Trader Joe's New Green Tea And Yuzu Spread Has More Creative Uses Than You Expect

Trader Joe's seasonal items never disappoint. This summer, we've been blessed with the return of our favorite Trader Joe's condiment, the beloved purple Ube Ice Cream, and the fan favorite Jalapeño Limeade. But some shoppers have spotted something new on the store shelves that's sparking interest: Trader Joe's new Green Tea and Yuzu Spread.

Made in small batches by one of the grocer's Belgium-based private suppliers, this spread combines lemongrass, ginger, and orange peel infused green tea with apple and lemon concentrate. Those flavors are enhanced by the addition of yuzu juice — a citrus fruit significant in Japanese cuisine with a flavor described as a cross between tangerine and grapefruit. Sweet, bright, earthy, and maybe a bit tart, the new Green Tea and Yuzu Spread has done exactly what all of the best Trader Joe's items do. By delivering classic East Asian flavors in an unexpected form, the grocer has once again found a way to ignite your curiosity and inspire your creativity, proving it to have many more uses than your toast and cheese.

From the moment this spread appeared on store shelves, T.J. fans have been thinking of ways to use it that go beyond the expected — and sweets are just the beginning. Much like your morning toast, this spread would work fabulously spread on your breakfast muffins. Matcha muffins have the same pure, earthy, green tea flavor of this spread — only the added shine of the citrus and yuzu will add a welcome dimension of flavor to bring brightness to all of your summer mornings.

Building on to the sweet side of the breakfast menu, Trader Joe's Green Tea and Yuzu spread also has the potential to elevate your pancakes or waffles. Whichever one you might lean towards, this spread can be used as is or mixed with your maple syrup to make an earthy, sweet, and citrusy syrup. Your french toast doesn't have to be left out either, and it might even inspire you to experiment with some other varieties of bread. In this case, a fluffy milk bread french toast sounds perfect, which you can even find in flavors like matcha and sesame.

Besides breakfast, you could use this jam to make an easy cake glaze. This would pair wonderfully with any of the citrus-flavored olive oil cakes or pound cakes you might make this summer. Some people even enjoy the spread when spooned on top of a bowl of ice cream at the end of the day.

While the sweet route might be the more obvious path, the green tea does give this spread a touch of an umami flavor that makes it useful in a range of savory applications as well. Yuzu itself is often paired with spicy ingredients like chili peppers in Japanese cuisine — the most popular example being yuzu kosho. Building off of that, this spread is an excellent starting point for your homemade dipping sauces, marinades, and salad dressings. Mix it with everything from miso paste to soy sauce and gochujang to more yuzu juice or ponzu sauce to create something extra special.

As a marinade, the spread would work fabulously with any protein — it can even be spread as is on fish or chicken before roasting in the oven or used as a glaze on your pork tenderloin. Served over warm rice or a bed of greens, you'll have an easy weekday lunch or dinner option. As a dipping sauce, the Green Tea and Yuzu Spread pairs well with potstickers for a quick snack, or with the sashimi and sushi rolls you order in for dinner. Perhaps a more surprising way to use the spread is on sandwiches, where it can take something as simple as a cucumber or tuna salad to the next level. You could also use it on a turkey and avocado club, a fried chicken sandwich, or perhaps even a grilled cheese. Extra points if you add some chili crisp, too.

Given that green tea and yuzu juice are the two main ingredients in this spread, beverages ought to be one of the first uses to come to mind. One of the more obvious ways you can use Trader Joe's Green Tea and Yuzu spread in your drinks is by mixing it directly into your hot tea. You can also use it in cold beverages this summer too. For instance, it would work great when spooned into sparkling water, especially Trader Joe's seasonal pineapple flavor or sparkling pineapple juice. Mixing it into your lemonade is also a given, but you could get a bit more experimental and try making ice cubes out of it. All it requires is an ice cube tray and some time in the freezer.

You'd be amiss if you didn't experiment with adding this spread to your favorite cocktails. A classic Japanese whisky highball is first to come to mind, providing the perfect cocktail pairing for your sushi. You could also use it to easily create a yuzu martini, where the spread will give it an added green tea twist whether it's shaken or stirred. This summer, you might want to add it to your honey deuce punch or your homemade limoncello, in which case, you can substitute lemon for yuzu if you want even more of a flavor twist. Same thing goes for the lime in your margaritas, which this spread will work fabulously in.