specializes in making them for years, and more recently introduced a seasonal version that comes in a Lemon Zest flavor.

So, imagine a cookie that needs no improvement, and then you add a twist of sweet and sour lemon, and then it becomes the ultimate snack. In these little plastic pouches that usually hang around the bread area, these may be hard to find, unless you're looking for them. Beware, it's hard to repackage this one, so you may end up eating more than one. They are also so soft, they could double as tiny pillows.

Mac and cheese is first ballot hall of famer when it comes to food duo pairings, and there are so many ways to make and enjoy it. Some of the better mac and cheeses included a crispy top, but for those who don't want to bother Kraft-ing such a dish, Trader Joe's has got you covered, in ball form, with its Mac and Cheese Bites.

Sure, this product has been a frozen solid appetizer on shelves since 2010, but perhaps you haven't bought a box in awhile, and come in close contact with the new and improved formula. Every cheese under the sun is coating the macaroni noodles, from cheddar, to Havarti, Swiss, Gouda, Monterrey Jack, pecorino Romano, and even cream cheese, and it's all wrapped up in a thin and crispy panko breading. While primarily known as an appetizer, these can certainly work as a great everyday snack. You just have to be patient, as you should allow up to 30 minutes for these bodacious bites to bake.

Trader Joe's is nuts about nuts, but the one nut that everyone needs to get the most nutty about is the Marcona Almonds it pedals, which come in two flavors: Rosemary and Truffle. While California delivers plenty of fine almonds to America and abroad, let's not sleep on these Marcona ones, which are harvested by the folks of the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Out of all the bags of nuts that line Trader Joe's shelves, these ones are perhaps the smallest packages, and therefore may get overlooked, but they pack a lot of greatness in austere holders.

Each flavor is roasted with expeller pressed sunflower oil and dusted with sea salt, helping to turn a normal dry nut into a more fluid taste explosion. The truffle's sea salt is infused with dried truffle and truffle flavor, while the rosemary ones are sprinkled with its namesake herb. It all adds up to a surefire nutty snack to elevate your cheeseboard, or grease your fingertips eating them on the go.

In the venn diagram of being a gummy lover and a Trader Joe's fan, I always thought the intersection of the two would be a perfect match for myself. However, I have proven wrong again and again, buying bags of gummies with its name on it that taste less like Haribo, and more like bland fruit snacks. I had a change of heart after encountering the ones in the checkout aisle that come in a bright, and trim 3-ounce bag: Peas & Carrots Sour Gummy Candies.

Thankfully, they taste like citrus fruit and not the titular crops, with the green peas delivering an awesome dose of sour, and the orange carrots balancing the bag with sweetness. These seasonal items that hail from northern France and contain actual fruit juice, should not be overlooked, and bought in bulk before they go into hibernation each year.

Most of the major pretzel manufacturers hail from Pennsylvania, and the fine folks at Utz and Snyder's of Hanover have proven to be experts at twisted or braided, honey-wheat pretzel sticks, but don't under estimate the ones distributed at Trader Joe's in a neon green bag. These are actually the second iteration of Trader Joe's Pretzel Sticks, which were relaunched in 2023.

With a lean amount of salt and the right amount of honey, Trader Joe's Pretzel Sticks are well worth a buy anytime you shop at the chain. These crunchy treats are perfect for all ages, and while mustard or any dip can certainly elevate the pretzel experience, they are so good on their own, nothing additional is required.

A snack or trail mix could mean anything, and contain a wide array of salty and sweet components to form the perfect balance. Trader Joe's Rainbow's End Trail Mix has some M&M-esque candies in its fold, and, since 2000, has been making mouths happy, along with a little help of roasted and salted peanuts, almonds, and raisins.

Snack and trail mixes are great to grab by the handful, but perhaps not the best for sharing with all those germs swimming around. Plus, it can be a mess when having them on the go, be scaling a mountain, or driving around in your car. In fall of 2024, Trader Joe's did everyone a favor by literally taking this beloved mix and making it rather handy to eat in the form of a soft and crunchy bar. Everything one loved about the Rainbow's End Trail Mix is now melded together in one place thanks to tapioca syrup and dipped dark chocolate. Five bars come in a box, which is perfect for sharing in a more clean and individualized manner.

When you've been a snack item that's been stocked at Trader Joe's since 1997, it's possible new customers don't even realize you're on shelves, or old customers have forgotten how great you are. In an unassuming way, Trader Joe's Sesame Sticks just remain a simple salty pleasure that's hard to resist, and I'm just here to remind you they exist. I can't even find a product page dedicated to them on Trader Joe's website.

These dense, small sticks are wheat-based, covered in the promised sesame seeds, and topped with beet powder and turmeric powder for coloring. They're packaged in a transparent bag with the front design that looks like a patent sketch of a sesame plant, and certainly appears like it doesn't want to be a showy product on shelves. At one point, Trader Joe's used to make a honey version of these Sesame Sticks, but were sadly discontinued.

For the longest time, to me, Twizzlers were the definition of licorice, even if they didn't exactly taste like licorice. In this day in age, confections from around the world have seen an increase in importing to our shores, and have reached wider audiences, and wider mouths. When I first tried Australian-style licorice, it was a revelation of sorts. Trader Joe's is always on top of food trends abroad, and thankfully brought this kind of soft, bite size licorice made by a New Zealand family to its shelves at starting around 2017.

The product initially launched in Strawberry and Black Licorice flavors, and was later followed by the trio-pack that included Raspberry, Mango, and Green Apple. They are all worthy snacks, but I personally gravitate towards the Strawberry one. It's made with natural strawberry flavor, is naturally colored, and contains actual licorice extract, which if you look at the artificial ingredients of Twizzlers, makes Trader Joe's version, comparatively, sound as healthy as eating a salad. If only these were sold at movie theaters. You have my permission to sneak a bag in.

Once, I was near the front of a long Trader Joe's line, and a British fellow came up to me offering me cash to buy the one item he needed to buy for a friend before he flew back home to England. Of course, I was happy to help, and surprised when they handed over a bag of Snacky Clusters which was both new and news to me.

The very next time I returned to a Trader Joe's, I had trouble finding them on shelves, and finally found a small selection of them hiding behind bottles of BBQ sauce, in the frozen section. However, after I finally tried them, I never lost sight of them again. While the Snack Bar Mix mentioned previously is a must-buy snack mix, if you're looking to add a little sweetness to even all the salty, the Snacky Cluster is just the ticket. These little melty mounds of milk chocolate contain sea salt potato chips, corn chip dippers, and mini pretzel nuggets, and they equal snacky nirvana.

While we've covered all kinds of individual snacks, and you could buy several to create a mix, sometimes it's just easier, and perhaps more fun, to buy a premade one. Everyone makes a snack mix, from your favorite food manufacturer to your local water hole. That's the idea Trader Joe's had in mind when it conjured up its cleverly named Step Up To The Snack Bar Mix.

It comes in shadowy black, and wordy labeled canister that doesn't really sell itself quite well. If you happen to turn the canister around to pictorially see its contents, its magic starts to reveal itself. Pop off the plastic cap, and pull back the foil freshness seal and feast both your eyes and nose on a cornucopia of crunchy items. Included in this fantastic mix are corn chips with flax seeds, honest roasted peanuts, honey mustard pretzel pieces, chili lemon corn sticks, cheddar cheese rocket crackers (aka TJ's Goldfish), and my long lost and beloved sesame stick flavor — honey roasted. Problem is, once you pop that top, you cannot stop. Good luck.

To me, the word Chipwich isn't a trademarked name, but the name of the product made by anyone who manufactures ice cream sandwiches with cookies as bookends. I've had plenty in my life, but the best ones in the world can be found on the shelves of your local Trader Joe's, and they go by the name Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches. The adjective in its name is no lie, as these are the perfect dessert, which have been kicking around since the mid '00s. These two are well known items, but their greatness may also fully be under appreciated.

The real deal clincher here is the cookies themselves. The ones made by other brands tend to have cookies that are too tough and rigid for their own good. Trader Joe's cookies are soft and chewy, which perfectly compliments the melty vanilla ice cream and the just the right size chocolate chips that cover them. Perhaps the new generic name for cookie ice cream sandwiches shouldn't be the Chipwich, but Sublimes.

For some, seeing the word "veggie" in a snack food is an automatic turnoff, and for others, it may actually sound like a rather healthy snack to indulge in. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, as it is made up of multiple vegetables, but the main one filling out these sticks is good old potatoes. The other two veggies come in the form of flavoring, with tomato powder and spinach powder sprinkled on their respective colored stick.

While Trader Joe's makes plenty of fine snack chips, from its Fritosesque Corn Dippers, Pringles-like Sea Salted Saddle Potato Crisps, to its seasonal Dark Russet Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips, the Veggie Sticks often get overlooked. At my local Trader Joe's, these sticks recently moved away from brethren Pretzel Sticks, and was demoted to a bottom shelf item below all the chips. While those sticks are on the physically heavy side, the Veggie ones are light as air, and have their own lovely crunch to them.

This list was compiled by polling a mix of friends and family for their most favorite Trader Joe's items, and the ones they believe to be underrated. I took note of those products in mind, and matched them with my own opinions, viewpoints, and observations, being a Trader Joe's shopper for well over a decade and a half.

This list seeks to highlight some of the more unsung items on shelves, as well as call refreshed attention to those that may have been more popular, but perhaps need some new love and attention paid to them. This list can also double the perfect shopping list of those hosting an awesome party, with a little bit of everything for everyone. Naturally, if you invite Trader Joe's fans to this party, they will also have their own ideas of underrated items found on its shelves.