I tried it so you don’t have to.
Brutally honest, occasionally dramatic, and always snack-obsessed—this is where I spill the tea on what’s worth your cart space and what’s better left on the shelf. No fluff, no filters, just real-deal reviews with a side of sass.
Salt & Pepper Potato Chips
I didn’t realize how much I needed these chips in my life until my mom gave me a taste test of her bag. If you enjoy pepper… these are for you. They have the perfect salt and pepper ratio. The bag is pretty massive in comparison to other chips sold at TJ’s, which I also love. I took off one point because all of the chips were minuscule! I don’t know if my chips were crushed or if it were intensional, but I would have enjoyed a larger chip. Not huge, but a good in between! What’s your favorite chip from TJ’s?!
Veggie Sticks
My childhood = veggie straws. I wanted to see how these compare and they did not disappoint. The flavors are potato, tomato and spinach. You can definitely taste the different flavors which I love. It’s almost like a patio chip moment… but not really. I took off one point because these were more like puffs than crispy sticks like the original veggie straws. With that being said, I will definitely keep purchasing these. I found myself shoveling multiple in my mouth at once and I have no complaints with that. Should I try the veggie chip version next?
Crunchy Cinnamon Squares
Believe it or not, this was my first experience with a TJ’s cereal… and I didn't even use it in a traditional manner (aka with milk). I used this product to make 3 ingredient cinnamon crunch treats and it worked out nicely! I enjoyed the price of these and how well they worked in my recipe, but I don’t know if this would be my first choice of cereal. The squares were puffed so I found them to be less crunchy and the cinnamon flavor was pretty muted. Overall, I wouldn’t pick this up for traditional cereal purposes but I would definitely use them again for my recipe!
Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels
I’ve been eyeing this sweet treat for months and I finally pulled the trigger (the $1.99 trigger). These did not disappoint. The dark chocolate was rich and the caramel was creamy. The caramel is a fudgey consistency, not liquidy. I really enjoyed how thick the dark chocolate was because that gave a luxurious feel. I took off one point because of the salt inconsistency. A couple of chocolates had a huge block of salt on top, whereas others had barely any. Despite the inconsistency, the plethora of sea salt balanced out the chocolate nicely. This product is perfect for satisfying your dark chocolate sweet tooth (on a budget) and would be so cute in a gift basket! What is your favorite dark chocolate dessert?!
Cheddar Rocket Crackers
Consider these to be a TJ’s version of Goldfish. I’m not sure if goldfish use real cheddar but I found these to have a better, bolder flavor. I love the box and the little rocket shape (despite them basically looking like little fishy). I took off one point because I would have loved for the rockets to have some salt on top. There are a few goldfish in each batch that have a plethora of salt on top and I was really hoping for that with these! But hey, it’s probably better this way. Overall, I’d definitely buy these again! I only feed myself so the size of the box works for me. If you’re feeding a family though, you’re probably better off buying in bulk at Costco! Have you tried this snack?!
Ghost Pepper Potato Chips
I tried these once years and and felt it was time for an official review! These were good, but I wasn’t overly obsessed. I enjoyed the smokiness of them yet I feel like it overpowered the heat. The heat was definitely tolerable so don’t be scared by the “ghost pepper”. You’d think that these would pack a punch but unfortunately they didn’t. Hey, that means more people who have a lower heat tolerance can enjoy them as well!
Like I said, these were good… but there are other options that I enjoy more! I was expecting some serious heat but didn’t get that. This wouldn’t be my first (or second) spicy snack option. I get the iconic chili lime rolled chips or the jalapeño puffs before getting these again. What’s your favorite spicy snack?!
Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzel Slims
We all know how much I love dark chocolate, so it was time that I try out these pretzel slims. The proportion of dark chocolate to pretzel was perfect. The pretzels are quite large as well which is a plus. There could have been a little sprinkle of salt on the pretzels but they were still delicious. I wish there was more in the bag because I literally blinked, and then the bag was empty! This isn’t unusual for a TJ’s bagged product to be half empty, but come on… give me more! I would definitely get these again, but never in a situation where I’d be sharing with others. Hey, I need to take advantage of the single serving size.
Bamba Peanut Snacks
Would you believe me if I told you this was my first time trying this snack? The price of $0.99 was really intriguing, so I decided to pull the trigger today. I ended up really enjoying these! Consider these puffs to be puffed peanut butter. They were super light and airy which I loved because sometimes peanut butter is really heavy. I took a point because I was hoping these would be crunchy and they just melted in my mouth. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but I was wanting that crunch! And lastly, they have this wet texture to them which I didn’t love. It didn’t stop me from eating them but just know that they aren’t 100% dry. Does that even make sense?! Either way, I’d get these again! Peanut butter is something that I normally add to my cart so it was fun to shake it up! Have you tried these?!
Jalapeño Seasoned Corn and Rice Puffs
Why did it take me this long to try this product? I am truly obsessed with these puffs. I might even say they are better than pirates booty. There’s ample seasoning on the puffs so they are packed with flavor. I really enjoyed the amount of spice too! It wasn’t too much, but it builds the more you shovel them into your mouth. My ONLY complaint is that I feel the puffs are too large! TJ’s either needs to make the puffs smaller or make the bag bigger because I nearly plowed through this in one sitting. You’d think I’d be eating less since they are so large… but nope! Have you tried these?!
Baked Cheese Crunchies
This is such an underrated product at Trader Joe’s! I personally think these crunchies are better than Cheetos (I said what I said)! The cheesy flavor is bold and doesn’t taste artificial at all. They are really crunchy without being too hard… if that makes sense. This product is only $1.99 and it doesn’t get much better than that! Overall, I’m obsessed with these and will continue to purchase them.
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
I love a good banana bread and chocolate chip combo so I was excited to give these a try! The muffins were tasty but they weren’t anything special. The chocolate chips were pretty scarce and the banana flavor could have been stronger. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed every bite of these but it’s not something I’d put in my cart again. I’d much rather make my own banana bread and add as many chocolate chips as my little heart desires! I will say, I enjoyed how light and moist these were (but definitely didn’t enjoy the nutritional info that came with it). What’s your favorite baked good from TJ’s?!
Everything but the Bagel Nut Duo
Once I started eating these, I couldn’t stop. I don’t normally eat nuts or trail mixes of any sort but these were sitting in my aunts pantry and I was intrigued. The EBTB seasoning stayed on the nuts (aka it wasn’t falling off), which I loved. Every bite had a little chazzle dazzle from the seasoning and I never realized how amazing of a pairing it made. I enjoyed the cashews more than the almonds, but that’s just my preference! I took off one point because the bag was 70% almonds with only 30% being cashews. I would have loved for a surplus of cashews over almonds. I’ll definitely pick these up when I’m going for a hike or on a road trip and want a little snacky snack. Have you tried these?!
Carolina Gold Style BBQ Chips
BBQ or honey mustard? Either way, I enjoyed these. If you had to ask me what kind of chips these are, I can guarantee you that I wouldn’t say bbq. I really liked how thick these chips were because that let me know that this could be a quality shovel for a dip. I don’t think there’s ever enough seasoning on chips, so I definitely think there could have been more (and yes, I opened the bag upside down). These remind me of the honey mustard pretzels that TJ’s had last year and I’m living for it! Now if you’re looking for a classic bbq chip, I wouldn’t recommend this. If you are obsessed with honey mustard… stock up! Will these make it in your cart?!
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
This is my favorite chocolate candy, in a mini version. You all know what I think of dark chocolate (*cough cough* superior), so this should come as no surprise. This little $0.99 baggy allows me to indulge without having temptation. Who isn’t tempted by the big container of pb cups?! There are 3 servings in the bag which is equivalent to 1 MTJ serving. Perfect. Just kidding, I actually ate this in two sittings but I’d have no problem eating them all! I think having to unwrap them slowed me down. I would definitely pick these up over Reese’s. Have you tried these?!
Soft and Juicy Mandarins
This might be more unpopular, but unfortunately I was not a fan of this product. It was like cutie jerky! The mandarins were so dry that it had a weird texture that was super unappealing. There’s a lot of added sugar and honestly I thought these lacked sweetness. They didn’t taste terrible but they would never make an appearance in my cart again. Cuties/mandarins are one of my favorite fruits so this was disappointing. I would much rather eat the real thing than eat these. With all of that being said, I know people who swear by these! It all depends on personal preference. Have you tried them?!
Big Soft Pretzels
I’m missing Disney extra today so I decided to give these pretzels a try and see how they compare to iconic disney ones. These obviously aren’t Mickey Mouse shaped, but they didn’t disappoint. I took me 5 minutes to prepare this which was perfect for a quick snack. These taste great and pretty similar to Disney’s. My only complaint is that the salt didn’t stick very well when I added water. A lot of it fell off! I think next time I’ll try brushing butter on and see how it sticks. This is an inexpensive snack that’ll make you feel like you’re back at the parks… that’s at least how I felt! Have you tried this?!
Dark Chocolate Almonds
We all know that I find dark chocolate to be superior, but the ratio of chocolate to almond was too much. The chocolate coating was extremely thick which took away from the flavor of the almond. I do love that they carry $0.99 options so you can have a little treat in your bag or to bring to the movies (aka what I did). I also enjoy the sizing because then I don’t have to worry about plowing through a big container of them in one sitting! This definitely isn’t my first choice when it comes to the $0.99 options, but I could see myself picking this up again if I were heavily craving something dark chocolate heavy. What’s your favorite little treat item from TJ’s?
Strawberry Licorice Twists
This is one of my most favorite Trader Joe’s candy! It’s taken me months and months to review this product because I’ve never had the self control to take pictures before devouring the bag. This definitely is not like a Red Vine and is not like a Twizzler so I can’t make a comparison. But I can tell you that these are fantastic. I can easily eat a whole bag in one sitting. The strawberry flavor is so good without being too sweet! These are super thick so I consider them to be a two-biter… and that’s ME saying that.
If I weren’t clear enough, these are an all time favorite of mine. I can’t ever get enough of these! I eat them as a dessert, a sweet snack and I always bring them on trips. Speaking of, I just went to Disneyland and brought a bunch of TJ’s snacks! Check out my newest YouTube video where I show you all the snacks I brought! Have you tried this candy?!
Chili Lime Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips
Behold, my favorite chips. I can’t believe I’ve never reviewed these despite eating them nonstop! These are my favorite. They are equivalent to Taki’s… but better. I love how much the lime flavor comes through (unlike Taki’s). Don’t get me wrong, I will inhale Taki’s but these make me feel more healthy! After doing a comparison of nutritional info, these obviously are “better” for you because there aren’t all of those weird chemicals.