15 Absolute Best Trader Joe's Snacks To Pop In Your Air Fryer

It's no secret that Trader Joe's is the ultimate destination for snacks. It's also not-so-secret that the air fryer is the ultimate kitchen appliance, offering the combined quickness of a microwave with the power and thoroughness of an oven. It is, however, perhaps lesser-known that many of the chain's beloved frozen snacks don't need a long baking session in the oven before serving — you can just pop them in the air fryer and enjoy within minutes.

Indeed, there are quite a few foods that many people never even consider cooking in the air fryer, and perhaps your go-to hash brown patties or waffle cut fries from Trader Joe's are on that list. The key to selecting good air-fryer candidates from the Trader Joe's frozen snack aisle comes down to a couple key questions. Is the goal for your snack to be warmed through on the inside and crispy on the outside? Then it can probably go in the air fryer. Will the snack be able to hold its shape while sitting in an air-fryer basket without turning into liquid or mush? Then congrats, it can go in the air fryer. 

As someone who frequents Trader Joe's and has cooked nearly any snack imaginable in an air fryer, I've compiled some of the best Trader Joe's snacks that you can throw into your air fryer and enjoy in no time — against popular belief, no long oven wait times are necessary. 

Trader Joe's is certainly not the only store to sell Jamaican beef patties, but this chain's take on the simple-yet-tasty snack is a winner nonetheless. Moreover, you don't need to settle for a subpar beef patty by zapping it in the microwave, thus losing all of that flaky pastry goodness. Instead, you can cook these savory snacks in the air fryer, and within minutes at that.

The reason these beef patties work so well in the air fryer is because they are meant to have a super-flaky outside and mostly solid inside. In the air fryer, the beef patty on the inside warms up nicely (and quickly), whereas the flaky turnover-like pastry on the outside maintains its crispy nature. I typically cook a single beef patty for about 6-8 minutes at 350 F, though you may be inclined to leave it in there for a little longer if you want a more browned exterior. 

Vegetable bird's nests, which are tempura-battered vegetables wrapped up to mimic the shape of a nest, are something of a delicate snack. Though these come frozen from Trader Joe's, they were fried prior to packaging — so when you heat them up, there's going to be a lot of oil. If you were to go about heating up these snacks in the microwave, sure, you'd end up with something edible, but the nests would have absolutely no crispiness, and you'd probably find a small pool of oil underneath each one. The oven is a viable option, but even then, the appliance can't do such a delicate snack justice in terms of restoring the crunchiness that once was.

Luckily, the air fryer has absolutely no problem in bringing these bird's nests back to life. When I cook these, I typically place three or four in the air fryer (don't overlap or overcrowd the basket) and cook for just about 5 minutes at 350 F. Then, I flip them over and cook for another 2 minutes or so before serving with the dipping sauce that comes in the box. When I say these things are impossibly crispy and delightfully crunchy, I mean it — the air fryer is really the only cooking method to go with here.

Fans of fried wontons and Buffalo chicken have a match made in heaven with Trader Joe's Buffalo Style Chicken Poppers, which are kind of like crab rangoon, but with a filling of chicken instead of creamy crab. These chicken poppers make for a delightful snack, and if you're so inclined to share, they're especially good for parties, potlucks, and small gatherings where finger food is a must. 

The shape of these chicken poppers make them a particularly good candidate for air-frying. The edges of the triangles get super crunchy-crispy while the middle parts stay relatively soft (but not soggy), resulting in a complex bite that also happens to be stuffed with a delicious filling. Since each popper comes in such a uniform shape, you can count on them cooking evenly in the air fryer. After about 8 minutes of cooking (and flipping halfway through), you've got the perfect snack. 

There are many types of hash browns out there, though it's hardly controversial to say that hash brown patties are one of the most beloved options. That said, not all hash brown patties turn out crispy and delicious, and it can be a bit of a challenge to yield such results. Before owning an air fryer, I struggled to cook hash brown patties in a way that didn't result in a mushy mess. The microwave will certainly heat them up, but any crispiness is gone; the oven is the best bet to maintain some crispiness, but it's quite a lengthy process to go through for a breakfast item — and even then, the patties would still be slightly soggy.

Fortunately, the air fryer has revolutionized the way these little potato patties can be cooked. Straight from freezer to fryer basket, these bad boys are ready to go in 6 minutes flat. And, best of all, you can count on each bite being just as crispy as the last one, elevating this snack to possibly become one of the best Trader Joe's breakfast items. 

If ordinary mac and cheese just doesn't do it for you anymore, then Trader Joe's Mac and Cheese Bites are just the pasta-filled snack to liven things up. Soft and cheesy on the inside but slightly crunchy on the outside, these little bites make for a great snack, but that contrast between the interior and exterior is crucial. If you were to cook these bites in the microwave, it simply wouldn't be worth cooking them at all — they'd be limp, soggy, and not at all crispy. 

When you cook these mac and cheese bites in the air fryer, however, you'll yield a snack or appetizer reminiscent of something straight from the fryers at a restaurant. Fill the air fryer basket with an even layer of the bites and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, giving them a shake once or twice as they cook. The mac and cheese bites will come out golden brown on the outside and gooey on the inside — exactly how they should be.

I remember the sad, dark days when mozzarella sticks were only a part of my life when dining out at a restaurant. Why? Well, there was no point in making them at home, as they would never end up nearly as crunchy as they would fresh from a restaurant's deep fryer. Those days are long gone, however, because with a little help from my air fryer, I can heat up Trader Joe's mozzarella sticks in no time at all, and they turn out just as fresh, hot, and crispy as they would at a restaurant.

The only word of caution I have when cooking these mozzarella sticks in the air fryer is to keep an eye on them so they don't burst open. It's not the end of the world if some cheese oozes out, but it does make for a mess in your basket (and less goodness to snack on). I cook these mozzarella sticks for about 6 minutes, shaking halfway through, then test one out to see if it's crispy enough. If you like the outside extra crispy, I'd tack on an extra minute or 2 in the air fryer, but again, just be wary of oozing cheese. 

If you're in need of quick and easy hors d'oeuvres to surprise dinner guests, Trader Joe's has quite a few viable options ready to go in the freezer aisle. One such option are these feta and caramelized onion pastry bites, which are conveniently handheld and sophisticated without being fussy. Though oven-baking is technically possible when it comes to heating up these frozen bites, the air fryer will get the job done much quicker — a big perk when you've got hungry guests to feed.

Due to the small, bite-sized nature of these pastries, they really do not need a lot of time to heat up in the air fryer — we're talking 4 to 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on them as they cook to make sure the feta doesn't run over, and once they start to brown a little bit on top, that's when you know that they're ready to serve.  

Another great option for the crab rangoon lovers out there, Trader Joe's jalapeño and cream cheese wontons pack lots of savory-spicy goodness into impossibly crunchy little pockets. The key, naturally, is the make sure that cream cheese filling gets nice and warm and soft, while that wonton stays as crunchy as possible — a task that is no problem at all for an air fryer.

To heat up these wontons, simply place them in a single layer in the air fryer and cook for an initial 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 3 minutes or so. You may want to subtract or add a minute of cooking time depending on how crispy you like your wontons, but rest assured that your snack will end up gooey on the inside and super crispy on the outside.

Any well-versed Trader Joe's shopper knows that the chain offers a substantial selection of frozen Indian food, and its vegetable samosas are a great example. Small but mighty, these little triangles are stuffed with veggie goodness, with warming spices and notes of cilantro enhancing the flavor even further. If you have a lot of time on your hands, you could bake the samosas in the oven; if you're a little more pressed for time (or just want samosas in your mouth as soon as possible), then the air fryer is the way to go.

Though samosas aren't meant to be as crispy as other snacks, like wontons, they aren't meant to be completely soft either. The air fryer helps maintain the textural integrity of the samosa, ensuring that the veggie filling is nice and warm and the pastry is soft but not soggy, with crispiness shining through along the edges. I cook the samosas in the air fryer for about 8 minutes total, flipping them halfway through.

Trader Joe's offers a few types of french fries, including sweet potato and classic shoestring varieties. Of all the fry options, the store's seasoned waffle cut fries are absolutely top-tier. Though waffle cut fries may not be the most popular fry type out there, the Trader Joe's version features potato pieces seasoned to absolute perfection, pillowy on the inside yet crispy on the outside — everything you could hope for from a good fry. 

Fries are a notoriously finicky food to heat up, especially when it comes to reheating, but the air fryer makes things significantly easier. When it comes to heating up these waffle fries, spread them out in the air fryer basket (as single-layered as possible, though some overlap is to be expected) and air fry for an initial 4 to 5 minutes. Shake the basket and cook for another 4 minutes or so, then voilà, you've got restaurant-quality fries. 

As an equally tempting appetizer alongside the feta and caramelized onion pastry bites, Trader Joe's Parmesan Pastry Pups are sort of like elevated corn dog nuggets. Featuring mini beef hot dogs in the middle and Parmesan-coated pastry on the outside, these snack-able little pups are ultra-savory and cheesy — and best of all, you don't need to wait for the oven to heat up; just pop them in the air fryer.

These pastry pups work so well in the air fryer because the pastry sheets get nice and flaky during the cooking process, which is something that the oven doesn't always completely (or evenly) accomplish. The air fryer also manages to brown the Parmesan without scorching it, and as for the beef frank, you can expect it to be nice and juicy. These little bites cook quickly — they only take about 5 minutes in the air fryer before they're ready to go. 

If there's one item on this list that seems more designated for oven-baking than anything else, it'd probably be Trader Joe's almond croissants. After all, they are baked goods, so baking them in an oven does make sense, but that doesn't mean you have to limit yourself to such a method. These croissants bake up nice and quick in the air fryer, and as a bonus, every single layer will be impossibly flaky and crispy — we're talking the bottom, top, and every buttery layer in between.

Regardless of which method you cook these croissants, the instructions call for proofing them overnight, aka leaving them out on a baking sheet to rise. Follow the instructions up until this point, but come morning, pop your croissant into the air fryer for about 5 minutes (6 if you want it extra browned and crispy), and let the appliance work its magic. Be sure to keep a close eye on the croissants, as they will brown very quickly.

Some people might argue that the highlight of any good spring roll is the filling, though others might claim that it's the crispy exterior. Luckily, if you cook Trader Joe's Vegetable Spring Rolls in an air fryer, you can get the best of both worlds. The grocery chain's veggie-stuffed spring rolls make for a classic appetizer or snack, though if you were to try heating them up in the microwave, the texture would be nothing short of disappointing. 

When cooking these spring rolls in the air fryer, you want to make sure that the exterior gets crispy without teetering into burnt territory, something that can happen somewhat easily due to the ultra-thin nature of the rolls' edible wraps. Start by air frying the spring rolls for about 4 minutes, then turn them over and cook for another 2 minutes or so. If they're nice and golden brown, they're good to go, and if you want them a little crispier, go for another minute or 2. 

If there's one thing that tempura appetizers absolutely need to be, it's crispy — and the tempura shrimp from Trader Joe's is no exception. These frozen shrimp are equally good as an appetizer or as a snack (or even a main course), but if you don't manage to get that tempura coating nice and crispy, you're going to be left disappointed. Fortunately, the air fryer is a surefire method to restoring that tempura goodness, and much like the other snacks on this list, your shrimp will be ready to go in mere minutes.

To cook the shrimp, load a couple of them into the air fryer basket and cook for an initial 5 minutes. From there, flip the shrimp over and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, just until the tempura coating is golden brown. As a bonus, these shrimp come with a soy dipping sauce, so be sure to defrost that as your shrimp are cooking.

Should everything be pickle-flavored? Regardless of your stance on this debate, there's really no denying that these pickled pups — just one of many options in the lineup of Trader Joe's pickle-flavored products — make for a unique snack. They're essentially just mini corn dogs, but with a pickle flavor that isn't too overbearing, making for something a little more interesting than your average mini weenie. Unlike typical corn dogs, these pups have extra breading on the outside, making them nice and crispy when cooked properly in — you guessed it — an air fryer.

It's pretty foolproof to cook these pickled pups in an air fryer: Layer them in the basket, cook for 4 minutes or so, then shake and cook for another 4 minutes. Your end result will be little bites with juicy hot dogs on the inside and pickle-flavored, super-crispy breading on the outside — the only thing missing is a side of mustard. 

When compiling this list of Trader Joe's snacks that are particularly well-suited for air frying, I mostly considered snacks that I've tried in the past and had successfully cooked in an air fryer before. I also generally considered the types of foods that work well in an air fryer — they're typically previously fried before being frozen, and ideally turn out crispy on the outside when cooked, which are all true factors for the items on this list.

Each snack on this list was cooked in an air fryer set to 350 F. The cooking times are specified in each product's slide, though keep in mind that desired cooking temperature and times may vary depending on what type of air fryer you have and how crispy or browned you want your snack to be.