Every year Trader Joe’s goes nuts with the pumpkin flavor products starting around September 1st. It’s an annual ritual to see what is new and what has come back again. Many of us call it Pumpkinpalooza or Pumpkinfest or whatever you want to call it. I have reviewed dozens of products from Trader Joe’s over the years that are infused with some type of Pumpkin or squash and many times that melange of pumpkin spices that so many people associate with pumpkin pie.
Here is a list of my top ten favorite pumpkin inspired products from all time (I can’t guarantee that they will be available this year, but it’s a good bet these will make an appearance this year:
10. Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Empanadas
They looked and smelled great when they came out of the oven, with a nice pumpkin spice mix to the aroma. But after the first (cooled down the bite, after I burned the roof of my mouth!) it was nothing more than a sweet pumpkin hand pie. You might as well serve these after Thanksgiving dinner with some whipped cream on top.
They are sweet and taste exactly like a regular American pumpkin pie. I was a bit disappointed. If you like pumpkin pie, then these are for you. If you want something a bit more savory, forget it, and seeing that each is 130 calories, you have to be careful how many you eat.
As a cool little pumpkin pie, I would give them 8 bells
9. Trader Joe’s Spicy Pumpkin Samosas Review
They are not vegan because of the paneer cheese in them.
You get twelve of these mini Samosas for $3.99.
8. Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancake Mix
What’s better than mashing up two trendy things like gluten free and pumpkin? Leave it to Trader Joe’s to never leave a trend behind! We have here Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancake mix. Not to be confused with the wheat based pumpkin pancake mix I reviewed a while back, this one is based mainly on rice flour and potato starch. As in the other one, there are little tiny flakes up dried-up pumpkins in it. They change the color of the pancakes to a nice deep orange. It looked yummy and I gave it the ultimate taste test, I fed it to my teenage sons for breakfast without telling them it was Gluten Free otherwise, they would probably turn their noses up at it. But they ended up loving it!
7. Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Greek Nonfat Yogurt
I am a big fan of Greek-styled non-fat yogurt, Well actually any amount of fat is OK with me. But I tried this the next morning and I thought I was having dessert after Thanksgiving dinner. It tasted exactly like pumpkin pie! I was shocked. The spices and flavors perfectly meld together for decadent flavor. I’ll be buying a lot more of this.
6. Trader Joe’s Organic Pumpkin Spice Granola Bark
The nights are turning cooler and the leaves are starting to turn color. Halloween and Thanksgiving are just around the corner and this is Trader Joe’s favorite time of the year. Pumpkin Spice has invaded the store. But there are plenty of eager fans ready to gobble up every pumpkin spice creation they turn out. I probably buy more than the average Trader Joe’s shopper because of this blog, but I know there are many out there who love, love, and love everything pumpkin spice. My favorite area in the store is the end cap section they have for new products. They don’t put everything there that’s new because it would fill up several end caps, but they do have some interesting new things there.
5. Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Ravioli
If I were making a sweet pumpkin pie I would be putting that stuff in there, but I wanted this to be less sweet and more savory. Eating the ravioli was really like eating pumpkin pie ravioli and it was pretty sweet. You can see in the closeup shot that the filling looks (I dug some of it out to taste on its own) and tastes just like pumpkin pie. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised based on the name of the product. They say right up there “Honey Roasted”! If you like your ravioli filling a little on the sweet side, you might like this.
4. Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter
I grew up eating a lot of apple butter. I really liked it on toast and pancakes. I ate it whenever I could! So, I was expecting something similar in flavor and texture, but with the obvious pumpkin pie spice twist that Trader Joe’s puts in all their pumpkin products. (I guess you could make a pumpkin chutney with curry flavors and that would be killer, but people aren’t really expecting that this time of the year) Anyway, I opened the jar and took a big whiff. It smelled kinda like I expected, like pumpkin pie!
3. Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread
When I took my first bite I swear I was eating pumpkin pie on a bagel. The cream cheese is pretty light because of the whipping and is easy to spread. They got the pumpkin pie spices just right and with a bit of sugar it really has the consistency of pumpkin pie and considering what’s in pumpkin pie, it’s not far off! I would wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who likes pumpkin pie on a bagel!
I am going to keep buying this as long as it’s at Trader Joe’s, which should be through November and I bet they keep bringing it back every year! I really like this so I am going to give Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread 9 Bells! Buy it while you can!
2. Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Not really a pumpkin product per se, but squash and pumpkins are essentially the same things. I swear I am starting to turn a light shade of orange with all these squash and pumpkin products I’ve been tasting day after day. I guess the official end to pumpkin season is Black Friday when all of our attention turns to Christmas. So, another 45 days of pumpkin products to eat! Actually, I don’t mind pumpkin in my food, it’s the pumpkin spice when it’s not done right that drives me insane. If you like a more adult version of mac and cheese, I think you’ll really like this one!
Trader Joe’s comes out with this product almost every year and it’s always a hit and hard to find because people hoard them. In my opinion, Trader Joe’s Squash Mac and Cheese is better than the regular one because it has more flavor and I like the cheese blend a little better. If you can find these in the store, by several because you might not see it again.
1 . This Pumpkin Walks Into a Bar
When I put it in my mouth, I really liked the spices in it. I thought it was very similar in flavor to the fig bars, but when I looked at the ingredients there weren’t any similar spices. Mostly it is sugar and pumpkin as the filling. I kind of wished there was more filling. Anyway, I really liked it. My kids really liked them. Too bad they are only a couple of months a year.
Trader Joe’s trying to inject as much pumpkin into our diet this time of year and that’s probably a good thing seeing how good pumpkin is for you! My kids may not like plain old pumpkin but your kid’s might and it’s a cool twist on the season. I ate the whole box and loved it. I just wish there was a little more pumpkin in them. Great snack to throw in the kid’s lunch box.
I am going to rate Trader Joe’s This Pumpkin Walks Into a Bar cereal bar an 8 Bells rating!
Where’s the love for the Doc’s Pumpkin Cider 4 pack? 🎃 🍺 🎃
That sounds so yummy!
Please show nutrition labels. I know the bars are high in sugar.
Click on the individual products and it will take you to the review. Most have nutritional information at the bottom of the review
All sound so fun to try! Have you tried the Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Rooibos Tea? It’s sooooo yummy!! Add some of their brown sugar flavored creamer and you’d think you had been to a fancy coffee shop. And the best part is you can even have this in the evening for dessert since it’s naturally caffeine free! You have to try it!!
I think the pumpkin cobbler was the best , to bad they’re not bringing it back this year.