Here's What You Should Buy On Your First Trip To Trader Joe's

There are so many aspects that make a trip to Trader Joe's worthwhile, from the tropical Hawaiian aesthetic to the interesting, limited-edition products that rotate every season. This fun vibe is part of the original mission crafted by the brand's founder Joe Coulombe. According to Retail Wire, Coulombe aimed to serve a seemingly niche but inclusive target market of young, post-college-age consumers, whom he called "the overeducated and the underpaid." He aimed to provide products that satisfied the desire for quality food, exotic tastes, and a wider selection of adult beverages, all without hitting a high price point.

Regarding products, the store has a fairly lenient return policy, as well as some leeway in trying products before fully buying. These practices help keep TJ's on trend and in pace with items that will satiate consumers. To further engage its shoppers, TJ's uses colorful signs and frequent product rotations for seasonal items. Just this spring the brand revealed the names of new products ready for release, as well as returning favorites, on their podcast Inside Trader Joe's. They include coffee and dark chocolate variations of their popular Joe Joe's cookies and the returning jalapeño limeade that is perfect for crafting spicy margaritas. However, their staple products, which are constantly available, are enough to make any casual shopper a lifelong fan. To get the full experience on your first trip, these items should be added to your cart immediately.

In the 2023 Trader Joe's Customer Choice Awards, the Orange Mandarin Chicken was voted into the distinguished Product Hall of Fame as both Favorite Overall and Best Entrée. This dish is based on the popular Mandarin chicken dish that uses orange juice in the sauce, differentiating it from the more Americanized version of orange chicken that only utilizes the peel of an orange in the sweet and sour sauce. The slight difference in TJ's version is that their version utilizes dark meat pieces, instead of the traditional white chicken breast meat, in order to stay more juicy and tender.

This entrée is beloved for multiple reasons, one being how easy it is to prepare. Brand leaders and staff recommend baking the chicken in the oven first, then adding the sauce right at the end to caramelize the sweet, tangy coating with the heat of the crispy chicken. Reddit's Trader Joe's sub-category is filled with comments and tips for admirers of this tasty dinner, noting how well it pairs with TJ's fried rice and ways to enhance the flavors of the meal. One commenter recommends putting the chicken in the air fryer, "then thicken the sauce in a pan and toss the chicken afterwards." No matter your preference, this delicious entrée is equally as delicious as your favorite Chinese takeout, at a discounted price.

To up your leftovers or takeout game, grabbing a bag (or three) of Frozen Garlic Naan from Trader Joe's will definitely be worth your while. Each resealable package contains 4 pieces of naan, great for both serving a family or making one at a time, depending on your needs. At less than $5 a package, each naan is much cheaper than what you'd order from your favorite takeout joint.

Regarding the bread itself, the texture is pillowy and soft, but not too thick. This allows for the bread to crisp up slightly in the oven, but still remain flexible to fold up. The garlic flavors of the bread go well with whatever entrée you pair it with, even if it's not Indian food. As noted by Trader Joe's fans on Reddit, one great way of transforming the bread is to use the naan as the crust for a personal pizza or flatbread. Whether you're dipping it into a thick, rich sauce or slathering it with a few brushstrokes of butter, these are definitely worth grabbing to top off any meal.

Chocolate and peanut butter: A timeless combination. For an elevated version of this wonderful duo, you have to grab a box of Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. Going for the dark chocolate variety over the milk chocolate might be controversial, but the slight bitterness of the chocolate is a good contrast to the saltiness of the roasted peanut butter. Altogether the crafted cups offer a rich, delicious treat that is easy to pop in your mouth — though harder to stop.

The "addictiveness" of these sweet candies is palpable to TJ's fans everywhere, as noted by commenters on Reddit. From someone who "keeps a tub of these at work" to others who can't resist eating a good portion on the way home from the store, these are guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth. Chopping these cups into pieces and topping a few scoops of ice cream would also be a heavenly way to spruce up your dessert. Some commenters recommend tossing a few of these in the fridge or freezer to keep them from melting, and eating them later for a cooler, crispier texture that's cold to the touch. Plus keeping them out of sight means these might last longer than a day or two.

One item from Trader Joe's shelves that is iconic to the store itself is Charles Shaw wine, AKA "Two-Buck Chuck." There are several varieties of Charles Shaw wine available in TJ's stores that carry wine and spirits, including both red and white wines. While there are plenty of more refined, expensive brands and flavors available, choosing something as simple, cheap, and renowned as Two-Buck Chuck can eliminate making hard choices. For a more full-bodied flavor with bold notes, the Cabernet sauvignon is a good choice, while something like the pinot grigio is ideal for mixing into a light, white sangria.

As noted by Food & Wine, the price of Charles Shaw wine hasn't always been $2 or less and can fluctuate depending on one's location. The exact makeup of the wine each year is also somewhat of a mystery as well, as the vineyards owned by Bronco Wine Company aren't descriptive about their winemaking practices. However, the idea of an accessible and tasty table wine for a good price is the real draw behind the name. As the original founder of Bronco, Fred Franzia, once said, "You tell me why someone's bottle is worth $80 and mine's worth $2 ... Do you get 40 times the pleasure from it?" (via NYTimes).

A sweet craving can come at any time, whether it's late at night or bright and early on Sunday mornings. For the perfect baked treat to satiate the need for something flaky and delicious, it's best to grab a can of Trader Joe's Organic Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls. An ideal finger food perfect for weekend brunches, these cinnamon rolls are incredibly fluffy with thick layers of bread and cinnamon-sugar swirls in between. Each can contains 5 rolls with organic ingredients — there's no dairy, making these treats vegan-friendly.

While you can bake these rolls as you would normally, there are several ways to elevate these cinnamon rolls, including pouring heavy cream overtop to make the rolls extra gooey, or even drizzling over a different topping such as caramel, sprinkles, or cake frosting. These larger rolls also give you the option to reshape how you want, either squeezing into a mold or cutting each roll up to make a puffed, single-layer cake.

Though this product is not available year-round, out of all Trader Joe's fall-themed, pumpkin-flavored products sold, the brand's Pumpkin Butter happens to be one of the most popular. The combination of puréed pumpkin, warm spices, honey, and a touch of lemon juice create a delicious topping that is perfect for adding an autumn flare to your favorite dishes. It is essentially a spreadable pumpkin pie without heavy sugars, oils, or flours.

For how and when to use it, the possibilities are fairly endless. You can use this to replace butter on your favorite pastries or toast. Because of its sweetness, it can also sweeten more hearty, sturdy dishes such as a bowl of hot oatmeal, or even plain items like Greek yogurt, as one reviewer notes (via Trader Joe's Grocery Store Reviews). The butter is also great when creating baked goods, whether it's spread into a batch of homemade pumpkin cinnamon rolls or the filling of a dozen ginger snap pumpkin butter cookie sandwiches. While pumpkin butter is fairly easy enough to make at home, the time it takes to make it can easily be gained back by buying it at TJ's when it's stocked.