Trader Joe’s is known for its selection of unique — and sometimes downright unusual — products. When it comes to novel Trader Joe’s products, this includes the store’s private label hot dog buns.
Trader Joe’s sells two types of hot dog buns: regular and brioche. I’ve tried both, and they’re both good. However, they don’t look like your typical hot dog buns. They’re essentially a loaf of bread that’s been baked, sliced, and scored to create hot dog buns. Instead of having a brown baked color all around the bun’s exterior, there are parts that are white like sliced bread. This makes TJ’s hot dog buns stand out from other buns.
At my local store, Trader Joe’s Hot Dog Buns cost $2.49 at the time of writing for a 12-ounce package that contains eight buns. That comes out to about 31 cents per bun or about 21 cents per ounce.
For comparison, Trader Joe’s Brioche Hot Dog Buns at my local store cost $3.49 for a 16-ounce package of eight buns at the time of writing, which comes out to about 44 cents per bun or about 22 cents per ounce. The brioche hot dog buns are uniquely sliced just like the regular hot dog buns. (The brioche hot dog buns are great for lobster rolls, by the way.)
The package TJ’s Hot Dog Buns I bought had a use-by date of about four days out from my date of purchase.
These are certified kosher.
Nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
If you’re looking out for allergens, these contain egg, soy, and wheat.
These contain enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, thiamine mononitrate, niacin, reduced iron, riboflavin, folic acid, malted barley flour), water, sugar, corn oil, cultured wheat flour (for added freshness), yeast, sea salt, ascorbic acid (dough conditioner), soy lecithin (emulsifier), enzymes, and liquid egg.
One bun has 110 calories, 1.5 grams of total fat (2% DV), no saturated fat, 220 mg of sodium (9% DV), 20 grams of total carbohydrates (7% DV), 1 gram of dietary fiber (3% DV), 2 grams of total sugars, 2 grams of added sugars (4% DV), and 3 grams of protein.
A bun out of the package.
As I mentioned earlier, Trader Joe’s Hot Dog Buns don’t look like your typical grocery store hot dog buns.
A view from the top.
These have a fancier look to them, which is perhaps fitting for a store like Trader Joe’s.
Trader Joe’s Organic Uncured Grass Fed Beef Hot Dog in a Trader Joe’s Hot Dog Bun.
Overall, these work just fine for holding hot dogs. They taste like regular hot dog buns, and all of our taste testers were fine with eating them. We had these buns with Trader Joe’s Organic Uncured Grass Fed Beef Hot Dogs.
The Verdict:
Trader Joe’s Hot Dog Buns look different from your typical grocery store hot dog bun. Instead of the buns being baked separate from each other and not touching, Trader Joe’s Hot Dog Buns are basically a loaf of bread that’s been sliced and scored to make hot dog buns. They taste as good as regular buns and are fine for times when you need hot dog buns.
They’re New England style hot dog buns. When I was a kid we’d butter the outside and grill them like you would a grilled cheese. Also these are the same kind of bun we’d use for Lobster Rolls.