Last Updated on October 4, 2021
Besides Christmas, fall is the biggest time of year when stores really go overboard stocking unique and sometimes kitschy seasonal foods. It’s why people joke about pumpkin spice-flavored everything. When I walk down store aisles lined with pumpkins, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin tea, and apple cider, I get excited for cooler days, sweaters, and colorful leaves.
One of my favorite stores to visit during the fall is Aldi’s cousin, Trader Joe’s, where there is no shortage of fall- and Halloween-themed foods with whimsical packaging to get me in the seasonal mood.
Read on for a roundup of several of my favorite fall foods at TJ’s. Also, keep in mind that product selection may change from year to year, so we can’t guarantee that you’ll always find these items at your local Trader Joe’s.
Trader Joe’s Ghosts & Bats Crispy Potato Snacks
Cost: $2.29 for 5 oz.
Thoughts: These little potato chip snacks are shaped like ghosts and bats, and they’re really good. They remind us of Lay’s Stax.
Full review: here
Trader Joe’s Autumnal Harvest Soup
Cost: $3.99 for 25 oz.
Thoughts: This is a creamy tomato-based soup with small chunks of pumpkin and butternut squash. We thought this might have been better if it was all pureed, but if you like pumpkin and squash, you may like this soup.
Full review: here
Trader Joe’s Maple Leaf Cookies
Cost: $3.49 for 11.4 oz.
Thoughts: These leaf-shaped cookies have a creamy maple filling, and they’re delicious. They’re also a dead ringer for some maple leaf cookies that Aldi sells as well.
Full review: here
Trader Joe’s Apple Cider Donuts
Cost: $3.99 for a box of six donuts
Thoughts: These have good apple flavor and a satisfying cinnamon and sugar coating. They’re good served at room temperature or slightly warmed in the microwave.
Full review: here
Trader Joe’s Apple Cider
Cost: $3.99
Thoughts: This is made only with 100% fresh pressed apples and no preservatives, and it tastes like traditional apple cider.
Full review: here
Trader Joe’s Harvest Blend Herbal Tea
Cost: $1.99 for a 1.7-oz. box containing 20 tea bags
Thoughts: This fantastic caffeine-free tea with the fox on the box contains cinnamon, ginger, hibiscus, natural cinnamon and apple flavors with other natural flavors, chamomile, roasted chicory, and orange peel.
Full review: here
Trader Joe’s Halloween Joe Joe’s Cookies
Cost: $2.99 for a 16-oz. box
Thoughts: These look like a Halloween-themed version of Oreos, but they taste a little different. They taste good, with rich chocolate cookies and a vanilla filling. Great for a lunch box or a party snack.
Full review: here
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Joe-Joe’s
Cost: $2.49 for a 10.5-oz. box
Thoughts: These are cute little pumpkin sandwich cookies with a soft pumpkin cream filling. They taste good and include pumpkin puree and organic pumpkin powder.
Full review: here
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin O’s
Cost: $2.49 for a 12-oz. box
Thoughts: This is TJ’s version of pumpkin Cheerios. This cereal includes toasted whole grain cereal with brown rice, oats, and pumpkin. It’s pretty sweet, and the pumpkin flavor is not overly strong, but the kids like them.
Full review: here
Trader Joe’s This Pumpkin Walks Into a Bar Cereal Bars
Cost: $1.99 for a 7.8-oz. box containing six bars
Thoughts: These are high in sugar but delicious, with a generous amount of pumpkin spice filling that is gooey, gelatinous, and satisfying.
(Trader Joe’s also sells other flavors of these cereal bars year round, including fig, blueberry, apple, and strawberry. Read about them here.)
Full review: here
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Rolls
Cost: $3.99 for 17.5-oz. tube with five rolls
Thoughts: These rolls come with a packet of pumpkin spice icing with pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, and other ingredients. The rolls themselves contain dried pumpkin. They have a nice pumpkin flavor without tasting fake or overwhelming. They bake up large and slightly crisp on the outer edges while remaining soft and chewy in the middle.
Full review: here
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Rooibos Tea
Cost: $3.99 for a 1.4-oz. tin containing 20 tea bags
Thoughts: This tea features a redbush herbal blend (rooibos), natural pumpkin flavor, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It has a mellow flavor, and the pumpkin spice notes are mild, so it’s a good tea to try if you want to celebrate autumn without going overboard on strongly pumpkin-flavored foods.
(You can also read about some of the teas TJ’s carries year round here.)
Full review: here
Trader Joe’s Apple Cider Jam
Cost: $3.99 for a 12-oz. jar
Thoughts: This smells delicious and is filled with small spiced apple chunks that spread nicely over an English muffin, pancakes, waffles, pastries, or toast. It’s also good for topping pork chops.
Full review: here
What are your favorite fall foods at Trader Joe’s? Let us know in the comments below.
