Named after founder Joe Coulombe, Trader Joe’s is a unique grocery concept in which all products are under Trader Joe’s brand. Thus, Trader Joe’s offers a unique line of products for an unbeatable price, and their holiday items are some of the most popular.
Trader Joe’s is also known for its user-friendly, organic, and high-quality packaged products, a veritable lifeline for eating healthy without spending the time, effort, and money usually required to do so. It’s one of the most popular grocery stores for good reason.
You get an entire line of precut fresh or frozen produce, upscale prepared dips, sauces, garnishes, and meals, and who can forget the almighty two-buck chuck?
Another major perk Trader Joe’s offers is a long list of holiday snacks, desserts, appetizers, and meals.
Read on to explore the best Trader Joe’s holiday items to pick up on your next grocery run.
Peppermint Pretzel Slims
Both festive and carb-conscious, Trader Joe’s Peppermint Pretzel Slims are thin, perfectly crunchy pretzels covered with peppermint bark and white chocolate.
Chocolate and yogurt-covered pretzels already demonstrate the delicious combination of salty pretzels and sweet creamy coating.
These are perfect snacks to serve as a holiday party snack.
Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s
Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s are a seasonal take on the classic Oreo cookie.
You get the delicious chocolate cookies separated by a vanilla cream filling.
The Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s add pieces of peppermint to the cream filling.
I like to set a plate of Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s out for Santa on Christmas eve.
Jingle Jangle
The ultimate holiday cornucopia, Jingle Jangle is an edible gift that any age would be delighted to receive!
Jingle Jangle is an assortment of cookies, popcorn, pretzels, and other snacks covered in chocolate.
They come in a decorative tin canister, which offers a great storage container once you’re done gorging on holiday goodies.
If you don’t have time to bake a holiday dessert, this is a great easy option!
Mini Gingerbread People
You don’t have to deprive yourself of a tasty gingerbread cookie because you’re saving it for the annual gingerbread house.
These mini gingerbread people are a Trader Joe’s fan favorite, their bite-sized, crunchy gingerbread layered with a creamy coating of white chocolate fudge.
Enjoying these cookies with coffee or hot chai is a must!
Truffle Dip
One of the aspects I love about Trader Joe’s is their selection of sophisticated foods, using high-quality ingredients.
A case in point is Truffle Dip, a cream cheese and yogurt-based dip with a hearty helping of fresh truffle butter.
The earthiness of the truffles combines beautifully with the tangy and creamy cheese and yogurt. I serve truffle dip with crostini.
Panettone Classico
If you’re Italian, you’ve likely had the Italian dessert Panettone at every family Christmas.
Little do most of us know, but Panettone Classico is so moist and delicious because of a grueling two-day baking and cooling process.
You can skip the hard work without sacrificing authenticity with Trader Joe’s Panettone Classico, a moist buttery cake laden with plump Turkish raisins.
Gingerbread House Kit
Christmas isn’t just about presents and feasting, but also about those endearing family activities like decorating the tree and making gingerbread houses.
Trader Joe’s Gingerbread House Kit has everything you and your family need to engage in one of the most treasured Christmas traditions.
Their kit stands out because the house you create is a classic German Hexen Haus.
Sugar Glazed Lebkuchen Cookies
Another German-inspired Trader Joe’s holiday item, lebkuchen, is a German dessert similar to gingerbread cookies.
Unlike the crunchy gingerbread we’re used to in the States, lebkuchen are soft and cakey.
Trader Joe’s Sugar Glazed Lebkuchen cookies have a frosty, sugary glaze that cedes to a delectably chewy and perfectly spiced gingerbread cookie.
I’m a fan of chewy cookies, so these are some of my favorite kinds of cookies.
Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies
You can never have too many gingerbread products, so here’s another one from Trader Joe’s!
Trader Joe’s Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies are as thick as moon pies, with two double-thick gingerbread cookies sandwiching an equally thick vanilla cream filling.
The cookies are chewy and soft, reminding me of those classic Oatmeal Cream Pies from Little Debbie.
Advent Calendar
A Trader Joe’s tradition since the ’90s, Trader Joe’s offers a wide selection of Chocolate Advent Calendars.
Not only do you get colorful pictures and themes to help you count down the days till Christmas, but you also get a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate treat to finish each day on a sweet note.
O’Nog
Over the past few decades, non-dairy milk is all the rage.
The most recent non-dairy milk trend is creamy, slightly nutty oat milk.
Trader Joe’s uses oat milk to create a vegan, non-dairy version of your favorite Christmas drink.
Oats taste amazing with the classic egg-not spices. O’Nog is as comforting and delicious as its dairy counterpart.
Cane Joe-Joe’s Ice Cream
Ice cream in the winter is worth the goosebumps with this incredible seasonal pint from Trader Joe’s.
It’s a trifecta of flavors and textures, starting with peppermint vanilla ice cream.
Not only are there bits of candy cane joe-joes to provide a chocolate and peppermint crunch, but there’s also a thick ribbon of chocolate fudge!
Festive Chocolate Collection
The only thing better than a box of chocolates is a box of assorted chocolates shaped like various Christmas objects.
The Festive Chocolate Collection from Trader Joe’s comes in a large box with a transparent top, so you can see the fun-shaped chocolates, ranging from gingerbread men to snowflakes, to Christmas presents.
Peppermint Bark
Trader Joe’s peppermint bark is an authentic, old-fashioned Christmas treat, coming in a peppermint-stick striped tin box.
The bark consists of neat squares with a crunchy peppermint park topping over two layers of dark and white-chocolate fudge.
I love to buy these precious tins as stocking stuffers for friends and family.
Decked Out Tree Cookies
These adorable cookies are almost too pretty to eat!
They are Christmas tree-shaped butter cookies with a milk-chocolate filling, white-chocolate drizzle, and Christmas sprinkles for a pop of color.
They taste as delicious as they look, with just the right amount of filling-to-cookie ratio.
I love the extra crunch from the sprinkles, too!
Cranberry Chevre
Cranberry sauce is a universal accompaniment to savory turkey, ham, and potatoes for both Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner.
Trader Joe’s takes cranberry’s culinary utilities to the next level with this perfectly tangy and savory Cranberry Chevre dish that wraps a log of goat cheese in cranberry reduction.
You get the perfect balance of sweetness, tartness, and savory cheese.
Check out other Trader Joe’s cheeses we love!
Black Truffle Alfredo Pasta Sauce
I always add mushrooms to Alfredo pasta, so Trader Joe’s black truffle Alfredo Pasta sauce saves me the effort of prepping and sauteing fresh mushrooms.
The cheesy and creamy Alfredo sauce is the perfect foundation to complement the strong truffle earthiness.
I will be serving black truffle alfredo fettuccini for Christmas eve dinner this year!
Butter Toffee Pretzels
Butter Toffee Pretzels from Trader Joe’s continue to show the impressive versatility of pretzel pairings.
Butter toffee is a very rich, buttery, and sweet dessert that needs a salty, crunchy compliment in my opinion.
These bite-sized mini pretzels covered in an uneven coating of butter toffee are so addicting, they’ll be gone the same day you open them!
Butternut Squash Ravioli
Butternut squash is one of the quintessential fall and winter ingredients that tastes wonderful in every iteration, from soup to veggie roast.
Trader Joe’s butternut squash ravioli stuff fresh pasta with mashed butternut squash seasoned with sugar, salt, and whey powder.
You’ll read on the label that this ravioli is a product of Italy, and you can tell by the freshness of the pasta.
Pair them with one of Trader Joe’s pasta sauces!
Cacio e Pepe Ravioli
Cacio e Pepe is actually an Italian sauce, composed of pepper and cheese that you’d usually enjoy over spaghetti.
However, Trader Joe’s shows culinary genius by using the sauce’s inherent flavors and ingredients as a savory ravioli filling.
They infuse the semolina ravioli dough with fresh cracked pepper and fill it with creamy and savory ricotta and Pecorino Romano mixture.
I like to toss this in a simple olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt mixture.
Chocolate Lava Gnocchi
You can find these bite-sized desserts in the freezer section.
Gnocchi is potato dumplings with a chewy dense texture that’s as comforting as can be.
The Chocolate Lave Gnocchi not only infuses these dumplings with rich cocoa powder but also fills them with luxurious molten chocolate that oozes out when you bite into it.
Check out other Trader Joe’s frozen favorites!
Chocolate Peppermint Loaf Baking Mix
Not everything at Trader Joe’s is pre-made; some of it is premixed!
This Chocolate Peppermint loaf baking mix will make a gourmet baker out of anyone.
The mix has rich chocolate powder and chunks of peppermint, yielding a dense and gooey pound cake loaf with bits of crunchy peppermint.
It’s a fun project that will leave your house smelling irresistible.
Cocoa Chile Spiced Pecans
Mexico is the birthplace of cacao and numerous chilies, creating numerous recipes that combine the two.
These cocoa chile spiced pecans from Trader Joe’s would make Mexicans proud, offering the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.
The nutty pecan has a crunchy candy coating dusted with cocoa and chile-spiced powder for a festive and novel Christmas snack.
Cookie Mug Hangers
Trader Joe’s has really outdone itself with these edible gingerbread garnishes.
Whether it’s a mug of hot cocoa, pumpkin spice latte, or chai tea, these cookie mug hangers are the perfect cookie garnish that perches atop a hot mug, ready to be dunked into the mug’s contents.
They have my vote for the best Trader Joe’s Holiday Items!
Macarons des Fêtes
This box of holiday-inspired macarons comes with two of each fall flavor, including chocolate peppermint, four-spice caramel, pear cinnamon, gingerbread, chocolate raspberry, and cappuccino.
I love to arrange these multicolored cookies into a tree-shaped cone to adorn a holiday party dessert spread.
Mini Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Biscotti are hard Italian shortbread cookies, usually dotted with nuts, dried fruit, or bits of chocolate.
These mini cranberry pistachio biscotti are the perfect bite-sized snacks to enjoy with your mid-afternoon espresso or with a cup of tea.
I love the trifecta flavors and textures you get from the tart chewy dried cranberries, nutty salty pistachios, and sweet confectioner glaze.
Mini Peppermint Meringues
Meringues are a fun, melt-in-your-mouth dessert that every culture enjoys.
They’re the light, airy result of whipping egg whites and sugar.
These mini peppermint meringues have the same, airy, melt-in-your-mouth texture, but with a chewy peppermint center that sets them a cut above the rest.
I like to pop one in my mouth and chase it with a gulp of hot chocolate!
Mushroom Ravioli With Mushroom Truffle Sauce
Mushroom fans rejoice! You’ll get the meaty, earthy, umami ingredient you love in every part of this delicious premade meal.
These hearty raviolis contain various types of mushrooms, mixed into the ricotta filling and in the brothy truffle sauce.
Even meat lovers will be more than satisfied with the textures and flavors in this vegetarian meal.
Salted Caramel Flavored Hot Cocoa
As if hot cocoa weren’t perfect as is, this Trader Joe’s hot cocoa upgrade proves that even perfection can improve.
Taking inspiration from the dark chocolate sea salt caramels, Trader Joe’s uses the same recipe to infuse its hot cocoa powder.
The toasty, sweet caramel gets the perfect salty complement that pairs perfectly with bitter dark chocolate in this utterly decadent drink.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Butter & Sage
If you’ve ever been to an upscale Italian bistro, sweet potato gnocchi with butter and sage is a popular menu item.
Trader Joe’s takes the sophisticated and authentic Italian dishes out of pricey restaurants and into your home with this pre-made dish.
The pillowy sweet potato absorbs the butter and sage sauce so beautifully that you’ll be throwing chef’s kisses with each bite.
Truffle Mousse Pâté
A long-time fan favorite, Trader Joe’s truffle mousse pate is a chicken liver pate infused with savory mushroom and truffle along with sherry wine and brandy aspic.
This is an upscale and complex pate that will impress your holiday party guests.
All you have to do is remove it from its packaging and plop it on a plate!
Tapas Style Grilled Artichoke Quarters
If you’re tired of marinated artichoke hearts, these tapas-style grilled artichoke quarters are the perfect alternative.
Instead of jarred, vinegar-marinated artichokes, you get oil-packed grilled artichokes with a texture like fresh artichokes.
I like to serve these with remoulade sauce for a tasty appetizer. They also taste great on top of salads with a Dijon vinaigrette.
Brie en Croûte
My all-time favorite hors-d’oeuvre, brie en croute is a round of creamy, soft brie wrapped in phyllo pastry and baked to a crunchy, buttery perfection.
You get the raw brie en croute from Trader Joe’s, popping it into the oven so you maximize the crunch.
I like to serve Brie en Croute with fig jam and sliced pears for fall soirees.
Charcuterie Pinwheels
Not only are these delicious, but they are also visually mesmerizing.
You’ll be hypnotized by the spirals of pepperoni, mozzarella, and uncured soppressata.
The beautiful and creative layering of ingredients gives you a balance of creamy cheese and savory meat in every bite.
Charcuterie Pinwheels are a great antipasto to enjoy with an Italian Barolo.