I Tried Trader Joe’s New Products for August 2024

Trader Joe’s new items this month include a handful of delicious products, from chicken sausage breakfast bowls to mango sticky rice crackers. As always, I went to my local Trader Joe’s to taste their new products for August 2024. If you want to know which items are worth picking up on your next grocery run, here’s my list.

1. Pizza Seasoned Crackers ($2.49)

My grocery haul started strong with these Pizza Seasoned Crackers. They’re thin, wheat-based crackers covered in pizza-inspired ingredients, including dried tomato, oregano, basil, garlic, and sea salt. To get the full flavor of the cracker, I tried it by itself. The main flavors here are tomato, oregano, and garlic, so it really does have a pizza-esque flavor.

Adding a thin slice of mozzarella to the cracker kicked things to the next level. Next time, I might even add a slice of tomato along with the mozzarella for a crunchy caprese-inspired snack.

Rating: 9/10

2. Peach Raspberry Crisp ($5.49)

On a less positive note, this Peach Raspberry Crisp looked a lot better than it tasted. I don’t know if I got a bad batch, but neither the crisp nor the fruit filling had much flavor. There was also a slightly metallic aftertaste that I didn’t enjoy.

In theory, though, this treat is made with a fruity filling of peaches and raspberries topped with a crunchy butter streusel. I won’t buy this dessert again, but if you decide to, I think it’s best served heated up and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Rating: 6.5/10

3. California Roll ($5.99)

The California Roll is probably my favorite new Trader Joe’s product that I tried this month. Find it in the ready-to-eat refrigerated section of the grocery store. This roll is made with white rice, nori seaweed, fresh cucumber, avocado, and imitation crab meat.

Each roll has 9 pieces and comes with a pack of soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi. I was impressed by just how fresh this roll tasted. At $5.99, it’s similar or a bit cheaper than you’d find at most sushi spots nowadays.

There’s also a Vegetable Roll made with carrots, cucumber, and avocado available at Trader Joe’s, but it was sold out when I visited. I’ll pick this up on every Trader Joe’s run for the foreseeable future!

Rating: 9.5/10

4. Chicken Sausage Breakfast Bowl ($4.29)

Let’s start with the positives of this new Trader Joe’s product: it’s a super easy, quick breakfast, and at only 380 calories, it packs a whopping 32g of protein. It features scrambled eggs, herb-seasoned chicken sausage, and shredded cheddar cheese. Unfortunately, there are also a few negatives, particularly in the taste department. As you might be able to tell from my picture above, the bowl was pretty dry despite the melty cheese throughout.

The chicken sausage was too sweet for me, and the eggs were a bit rubbery. I had to add a good amount of hot sauce before I enjoyed it. Also, for what it’s worth – this small bowl contains 133% of the daily value of cholesterol. I’m not a nutritionist, but that seems insanely high to me, especially considering it wasn’t all that good tasting,

If you’re looking for a quick, easy breakfast bowl from Trader Joe’s, I recommend trying their Mango Blueberry Chia Bowl.

Rating: 5/10

5. Mocha Latte Pretzels ($2.99)

Mocha Latte was the winner of Trader Joe’s recent “Pick Our Next Pretzel” contest, so I was eager to give it a try. I wasn’t sure if the flavors would work well together, but then I remembered that I love salted caramel coffees, so why wouldn’t a coffee-flavored salty pretzel work?

These mini pretzels are covered in a sweet vanilla candy coating, which has tiny flecks of coffee beans throughout. Then, there’s a dark chocolate drizzle on top to bring the full mocha flavor. I was impressed with how much these pretzels taste and smell like coffee – not the artificial kind, but the fresh-brewed, high-quality type. I can absolutely see why this flavor won the contest!

Rating: 8/10

6. Mango Sticky Rice Crisps ($3.29)

These crackers are made with everything you’d find in actual mango sticky rice, including sticky rice (of course), coconut milk, sweetened dried mango, and mango syrup, along with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of these – mango isn’t one of my preferred fruits, but I think these will be a big hit for many people, so don’t let my rating stop you from trying them. These were perfectly crisp with chewy pieces of mango throughout, and they would make a stellar movie theater snack.

Rating: 7/10

7. Dark Chocolate Dipped French Butter Cookies ($2.99)

These Dark Chocolate Dipped French Butter Cookies have a very similar look and texture to Girl Scout Thin Mints. They’re crispy inside with a silky chocolate coating, and the cookie itself has a buttery flavor rather than a mint chocolate one.

These cookies are tasty and would make a great coffee or tea dipper. If we’re talking Trader Joe’s butter cookies, though, I would have to recommend their Belgian Butter Waffle Cookies over these,

Rating: 7.5/10

8. Crunchy Jicama Slaw ($4.99)

Step aside, cabbage – there’s a new slaw base in town. Trader Joe’s new Crunchy Jicama Slaw is made with jicama (also called the Mexican turnip), which has a crunchy texture and a refreshing, mild taste. There’s also julienned carrots, diced radishes, cucumbers, red peppers, and shelled edamame.

As a dressing, Trader Joe’s provides a spicy sesame ginger sauce. There are also dry-roasted chopped peanuts and chopped cilantro to round everything out. This slaw has a lot going on, but each flavor and texture compliments the next. It’s a refreshing, light dish that would be the perfect side dish for any summer dinner.

Rating: 8/10