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.
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?!
Hold the Dairy Cones
Behold, the first ever dairy free cones! Everyone has been raving about this product and now it’s time for my review. You may be shocked by my rating given that so many people are obsessed, but this review is factoring in a lot… which is based on my personal preference.
Let me start by saying that the flavor is great! You can’t taste the coconut at all which is nice for those that don’t enjoy the flavor of it. The consistency is more moussey than like an actual ice cream. Six cones is a serving size which you’d think is a massive quantity, but they are really small. Honestly, I burned off the calories of each cone just struggling to unwrap them all. That was inconvenient since they were melting so fast.
You’d think that six cones would leave you satisfied, but they didn’t leave me that way. I eat two Hold the Cones and am content, yet was about to reach for more after consuming SIX! Again, this is all based on personal preference. Another thing that is really hard for me to look past is the saturated fat. Because this is coconut based, it has a high quality of saturated fat.
I apologize for the long review today but I wanted to truly express how I felt! I think this is an amazing option for those who can’t have dairy or are limiting it, but I prefer the regular Hold the Cones. Which do you prefer?
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?!
Everything and the Elote Dip
If you couldn’t tell, I inhaled half the container before I could even sit down to take pictures. I tried to smooth out the dip but clearly it was too late for that. This dip is amazing. It has a super thick consistency from the Greek yogurt and went perfect with the corn dippers (aka the shovels for the dip). The little corn kernels added some chazzle dazzle and there was a little kick at the end of each bite. This might have just been me, but it gave me Boursin cheese vibes, in a great way. Am I the only one who thought that?
Whether I’m devouring this alone or with guests (just kidding, I don’t want to share), this will be in my shopping cart again. Have you tried this dip?
Hot & Spicy Chicken Wings
These wings are perfect if you’re on a budget and don’t want to go to BWW or Wingstop… or if you just love wings. These had a nice kick that left my nose runny by the time I was on my last wing. I baked them in the oven and they didn’t crisp up, no matter how long I cooked them for (I don’t own an air fryer). Another thing I’ve noticed over time is that there’s always a random amount of drums and flats. We (aka me and my boyfriend) never know if we’re going to get a bag full of flats or if we’ll be fighting over them! There’s a decent amount of meat on the wings which is nice. I can eat the whole bag on its own so I’d consider this one serving!
For $5.99, I’d only repurchase these if I were specifically wanting wings but didn’t want to pay the restaurant price. Have you tried these?!
Spicy Mango Lemonade
This was the perfect mixer for my margarita! The lemonade was really sweet (as it should be with all that sugar) and had a huge kick from the jalapeño and cayenne. There are 4 servings in a bottle which isn’t too unreasonable if you’re using it as a mixer! took off a point because of the amount of sugar! It’s just not something I’d continuously pick up because of it. I also took another point off for the cayenne pepper sitting at the bottom. Of course, you want to shake the bottle before sipping… but I had a different experience since I was using my marg glass. I chocked on all of the cayenne that was at the bottom of my glass! It just hit my throat so aggressively! Now that is more of an isolated issue but obviously I’ll always be drinking my margs in my MTJ glass.
Classic Lemon Bars
Let me start by saying that these are the size of a Costco sample. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I had no clue how small they were until holding the box in my hand! These had a great lemon flavor and weren’t too tart. The powdered sugar added a little hint of sweetness which I enjoyed. Overall, these were good but I don’t think I’d get them again unless they were apart of a dessert spread! Because there’s no way this could satisfy my family alone! What’s your favorite dessert from TJ’s?
Peri Peri Sauce
Price : $3.29
This might be one of the best sauces I’ve had from Trader Joe’s. I might even rate it higher than the iconic Bomba sauce (I said what I said). This sauce is very spicy and has a nice tanginess to it, which I’d imagine comes from the fermented chilies. The consistency of the sauce makes it so versatile. You could use it as a marinade for meat or as a drizzle on top of a dish to add some extra heat. I brushed this sauce on my chicken thighs and it was so delicious. I’ll be sharing the recipe here soon so stay tuned for that! I will definitely keep picking this up since I have a feeling I’ll be adding it to EVERYTHING! How have you used this sauce?
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.
Gnocchi al Gorgonzola
I’ve seen so many people rave about this so I knew I wanted to give it a try! While it was delicious, the Gorgonzola flavor was very muted. I love cheese (despite it not loving me) and especially love Gorgonzola. If you asked me what kind of cheese this gnocchi had on it, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you. This was super easy to prepare which I love about the frozen pasta options! The gnocchi was cooked to perfection and I felt like I was eating something from a restaurant but if the cheese is supposed to be the star of the show… then it should have a stronger flavor! I added some black pepper on top for some extra chazzle dazzle. Have you tried this?!
Spicy Cashew Butter Dressing
Unpopular opinion - this wasn’t my favorite. Of course it’s all based on personal preference, so you might love this! There’s actually many people who love this product which is why I was so excited to try it. I didn’t enjoy the consistency and found the spice mixed with cashew butter to be weird. It had a kick so if you’re looking to literally spice up your salad, this will do it!
I finished the bottle because I’m not a waster, but I wouldn’t get this again. The green goddess remains my favorite from this line of dressings! Have you tried the vegan Caesar dressing? I want to try that one next!