As an avid Trader Joe’s customer, one of my favorite times of the year for shopping is Fall. You walk into the store, and you are already met with the warm smells and spices of Fall coming from their cinnamon broomsticks and store aroma. To your left and right, there are pumpkin products galore, and other seasonal items lining the shelves. It is one of the best things to look forward to as it marks the start of Fall. Walking up and down the aisles, I was inundated with all of my choices, each Fall item tempting me more and more. After lots of thought and some damage to my wallet, I settled on these items. Here are my thoughts on everything I bought on my Trader Joe’s Fall haul.
Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli
Price: $3.99
Rating: 5/10
Would I buy it again: Maybe
I am usually a big fan of Trader Joe’s ravioli because they are so quick to prepare and the perfect single serving size. The bright orange ravioli and honey roasted title caught my eye. However, personally, I found the ravioli to be a little disappointing. They were much too sweet for my liking. While the pumpkin flavor was strong which I appreciated, it was not enough to counterbalance the overwhelming sweetness from the honey. After a few bites, I drizzled hot honey on them, and that made it taste better. I will admit I was too lazy to prepare any sort of sauce when I made them and only put butter and shredded parmesan on them. I think with a tasty savory sauce the honey roasted pumpkin ravioli have the potential to earn a higher rating.
Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Price: $3.79
Rating: 7.5/10
Would I buy it again: Yes and I have
As a busy college student, I find that Trader Joe’s has a solid selection of single-serve frozen items. It is hard to beat the convenience of being able to heat up an entire meal in a matter of minutes in the microwave, not to mention the lack of prep work or cleanup that comes with making a meal. I was pretty pleased with the butternut squash mac & cheese. I found the cheese to be nice and gooey, and there was a strong but not overpowering thyme and sade flavor. Personally, I did not taste the butternut squash that much, but that was not necessarily a complaint, instead more of an observation. What it might have lacked in butternut squash, it definitely made up for in the amount of cheese. There was plenty of cheese sauce lathering the pasta, definitely not for the lactose intolerant. Overall, a good pick for when time is limited, and you are craving something comforting.
Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese Bites
Price: $3.99
Rating: 8/10
Would I buy it again: Yes
Similar to the butternut squash mac & cheese, the bites version had a yummy thyme and sage flavor with a delicious cheese coating. Once again, the butternut squash flavor did not come through all that strongly, but that was fine. I think the squash added more to the smooth consistency than the flavor. The crispy and crunchy exterior paired with the gooey and creamy interior helped give the butternut mac & cheese bites a slight edge over the traditional form. The breadcrumb shell gave the bites that extra texture the regular butternut squash mac & cheese was lacking. However, the bites are definitely more of a snack rather than a meal, unlike the normal mac & cheese. I recommend putting them in the air fryer if you have one for a quick and easy afternoon snack.
Maple Flavored Fudge
Price: $2.99
Rating: 4/10
Would I buy it again: No
What is Fall without some maple treats in your life is what I thought to myself when purchasing this maple flavored fudge. However, little did I know, there is such a thing as way too much maple in your life. Now I normally have quite the sweet tooth, but even these were way too much for me. The combination of intense maple flavoring and the already sugary nature of fudge made each bite sickeningly sweet. It left me with the urge to willingly eat a vegetable afterward. I will say the texture and size of the fudge pieces were nice, but it was just the flavor that I did not like. Unless you are someone who enjoys the feeling of eating pure sugar, I would not recommend this product.
Pumpkin Spiced Teeny Tiny Pretzels
Price: $3.49
Rating: 9/10
Would I buy it again: Yes
Although the maple flavored fudge was a disappointment, the pumpkin spiced teeny tiny pretzels more than made up for it. These itty bitty pretzels are covered in a yogurt coating saturated with pumpkin spice and crushed pumpkin seeds. The delicious and fragrant pumpkin spice blend left a positive mark on my tastebuds. The perfect little bite sized pieces make you want to eat them by the handful. I found them to be dangerously addicting. However, I will note that like most snacks nowadays, the bag was only half full of the pretzels. That being said, I would still absolutely recommend them to people. The soft yogurt coating and crunchy pretzel inside in addition to the sweet and salty flavor combo is guaranteed to satisfy any craving.
Organic Fall Zucchette Pasta
Price: $2.29
Rating: 8/10
Would I buy it again: Yes
I had just about made it to the register when I passed by the organic fall zucchette pasta. Bright orange and pumpkin shaped pasta, I just could not resist. I have always loved the silly and unusual pasta shapes, so little pumpkin shaped pasta sounded like a great way to welcome the beginning of Fall. Other than the shape and color there was nothing out of the ordinary, and it tasted like regular pasta noodles. I made a vodka sauce to go along with my pasta, but I think any sauce would have paired well. Although the uncooked pasta was super cute, I found that many of them did not retain their shape after cooking. The majority either flattened or broke into a bunch of small pieces. Considering the major appeal to me was the shape, I found this to be a bit of a letdown. It is very well possible I cooked them too long or stirred them too vigorously which caused their shape to lose integrity. As a result, I did not drop the rating too much, but I am curious about other people’s experiences with this product. I think this is still a fun product to purchase at least once during the season.
Pumpkin Brioche Twist
Price: $4.99
Rating: 10/10
Would I buy it again: Yes and I have
Out of all of the items I bought during my Fall haul, this was by far my favorite purchase. Soft, fluffy, and with a cinnamon swirl running through it, this brioche bread was in the words of Ken from the Barbie movie “sublime!” I enjoyed it so much that as soon as I finished the first loaf, I bought another the very next week, and I had to restrain myself from buying it every week. It comes already pre-sliced, making it very easy to eat a slice on the go. While the pumpkin flavor is subtle, the cinnamon and nutmeg spices really shine through. I often enjoyed the bread with a dollop of butter after being heated in the microwave or toaster. The thick brioche slice also made it a perfect candidate for some French toast, which I was able to make one Saturday morning. Just talking about it as I write this review makes me crave a piece. For all my fellow bread lovers out there and even just bread enjoyers, I highly recommend the pumpkin brioche twist.
Pumpkin Recipe Dog Treats
Price: $4.29
Rating: 10/10 (per my dog)
Would I buy it again: Yes
My Fall haul would not be complete without getting at least one thing for my dog. Luckily, Trader Joe’s had some pumpkin dog treats. Since I did not taste them, I had to rely on my dog Beans to rate them. After a good sniff, Beans thought they were decidedly delicious. Whenever I offered a treat, he was ready to do all of the tricks in his repertoire just to get one. Beans may not have the most sophisticated palette, but I appreciated that the main ingredients in these treats were whole ingredients. I did want to note that these treats were on the larger and thicker size, so I am not sure if I would recommend them for very small dogs. However, I found them to be great treats whenever I needed to put Beans in his crate or whenever he was looking especially cute.