There’s nothing worse than when a new vegan product launches at a grocery store, and you rush out to buy it… only to be bitterly disappointed by it. (This has happened to us more times than we can count!) That’s why we’ve decided to give you a run-down of our ten favourite vegan products available at your local grocery store, beginning with Trader Joe’s.
We all know that Trader Joe’s is fantastic for good-quality produce and pantry staples, but how do their vegan products shape up?
1. 3 SEED CRACKERS – SWEET POTATO + BEET
If you love to snack as much as we do, these crackers might just be the product for you! Available in both sweet potato and beet varieties, these crackers are jam-packed full of chia, flax, and sesame seeds.
We find that these crackers have a similar flavor to tortilla chips, so we love to dip these in salsa, hummus, or cream cheese, or use them on a charcuterie board. We’ve also eaten these crushed on top of salads and soups, in place of croutons. Since these are gluten free, they make a great replacement for a wheat-based snack.
Honestly, we could probably eat an entire box of these in just one sitting! We always make sure to keep a few packages on hand, so adding these to our top ten was a no-brainer!
2. GRAINLESS CASSAVA + COCONUT TORTILLA CHIPS
Sometimes, a corn tortilla chip just doesn’t cut it. These chips have a cassava and coconut base, so the texture is incredibly light and crispy. Like the 3 Seed Crackers, these chips are full of seeds too, so they’re a fantastic way to eat your healthy fats!
We love to eat these chips with heaps of Trader Joe’s Spicy, Smoky, Peach Salsa. They make the perfect topping for a salad, or a great base for nachos. Mostly, you’ll find us eating these straight from the bag in our car!
3. EGGPLANT GARLIC SPREAD
If you’ve yet to try Trader Joe’s Eggplant Garlic Spread, you’re missing out on a flavor explosion! This spread is so sweet and tangy, it’s easy to just eat it right from the jar.
Our favorite way to eat this is definitely on top of avocado toast, but we’ve been known to stir this through pasta, or dunk 3 Seed Crackers or Cassava + Coconut Tortilla Chips in it. This spread is wonderful on a charcuterie board; we get endless compliments when we serve this alongside crudités and vegan cheeses!
Trader Joe’s also sells a Red Pepper Garlic Spread, but we think there’s no competition between the two: Eggplant Garlic Spread wins by a mile, every time.
4. VEGAN TZATZIKI DIP
For us, finding vegan tzatziki for under $10 is a huge achievement, and it’s probably why we’re so in love with Trader Joe’s Vegan Tzatziki Dip! This products retails at just $3.99, so we were thrilled to try it.
This dip is creamy, slightly runny, and very mild. We absolutely love to eat this on a falafel sandwich or salad, and it really reminds us of the real deal! The dill flavor is delicate, and the cream cheese base provides the sourness of a traditional tzatziki.
If you’re looking to upgrade your sandwiches, this is definitely the product for you!
5. SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS
Isn’t it great when a product is accidentally vegan?! We’ve tried a fair amount of vegan chocolate, but we usually find it to be bitter or have an odd texture. These chocolate chips have been a game-changer for us, and for only $1.99!
Since these are technically marketed at non-vegans, these chocolate chips feel totally uncompromising on flavor and texture. Semi-sweet is definitely sweet enough for us, and these chocolate chips really give us the milk chocolate experience that we’ve been missing out on.
We love to use these chocolate chips in baking, but more commonly we eat them alongside a fruit platter (or just by the handful!)
6. CRUNCHY SALTED PEANUT BUTTER WITH FLAX SEEDS
For us as vegans, finding an accessible source of Omega-3s is something we try to prioritize. Rather than eating chia pudding every day, we love to hide chia and flax seeds throughout the rest of our meals. With this peanut butter, we find it incredibly easy to eat our Omega-3s for the day!
Our favorite way to eat this peanut butter is definitely as a dip for fruit. The salty flavor works as the perfect contrast to sweet, fresh fruit. We also love to drizzle this over our oatmeal or smoothie bowls!
7. COCONUT + ALMOND CREAMER
Jess doesn’t drink coffee, but Marisa is something of a caffeine fiend – and she rates this creamer very highly! Hot or iced, this creamer never separates, and it provides a delicate vanilla flavor without heaps of sugar. The natural sweetness from the coconut milk feels incredibly indulgent, without giving you a sugar rush!
We also love this creamer in black tea – hot or iced. Typically, we aren’t huge fans of almond-based products, but this one ticks all of our boxes!
8. COCONUT CASHEWS
Trader Joe’s sells a huge variety of nuts and seeds for snacking, and we’ve tried a fair few of them; however, nothing has stuck with us like these coconut cashews.
There’s something about these cashews that tastes like the summertime, and we love to chase that feeling all year long! These cashews are sweet and crunchy, and we love to eat them alone as a snack. We think they’d be great in trail mix too.
Hot tip: crush these over ice cream for a tropical twist on a sundae!
9. SOY CREAMY VANILLA NON-DAIRY FROZEN DESSERT
Sometimes, the best things in life are the simplest. (This ice cream is definitely one of those things.)
This non-dairy frozen dessert makes no bold claims about its flavor, or it’s ability to compete with dairy ice cream; however, this might be the perfect pint.
In a blind taste test with a popular dairy ice cream, our family couldn’t tell the difference! This ice cream is soft, smooth, and truly delicious. The vanilla flavor is sweet and delicate, with no hint of the alcoholic flavor sometimes associated with vanilla products.
We’ve tried most major vegan ice creams, and, for us, Trader Joe’s Soy Creamy Vanilla is a clear winner!
10. SOFT-BAKED SNICKERDOODLES
We doubt there are enough words in the English language to express how strongly we recommend these cookies, but we’ll do our best!
Until recently, we had no idea that Trader Joe’s sold cookies that were both vegan and gluten free, so you can imagine our elation at this discovery.
These cookies are so soft and chewy, it’s easy to imagine that you just pulled them out of the oven. The flavor is sweet and spicy with cinnamon, and they make the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea!
If you are avoiding major allergens, these cookies are a must!
FINAL THOUGHTS
So, what do you think of our Top 10? Our original list was more like a Top 50, so we know that there are plenty more great vegan items available at Trader Joe’s. We had such a difficult time narrowing down this list, but we feel truly represented by these ten products!
What are your favorite vegan items at Trader Joe’s? Leave us a comment to let us know!
Vegan Cruzes 