Trader Joe’s New Products This Week 2/12/24

This week, beginning February 12th, 2024, we’re excited to bring you the latest roundup of new products from Trader Joe’s. The store has kicked off the year with a rapid release of exciting new items, and we’ve been busy keeping track. I’ve handpicked five particularly intriguing offerings to highlight for you.

Below, you’ll find the newest additions to look out for this week, along with my candid thoughts on each:

 

Trader Joe's New Products This Week 2/12/24
Trader Joe's Mochi Rice Nuggets
Trader Joe’s Mochi Rice Nuggets

Trader Joe’s mini Mochi Rice Nuggets

Trader Joe’s Says: “The next big sensation in savory snacking at Trader Joe’s proves that good things come in small packages: say hello to Trader Joe’s Mini Mochi Rice Nuggets! These delicious, diminutive morsels of super crispy Mochi are like an itty-bitty version of our acclaimed Mochi Rice Nuggets, offering the same salty, savory flavor and satisfyingly crunchy texture, just on a tinier scale. Why the smaller stature? Simply put, Mini Mochi Rice Nuggets will have relatively more surface area per handful (or mouthful), meaning even more crunch with every bite. And that’s no small feat!”

Our Comments: Trader Joe’s has flirted with Mochi Rice Nuggets over the years and has downsized the size of the nuggets to a more interesting size in my opinion. Supposedly they taste the same as the original size. 

Price: $1.99/3.5 Oz

Buy or Pass: If you liked the original Mochi Rice Nuggets, you’ll like them!

 

Trader Joe's Vegan Pepperoni
Trader Joe’s Vegan Pepperoni

Trader Joe’s Vegan Pepperoni

Trader Joe’s Says: “Here’s some news that ought to put some pep in your step: Vegan Pepperoni is now available at your neighborhood Trader Joe’s! It’s made for us by a trusted supplier of meat alternatives who uses a mix of plant- based proteins to achieve just the right texture, and a blend of savory seasonings to bring out just the right amount of aromatic spice and delicate smokiness in every bite. And since Trader Joe’s Vegan Pepperoni arrives pre-sliced, it’s ready to be placed on top of a pizza, layered into a sandwich, or tossed into an antipasto salad with Marinated Artichokes and Organic Kalamata Olives.”

Our Comments: We’ve already tasted Trader Joe’s Vegan Pepperoni and we have mixed feelings about it. We ate it right out of the bag and it was weird. Rubbery is the operative word. The flavors are not quite what you’d expect but not in a good way. We made a vegan pepperoni pizza with vegan cheese and that’s where it actually was decent. (Vegan cheese on the other hand, ugh)  Once cooked it got crispy and the texture problems went away. I can’t imagine eating it in a salad straight out of the bag. Yuck. Review in a couple of days.

Price: $4.99/5 Oz

Buy or Pass: Buy if you are vegan otherwise, no way.

 

Trader Joe's Spaghetti Carbonara
Trader Joe’s Spaghetti Carbonara

Trader Joe’s Spaghetti Carbonara

Trader Joe’s Says: “Within the vast continuum of comfort foods, pasta dishes are often among the most comforting. And within that subset of comfort foods, carbonara may just be the queen. Rich, creamy, and satisfying, with plenty of savory cheese and smoky pancetta (do we need to say any more after that?), a great carbonara can lift moods, nourish spirits, and leave one feeling consummately cozy and content. Brought to us by a supplier in Italy, Trader Joe’s Spaghetti Carbonara is, indeed, a great carbonara, made even greater by its remarkable value and effortless method of preparation.”

Our Comments: Stay tuned. We will review this shortly some come back but this looks very interesting. Trader Joe’s has already proven themselves with some of these Italian frozen pasta dishes and I think this will be the same quality.

Price: $4.29/16 Oz

Buy or Pass: Buy

Trader Joe's Piquant Popcorn
Trader Joe’s Piquant Popcorn

Trader Joe’s Piquant Popcorn

Trader Joe’s Says: “Perhaps, upon seeing a bag of Trader Joe’s Piquant Popcorn, you may find your interest piqued, and you may ponder: what, precisely, makes this Popcorn so Piquant? What peculiar mix of savory seasonings could provide such a pleasant pop of umami? The answer is surprisingly simple, yet nonetheless satisfying—which, appropriately enough, are two descriptors we’d also apply to our Piquant Popcorn. Inside each bag, our supplier has dusted light, fluffy, butterfly popcorn with a blend of onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt, and nutritional yeast, which gives each piece a rich, tangy, and faintly cheesy flavor..”

Our Comments: We’ve already eaten through a bag of this. The vegan in our family was happy to see it. It tastes reminiscent of butter popcorn in a good way. They use Nutritional Yeast in place of butter to give it a rich flavor with that umami kick. 

Price: $4.29/16 Oz

Buy or Pass: Buy

 

Trader Joe's Vanilla Lip Mask
Trader Joe’s Vanilla Lip Mask

Trader Joe’s Vanilla Lip Mask

Trader Joe’s Says: “Who says moisturizing masks are just for faces? Lips need love, too! Lucky for you, Trader Joe’s Vanilla Lip Mask is here to perk up your parched, wintry pout with hydration heavy-hitters like shea butter, coconut oil, and vitamin E. The formula is thick and luxurious, yet still somehow silky and lightweight—in other words, it’ll leave your lips feeling soft and supple, not goopy or sticky.”

Our Comments: This looks like a very interesting lip mask product. If vanilla is your favorite flavor, you might be in heaven all day with this on your lips!

Price: $5.99/0.7 Oz

Buy or Pass: Buy

2 Comments

  1. I care for my mom almost 24/7/365. She has dementia and I feel very isolated and sad about this situation. When I shop, I do it at Trader Joe’s 99% of the time. It’s not just the food, that’s important of course, but it’s more than that. It’s the music that brings me back to better times, the store employees who are ALWAYS so sweet, the $.99 cards that I love to mail out so much, the adorable succulents that make me smile (and don’t take any care and still thrive).
    Thank you for being a ‘sanctuary’ for this busy lady, and of course for the yummy food and treats.

  2. Hugs to you Cathy! You are correct, TJ’S is a happy place and team members are very special, I shared a story with the checker about my 98 year old Mom, and located the chocolate bars after checkout and the checker gifted the chocolate bars for my mom!!! So sweet and thoughtful!

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