The 10 Best Trader Joe's Product Hacks, According to the People Who Work There

We love strolling the aisles of Trader Joe's to find the best new snacks, copycats of our favorite restaurant foods and of course, budget staple ingredients. But what's even better is finding unique ways to use those TJ's favorites.

On the most recent episode of the store's podcast, Inside Trader Joe's, hosts Tara Miller and Matt Sloan discussed the best hacks from fellow crew members. They listed off a wide range of favorite hacks and products in the half-hour episode including the age-old trick of wetting store-bought bread before baking to get a crispy crust and freezing grapes for an icy treat, and they even tried the balsamic vinegar coke trick. Here are the top 10 Trader Joe's product hacks we will definitely be trying soon.

Spicy Peanut Broccoli Slaw

The Trader Joe's Organic Broccoli Slaw (a simple combo of shredded broccoli stems and shredded carrots) isn't just for a broccoli-based riff on creamy coleslaw. Instead, combine the bag's contents with lightly salted peanuts and raisins, and toss with TJ's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette. Miller likes to serve it chilled but Sloan suggested trying it stir-fried.

4-Ingredient Pizza Dough Monkey Bread

That 1-pound bag of fresh pizza dough is so versatile; you can fry it to make donuts, you can use it to bake rolls, but Alex from the Trader Joe's Test Kitchen likes to use it to make monkey bread. All you need is pizza dough, brown sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon. Roll the dough out to ½-inch thickness, then cut it into nugget size pieces (1 to 2 inches each). Melt a stick of butter in a small bowl. Combine 1 ½ cups brown sugar with 1 to 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon in another small bowl. Dip each dough nugget in the butter then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Arrange the nuggets in a greased 9x5 loaf pan and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then turn it over onto a serving platter for a gooey pull-apart bread.

Not into sweets? Try Alex's savory version: Dip the nuggets in the melted butter then roll them in TJ's Ranch Seasoning Blend and bake the same way. Want to take it up a notch? Serve them with marinara for dipping.

Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce + Garlic Spread = Pizza Sauce

Chris from the Ashburne, VA store likes to combine 1 part Trader Joe's Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce (fermented Calabrian chili flakes suspended in oil) with 2 parts Trader Joe's Garlic Spread & Dip for a sauce that's perfect for spreading on pizza or tossing on cooked gnocchi. Sloan pointed out that the Garlic Spread & Dip is oil-based, so as the pizza cooks, the sauce can seep into the crust, infusing it with flavor.

Crunchy Chili Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich

In a recent Trader Joe's University class, one student had the idea to use Trader Joe's Crunchy Chili Onion (a condiment inspired by chili crisp) for making grilled cheese. All you do is brush some of the oil from the Crunchy Chili Onion on the outside of the bread for your grilled cheese, then toast it in a pan or panini press for a spicy variation on a classic sandwich.

The Crispiest Frozen Pizza

If you like an extra crispy crust on your frozen pizza, both of the podcast's hosts have a hack for you. Sloan puts his pizza in a cast-iron or other oven-safe skillet and bakes according to package directions. Then, just when the cheese is starting to melt, transfer the pan to the stovetop and turn on the heat for a few minutes to really crisp up the bottom of the crust.

Miller has an alternative method: cook the whole pizza in your air fryer (if you have one big enough that is). She swears it makes the crispiest pizza crust ever.

Yellow Cake Mix with a Pineapple Twist

Miller tried a hack recommended by crew members at the Woodbury, MN store for ultra moist and light cake: prepare the Trader Joe's boxed Yellow Cake Mix according to package directions, but instead of adding water, swap in TJ's Sparkling Pineapple Juice Beverage. The carbonation helps to aerate the batter for a fluffier cake, plus the pineapple juice adds extra sweetness and flavor to the baked good.

Ghost Pepper Potato Chip Chicken Tenders

These two hacks would really work with any bag of flavored chips but the Ghost Pepper Potato Chips are a hot (no pun intended) product. Instead of opening the bag like normal, flip the bag upside down and open it from the bottom. This way, all the flavorful bits that have settled to the bottom of the bag will be redistributed over the rest of the chips in the bag.

If it's too late for that and you've already opened them from the top, and now you are just left with the broken up bits and pieces at the bottom of your bag — throw in some chicken tenders and shake up the bag to coat the chicken with the chip bits. Then they're ready to bake or air fry, and you've got extra flavorful chicken tenders.

Mini Beef or Chicken Taco Nachos

Turn Trader Joe's frozen mini tacos into the ultimate food mash-up: Taco Nachos. First, air fry the chicken or beef tacos until crispy. Then arrange on a microwave-safe plate, top with shredded cheese and microwave for 1 minute. You'll end up with crunchy tacos covered in melted cheese, ready to be topped with all your favorite nacho toppings: shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa, guac, etc.

Scallion Pancake Tacos

And last but not least, one more food fusion mashup hack. Skip the tortillas on your next taco night and swap in Trader Joe's Scallion Pancakes instead. Crisp a scallion pancake on both sides in a pan or the air fryer, then fold into a taco shell shape and stuff with your favorite fillings.