Trader Joe’s Everything Bagels

Last Updated on September 24, 2023

No one really knows where the everything bagel came from. A whole lineup of people have laid claim to the invention, most of them from New York. The consensus seems to be that someone came up with it in the 1970s and 1980s.

I don’t know if I could pinpoint exactly where it suddenly became this widespread American thing. Perhaps the mid-to-late 2010s? Whatever the case, at a certain point, everything bagels started popping up at shops. Just as significantly, companies started harnessing the idea of “everything” and putting it in a seasoning jar. Trader Joe’s was one of the first stores I saw really push this kind of seasoning, with TJ’s distant cousin Aldi selling its own variant sometime later. Today, I suspect you can find everything bagel seasoning in a lot of stores.

But what about the original everything bagel? Well, Trader Joe’s sells that, too. So we picked up some!

Trader Joe’s Everything Bagels can be found on the store’s room-temperature shelf next to other breads and pastries. It comes in a bag with six bagels and currently costs $2.99, or right around 50 cents a bagel.

These bagels are “[b]aked with a golden brown crust and a soft chewy interior,” the bag declares. “Generously coated with sesame seeds, minced onion, minced garlic, coarse salt and poppy seeds.”

“Great for toasting,” it adds.

The bag notes that the bagels are pareve, meaning they have no dairy or meat ingredients. They’re also vegan. Nutritionally, they’ve got their share of carbs and sodium but have little fat and no cholesterol. Each bagel is 240 calories by itself. As allergens go, they contain sesame and wheat.

Nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

A TJ’s everything bagel. No cuts.

I did discover one irritant right out of the bag: these bagels aren’t cut, not even partially. This will no doubt divide bagel-lovers, some of whom will argue that an uncut bagel is a more fresh bagel. It does mean that if you want to split these you’ve got some work to do, probably with a large knife, which of course requires some care and caution. I found the bagels to be sturdy enough that I was able to (carefully) cut them.

That aside, these are quality bagels. They are firm but not too tough on the outside, and they’re soft on the inside. They toast up quite well and go nicely with whatever you want to pair them with. Cream cheese works, and we’ve also had success making a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. I would also note that the seasoning is generous but not overwhelming, so as to enhance, rather than dominate, whatever else might go with them.

The Verdict:

Trader Joe’s Everything Bagels do not disappoint … well, other than having to slice them ourselves. They taste great, have just the right amount of seasoning, and match up with whatever you might want to put on the slices, or even between them. A great TJ’s staple buy for the breakfast lover.