Trader Joe’s has just added two much-anticipated spices to its zany lineup of condiments: a ketchup-flavored sprinkle and a pizza seasoning blend. While a Redditor teased these spices a month ago on r/TraderJoe’s, superfans only began to find them in stores this week — and initial impressions are mixed.
Trader Joe’s List, a Los Angeles-based Instagrammer who has built a following around her coverage of the retailer, writes that both would be good on potatoes, fries, or popcorn, though she wishes the pizza sprinkle incorporated cheese flavoring.
Of the few Trader Joe’s List fans who’d tried the spice, most were more critical, especially when it came to the retailer’s new pizza-flavored seasoning.
“I tried the pizza seasoning. It was ok. I tasted more parsley than anything. It had a pizza-like flavor but was missing something. More like a typical Italian seasoning mix with a lot of parsley,” @dawnevahay wrote in response to a @traderjoeslist post.
Another fan also described it as lacking, comparing it to “an instant dry tomato soup mix.”
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Shoppers were more optimistic about the spices on Reddit, where Trader Joe’s devotees shared how they planned to use the two new blends.
Multiple commenters (especially those from Canada) recommended adding the ketchup-flavored sprinkle to potato chips and popcorn, while other Redditors said the seasonings would be tasty on breakfast foods like eggs and hashbrowns.
The much beloved ketchup-flavored Spud Crunchies, discontinued in 2021, were also on shoppers’ minds, with some speculating that fans could now make their own version using the new ketchup seasoning.
Both spices hit stores on Jan. 9, though arrival dates could vary by region, according to an r/TraderJoe’s moderator.
Find a full list of ingredients for the seasoning blends below.
Pizza Sprinkle Seasoning Blend Ingredients ($2.99): tomato powder, granulated garlic, paprika, sea salt, rice concentrate, coriander, black pepper, dried parsley, dried basil, and dried oregano.
Ketchup-Flavored Sprinkle Seasoning Blend Ingredients ($2.99): tomato powder, sugar, kosher salt, vinegar powder (maltodextrin, distilled vinegar), rice concentrate, onion powder, and garlic powder.
