Here's The Worst Dried Fruit To Buy At Trader Joe's

Dried fruit is a convenient, shelf-stable snack that comes in handy when you need something tasty and filling to throw in your bag. However, it can cost a pretty penny for a tiny portion of dried apples or apricots. That's where Trader Joe's comes in clutch, once again, with its huge selection of dried fruit at the cheaper prices the grocery chain is known for. The store's shelves boast tropical and temperate fruits, with everything from spicy seasoned pineapple to freeze-dried blueberries. But while each offering is intriguing, not all of them are as good as they sound. Tasting Table's Samantha Maxwell tested 15 of Trader Joe's dried fruits and ranked them from worst to best, and the Australian red papaya is best left on the shelf.

It seems that once all that delectable juice is dried from papaya, the flesh turns rock-hard. Maybe Trader Joe's needs a lesson in how to choose ripe papaya so that the fruit remains somewhat soft after being dehydrated. Whatever the case, the texture is unpleasant, with some customers even saying they felt like they were going to break a tooth. There's no trace of fresh papaya's creamy texture, and many buyers weren't happy with the dried version's flavor either.  Maybe we'd put our jaw through the workout if the flavor was out of this world. But this snack has none of the distinct sweetness of papaya or the tropical fruity taste.

So the papaya is nothing to write home about. Luckily, Trader Joe's has other options to satisfy your tropical fruit craving. The chili-spiced mango is our favorite out of all the dried fruits on the shelf, actually. But you can't go wrong with the plain soft and juicy mango either or the passion fruit rounds. If you're looking for dried fruit to sweeten your oatmeal cookies or to add a textural benefit to blondies, these will do the trick (and do so very deliciously).

And if you don't want to go tropical at all, the freeze-dried blueberries or berry medley give you fruity flavors with a pleasant crunch. In combination with other fresh ingredients, they'd make a great trail mix addition. And if you've got some holiday baking needs (copycat Starbucks cranberry bliss bars, anyone?), TJ's sweetened dried cranberries have you covered.