The Best Fall Drinks At Trader Joe's In 2025

If you're a Trader Joe's shopper like me, you've spent the last month or so gazing longingly out the window at summer vistas, just waiting for the weather to turn a bit crisper. That's because the onset of autumn means the shelves of your favorite grocery store will be brimming with fall favorites, old returns of seasonal specials, along with some new creations making their debuts. We've got an abundance of excellent Trader Joe's fall items to choose from this year, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the beverage department.

Whatever your drink of choice is, there's an autumnal variety of it this fall at Trader Joe's. From warming teas to cold beers, spooky wines to martini mixes, you're covered — and in true fall fashion, everything that can be pumpkin spiced will be pumpkin spiced. With so much hitting the shelves this season, it's understandable to feel overwhelmed, and that's where this list comes in. I've spent many years as a sommelier, beverage manager, and bartender, and these are the ten most fabulous fall drinks I'd recommend picking up on your next TJ's run.

Is there a better deal all fall than Trader Joe's spiced cider? For under five bucks, you get 64 ounces of cider, made with pure 100% apple juice and a traditional melange of autumn spices, while being free from preservatives, artificial color, and added sugar. This cider is just sweet enough, with a thirst-quenching juiciness and a tart, bright finish that keeps the spice notes light and bouncy. Unless you're going, in person, to an apple orchard and picking up a fresh-pressed jug, I don't think you can find a better alternative for the money.

What's wonderful about this cider, in addition to the quality and the price, is its versatility. Serve it hot, cold, or even room temperature straight out of the jug. Drink it alone, over ice, or top it with sparkling water for a bubbly treat. It's perfectly ready to be spiked with your spirit of choice, too, if you want to make your beverage adult. You can also boil it down until it concentrates into an apple cider syrup and use it in an apple pie, other baked goods, or even to add some sweet fall flavor to a cocktail.

Fall is my favorite wine-drinking season, bridging the gap between the crisp whites and rosés of summer and the meatier, heftier reds of winter. In autumn, you get the best of both worlds. Dearly Beloved I Thee Red can be found on Trader Joe's shelves this time of year, and it provides the perfect on-ramp to the rich, warming reds many of us will be transitioning to in the coming months. A blend crafted from Lodi grapes, this vintage includes familiar California powerhouses, petite sirah and zinfandel, as well as the famed Spanish grape tempranillo. Tannat is part of the party too, a grape that's originally from France but has now found a home throughout South America, particularly in Uruguay.

Together, this foursome creates an easy-drinking yet deeply flavored red. The smoky, meaty, dark fruit aromas might make you think you're in for a big, structured, intense experience, but on the palate, the wine is surprisingly light on its feet. The tannins are smooth and the texture is juicy. For eight bucks, you can throw this on the dinner table any night of the week. It's an especially appropriate Halloween wine, too, with a striking red and black Day Of The Dead bottle design.

When it comes to beverages, I have to say that tea is probably my biggest blind spot. It's really only something I drink when I'm sick, or when I'm in the U.K. trying to fit in. That might all change, because I absolutely fell for this Pumpkin Spice Rooibos Tea from Trader Joe's. I put my sommelier cap on as I sniffed it and sipped it, and the layers of complex flavors opened up and evolved, just as they would in a great glass of wine. The Rooibos tea variety is definitely my cup of, well, tea, with its malty, nutty notes and scents of dried leaves. Those characteristics make it the absolutely perfect base for this seasonal version.

The classic pumpkin spice trio of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove is all here, added with a subtle hand. The aromas and flavors don't knock you upside the head or take over your nostrils, like some pumpkin spice beverages I've had in the past. The spices here meld perfectly with the base so you get to enjoy the flavor of the tea itself, and there's some equally subtle pumpkin flavoring in there too, adding a mild richness and creaminess to the texture. This is a beautifully balanced, satisfyingly warming beverage.

While the Pumpkin Spice Rooibos tea is an elegant, delicate sipper, Trader Joe's Harvest Blend herbal tea is a banger. Jam-packed with flavor, what it lacks in subtlety it makes up for in invigorating intensity. I can imagine a cup of this tea being just the thing I'll want if I'm stuffed up or suffering from a sore throat — it certainly cleared my sinuses, and I wasn't even sick when I tasted it. It's the spicy finish, thanks to cinnamon and ginger, that lingers on your palate long after you've finished a cup.

Up front, aroma-wise, it's all apples and flowers, with some sweet orange and just a hint of the spice to come. McDonald's apple pie came to mind with the first sniff, which is not an unwelcome association. Hibiscus and chamomile give it that floral dimension, and complement the fruitiness quite well. The apple flavor is almost too much, but right when I think I'm not enjoying it, the spice kicks in and dampens the sweetness. If you're looking for a flavorful fall tea, this is definitely it.

Espresso martinis are having a true renaissance these days, having once been shunned by serious mixologists as relics of a bygone sweet, vodka-centered cocktail era. Whatever your feelings are about the drink, the truth is that spirits and coffee have long been companions, from the Italian caffè corretto to the now-ubiquitous Irish coffee. The modern espresso martini is just another riff on this classic and beloved formula, and Trader Joe's has put its own riff on that with its seasonal pumpkin spice espresso martini. Coming in a 375 ml bottle, the drink is ready to go — all it needs is a quick shake with ice, if you want to dilute it, and a pour into your favorite cocktail glass.

That volume equates to just under 13 ounces in each bottle, giving you about four standard-sized martinis. That translates to a pretty good deal considering the bottle is ten dollars — I know I can't find a single espresso martini at any bar near me for that price, let alone four. What I love about this drink most is its texture and balance. It's silky smooth, creates a fairly decent (albeit thin) layer of foam after shaking, and while it's fairly sweet, that's counterbalanced nicely by a subtle coffee bitterness. The pumpkin spice element is well-integrated, adding just the right fall touch to an already stellar cocktail.

What I like so much about Trader Joe's pumpkin spice cold brew concentrate is its versatility. They've created a base coffee element that isn't too sweet, too spicy, or too pumpkin-y. And since it's a concentrate, you can mix it with water or creamer, or anything else really, to get it to exactly the strength you desire. The ratio they recommend is one part concentrate to two parts other liquid, but it's fun to experiment with different amounts of additions to see where your sweet spot is.

Normally, I drink coffee black, but the flavor profile here really benefits from a touch of sweetness to bring out the pumpkin spice flavors. The blend is the typical trio of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, with the addition of ginger to give it some extra kick. I threw in about a half-tablespoon of vanilla creamer, and it made the drink really pop. Any autumnal flavored creamers or syrups like maple or brown sugar would be perfect matches, too. If you love cold coffee, or if it's still warm where you live even though it's technically fall, this pumpkin spice cold brew is the perfect way to ease into the new season.

Nothing screams fall to me like a crisp, cold hard cider, and Trader Joe's Gourd Tree pumpkin cider scratches that itch. According to the official description, actual pumpkin and squash make up almost a quarter of the recipe, and while that sounds like a lot, the flavor is very mild and pleasantly mellow. Fresh, crisp apple flavors are far more prevalent, with a bright briskness that conjures up an autumn breeze in an orchard.

There's a decent amount of sharp cinnamon spice on the nose and a touch on the palate, but it's the apples that are the star of the show. The carbonation isn't super strong — I drank it side by side with some sparkling water, and it almost seemed flat. But that light touch of bubbles makes it very easy to drink. As I went back in for sip after sip, the pumpkin and squash flavors became more evident, and with the smell of cinnamon in my nose, I started dreaming about pumpkin pie. It's a light, crisp cider with a touch of natural sweetness from the ingredients, but a deeply refreshing, dry finish. 

I spent last fall drinking pretty much nothing but pumpkin beers. You'd think I'd be sick of them, but truthfully, I don't think I ever will be. It's a varied style, for sure, and some pumpkin brew concoctions are more successful than others. The Howling Gourds pumpkin ale is a mellow, delightfully drinkable pumpkin ale that I believe even skeptics of the style can enjoy. Don't get me wrong, I love a wildly intense, over-the-top Imperial-style pumpkin beer, too, but Howling Gourds is perfect for everyday drinking.

Be aware that this ale does clock in at seven percent alcohol, which is almost twice as much as you'll find in a typical session or light beer, but the alcohol is perfectly integrated, so it doesn't come across as the least bit boozy. The spice is more intense on the nose than on the palate, which hits you with a touch of pumpkin sweetness up front, but it's quickly mellowed out by a subtle hoppy bitterness that lingers on the finish. Aside from the pumpkin and spice, this brew has typical amber ale flavors, with lots of malty nuttiness complemented by a crisp texture. I'm happy to throw Howling Gourds into my fall beer rotation.

One whiff of the aroma from a freshly poured glass of Trader Joe's vanilla cardamom cold brew, and I knew it would become a new favorite. I love vanilla, but think it always works best when paired with something else. Vanilla and chocolate, vanilla and citrus, and vanilla and caramel are all top-tier duos, but vanilla and spice might be the apex couple. Here, you get a good dose of heavenly vanilla matched up with earthy cardamom for a full spectrum of perfectly balanced flavors. Put together with strong Arabica coffee, every sip is a smooth yet complex taste sensation.

This cold brew is ready to drink, as opposed to the concentrates that Trader Joe's also sells, so there's no need to mix it with anything. The flavor on its own is so good, I hesitated to add anything, but some vanilla creamer punches up that flavor. Cardamom can be a pretty intense spice, especially when used on its own and not in a spice blend, but I didn't find it to be too intense here. It adds a lovely layer of fragrance and brightness to the aroma, and a sophisticated edge to the coffee's flavor profile.

Mulled wine has always been a favorite fall beverage of mine, but I rarely make it because of the time and work involved. I must admit I've never tried a pre-bottled version of the drink, and was pleasantly surprised by this Witch's Brew from Leelanau Cellars. It's listed as four out of five on the sweetness scale, but I don't find it to be overly cloying or sickeningly sugary. In fact, it's a pretty well-balanced beverage. I heated it up as recommended on the label. Drinking warm wine is always an odd sensation that takes some getting used to for me, but I enjoyed this from the first sip.

That familiar fall spice blend is there, with a peppery bite, adding a sharpness that seems appropriate for a wine with a witch and her feline familiar on the label. A note of orange peel lightens things up perfectly. I wasn't expecting to be in the mood for this yet, considering it's still hot and summery where I live, but as an evening beverage, it struck just the right note. Now I'm imagining taking a steaming mug of this for a brisk night walk, and it's making me even more excited for the fall season.