My Top 5 Trader Joe’s Snacks
- Life of Delights Blog
- Apr 27, 2025
- 7 min read
By: Micayla Matias | April 27, 2025
Trader Joe’s has become one of America’s staple grocery stores, appealing to a wide range of people. Whether you’re a mom, a college student, or an adventurous foodie, your local Trader Joe’s has something for everyone.
As a college student at UCI, I was lucky enough to have a variety of grocery stores within easy reach. One of my favorites? Trader Joe’s, of course! When you’re living on your own and learning how to budget, food is one of the biggest expenses. What I love about Trader Joe’s is not only the variety they offer, but also its affordability. With reasonable prices, generous serving sizes perfect for a single college student, and fresh ingredients, it’s hard to beat.
During those late-night study sessions or hangouts with friends, I always made sure to have snacks nearby. Even after a meal, I’d crave something crunchy or sweet to satisfy my cravings. I could easily make an endless list of all my Trader Joe’s favorites, but today, I’m focusing on what they classify as snacks on their website. (I’ll have to write another article about my favorite frozen snacks from Trader Joe’s soon!) Here are my top five favorite Trader Joe’s snacks—each of them has a special place in my heart and my stomach.
#1 - Milk Chocolate Covered Mini Pretzels
I remember the day I fell in love with chocolate-covered pretzels. Funny enough, they weren’t actually chocolate, but labeled as “white fudge” covered pretzels and came in a shiny blue bag. I honestly have no idea whose house I was in—it was some kind of party, and I was around six years old. Someone offered me a handful as a snack.
Me, being a shy and kind of picky eater as a kid, was hesitant. The white coating looked a bit odd, and I wasn’t a huge fan of pretzels either, but I was too scared to say no. I took the bag, sat alone on the couch, and eventually curiosity (and hunger) took over. I popped one in my mouth and instantly fell in love.
Trader Joe’s offers a variety of chocolate-covered pretzels, but their milk chocolate covered mini pretzels are hands-down my favorite. If milk chocolate is a bit too sweet for your taste, they also have a delicious dark chocolate version. I like to switch between the two depending on what I’m craving. Despite the label saying “mini,” I’d say they’re more like a standard pretzel snack size. For some reason, I expected them to be smaller, so it was a pleasant surprise.
If you’re someone who always craves a sweet treat after a meal, this is the perfect snack. It satisfies your craving for something both salty and sweet, making it an ideal companion for movie nights, study breaks, or any moment that just needs a little extra joy.
#2 - World’s Puffiest Sour Cream & Onion Corn Puffs
As a lover of uniquely textured foods and a huge fan of Chester’s Flamin’ Hot Puffcorn, these Trader Joe’s Sour Cream & Onion Corn Puffs are a nice alternative to my beloved snack. Think of it as Chester’s much more chill cousin, Joe.
I was introduced to this snack pretty recently and honestly, I wish I had known about them sooner. Shoutout to Alicia, aka my drinking and party buddy, who introduced me to them. We nearly finished an entire bag in my car during one of our late-night tea sessions. I remember her raving about how they were her favorite and how huge the bag was for such a low price and calorie count.
At first, I was a little skeptical about the sour cream and onion flavor since it’s not usually my go-to. But these are my one big exception. If you’re like me and don’t love the strong sour cream and onion taste that many chips have, you should definitely give these a try. Trader Joe’s also sells other flavors of these delectable puffy chips, like cacio e pepe and white cheddar, but I always find myself coming back to this one.
At just $2.69, this generously sized bag of corn puffs makes for the perfect late-night snack. It’s ideal for any college student on a budget and can be shared with friends or devoured solo while binge-watching your favorite show in bed or “studying.”
#3 - Sweet Plantain Chips
Perhaps it’s the Filipino in me, but seeing these immediately reminded me of my Lolo and Lola and the snacks I grew up eating. When I was little and living with them, I was always in the kitchen as their little helper in one way or another. Whether it was prepping vegetables by snapping the ends off string beans, grating coconut while sitting on a stool, or cleaning out the “plastic” in squid, I somehow always found myself in the kitchen, either helping out or eating.
I vividly remember when my Lolo and Lola went through a phase of cooking plantain and taro chips along with other root vegetables like sweet potato. I’m not sure where the obsession came from but maybe they had just returned from a trip to the Philippines and missed the flavors of home. I would sit at the dinner table with my Lola, peeling and slicing the vegetables, while my Lolo was in charge of the frying. Afterward, we would coat the chips in sugar and lay them out in aluminum party trays lined with tissue to absorb the excess oil. It was a long process, but it’s one of my most cherished memories of spending time in the kitchen with them in Oakland.
Being away from home and living alone in college often left me feeling homesick. Aside from calling family, the best way to feel connected was through food. For me, that meant recreating or simply enjoying the foods my grandparents used to make for me or picking up snacks my mom always bought. This included bowls of beef ramen with sesame oil, crispy chicharon, and frosted circus animal cookies. It’s funny how something as simple as a snack can hold so much emotion and make you feel the love of someone you miss.
Making a snack like homemade plantain chips takes a lot of time and energy, something a busy college student does not often have. Between procrastinating and hanging out with friends, studying sometimes barely fits in the schedule. So when I stumbled upon these Trader Joe’s Sweet Plantain Chips, I knew I had to try them. Just seeing the thin, crispy chips on the packaging made my mouth water and instantly took me back to those afternoons cooking with my Lolo and Lola.
These Trader Joe’s Sweet Plantain Chips were everything I hoped for. They weren’t too banana-y, had the perfect amount of sweetness and crunch, and struck a great balance between not being too thin or too thick, which is something many plantain chips on the market struggle with. They had a beautiful golden yellow hue and just the right touch of sweetness, making them one of my favorite snacks that reminds me of home and the love of my Lola and Lolo.
#4 - Chocolatey Coated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers
Ahh yes, another college favorite of mine: Trader Joe’s Chocolatey Coated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers. I mean, who doesn’t love chocolate chip cookies?
Back at my old house at UCI, my housemates and I would occasionally bake chocolate chip cookies late at night and hang out downstairs. After our usual dinners together, we would sit around, chat, watch movies, and play games. Those were some of my favorite memories. But me being me, I always wanted something sweet after dinner. And sometimes, I was just too lazy to bake a fresh batch of cookies.
Enter my housemate Jaston, who had the perfect solution sitting in his room. He gave me the rest of a bucket of cookie dunkers because he said he was sick of them. Probably because the container holds over a pound of cookies. Lucky for me, I had a new sweet treat to munch on.
These cookie dunkers are designed with dunking in mind, so they are oblong in shape, kind of like biscotti. The bottom has a thin layer of chocolate that adds an extra bit of chocolatey goodness. Even though I have never actually dipped them in milk, I can say with confidence that they are absolutely delicious on their own. If you are ever craving that classic chocolate chip cookie flavor with a little twist, these are definitely worth picking up.
#5 - Sweet & Salty Umami Crunchies Rice Crackers
As someone who’s heavily influenced by packaging, I couldn’t help but fall in love with how cute the Trader Joe’s Sweet & Salty Umami Crunchies Rice Crackers look. Growing up in an Asian household, I ate all kinds of rice snacks and crackers in fun shapes and sizes. One of my favorites came in a pack of two, oval-shaped, super crunchy, and perfectly balanced between sweet and salty.
Now that I’ve moved back home after finishing up my last quarter at UCI, I’m surrounded by snacks again thanks to the three little kids running around the house. It’s awesome, but it also means I’m constantly munching on something new or trending in our kitchen. One day, during one of my mom’s usual Trader Joe’s runs, she came back with these rice crackers and I was immediately obsessed with the packaging. Little rice crackers riding bikes? An older one with a top hat and cane? Too cute.
Their coin-like shape actually reminded me of the hash browns you’d get at Chick-fil-A or in school lunches growing up. And when I opened the bag, I was surprised (and delighted) by how small and adorable each cracker was.
I’d tried a different rice cracker snack from Trader Joe’s before thanks to my housemate Jaston back in college that also had cute characters. But even though I loved the texture, the taste was too bland for me. These Sweet & Salty Umami Crunchies hit all the right notes. The flavor took me right back to the oval rice crackers I grew up with, but with a fun twist in both shape and packaging. The sweet and salty umami blend is seriously addictive and may or may not lead to finishing the entire bag in one sitting. Don’t ask me how I know…
Trader Joe’s has a plethora of snacks, some staples, others rotating in and out, which always keeps us coming back for more. I’m sure my list will continue to evolve over time!
What are some of your favorite Trader Joe’s snacks to munch on? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment down below, and maybe I’ll add them to my next grocery haul.
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