--- description: And it's not just cookie butter listed 12 times. title: Trader Joe's Fans Have Spoken: Here Are the 12 Best Items image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a0357a20b242f36/69887835a988ca6e576b6061/trader-joes-logo.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Retail](/tag/retail/) ## Retail Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Trader Joe's Fans Have Spoken: Here Are the 12 Best Items by [Kate Taylor / Business Insider](/author/business-insider/) ## Kate Taylor / Business Insider Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 8, 2016 6:38 PM CUT  A Trader Joe's store in Santa Maria, Calif. A Trader Joe's store in Santa Maria, Calif.Geri Lavrov—Getty Images by [Kate Taylor / Business Insider](/author/business-insider/) ## Kate Taylor / Business Insider Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 8, 2016 6:38 PM CUT Trader Joe’s customers are some of the [most dedicated around](http://www.businessinsider.com/trader-joes-sales-strategy-2014-10 "undefined"). So they have strong opinions about their favorites of the grocery chain’s products. [Every year](http://www.businessinsider.com/most-popular-trader-joes-products-2015-6 "undefined"), Trader Joe’s releases a list of customers’ favorite products, based on shoppers’ votes. Here are the most popular products in each category, from bakery to snacks, as determined by the [company’s seventh annual Customer Choice Awards](http://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/trader-joes-customer-choice-award-winners "undefined"). **Favorite overall: Speculoos Cookie Butter** Cookie butter beat out options like Mandarin Orange Chicken and Joe’s Diner Mac ‘n Cheese to snag the No. 1 spot. Price: $3.69 **Favorite bakery: Sourdough Bread** Sourdough triumphed over year-round options like the Soft Pretzel Stick and Ciabatta Rolls and the seasonal Almond Kringle and Chocolate Babka. Price: $2.99 – $3.49 **_Business Insider:_** [_We Tried The New Value Menus at McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s — and The Winner Is Clear_](http://www.businessinsider.com/best-value-menu-in-fast-food-2016-1 "undefined") **Favorite beverage: Spiced Cider** Even the infamous [Two Buck Chuck](http://www.businessinsider.com/trader-joes-food-shopping-hacks-2015-7 "undefined") lost to the seasonal beverage. Price: $2.99 **Favorite candy: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups** Dark chocolate is always hot at Trader Joe’s, with Sea Salt & Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds and Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels also in contention for customers’ favorite candy. Price: $4.29 **_Business Insider:_** [17 Shopping Secrets to Save Time and Money at Trader Joe’s](http://www.businessinsider.com/trader-joes-food-shopping-hacks-2015-7 "undefined") **Favorite cheese: Unexpected Cheddar Cheese** Trader Joe’s has a varied and affordable specialty-cheese selection, but the Unexpected Cheddar Cheese is the best of the best. Runners-up include Double Cream Brie, Cheddar Cheese with Caramelized Onions, Creamy Toscano Cheese Soaked in Syrah, and Cranberry Chevre. Price: $3.99 **Favorite condiment: Organic Ketchup** The humble ketchup won customers’ hearts, beating quirky options like Green Dragon Hot Sauce and Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce. Price: $1.99 **_Business Insider:_** [Why Trader Joe’s Is So Cheap](http://www.businessinsider.com/why-trader-joes-is-so-cheap-2015-5 "undefined") **Favorite frozen: Mandarin Orange Chicken** Trader Joe’s has a broad selection of frozen foods, including Joe’s Diner Mac ‘n Cheese,Chocolate Croissants, Extra Fine French Green Beans, and Chicken Tikka Masala. Price: $4.99 **_Business Insider:_** [Pepperidge Farm is Suing Trader Joe’s Over a Milano Cookie Look-Alike](http://www.businessinsider.com/r-pepperidge-farm-sues-trader-joes-over-milano-cookie-2015-12 "undefined") **Favorite meat/meatless: Soy Chorizo** The meatless Soy Chorizo beat out meaty options like Chicken Sausage, Uncured Apple Smoked Bacon, and Traditional Carnitas. Price: $1.99 **Favorite produce: Bananas** Trader Joe’s bananas are 19 cents — and have been since 1999. Price: $0.19 **Favorite salad: Organic Arugula** In addition to basics like baby spinach and butter lettuce, arugula was also more popular than the seasonal Harvest Blend with Baby Kale, Pumpkin Seeds, Pumpkin Cornbread Croutons & Pumpkin Vinaigrette. Price: $2.49 **_Business Insider:_** [40 Pumpkin-Flavored Products Now for Sale at Trader Joe’s](http://www.businessinsider.com/all-the-pumpkin-items-at-trader-joes-2015-2015-10 "undefined") **Favorite snack: World’s Puffiest White Cheddar Corn Puffs** Other popular snacks in 2015: Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips, Organic Corn Chip Dippers, Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels, and Olive Oil Popcorn. Price: $1.99 **Favorite pumpkin: Organic pumpkin** Trader Joe’s had a plethora of pumpkin items this year, but at the end of the day, it was the simplest option that took home the prize. Price: $1.99 _All prices according to the most recent Trader Joe’s flyers._ _This_ [_article_](http://www.businessinsider.com/most-popular-items-at-trader-joes-2016-1?utm%5Fsource=feedly&utm%5Fmedium=webfeeds "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Business Insider_](http://businessinsider.com "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4173193/trader-joes-best-items/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4173193/trader-joes-best-items/"},"headline":"Trader Joe's Fans Have Spoken: Here Are the 12 Best Items","datePublished":"2016-01-08T18:38:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:28:28.935Z","description":"And it's not just cookie butter listed 12 times","url":"https://time.com/4173193/trader-joes-best-items/","keywords":["Retail","Newsfeed","Food & Drink","Shopping","Food","groceries","Trader Joe's","Food and Drinks","grocery shopping"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a0357a20b242f36/69887835a988ca6e576b6061/trader-joes-logo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kate Taylor / Business Insider"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a0357a20b242f36/69887835a988ca6e576b6061/trader-joes-logo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A Trader Joe's store in Santa Maria, Calif.","caption":"A Trader Joe's store in Santa Maria, Calif.","creditText":"Geri Lavrov—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/retail/","name":"Retail"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4173193/trader-joes-best-items/","name":"Trader Joe's Fans Have Spoken: Here Are the 12 Best Items"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Should I Eat Butter?","description":"While few health experts would encourage you to eat more of it, 2.5 out of 5 experts gave butter the thumbs up.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/MlbiwnQ6/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-17T22:04:16.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MlbiwnQ6.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4173193/trader-joes-best-items/","duration":"PT1M46S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4173193/trader-joes-best-items/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Should I Drink Smoothies?","description":"Are fruit smoothies good for you? 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