31 of the Best Things to Buy at Trader Joe's

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Today's the day! Here are the BEST things to buy at Trader Joe's! My obsession with Trader Joe's is REAL. I insta-story my way around the store on a fairly frequent basis and and it's high time I spill my secrets. So here we go...31 TJ's products you can't live without!

What to buy at Trader Joes:

Greek Feta in the Brine. Trust me, this will change your life. You'll be buying feta in the brine forever and ever - it's the only way to go.

Best things to buy at Trader Joe's from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)


 

Port Salut - it's the best soft and creamy cheese for your cheese boards!

Best things to buy at Trader Joe's from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

Dark Chocolate Caramel Balls!! Actually, you probably shouldn't get these if you don't want to eat all of them in one sitting. Addictive doesn't even come close to describing them,

Best things to buy at Trader Joe's from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

Quinoa! I buy it in bulk because I go through about 1 bag a week!

Best things to buy at Trader Joe's from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

The organic frozen blueberry selection at TJ's is fantastic. We go through 1 bag a day for our smoothies and these are reasonably prices and VERY delicious!

Best things to buy at Trader Joe's from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

I know I said I don't buy produce at TJ's but I make an exception for 2 things... one of which is avocados! I buy them when they are rock hard so they can ripen on my counter at home. And if you need to speed up the ripening process, throw them in a brown lunch bag with a banana!

Best things to buy at Trader Joe's from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

Chocolate Chips!! DUH! In case we need cookies, or banana bread, or melted chocolate... better to be safe than sorry!

Best things to buy at Trader Joe's from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

And the 1 lb chocolate bars! OMG these are actually incredible

Sometimes we need Mandarin Chicken for dinner that tastes like Panda Express without having to leave the house. No judgement here - I love this stuff!

Refried Beans. Mandatory for nachos!

Best things to buy at Trader Joe's from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

Some of my favorite crackers ever - perfect for a cheese board! And way cheaper than the variety at Whole Foods.

Best things to buy at Trader Joe's from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

Easily the best blue corn tortilla chips on the market. The salt ratio is spot on

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THIS Dark Chocolate Bar is basically everything you need in life!

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The other produce exception I make at TJ's is their Broccolini! Mostly because I eat about a pound of it daily and I use it up so quickly!

Best things to buy at Trader Joe's from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

Cauliflower Pizza Crust! It took me a while to get on the cauliflower pizza train but I'm into it!

Cauliflower Gnocchi. I didn't want to love it but I actually do!

TJ's has the best nuts at super reasonable prices! Their coconut cashews are my go-to 3pm snack!

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Chocolate Covered Grahams. I mean, enough said!

If you've never had Garlic Spread before... you're missing out. It's that dip they put on the side of every order when you go out for Lebanese food. It's like the most pungent garlic sauce that you'll want to slather on EVERYTHING.

Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels. Literally my husbands life line.

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Quick cooking farro - because with this dinner can be ready in 10 minutes plus a little prep time.

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These savory thin mini crackers are THE BEST for dipping in hummus and my homemade tzatziki!

This is one of my fav nut butters because there is NO PALM OIL in it. Just the almonds. Perf for my morning smoothies!

Prosciutto - cause we need this for cheese boards!

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Fresh Mozzarella. No explanation needed.

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THIS is easily one of my favorite vinegars ever. It makes a killer salad dressing!

Don't tell anyone but sometimes I buy this spinach artichoke dip when I'm too lazy to make it from scratch and claim that it's homemade.

Sea Salt Butterscotch Caramels!! These are hands down one of the best things to buy at Trader Joe's. Great in cookies, brownies or just by the handful.

Roasted Corn!!! Use it in all of your recipes that call for corn. It's loaded with flavor from fire roasting and I want it all day, every day!

Zhoug  Sauce. OMG this stuff is addicting. It's great in addition to hummus, on top of protein, with veggies, mixed into quinoa extra. I am fully hooked.

Best things to buy at Trader Joe's from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

This Chili Onion Crunch is new and it's VERY delicious when spooned over just about everything.

Best things to buy at Trader Joe's from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

What should I not buy at Trader Joes:

To be honest, I only buy a few kinds of produce from TJ's because I find that it goes bad rather quickly! So I get produce from the farmers market and other stores. But TJ's wins hands down for just about everything else...)

What did I miss at Trader Joes:

What did I miss? Any of your favorites miss my list? Shout out your best things to buy at trader joe's recs in the comments section so I can snag them and try them next time I pop in!

248 Comments

  1. Two things you NEED:

    -Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds w/ Sea Salt and Turbinado Sugar
    -Truffle Marcona Almonds

    Will change your life forever.

    Let me know what you think!

  2. Buy the frozen almond croissants, let them sit on a baking sheet lined with parchment overnight and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.....they triple in size overnight so leave enough room between them. Better than a French bakery!!!!!! Serve with quiche and strawberries for a delicious brunch.

  3. LOVE Trader Joes! A few favorites include:
    - Any of their popcorns, but especially the olive oil popcorn and the herb popcorn
    - Their dried fruit (unsweetened mango and unsulphured apricots in particular)
    - Trail mix
    - Frozen pork gyoza
    - Their salsas- haven't had a bad one yet!
    - Their coffee. We're total coffee snobs and still prefer TJ's to most local coffee shops. Cheap, fair trade, delicious.
    - Dark chocolate covered pretzels
    - Ginger chews- a blessing for me since I have tons of GI issues
    - Cruciferous crunch mixed with their peanut dressing
    - I agree with others who mentioned the pre-cooked lentils mixed with bruschetta and feta. SO GOOD.
    - Excellent prices on grains- quick cooking farro, quinoa, pasta, etc.
    - Pizza dough

    1. I love all of the pumpkin products that they have. The pumpkin butter is perfect just the right amount of sweetness.

  4. I don’t buy produce from TJs for the same reason but I have been OBSESSED with the bagged shishito peppers lately and just cooking them with olive oil and sea salt. Also, the refrigerator section olive tapenade (there’s one in a jar I haven’t tried) is a charcuterie board staple for me along with the fig butter and Le Délice de Bourgogne triple cream cheese.

  5. The relatively new garlic spread is amaze-balls! Also the Chicago Style popcorn (caramel & cheddar popcorn) is CRACK addicting!!

  6. TJ Fig Butter - put some with a charcuterie board, Ah-mazing. Also use as a pork tenderloin glaze (mix with Balsamic vinegar).
    Frozen Potstickers - super easy meal with rice and their orange chicken (also frozen) - better than take-out.

  7. I live in Germany and I am obsessed with visiting grocery stores in other countries. Will be spending two weeks in LA in January and so much looking to stroll the aisles at TJs. Thanks for your list, will keep that in mind!

  8. I love to see other people's Trader Joe's lists! How have I missed the fig and olive crisps? I need to try those. I always pick up a bag of limes when I zip through the produce section. One of my favorite indulgences are the frozen chocolate pastries, You let them proof overnight and then bake them. They are perfect for lazy Sunday mornings.

    1. Omgooodness!! I purchased them just to try thinking I'd be throwing them away. I sat here and before I knew it with absolutely nothing else ate the entire box. The first through 5 you're like ehhh hmmm next thing an empty box lol

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