8 Trader Joe's Fall 2024 Items, Ranked

The onset of fall brings about much more than just chilly temperatures and color-changing leaves. In the food world, we also look forward to pumpkin spice lattes, cozy soup recipes, and of course, an influx of fall-themed products at Trader Joe's, like its apple cider donuts. The popular grocery chain is somewhat renowned for its seasonal items, such as the butternut squash mac and cheese, pumpkin cheesecake, or pumpkin bagels with pumpkin cream cheese. We can always count on TJ's to overload us with all things pumpkin, spice, and everything nice — and typically, fan-favorite seasonal returns are what people flock to stores to stock up on.

While Trader Joe's certainly has plenty of returning fall items on its shelves, the store also graced us with some brand-new fall items for 2024. Most of the fall items that you'll come across this year are those tried-and-true returning products, many of them beloved in the TJ's community, but the chain's new inventory is nothing to gloss over. I've purchased and sampled each of these new fall items — many of them in the sweet treat arena, with a smattering of cheese and even a savory frozen appetizer — to figure out which ones are worth adding to your fall haul, and which ones are better left behind.

It's no secret that beverages play a vital role in the fall food craze — of course, there's Starbucks' beloved PSL, and many other coffee chains and grocery stores have hopped on the trend, offering up a pumpkin-infused beverage of their own. We can officially add Trader Joe's to that list, with its pumpkin spice flavored cold brew concentrate hitting shelves in fall 2024. Enthusiasts of TJ's coffee may already be familiar with the store's plain cold brew concentrate, but the pumpkin spice version boasts cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, and orange peel flavors.

When I first opened the bottle and smelled the concentrate, it smelled nothing like coffee and a whole lot like artificial cinnamon — in fact, the smell almost reminded me of Fireball (you know, the infamous cinnamon whiskey), which just about made me shudder in horror. Nevertheless, this is a concentrate, so it only makes sense that it would smell strong. The instructions on the bottle called for mixing one part concentrate with two parts water or milk, so I did so with water so I could get a clear picture of the flavor.

Unfortunately, the flavor was not good. This pumpkin spice cold brew didn't taste nearly as bad as it smelled, but it had an overwhelming artificial cinnamon flavor that I simply couldn't get past. Of all the fall items on this list, this cold brew is the only one I would argue is simply bad and absolutely not worth trying out.

Trader Joe's has an excellent cheese section, with seemingly endless options to make the perfect charcuterie board — and for a pretty low cost, too. Amidst the selection of cheddars, Bries, and goat cheeses, you'll find white stilton cheese, a crumbly, fruit-infused cheese that crumbles like blue cheese but doesn't have that pungent taste to it. White stilton is mild in flavor, so mild in fact that it almost objectively needs some sort of inclusion to save it from being completely bland and forgettable. Trader Joe's seasonal white stilton with apple and pear isn't the chain's first foray into the white stilton/fruit pairing — depending on the time of the year, you may also see white stilton with apricot, cranberries, or strawberry.

Something I liked about this cheese right off the bat was that it didn't scream fall per se, but it still had a certain autumnal vibe that would make it well-suited for a fall-themed charcuterie board. The flavor was nice, with the apple shining through more strongly than the pear — and overall, it's a solid cheese. 

The only reason it's ranking pretty low on this list is because I did find it to be a bit forgettable, despite the fruity inclusions, and felt like some sort of spice addition (like cinnamon) might have helped amp things up. But if you're a fan of stilton and especially of apple and pear, then this cheese is a good option.

There are so many cookie options at Trader Joe's that it's almost hard to keep up with them, especially since the store is always introducing new ones, like these seasonal apple shortbread cookies. Anyone who has enjoyed a buttery shortbread cookie before knows that the tiny, unsuspecting cookies pack quite the decadent punch, making for a delicious snack alongside tea or coffee. I was excited to try Trader Joe's take on butter cookies because, in theme with the season, apples have been added to the mix, providing a little more complexity to an otherwise very plain cookie.

Fortunately, these cookies lived up to my expectations and were quite tasty. The apple flavor is very apparent, and it serves as a nice, sweet contrast alongside the buttery cookie itself. These cookies were a bit harder than I was hoping, which is really the only reason they're ranking relatively low on the list. Had they been a bit softer, I think I would have favored them even more than I already do. While I wouldn't necessarily flock back to Trader Joe's to get these cookies, I do appreciate that they provide a simple fall option for those who aren't too keen on super sweet pumpkin spice treats.

Much like Trader Joe's rotating variety of white stilton, the store's goat's milk cheese logs often change flavor depending on the season. Just in time for fall, we've been graced with a caramelized onion flavor cheese, and if we've learned anything from TJ's caramelized onion cheddar cheese, it's that the chain definitely knows how to nail an onion-infused cheese.

I'm pleased to say that the caramelized onion goat's milk cheese is pretty darn tasty. I especially appreciated how the rich caramelized onion flavor contrasted so beautifully with the creamy, tart goat cheese. Both the onion flavor and the goat cheese itself left a certain aftertaste, with goat cheese having a real tang to it, but it was one that was overall very pleasant and cohesive. Again, this cheese would be a great addition to a fall charcuterie board, offering up an option that feels cozy and autumnal without going overboard. My only complaint about this cheese is that I wish the caramelized onion flavor was stronger and that the tiny chunks of onion throughout were bigger. 

Those who enjoy fall baking but don't necessarily want to make something from scratch will no doubt enjoy Trader Joe's pumpkin and spice snickerdoodle cookie mix. A single box contains both the cookie mix and a spiced sugar coating to roll the dough in before baking, much like a classic snickerdoodle but, well, fall. Aside from the cookie mix itself, you also need a stick of butter, an egg, and a tablespoon of milk to make the cookies.

There was a lot to love about this fall-themed cookie mix, from the ease of baking to the final product itself. The instructions really couldn't be easier to follow, and there was no need to chill the dough in the fridge before baking, something that is common in cookie recipes. The box claims to yield roughly 22 cookies, which did seem like a slight exaggeration, and I think a more realistic yield is about 15 to 18 cookies.

As for the flavor, these cookies really did taste like snickerdoodles (and they had that nice sugary crunch on the outside), but with a spiced flavor profile. My only complaint was that these cookies probably could have amped up the pumpkin spice flavor, as they almost tasted more like gingersnaps more than anything else, which made them feel more wintry, in my humble opinion. And an obvious drawback is that you do have to take time to bake these cookies and purchase extra ingredients — so those who are looking for a fall treat in a pinch will probably want to go with one of TJ's other ready-to-eat options. 

Trader Joe's has offered a pumpkin bread and muffin mix seasonally for several years. And this year, you can buy a similar product that's already baked for you: a pumpkin loaf. 

Sort of like banana bread but with pumpkin and a spiced sugar coating on top, I assumed that this loaf would be quite sweet — and while it is indeed a sweet treat, it had a lot more flavor depth than I was expecting. Pumpkin-infused baked goods don't typically taste like pumpkin per se, but rather like the blend of spices that make up pumpkin pie spice; this loaf is no exception, and instead of being overly sweet, it leans heavily into spiced territory, which isn't a bad thing. 

One thing I will note is that, much like how the pumpkin spice snickerdoodles tasted strongly of ginger, this pumpkin loaf tasted very strongly of cloves, which is a unique spice to be forward with. Recipes that involve cloves often call for just a pinch, as the spice has a very deep, distinct flavor — and that flavor shines through really nicely (and strongly) in the loaf. Some people may not like the strong clove flavor, but I found it to be very autumnal and very fitting for a pumpkin loaf. Plus, it made this loaf feel much better suited for sipping alongside a cup of coffee at breakfast since it isn't too sweet or cloying.

Amidst a sea of sweet fall options, I was pleased to come across Trader Joe's savory squash pastry bites in the frozen section. These little bites look a whole lot like TJ's year-round feta and caramelized onion pastry bites, but on par with fall thanks to the inclusion of squash. As a fan of the OG feta pastry bites, I was excited to try the squash ones and had pretty high hopes for them — needless to say, with the bites ranking second place on this list, they were delicious.

Something that stood out to me immediately was truly how savory these pastry bites were. They're comprised of a tiny pastry cup base, and the filling consists of a squash/pumpkin mixture with a dollop of mascarpone cheese on top and chives as a garnish. Rich, buttery, earthy, and cheesy, a single bite packs a whole lot of savory flavor, making them great for those who want to enjoy fall foods without going overboard on the sugar. Also, much like many of Trader Joe's other air fryer-friendly snacks, I was able to heat up a handful of these pastry bites in less than 5 minutes thanks to the help of my handy appliance. 

I loved the flavor and ease of these squash bites. And dare I say, I think they might be better than the original feta ones.

Taking our number one slot as Trader Joe's best fall 2024 item is none other than the pumpkin spice mini sheet cake. This little cake, which follows a lineup of various mini sheet cakes (including a dark chocolate ganache one that I dubbed the best chocolate treat at Trader Joe's), once again proves that when TJ's gets it right, it hits it out of the park. 

The pumpkin spice cake itself is incredibly moist, supple, and just spiced enough without being overbearing. Some other treats on this list leaned heavily toward one spice or another, but there is a perfect harmony of spices in the mini sheet cake. But no cake would be complete without frosting, and the cream cheese icing on this cake really ties the whole thing together, adding an impossibly decadent layer on top of an already delicious cake. I'm not sure how Trader Joe's manages to create such a moist, shelf-stable cake, but with something that tastes this good, I don't really need to know the answer.

Something I really liked about this cake, aside from the delicious flavor, is that it almost tasted like a carrot cake as opposed to a pumpkin spice one. Carrot cake features many of the spices that might be found in a pumpkin pie spice blend, so it only makes sense that they taste similar. Ultimately, however, this pumpkin spice mini sheet cake stands on its own, offering up a delightfully sweet treat with a rich frosting that simply can't be beat.

When ranking Trader Joe's fall 2024 items, I naturally let the flavor and my personal enjoyment of each item guide my decisions. However, I did consider other factors, like how balanced the flavor of each item was, whether it had any particularly harsh or unpalatable flavors (like the fake cinnamon flavor in the cold brew), and how fall-forward it was. Though I didn't necessarily fault any items for not being "fall" enough, I did take into consideration if some items might strike shoppers as more worthy of trying or making a specific trip to Trader Joe's for. For example, both the apple shortbread cookies and pumpkin sheet cake make for tasty treats, but if there's one you should flock to get while it's seasonally available, it's obviously going to be the cake.

I also considered the ease of enjoying each item — for example, there's more work that goes into enjoying the pumpkin spice snickerdoodles than the pumpkin loaf. Ultimately, however, none of the items are particularly hard to prepare, so I noted if there's any cooking or preparation involved for an item but didn't fault any for it.