11 Trader Joe's Pumpkin Picks That Actually Work For Dinner, Ranked

The fall season at Trader Joe's is a magical time, as the store's shelves and cases overflow with autumnal specialities, all at the chain's signature low prices. While the pumpkin spice drinks and desserts might get the most hype, there's also an intriguing lineup of savory fall foods that range from sauces and dips to snacks to full main courses. Many of these items feature the season's most celebrated ingredient: The humble pumpkin.

I decided to get my hands on every savory and savory-adjacent pumpkin item I could find at my local Trader Joe's to see what kind of fall dinners I could put together. Some of these items make a perfect meal right out of the container, while others work better as an element of a larger recipe. After tasting them all, I ranked them based on a few factors: Taste and quality, of course, but also versatility at the dinner table. Keep in mind that these items are only available for a limited time, and selection may vary from store to store. With that, pumpkin lovers, read on to find the best savory pumpkin items you'll want to grab while you can.

As someone with family members who can't have gluten, I'm always on the lookout for great gluten-free items. Sadly, Trader Joe's gluten-free pumpkin ravioli isn't one of them. The pasta itself, made primarily from potato and tapioca starches, had a sticky, almost gummy quality when cooked. A few of the ravioli were stuck together in the package, and trying to separate them ended up tearing the pasta in places, making them impossible to cook properly. It's not a huge package of pasta — two servings is the recommended allotment — so losing three or four ravioli is kind of a big deal.

I had hoped that the filling would be delicious enough to offset the pasta issues, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Even to my palate, which is fairly desensitized to saltiness from decades of eating restaurant food, the filling was so salty that I could barely taste anything else. That's a shame, because on paper, the filling sounds wonderful: Kabocha squash and pumpkin, Parmesan and mozzarella, honey, brown sugar, and spices. After a few bites, struggling through the salt, I started to pick out these flavors, but it wasn't a pleasant experience. 

While the last item on this list blew my palate out with salt, these Fall Leaf corn tortilla chips did just the opposite. I couldn't detect any salt at all. That lack of seasoning left them tasting bland and flat, and since they're fairly thick-cut chips, they turned into fairly flavorless corn mush in my mouth. Since tortilla chips like this are generally not meant to be eaten plain, I give them a bit of a pass — they're serviceable as vehicles for dip. However, there are more flavorful and crispier tortilla chips on Trader Joe's shelves that I would reach for over these every time.

Visually, these are lovely chips, colored using natural ingredients, including pumpkin powder, to give them vivid autumn hues. I assume the thickness of these chips has to do with their rather elaborate leaf shapes, so they hold together in the bag without cracking into pieces. When it comes down to it, these chips strike me as more style than substance. They'd make a pretty accent in a festive bowl for a fall-themed party, but I wouldn't get them for their flavor.

Now we come to the battle of the bisques. There are two different versions of pumpkin bisque in Trader Joe's fall lineup, and I was curious to taste them both. I assumed they'd be fairly similar, but they each offer a wildly different experience. This bisque, the jarred, shelf-stable version, is much sweeter and chock-full of pumpkin spice flavor. If that's your thing, and you mark PSL season on your calendar every year, if you could eat pumpkin pie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, then this bisque might be your all-time favorite soup. Personally, I found it veered too far into dessert territory.

Perhaps served alongside something more savory, like roast chicken or pork, or even a grilled cheese sandwich, I could see this soup working as part of a meal. On its own, the pumpkin, honey, and cinnamon flavors didn't work for me as a dinner item. One of the other ingredients is tahini, and while that almost works as a balancer, its nuttiness isn't quite enough of a contrast. I wanted it to have just one more aspect — some heat, some umami, perhaps both. Straight out of the jar, though, it's a bit too one-dimensional.

Compared to the pumpkin bisque, this jarred Autumnal Harvest Soup delivered the balance I'd been seeking. There's plenty of pumpkin in here, along with butternut squash and carrot, but the natural sweetness of those ingredients is deftly balanced by the addition of tangy tomatoes and lots of woodsy, savory dried herbs. The result is a comforting fall soup with layers of flavor and lots of depth. The soup base itself is very tomato-forward, and scattered throughout are chunks of squash that have a good bite to them — no mushiness here. Each spoonful has a satisfying variation of textures.

This is where these rankings get a little murky. I really liked this soup, and I would buy it again. There are two reasons why it's not higher in the rankings. One, there's another soup further up the ladder that blew it out of the water. Two, ingredients-wise, it's nearly identical to another Autumnal Harvest product, which I thought was just slightly more successful. Still, if you're craving a tasty and comforting fall soup, I wouldn't steer you away from this one.

This salsa took me by surprise. Looking at the ingredients, I wasn't sure what to expect. I couldn't quite wrap my head around a tomatillo salsa with pumpkin, squash, and apples, along with bell peppers and jalapeños. Turns out, they make a pretty darn good combination. Tomatillos have a naturally intense acidity which makes them an excellent salsa base, especially if you like a lot of tang, and that brightness balances out the sweeter, fruitier ingredients quite well. This isn't the hottest salsa, but there is just enough of a piquant kick to keep things interesting. That low, slow burn from the jalapeños ensures that the fruit elements don't turn this into a jam or compote, which I was afraid might be the case. 

The chunky texture of this salsa gives each bite a unique flavor. You may get a crisp bite of apple in one, a soft morsel of butternut squash in another, or you may get a chipful that's all peppers. That's part of the fun, and part of what had me going back for more. The unique flavor profile of this salsa brims with potential — I could see it heated up and used as a garnish for chicken or pork, topping a fall-flavored enchilada bake, or mixed with cream cheese and warmed up to make a more substantial dip.

After my disappointing experience with the Fall Leaf tortilla chips, my expectations were low opening this bag of Trader Joe's pumpkin tortilla chips. With my first bite, though, it was clear that these chips are on another plane of existence. Whereas those other chips lacked any discernible flavor, these were exploding with waves of different tastes and textures. 

There's something strangely alluring about the combination of ingredients here. You look at a chip, and it looks like a classic tortilla chip. You smell it, though, and it's all cinnamon and nutmeg. Then you taste it and it's salty, it's roasted, it's earthy, it's just got so much going on, yet somehow everything works. These pumpkin tortilla chips are a fan favorite for good reason, and while they're a no-brainer pairing with the fall harvest salsa, I thought they were even better dipped into some hummus. You could also crush them into dust and use them as a coating for chicken or throw them on top of a sweet and savory salad for an easy, crunchy topping.

Trader Joe's honey roasted pumpkin ravioli certainly look gourmet and festive, with rich orange pasta on one side and bright yellow on the other. They're easy to prepare, too, needing only a few minutes in boiling water until they're ready. Unlike the gluten-free ravioli, none of these were stuck together in the package, which I took as a good sign. The most important thing, though, is how they taste, and to check off that final box, these are delicious.

The filling-to-pasta ratio in ravioli like this can be tough to get right — too much of either, and your bites will all be out of balance. The pumpkin and cheese filling here has just the right intensity of flavor that you don't need too much of it to complement the well-textured pasta, and each ravioli is the perfect size to get two equally-filled bites. Speaking of filling, there's a lovely delicacy to the ricotta, mozzarella, pumpkin, and honey mixture. It's creamy, just a touch sweet, with subtle spices that don't overwhelm the dish's mellow character. I wouldn't drown these in sauce, or serve them with anything strongly flavored. A little butter and perhaps a dusting of grated cheese is all that's necessary to top these little pockets of autumn goodness.

Previously, when I discussed the Autumnal Harvest Soup, I mentioned that there was another similar item that I liked slightly more than that one. The Autumnal Harvest creamy pasta sauce is that item. The ingredients lists are nearly carbon copies, and their aromas and flavors are almost identical. A few subtle differences appeared when I tasted them side-by-side, and in the end, while I enjoyed this flavor and texture profile as a soup, I think it works better as a pasta sauce.

This sauce is a bit thicker than the soup, so the flavors are more concentrated, and there's a touch of heat and a peppery bite that both add some depth. The herbs, in particular, really pop in this sauce, especially the sage, which complements the pumpkin and squash. Silky, buttery, and elegantly textured, this sauce coats pasta beautifully — I tried it with cheese tortellini as well as spaghetti, and both were wonderful. I bet it would make for a killer lasagna sauce, too, with a long bake deepening its already complex flavors. 

In the battle of the bisques, there was one clear winner: Trader Joe's pumpkin butternut squash bisque. It's found in the refrigerated section, rather than jarred on a shelf, and that's not the only thing that differentiates it from the other pumpkin bisque. As the name gies away, this version has butternut squash in addition to pumpkin. Many of the other ingredients are the same, but this bisque foregoes the pumpkin spice mélange for a simple flavoring trio of sage, nutmeg, and black pepper. This gives the soup a more savory, aromatic character which offers a welcome contrast against the honey and brown sugar flavors.

There's also one other not-so-secret ingredient that elevates this bisque to higher heights: Brown butter. Also known as beurre noisette, this luxuriously flavorful, nutty and rich ingredient is a staple of French cuisine, and it could make an old shoe edible if you ask me. This miraculous ingredient adds velvety texture and incredibly rich depth to this bisque, tying all of the other ingredients together like a silky ribbon wrapped around an opulent gift.

Have you ever eaten something so delicious it made you angry? That happened to me the moment the first bite of Trader Joe's pumpkin brioche twist melted on my tongue. Rich yet airy, soft and pillowy, milky and buttery, and elegantly flavored, this loaf of bread is simply stunning. The pumpkin purée and the swirl of sugar and spices add just a hint of sweetness and fall flavor, but not so much that you can't use this bread for any purpose, sweet or savory.

I struggled not to eat the entire loaf in one sitting, but held myself back when I thought about all of the ways I could use this bread to make the most of its brilliance. French toast, of course, is always better with brioche, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Toasted with a spread of salted butter was simple yet revelatory — the thick slices ensure that the outer sides get nicely browned, while the interior stays soft and silky. This bread is almost too perfect for grilled cheese. It also makes fantastic croutons, which you can then add to the top of your favorite fall soup. 

I can honestly say I've never had a vegan chili that has as much depth of flavor as Trader Joe's harvest chili. Actually, I've rarely had any chili, vegan or meat, that I like as much as this one. If you're used to meaty chilis, you may be surprised at how little you notice its absence, thanks to the cornucopia of grains, beans, vegetables, and spices that fill each spoonful with such intensely concentrated flavor and richly varied textures.

The roasted tomato base is all about tang and umami, and the combination of guajillo peppers and chili powder tinges each bite with just enough heat to punch up the other ingredients without starting a five-alarm fire on your palate. Black beans, chunks of butternut squash, pumpkin, sweet potato, and cauliflower give the chili bulk, and there are also lentils and quinoa to make it even more substantial and filling. This smoky and spicy chili doesn't need anything else — in fact, I could have eaten the whole container right out of the microwave and been perfectly happy — but it's also great with your favorite chili toppings like scallions, cheese, and sour cream (dairy or vegan, of course, depending on your diet). Use it to top your veggie burger or hot dog, or for a real treat, grab some Trader Joe's corn dippers and make a classic frito pie with an autumn twist. Whatever you do, don't wait until it's too late to stock up on this gem.

To start this ranking, I combed the shelves of my local Trader Joe's to find every non-dessert item that included pumpkin among its ingredients. Then I narrowed those down to items that could be used as ingredients in dinner, or eaten as entrées in their own right. Once I picked these out, I prepared and tasted them in order to take note of their flavors, textures, balance, and overall quality. After trying them all once, I pitted a few of the more similar items side by side to see which ones I preferred — bisque versus bisque and ravioli versus ravioli, for example.

Once I had my initial rankings, I then tried some of the items in different preparations to judge their versatility. I took that element into account as well, with the items that had more uses moving up higher in the rankings. In the end, the items that ranked highest were the ones that I felt could be used most successfully as components of a dinner.