20 Retired Trader Joe's Foods That We Need Back

Every year, everyone's favorite quirky neighborhood grocer does something special — something no other grocery store has taken the time to do. Trader Joe's holds its annual Customer Choice Awards, an event dedicated to celebrating the tastiest and most beloved items in its unique grocery arsenal. Only a select few items across 11 categories rise to the top — and some even earn a coveted spot in the Trader Joe's Product Hall of Fame.

But, this season of celebration is also bittersweet. While we cheer for the reigning champions, we can't help but remember the products that are no longer filling store shelves and our stomachs. Every Trader Joe's shopper knows it's dangerous to get too attached to any one item because it can be discontinued just as fast as it was released. Over the years, we've lost beloved desserts, dips, snacks, and even frozen foods (which are some of the worst losses of all) to the black hole that is TJ's product graveyard.

So, as we continue to honor the best of the best in the Trader Joe's lineup, we're also taking a moment to look back at the products we miss most. These long-lost favorites may be gone, but they're far from forgotten. Here's to hoping some might one day make a triumphant return to our carts.

Trader Joe's shoppers used to be able to find the treasure that was the Thai shrimp gyoza among the bags of Mandarin orange chicken and chicken tikka masala. It boasted simple ingredients including shrimp, white cabbage, chives, green onion, ginger, garlic, and vegetable powders all swathed in a thin dumpling-like dough. 

They could be pan-fried, steamed, or even microwaved, and one user on Reddit reminisced that they were tasty even when they weren't warmed up. "There was a time when I took them for work lunch almost every day. They had a crispy shell that didn't get soggy and were the perfect cold snacking food," they said. Now, if you want your gyoza fix, you'll have to turn to the Thai vegetable variety, sans shrimp. Or, settle for a different kind of protein with the chicken gyoza potstickers.

TJ's die-hards went through the five stages of grief when this dip was snatched from stores. And, it appears many still haven't reached the acceptance stage, given that a petition was created in 2022 to bring the product back. 

For those unfamiliar with the 5 Layer Dip's diverse draw, let us paint a picture for you. It started out on the bottom with a helping of garbanzo and black bean hummus that was then topped with a layer of guacamole and pico de gallo salsa. Then, on the top, a slather of sour cream lay underneath the pièce de résistance, a generous sprinkling of cheese — a four-cheese blend to be exact. In the petition, shoppers aired their grievances related to its disappearance, calling it "our favorite snack with a nice bag of tortilla chips and a good show on Netflix." Some even said the dip was the sole reason they shopped at Trader Joe's.

Trader Joe's is no stranger to gummy candies. Scandinavian Swimmers — its cheeky and elevated take on Swedish Fish — will surely go down as one of the most well-known treats in the market's history. Other options, however, have not fared so swimmingly, including the Mango! Mango! Gummies. These squishy bites offered three different flavors in every tropical green and orange bag. Simple mango was at the forefront, accompanied by pieces with equal parts mango and yogurt, as well as half-and-half mango and passionfruit for a different kind of fruity surprise.

These soft, gelatin-like snacks have been chopped from the lineup for several years. But, in one Reddit thread pining for them back, one user mentioned fans may still be able to find the plain mango pieces hiding in the store's bags of Sweet and Delicious Fruity Gummy Candies, alongside pineapple, grapefruit, watermelon, and blueberry-flavored candies. Sounds like it's time to get digging!

We have yet another revolution-sparking Trader Joe's item. Following its discontinuation, the store's Belgian chocolate pudding received a petition of its own in 2021. In the fine print of the appeal, one exasperated customer wrote, "Trader Joe discontinued its wonderful Belgian chocolate pudding. We believe that the product was never given a chance to be discovered by most customers and would like to request for it to be brought back."

In the comments, supporters go on to speak of its vast yumminess. As of the time of writing, the petition has 880 out of its goal of 1,000 votes. If you were a fan this is your chance to be the change you wish to see in the Trader Joe's world!

The loss of the chili lime chicken burgers was a true Trader Joe's tragedy. The protein-packed frozen patties were a quick and easy mealtime favorite that featured tangy lime and subtle spice. They could be flipped on a grill or cooked on a skillet, and they came at a darn reasonable price as well. 

Regrettably, they met their demise in 2022, following a massive recall of the burgers in 2021. Customers reported pieces of bone found in some patties and from there sales faltered, finally ending in a discontinuation. If you're crafty, though, you can still enjoy this one-of-a-kind taste again with the help of Trader Joe's chile lime seasoning blend.

Talk about a snack with personality. Not only did this TJ's product sound like a cartoon character's favorite munchie, but each spud also took on its very own persona, as shown by whimsical drawings on the front of the bag. It's like your favorite, everyday potato chip got reimagined. The shelf-stable Spud Crunchies had the look and shape of french fries but with a crispy twist. The snacks, which were made with real potatoes along with canola oil and salt, were highly addicting.

Plus, do you remember the ketchup-flavored spin-off? They were yet another foodstuff cooked up by Trader Joe's that was quirky and questionable — but somehow still worked. Here's to hoping the grocery genius will bring both back to its shelves beside other salty showstoppers like the chile & lime-flavored rolled corn tortilla chips and Everything But the Bagel seasoned potato chips.

Spicy met salty in this Asian-style vinaigrette that consumers are pining to have back. In one Reddit thread, users weren't afraid to air their grievances about its abrupt end. "I verified that this was discontinued with Trader Joe's staff and I'm really shocked at what a really stupid idea this was on their part," one shopper said. "The dressing was so popular and it was constantly sold out here in San Francisco, and I've been buying it for years."

Alternatively, others came to the table with solutions. One user suggested DIYing the sauce with a combination of Trader Joe's all-natural organic peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, and hot water, then adding chili flakes to taste. The store's Thai peanut satay sauce was thrown out as a replacement.

If you asked any true Trader Joe's fan, they would tell you the store's Joe-Joe's sandwich cookies are superior to Oreo. The cookies are iconic staples at the market that come in troves of flavors, from seasonal picks like pumpkin and candy cane to classics like chocolate vanilla creme. The options tend to cycle in and out, and one that's been on the outs for a while is the matcha variety. Vanilla wafer cookies encased circles of green tea matcha creme in these confections, making for a Joe-Joe's rendition that was not necessarily conducive to milk dunking, but perfect for a light and refreshing treat.

The mint-colored cookies didn't stick around for very long, as they were released a little before the great matcha takeover. We think our advanced taste buds are now ready to welcome them back.

Monkeying around in the morning isn't the same now without Trader Joe's banana waffles. This toaster product, which added, the fruity taste of bananas to everyone's favorite latticed breakfast discs, allowed consumers to skip the step of slicing up the fruit. They contained no wheat, gluten, artificial colors, or artificial flavors, so you could start off your day on the right foot. 

In 2020, a Reddit thread popped up dedicated to remembering the boxes of sweet goodness. One contributor added, "These were my first ride or die Trader Joe's item about ten years ago and every time I walk past the waffles I remember them fondly. Trader Joe's banana waffles ... gone but not forgotten."

Don't worry. Speculoos cookie butter is still safe and sound on the market's shelves. But, the cheesecake bites inspired by the sweet molasses-like liquid gold? Those are but a long-gone memory. At one time — we're talking circa 2015 to 2017 — they drew shoppers in with their small stature, Speculoos cookie crust, and cookie butter swirled artfully into the tangy cheesecake. 

They were perfectly poppable, yet decadent. The only problem was that they came frozen, which made the defrosting time in the fridge or on the counter some of the longest moments of your life. Now, we're left with a makeshift version of the dessert born from the store's New York deli-style cheesecake and a jar of the spiced spread.

Just the name of these potato chips sounds heavenly, doesn't it? So, we stand with the customers who are disappointed with their discontinuation. The honey butter chips were allegedly spun up by Trader Joe's after similar products became popular in South Korea. 

The chips tastefully combined the sweet notes of honey with mouthwatering flavors of butter into standard crunchy potato chips — making for a sweet, salty, and rich ride for the taste buds. The spuddy snacks have been missing since 2018, but that hasn't stopped shoppers from continuing to talk about their addictiveness. "I don't even like potato chips and I loved those," one Redditor noted. Another lamented, "Probably my favorite chip they've ever done. All these years later [and] I still think about them..."

The loss of this SpaghettiOs dupe left a ring-shaped hole in our hearts back in 2022. Joe's O's pasta — not to be confused with Joe's O's cereal, which is still very much in production — used to be a pantry staple for many Trader Joe's shoppers. Its bright yellow cans were eye-catching, thanks to the their retro-style design. Its contents were also quite nostalgic, as they combined organic circular pasta with an organic tomato and cheese sauce.

Despite their almost cult-like following, the O's began to slowly disappear from locations without any warning — in true Trader Joe's fashion. Presumably, they got the boot due to low performance and to make room for new SKUs, but the grocery chain hasn't directly stated the reason for the discontinuation.

Who knew crackers could have such a major hold on people? These roasted gorgonzola crackers came up countless times on a Reddit thread focused on items Trader Joe's patrons missed most. And, another conversation praised the crackers specifically and look back on them with admiration. "I took those for granted," one commenter wrote. "They were around for so long. I loved them plain and with the blue cheese pecan dip."

The idea behind this snack was so simple: just oven-baked crisps with the rich and funky taste of roasted gorgonzola. But, they clearly made a large impact and in their absence, we must fill the void with other cheesy munchies. Perhaps the Savory Squares or cheddar and Parmesan cheese snackers could be of service?

We liked to think of these aloo chaat kati pouches as flakier and vegetarian-friendly Hot Pockets. The Indian-inspired snacks came stuffed with ingredients like chickpeas, potatoes, chaat masala (a flavorful Indian spice mix), and tamarind chutney. It was actually a clever fusion of aloo chaat, an Indian dish featuring potatoes, chutney, and spices, and kati, an Indian cooking method where meat or veggies are grilled on skewers before being wrapped in paratha or another type of flatbread.

As is the case with most Trader Joe's frozen products, customers loved them for their convenience and because they didn't have to sacrifice on flavor. They could be made in the oven or heated up quickly in the microwave.

Arrabiata means "angry" in Italian, which is exactly what people were when they found out this prized pasta sauce was being pulled from shelves. The Trader Joe's blend followed a somewhat standard recipe and included tomato, garlic, onion, salt, basil, and red pepper flakes, though it also threw in a secret spice blend and red bell peppers. 

The reason behind its demise remains somewhat a mystery, since it seemed to be a popular pick. But, some Redditors ventured to guess it had something to do with supply chain issues. Another user who got the inside scoop from a TJ's cashier relayed that it was "too spicy for the masses". We find the latter hard to believe since the chain's habanero hot sauce and Italian bomba hot pepper sauce remain on the shelf, but we can't rule anything out.

Now, we wouldn't usually be partial to food that's only partially-cooked, but this popcorn was the exception. The partially popped popcorn was exactly what it sounded like: a bag filled halfway with fully popped pieces and halfway with what looked more like corn nuts, or a more puffed-up and less teeth-offending version of the kernels that would spill from your microwave bag. 

It came in a traditional flavor of butter and sea salt, though it was followed up with a butterscotch and seal salt rendition perfect for folks with more of a caramel or kettle corn fixation. Unfortunately, both have popped off our radar and have been replaced with other salty snacks like white cheddar popcorn and piquant popcorn.

The spiciness of sriracha paired with the creaminess of ranch is a combination for the ages. So, why oh why has it been pulled from our grasp? The product — which went well with nearly anything, by the way, from chicken tenders to pizza — vanished in 2020. 

When one still hopeful Redditor asked if it would ever return, another user alleged to be a TJ's employee delivered the painstaking bad news. "Nope. It's discontinued. I [wrote] the order for grocery at my store. Sorry," the commenter wrote. "We don't accept your apology," we say as we continue to squirt Trader Joe's sriracha into the store's ranch to try to feel something again.

Hear us out, these tofu edamame nuggets were delicious. Vegetarians and vegans can always rest easy knowing that at Trader Joe's, they will be able to find something that not only suits their diet, but something that is also bursting with flavor. And, these nuggets were a prime example of that.

On the outside, the pockets were made up of firm tofu. And on the inside, there was a medley of shelled edamame, shredded carrots, and more squishy tofu. Each serving was also stuffed with 11 grams of protein. Fans of the snack noticed their removal almost immediately and sprung to action with a petition for reinstatement. But, it was seemingly to no avail; the tofu nuggets are still sadly nowhere to be found.

2021 was a bad year to be a pudding at Trader Joe's. In addition to the loss of the Belgian chocolate pudding, the rice pudding also saw its end around this same time. The refrigerated ready-to-eat dessert wasn't quite an arroz con leche, as it didn't contain cinnamon, but that was easy enough to add in yourself. The rest was made up of standard ingredients, including milk, rice, cream, eggs, and cane sugar. It was quite the treat, and sweet tooths were gutted to learn it had been ousted. 

After hearing the news, one shopper wrote on Reddit, "I'm going to cry thats the only thing motivating me to do groceries." Another took time to remember the perfect sweet concoction they used to make using the pudding. "It was so good ... someone told me they liked to mix it with the chocolate pudding so I bought both and tried it and they were even better mixed," the user wrote.

Trader Joe's fudge sauce & fondue dipped in 2022. It was a discontinuation that was met with plenty of backlash from avid shoppers. As its name suggested, the product served a dual purpose both as the perfect topping for ice cream, brownies, or cake and as a chocolate dip for fruit, pretzels, cookies — and really anything your heart desired. 

The sauce garnered an impressive rating on Influenster with consumers using words like "yummy", "rich", and "creamy" to describe it. One review even asserted that it was the store-bought sauce was the closest they had found to homemade. Clearly, the product can never truly be replaced. But, a Reddit brainstorm churned out Sanders hot fudge as a possible substitute.