Trader Joe's Shoppers Are Sharing The Most Overrated And Underrated Items (And Some Are Shocking To Me)

    Prepare to have some intense feelings.

    Hannah Loewentheil
    by Hannah Loewentheil

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Every loyal Trader Joe's shopper (ahem, me) knows the grocery store is full of underrated gems. But there are also inevitably some items that are *over*-hyped.

    POP TV

    So redditor u/nowwerecooking asked a community of Trader Joe's fans to talk about the most underrated and overrated TJ products. Here's what people said!

    DreamWorks Pictures

    And fair warning: Things may get heated here.

    1. Overrated: Chili Onion Crunch

    2. Underrated: Sweet Potato Gnocchi

    Hannah Loewentheil/BuzzFeed

    "It is SO delicious with sliced chicken apple sausage in it! —u/Detronyx

    3. Underrated: Asparagus Risotto

    A bag of frozen asparagus risotto
    Amazon / Via amazon.com

    —u/LeahGlam

    4. Overrated: Jingle Jangle

    5. Underrated: Strawberry Yogurt O’s.

    6. Underrated: Greeting Cards

    7. Underrated: Red Pepper Spread With Eggplant and Garlic

    8. Underrated: Riced Cauliflower Stir-Fry

    BuzzFeed / Via buzzfeed.com

    "I add water chestnuts, scrambled eggs, and some Sriracha or soy sauce to my cauliflower fried rice and cook it until it's dry in the pan, and it's soooo good." —u/sciencefaire

    9. Overrated: Cauliflower Gnocchi

    10. Underrated: Tomato Feta Soup

    11. Underrated: Smoked Trout

    Trader Joe's smoked trout.
    Hannah Loewentheil/BuzzFeed

    "I mix it with tuna because the trout is expensive but worth it! The tuna makes it go further." —u/not_0K

    12. Underrated: Organic Chicken Drumsticks

    13. Underrated: Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips

    14. Overrated: Mandarin Orange Chicken

    15. Underrated: Garlic Naan

    16. Underrated: Yuzu Hot Sauce

    17. Overrated: Everything but the Bagel Seasoning

    18. Underrated: Sea Salt & Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds

    A box of chocolate sea salt and turbinado sugar almonds
    Amazon / Via amazon.com

    —u/sugarhoney818

    19. Underrated: Shakshuka Starter

    Hannah Loewentheil/BuzzFeed

    "Shakshuka from scratch requires chopping peppers and veggies, mixing, adding seasonings, etc. It’s all done for you with the frozen starter. Just heat and add eggs." —u/blondephotographer

    20. Overrated: Frozen Chicken Tikka Masala

    21. Overrated: Cauliflower anything

    22. Underrated: Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips

    23. Overrated: Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

    24. Underrated: Thai Shrimp Gyoza

    25. Overrated: Frozen Chicken Fried Rice

    26. Underrated: Synergistically Seasoned Popcorn

    27. Underrated: Dark Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Cups

    28. Overrated: Unexpected Cheddar Cheese

    29. Underrated: Tuscan Pane Bread

    30. Underrated: Tempura Cauliflower

    Hannah Loewentheil/BuzzFeed

    "I almost like it more than the orange chicken. I want the orange chicken sauce with the tempura cauliflower." —u/missbarajaja

    "I eat this like 3x a week. It’s so good. I make it in my air fryer!" —u/snaaay

    31. Underrated: Frozen Roasted Corn

    32. Underrated: Frozen Country Potatoes With Haricot Verts

    A bag of frozen Trader Joe's country potatoes
    The Kitchn / Via thekitchn.com

    "They have a great flavor and cook so well — great to air fry and eat with a breakfast scramble or to add to curry." —u/missmargarita

    33. Overrated: Cookie Butter

    Which Trader Joe's products do you think are overrated, and which do you think people should be talking about more? Tell me in the comments below!

    Note: Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.