The Trader Joe's Product I Always Stock Up on Is Finally Back

Many Trader Joe’s shoppers know the disappointment of finding a favorite seasonal item missing from the shelves. Realizing you'll have to wait a whole year to enjoy Banana Pudding Flavored Ice Cream again can make even the most responsible adult feel like a kid denied dessert. But when fall rolls around and the Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese returns (like it did last week), it’s like Christmas has come early.

Sometimes, you brace yourself for the seasonal cycle. But what if you thought a product was permanent, only to find out it's seasonal? That happened to me with Trader Joe’s Hot & Sweet Pepper Jelly, a condiment I quickly grew to love. When a store employee broke the news, I felt the familiar sting of seasonal loss but held my composure, simply asking when it would return. "Sometime in the fall," she said.

Trader Joe’s Pepper Jelly Is Officially Back for Fall

TJ's Hot and Sweet Pepper Jelly—made with red and green bell peppers, red and green jalapeño peppers, and green chile peppers— is the perfect topper for Cheddar cheese on a cracker. It has a mild kick that complements the sweetness. 

I don't keep this seasonal condiment all to myself. As the go-to person for cheese boards at my friends' events, I've added the affordable $2.99 jar (11 ounces) to the spreads I've made over the past year for Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve, and even an Academy Awards party.

Everyone loved it, so I made it a staple on my boards from then on. Imagine my dismay when I couldn't find it on shelves last spring.

Fortunately, I’ve learned my lesson. Since it’s shelf stable, I buy two jars each time I go to Trader Joe’s between now and whenever they sell out. That should be plenty to get me through the year, so I’ll never be pepper jelly-less again.

How to Use Trader Joe’s Hot and Sweet Pepper Jelly

In addition to using the jelly with Cheddar cheese and crackers, I also offer it in a small ramekin on my cheese boards to allow others to put it on the cheese of their choice.

Trader Joe’s suggests topping a block of cream cheese with it and serving that alongside crackers, a wonderfully retro way of creating a quick appetizer. It also mentions using it in a hot and salty PB&J. 

With plenty of it on hand, I'm excited to try it in these new-to-me recipes, too:

• Gin and Jam Cocktail
• Cheesy Thumbprint Appetizers with Hot Pepper Jelly
• Spicy PBJ Wings
• Chicken Bombs
• Pepper Jelly Pork 

If you haven’t tried Trader Joe’s Hot and Sweet Pepper Jelly yet, pick up a jar on your next TJ’s run. And if you love it, make sure to pick up another jar or two each time you shop to get you through the year.