The 6 Best New Products Coming to Trader Joe’s This Spring, According to Employees

Episode 72 of the Trader Joe’s podcast just dropped, and co-hosts Tara Miller and Matt Sloan are at it again—giving us all the details of TJ’s latest product drops in their typical quirky, quick-witted exchange. We’re highlighting some of the items that caught our eye so that you can stop by your closest TJ’s and get them before they’re gone (since some of them are seasonal and limited!).

Piquant Popcorn

Popcorn is a great snack, whether you pop it yourself or buy it ready to eat—like TJ’s Piquant Popcorn. 

Piquant? Yeah, I had to look it up, too. It means having a pleasantly sharp taste or appetizing flavor. In this case, the combination of nutritional yeast, onion, sea salt and garlic contributes to this crunchy snack’s piquant qualities. 

In case you’re not familiar with nutritional yeast, “It is a form of yeast and it has this amazing flavor,” explains Sloan. “And in certain combinations, amplified with a little salt or maybe even some garlic or onion, it takes on an almost aged cheese-like flavor, approaching Parmesan. But there's no dairy, there's no cheese. I just like the flavor on its own. It's More-ish.” 

“It's what?” asks Miller.

“More-ish as in, I would like some more,” says Sloan, chuckling.

When the co-hosts tried the popcorn on-air, they described it as “a soupy brothy richness” and “an umami richness of flavor.”

“It’s not spicy, but it is zesty,” says Miller. 

Trader Joe's Thai Peanut Satay Sauce

This is the product Miller says she’s most excited about—Trader Joe’s Thai Peanut Satay Sauce. 

“I think this is better than any of the peanut sauces we've had,” says Miller. 

“It is a thinner, more pourable consistency than some of the more paste-like versions,” agrees Sloan. “Using this is really easy too—spoon over grilled chicken, grilled tofu, grilled fish [or] toss into noodles. It's got [an] amazing flavor.”

And it’s vegan. With a base of coconut milk, the other ingredients include peanuts, spices and a little oil.

This sauce would go great with any of our satay recipes—pork, beef or chicken. Just replace the sauce recipes with TJ’s Thai Peanut Satay Sauce to cut down on cooking time and get dinner on the table in a flash.

Orange Wine 

In a bit of an admittedly confusing exchange between the co-hosts and James Zichterman, TJ’s category manager for wine, beer and spirits, we find out that new wines are coming out. One of these wines is an orange wine called The Puppet. Last year, it was a limited release that was only available in California and quickly sold out. This spring, The Puppet will be available at TJ’s stores nationwide.

“The Puppet. It has nothing to do with Kermit the Frog, not Howdy Doody,” quips Miller and then asks for an explanation on orange wine and the name.

James explains, “Orange wine, also known as skin contact wine, is made in a similar way as white wine. Ultimately it’s spending more time in contact with the skins of the grapes, and in that sense is pulling more color out of the grape skins into the final product.” 

“And other than the color of the wine, what's interesting about orange wine?” asks Sloan. 

“There's a little different intensity of flavors that comes through, as well as, kind of a different feeling in the mouth. There's a little more texture and phenolics that come through the final product,” responds James.

After a “hooked on phenolics” pun and Sloan’s offer to beatbox while James “breaks down” what phenols are, James says, “So, phenolics are a component of the wine that kind of impacts the mouthfeel and the texture that you're experiencing, as a result of how the wine was made. So it can vary a lot.”

“This is not a sweet wine and yet it has a full mouthfeel and heavier body that I found really worked nicely with food,” says Sloan. “This is exciting stuff and I can't stop singing that great song, ‘I'm Your Puppet.’” 

“You just sing it quietly and we'll all be OK,” Miller instructs Sloan and then adds, “Still don't understand why it's called The Puppet …” 

Neither do we, but it sure sounds like a wine we’d like to try tonight with dinner.

Sicilian Organic Lemon Juice

You’re in the middle of a recipe and it calls for lemon juice. So you rummage through your fridge for that lemon you know you have. Ah, there it is—shrunken and dried out.

Having a little bottle of lemon juice on hand is, well, handy for times like this. And TJ’s has you covered with their Sicilian Organic Lemon Juice. 

“This is a shelf-stable bottle of lemon juice. And while not unusual to find lemon juice [from] different places, it's often made with the use of preservative chemicals to hold its color and its aroma,” explains Sloan. “This is just lemon juice from Sicilian lemons from Italy.” 

“Oftentimes the lemon juice that you find in bottles in grocery stores is lemon juice from concentrate, so it's all pressed and concentrated and then reconstituted to be bottled later on. This is freshly pressed and pasteurized—which is impressive,” says Miller, adding, “The only ingredient in this juice is organic lemon juice.”

“And of course, someone's probably listening to this and saying like, isn't it easy to squeeze a lemon? Easy peasy lemon squeezy,” says Sloan. “But if you don't have the time or the inclination, this is at the ready.” 

“And by the way, there is a very particular flavor profile that you get from a Sicilian-grown lemon,” adds Miller. “And they're famous. And I don't always have access to a Sicilian lemon.”

“I got a guy,” quips Sloan. 

This lemon juice could be used in any of our lemon salad dressings or lemon desserts (although for some you also need the lemon zest, so have that lemon on hand for that). 

Chocolate Glazed Donut Holes 

“What could be better than chocolate glazed donuts?” asks Miller. 

“Answer: Chocolate Glazed Donut Holes because donut holes are the center-cut fillet of the donut,” responds Sloan. 

“These are even better,” says Miller. “These are Gluten-Free Chocolate Glazed Donuts.”

And not just gluten-free but also dairy-free and “better than most commercially available donut holes I've ever tasted,” adds Miller.

“So, donut holes for me come with a whole raft of expectations,” says Sloan, skeptical of the gluten-free characteristic. “Because the donut hole is not so much a hole, it's not an absence, it's a thing unto itself—and that is a beautiful ratio between outside glazed, crunchy texture and inner squishiness.”

Thankfully, unlike many gluten-free, dairy-free products, TJ’s donut holes are anything but dry and crumbly. 

“We've got exceptional suppliers that are able to really impart that moist, chewy texture and flavor in spite of it being gluten-free—or as an additional attribute to it,” explains Amy Gaston-Morales, category manager of TJ’s bakery team who was brought in on this convo. “So, in this case, you get an even airier bite to a product with the benefit of it being gluten-free.”

You might be wondering why EatingWell would include donut holes in this list. We all need a little something sweet now and then—and donut holes are poppable portioned pillows of pastry that go great with coffee, tea or milk. And while the label says that a serving size is seven donut holes, just a couple will most likely satisfy your craving—and leave more for another day.

Trader Joe’s Unscented Deodorant 

“Hey, Tara, smell that?” says Sloan. 

“Smell what?” asks Miller, sniffing the air. 

“Exactly. I'm wearing the new Trader Joe's Unscented Deodorant,” says Sloan. 

“I cannot smell you, so I'm thinking it must work,” says Miller.

The co-hosts then go on to discuss the packaging of the deodorant, which, unlike other types that are packaged in a plastic cylinder, comes in a paper-based cylinder. “It's a significant reduction in plastic from most deodorant containers,” says Miller.

This natural deodorant is also free of aluminum, baking soda, phthalates and parabens. 

Phthalates are chemicals that are sometimes added to plastic to help make it softer. And parabens are also chemicals and are frequently used in products as preservatives to extend their shelf life. Both phthalates and parabens are endocrine disruptors and may negatively affect our health. 

But TJ’s deodorant has none of this. 

“On a deodorant basis, a pretty simple ingredient deck. It's mostly a coconut oil base,” says Sloan. ”With a few other minerally things, forms of magnesium among them in there.” 

“I also love that there are directions on the package. Apply liberally under arms,” says Miller.

“Well, we're here to help,” quips Sloan. 

“So, ‘natural deodorants’ tend to be super expensive and this one is not super expensive. I mean, this one comes in at, um, let's see, what is it? This one, it's $4.99. That's a deal,” says Miller. 

“That is an amazing price difference,” exclaims Sloan. 

“It's a super value. And just in time for spring when you might be outdoors more, and you might be sweating a little bit more, you might be a little smellier than normal. You want to like just, keep yourself smelling neutral,” says Miller.