Trader Joe’s is a beloved grocery store chain for countless reasons, from its pleasing, warm store aesthetic and layouts to its plethora of healthy and affordable items.
While scouring the web for the chain’s best items as well as their most overrated and overpriced options, we along with other loyal TJ’s customers, found 4 items that might be too overhyped (especially with their lack of nutrients, or the fact that there might be cheaper and healthier versions somewhere else).
With that said, read on for some conducted research of our own, (including tasting and experiencing much of what TJ’s has to offer ourselves) and input from fellow shoppers who also documented their findings on Reddit.
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Overrated Item #1: Cauliflower Gnocchi
Many shoppers with vegetarian or vegan diets like to experiment with vegetables and other meat substitutes, and this comes with classic Italian dishes like gnocchi, as well. Although the pasta dish is usually prepared with potatoes and often cheese stuffed into small lumps of dough, this TJ’s frozen version features cauliflower as the featured mushy inside, instead.
While cauliflower can be a delicious vegetable to cook with, customers on Reddit were quick to point out this TJ’s item’s lack of flavor and seasoning. This gnocchi doesn’t come with pre-made sauce like the chain’s other frozen versions, and takes a few more steps of preparation. “It never tastes right…just face it,” wrote one user. Another added, “the gnocchi is yechhhh,” emphasizing its tastelessness on its own. This frozen item is priced at $2.79 which doesn’t seem like much, but really isn’t worth it when considering its higher fat and sodium content and many complaints about its lack of flavor on its own (TJ’s has other seasoned options).
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#2: Chili Onion Crunch Sauce
This jarred sauce is the subject of many customer complaints about its lack of taste and excessive texture. “It’s flavorless, like eating gravel with the amount of crunch,” wrote one user. Another added, “No flavor in any of the ingredients to me besides uncomfortable crunch and slimy oil in my mouth.”
It’s priced at $3.99 per jar which isn’t worth it when, as someone else pointed out, you could get better-tasting sauces for the same price at a local grocer or traditional Asian market: “Go to an Asian grocery store, buy Lao Gan Ma, and enjoy it.”
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#3: Cookie Butter
It’s not peanut butter or almond butter (which actually have health benefits for your morning toast) and it’s also not Nutella (which is less healthy but tastes amazing). This item at Trader Joe’s costs $3.69 and while it may be popular for its subtle gingerbread and biscuit-like taste and fairly cheap price, many customers think this heavily sugared (but still under-flavored) item is overhyped.
“I was visiting family in America and a friend BEGGED ME to bring back three jars of Cookie Butter,” wrote one user. “I ended up opening one up just to try it (she was fine with this) and thought it was so bland. That was a few years ago, so I don’t know if they still make it, but I definitely thought it was overrated.”
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#4: Mandarin Orange Chicken
While many users seemed to rave about TJ’s vegetarian version of this traditional Asian dish, the real-chicken-meat one seems to be way less popular. “I bit into a piece that was pure fat; never again,” wrote one user. “I have an aversion to any orange/sesame chicken that I didn’t make myself. The fear of biting into a piece of gross skin or chewy fat makes the whole experience too unpleasant.”
Ick! (Even for $4.99 per bag). Another added,”I had a bad time cooking it on the stove, but in the oven on a cookie sheet or preheated cast iron, it’s great. Make sure you don’t undercook it. I only use half the orange sauce and save the rest of the sauce to use with something later. Add the chicken to a rice bowl or stir-fry and you’re set.”
Overall, Trader Joe’s has lots of amazing items, and lots of others that can really be found anywhere and just might be cheaper at this chain. While TJ’s has great, affordable prices, this shouldn’t be the only thing you take into account when grocery shopping as your overall health is just as (if not more) important.
You might have a different experience with these 4 items, but the reviews of other customers were worth mentioning as each of these— the cauliflower gnocchi, chili onion crunch sauce, cookie butter and mandarin orange chicken were deemed by many to be overrated and overhyped!
