Trader Joe's
Do you want to get mad? Like really mad? Then continue reading, because the contrarians on the r/TraderJoe's subreddit have come up with some sizzling hot takes that’ll make some fans see red. Nothing escapes scrutiny here — not even Trader Joe’s beloved Joe-Joe’s or the hall-of-fame orange chicken. Now that you’ve been forewarned, here are 11 of the most ‘unpopular’ Trader Joe’s opinions, according to Redditors.
Related: 7 'Worst Deals' at Trader Joe's, According to Redditors
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There’s a lot to like about Trader Joe’s corn ribs, especially if you’re vegan and gluten intolerant. But Trader Joe’s fans — at least the most opinionated ones — absolutely dragged them on Reddit, with one commenter calling them “one of the stupidest foods” they’ve ever eaten. The corn ribs did have onedefender, who writes that they’re “perfect” if you air fry them.
Related: Is a Trader Joe's $9 Supergoop Sunscreen Dupe Better Than the Original?
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In 2021, the BBC called Ube the “Filipino tuber taking over the world.” Two years later, and it’s still ube everywhere, all at once — and Trader Joe’s is no exception. The purple yam has popped up in several TJ’s products, from ube ice cream to ube mochi pancake mix. But not everyone is down with ube world domination. One detractor describes TJ’s line of ube products as “‘aggressively OK’ at best,” adding that they're overhyped.
Related: A Definitive Ranking of 6 Trader Joe's Wraps and Sandwiches
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We won’t defend this one. Trader Joe’s shelf-stable oat milk (technically an "oat beverage") really does taste like old pasta water.
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Fans didn’t pull any punches when it came to Trader Joe’s flagship cookies, the iconic Joe-Joe’s. One fan describes them as “trash,” while another commenter says that eating them feels like “chewing on rocks.” But we can’t be too mad. These are unpopular opinions, after all.
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OK, we take back what we said. This comment goes too far. The kringle is “terrible”? Are you serious? It’s like a giant, flaky cinnamon roll crossed with a pie — aka a sweet tooth’s dream, or as one Redditor puts it, a “revelation.”
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The cauliflower gnocchi are so bad, so “HORRENDOUSSSSS,” that one Redditor says they took one bite and “promptly threw the rest away.” Some fans contend that you can salvage these bad boys if you throw them in the air fryer, though, so don’t give up on them if you have a bag in the freezer.
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Hate is a strong word, but apparently that’s how one Redditor feels about TJ’s sriracha. The issue, as one Redditor writes, is that it “just doesn’t hit the same” compared to the popular Huy Fong original.
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While most Redditors took a negative approach, dissing hallowed Trader Joe’s products, a more benevolent commenter injected some positivity into the discussion with their praise for TJ’s chocolate hummus. “I think it tastes like pudding and enjoy eating it with pretzels and strawberries,” they write.
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Quite possibly the most controversial take on this list is that Trader Joe’s award-winning orange chicken is … “horrible.” Fans who joined in on the orange chicken takedown argue that while the sauce is good, the meat is just not what it used to be.
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Everyone who has ever shopped at Trader Joe’s knows that the produce will wilt, rot, and putrefy within days, if not hours. And yet … one brave freethinker goes against the grain on Reddit, calling TJ’s produce “pretty great.” The proviso is that they live in the Golden State, one of the country's biggest agricultural producers.
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If you want good Asian food, go to an Asian grocer (duh?), one Redditor writes, noting that Trader Joe’s offerings are “overpriced and dulled down.” One particularly egregious example is TJ’s kimchi, which is “sooo bad,” according to one commenter.