15 Items You Should Always Buy at Trader Joe’s, According to Reddit

Retail giant Trader Joe’s is known for providing healthy, organic food and home items at affordable prices. Their core mission is to help people save money on groceries. 

Luckily, they have yet to steer us completely wrong — Trader Joe’s stocks some pretty reliable snacks, meals, ingredients, skincare, household items, and more.

In fact, Redditors can’t get over these 15 budget-friendly items at Trader Joe’s.

Editor’s note: Prices are subject to change and may vary by location.

Price: $3.49

Quality dumplings can get expensive. When you have a craving and want something affordable and fast, Trader Joe’s has your back with their pork and ginger soup dumplings. 

“This is one of my favorite items at Trader Joe's,” explains Reddit user dejah_arie. “The perfect ratio of ginger and pork.”

Price: $8.99

Caffeine connoisseurs rejoice. Trader Joe’s tasty cold brew coffee concentrate is great as an iced or blended coffee, and Redditors have found a lot of other ways to enjoy it. 

“It’s also great blended with vanilla ice cream and milk for a coffee shake,” says LocksmithStatus1994. User AnnieVoro admits, “I use this for espresso martinis; not bad at all!”

Price: $4.99

We all know peanut butter cups aren’t good for us. But when you make them with dark chocolate — which is packed with extra nutrients and less sugars — you increase the decadence. 

Admits momthom427: “Lord have mercy, they are my new downfall. I can take or leave a Reese's cup, but these things are magical!”

Price: $3.99

Cheddar is not exactly a rare cheese, and you can get it practically anywhere. But not Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar, which is loaded with vitamin D and rich flavor. 

After hearing the hype for years, Redditor Bacontheblog tried it and said, “That has to be one of the best cheeses I ever tried!”

Price: $5.49

Another great take-and-bake option is Trader Joe’s four-pack of almond croissants. Filled with a creamy marzipan filling and topped with crunchy almonds, these croissants are just $1.37 each.

According to itsmeruna, you can’t get sick of them. “Those are my absolute favorite. I legit would have one every morning for over a year.”

Price: $4.49

Trader Joe’s does well with its salted nuts and trail mixes. But their sweet and spicy pecans are on another level entirely. Packed with flavor, this fan favorite is perfect as a salad topping. 

Admits DancingTardigrade, “I get them for charcuterie/snack boards, but half the time, I just eat them by the handful while watching TV or something.”

Price: $3.99

Speculoos Cookie Butter is especially adored around the holidays. It's great for breads, waffles, crackers, and desserts and especially delightful in a homemade latte. 

Ialwaystealpens says what we are all thinking with, “A nice silver spoon. You don’t need to put it on anything.”

Price: $1.99

Next time you want to elevate your meal, try Everything But The Bagel Sesame Seasoning. Many Reddit users add it to homemade bagels, chips, and bread, but you can also add the savory seasoning to protein.

“I coat salmon in it, then broil it (super crispy skin) and make a salmon Caesar with homemade croutons,” explains Redditor Wheel-of-sauce.

Price: $8.99

Trader Joe’s actually has a pretty stacked skincare area that focuses on organic and sustainable ingredients. Their water and sweat-resistant Daily Facial Sunscreen is SPF 40 and a pretty close dupe for more expensive options.

Explains SubjectMindless, “Goes on smooth, nice texture, no strong scent,” while Sensitive-Smile-3344 says, “This may be my new holy grail.”

Price: $4.99

If you’re big into cheese and warm cheese dips in football weather, then the Garlic & Asiago Cheese Dip might be the next best thing for your tailgate. This dip is one of our favorites to share with a group.

Reddit user masson34 concurs. “I love this dip! I’m having tonight on TJs French onion rolls with bacon and calling it a grilled cheese. Serving with TJ French onion soup.”

Price: $3.99

Trader Joe’s has some of the most affordable and flavorful hummus you can find. In fact, the mediterranean style hummus has somewhat of a cult following on Reddit. Their thick recipe is smooth, tahini-forward, and finished off with lemon juice and garlic.

Says Joshottas, “Mediterranean [is the best hummus], hands down. One of the best store-bought hummus' that you can get.”

Price: $2.99

You can enjoy a delightful, buttery, fluffy egg with broccoli and cheddar inside a flaky pastry crust in under three minutes for just $2.99 at Trader Joe’s. 

After a hiatus in-store, Whipstich-Pepperpot stocked up. “It's f'ing DELICIOUS!! A few weeks ago, some posted they were back, and I high-tailed it to TJ's and stocked up.”

Price: $3.49

Not everyone loves tomatoes, and even those who do aren’t always looking to cook with them. Trader Joe’s sells a tomato-less salsa that's absolutely amazing. 

“I put it on everything: salad, rice bowls... I've even used it in veggie soup,” says Redditor datadriven2. “I can't get enough. Most of my water glasses at home are empty corn salsa jars.”

Price: $4.99

Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken is a staple for family meals. You can score one bag of tender, fried meat with a perfectly sweet citrus sauce, ready in record time, for just $5.

Gushes RTjman: “Next trip, I'm buying double and feeding my family for [ten] bucks + the cost of a 2-lb bag of rice!!!!”

Price: $2.99

The 16 oz. tub of small curd, 1.5% milk-fat cottage cheese, is $2.99. This creamy product has 4g of sugar with 0 added sugars and has a thicker consistency than other brands.

According to discoglittering: “I tried Trader Joe’s cottage cheese, and it was like angels descended from cheese heaven to bless me with cottage cheese once again.”

If you are looking for ways to save more on everyday essentials, consider swapping some of your purchases to inexpensive retailers. 

For unique and flavorful experiences, check out the aisles of Trader Joe’s and other similar chains seasonally.