The 5 Things You Should Never Buy At Trader Joe's, According to Our Editors

Ice Cream

Starting out with a controversial one: ice cream. Don't get us wrong—there are some frozen treats we like at Trader Joe's. The Hold the Cone! mini ice cream cones are a winner (as long as you don't mind a slightly chewy cone), as are the Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches. But, beyond those, that section is a skip for our editors.

The pints are frequently underwhelming or overly sweet, and often have soggy mix-ins, so outside of some particularly compelling seasonal flavors, we tend to avoid the ice cream at TJ's. And don't even get us started on the non-dairy options. They're icy in texture, lacking in flavor, or just taste like coconut (the hallmark of mediocre vegan ice cream!), and overall not good.

We also find the ice cream is often freezer burnt; the open freezers help lure customers in, but certainly don't keep freezer burn out. This one is best left to the ice cream professionals.

Bakery Items

Our editors said the section that most frequently let them down at Trader Joe's was the bakery. From meh muffins to tasteless tortillas and just plain bad bagels, we found the baked goods taste over-processed and often stale. And some straight-up taste bad—a set of banana muffins is the only item I have personally ever actually returned to TJ's (though they were happy to take it back!)

What's more, several people noted (and affirmed the sentiment in this popular Reddit thread) that many of the breads, tortillas, and baked desserts spoil very quickly. I've personally seen the baguettes and ciabatta go moldy before they even dry out, which gives me the suspicion they're not super fresh by the time they arrive in stores.

Of course, there are exceptions—the Pain au Lait and Danish Kringle pastries are fan favorites—but in general, we'd avoid the bakery.

Prepared Wraps & Salads

Sorry to Trader Joe's, but the grab-and-go options are sorely lacking. There are limited options at the store, and what it does have is lackluster at best. From dry, crumbly wraps, to tasteless pasta salads, the prepared options are an easy skip for our editors.

One writes, "I also have never been impressed by TJ's prepared sandwiches and wraps. The ones I've tried have been bland and stale. I've given up and don't want to try any others!"

If lunch is what you're after, you're better off grabbing a frozen meal and nuking it in your office microwave. Just make sure you abide by office microwave etiquette when you do.

Baking Mixes & Ingredients

This one's a two-parter. Firstly, you have TJ's baking ingredients. In general, since TJ's only carries white label products and one option per product, if that, we tend to steer clear of its baking ingredients like flour, sugar, baking powder/soda, etc. We found them to be the same price if not more expensive than other stores' comparable products—and that goes for butter, too. Plus, Trader Joe's never has sales, so you're better off buying those pantry items when they go on sale at other stores.

I've mentioned it before, but the confectioners' sugar in particular is something I would specifically recommend avoiding. Trader Joe's' Organic Powdered Cane Sugar is less refined than conventional powdered sugar and does not contain cornstarch, making it more likely to clump and potentially ruin recipes (according to several testers and chefs I personally worked with as a recipe tester).

Secondly, I would not recommend its cake mixes. We've found the store's cake mixes in particular bake flatter than our favorite cake mix brands, and taste more artificial. Some of the seasonal mixes are fun, but in general, they're quite bland and dense.

Asian-Inspired Products

While many of Trader Joe's' Chinese and Indian frozen dishes are constantly rated as some of its customers' favorites, many of its other Asian-inspired items don't stack up. As noted in our taste test of all of TJ's pre-marinated meats, the Teriyaki Skirt Steak and Bool Kogi (Korean Short Ribs) were the worst in the bunch; overwhelmingly salty almost to the point of inedible.

Our editors (and customers, according to that Reddit thread), note that many of TJ's Asian and Asian-inspired items don't stack up, especially in comparison to what you can find at local Asian grocers or chains like H Mart and 99 Ranch. All of the instant noodles are a hard pass, as are many of the Asian-inspired pantry items and the frozen Thai and Vietnamese options. Trader Joe's seems to have nailed the takeout classics (Orange Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala) but missed the mark on just about everything else.