Oh boy, do we have a lineup of a lot of new Trader Joe’s finds from June 2021! We’ve got lots of sweet treats to cover, along with fizzy beverages, condiments, and even something for the doggos.
If you’re new around here, this is my monthly rundown listing out all the new items I try from Trader Joe’s. This includes items that are new to the store, and just “new to me” as well. I also include my thoughts on the new items I’ve tried, whether they be good or bad! I’d love to know what you thought of some of these too. Be sure to drop me a comment if you’ve tried anything here!
Here are the new finds I tried from Trader Joe’s in June 2021.
Dark Chocolate Rice Cake Thins
- New to Store
- Verdict: Love!
I think these new Dark Chocolate Rice Cake Thins were an excellent summer product release. For me, I really liked having something light with a bit of sin (the chocolate). At 120 calories for a serving of two rice cakes, it’s a great afternoon snack or even dessert. The rice cakes are slightly salty, and the dark chocolate isn’t sweet or overpoweringly bitter. It’s a win for me.
Garlic Bread Cheese
- New to Store (Seasonal)
- Verdict: An amazing cheese!
Truth be told, I actually let this Garlic Bread Cheese sit in my fridge for far too long before trying it. It didn’t go bad; I just wished I would have tried it earlier so I could get more before it was gone for the season!
I cut up the cheese and heated it up in a non-stick pan, along with some fresh cherry tomatoes, and ate it with garlic naan chips. What a perfect snack or appetizer! This is a more firm cheese, kind of like halloumi, but it does get melty if you heat it enough.
If you see this cheese next summer season, be sure to stock up.
Sparkling Green Tea with Pineapple
- New to Store (I think?)
- Verdit: It’s good, especially for pineapple lovers
I’m normally not a huge pineapple fan (I like fresh pineapple but not pineapple-flavored things); however, I do like green tea so I thought I would give this a go! All in all, I do think it’s pretty good but does have a very distinct pineapple flavor to it. It’s not too sweet though, which makes it very drinkable. Not sure I’ll keep my fridge stocked with it, but I definitely won’t refuse it if offered to me.
Creamed New Zealand Honey
- New to Me
- Verdict: Great for coffee!
I wanted to try out a new honey to add to my coffee for a little sweetness, so I picked up this Creamed Multi-Floral New Zealand Honey! A little goes a long way in terms of adding that sweet taste (I probably only put about one-third of a tablespoon in my cup of coffee), and one jar will last quite a while. No complaints here!
Peri-Peri Sauce
- New to Store
- Verdict: One of my favorite new items of 2021!
I love hot sauces. In fact, I think hot sauce is my favorite condiment aside from mustard. Peri-Peri Sauce is a South African chile sauce that Trader Joe’s brought to their stores this summer! My favorite way to use it is basically pour it all over my chicken, rice, and broccoli bowls for lunch. It adds some great flavor with a little bit of heat.
I think it would also go great as a topping on hot dogs/sausages, drizzled over some mac and cheese (I love hot sauce on my mac), or even just to use as a marinade for shrimp.
5 Layer Dip
- New to Me
- Verdict: A new favorite snack
How have I walked by this sitting on the Trader Joe’s shelves for so long without picking it up? Layered bean dips are one of my all-time favorite party snacks. This is a simple 5 Layer Dip but instead of using refried beans, the base is a black bean & garbanzo hummus! It is delicious and such an easy snack or appetizer to put out when you are low on time.
Chile Spiced Mango
- New to Me
- Verdict: Not my favorite
Normally, I get the plain dried mango slices at Trader Joe’s for a sweet afternoon snack. However, my store had been out of them for a while so I decided to try the chile spiced mango for the first time in its place. Unfortunately, for me, the seasoning is just a bit overpowering and I don’t get enough of the natural mango flavor. Definitely will not be a repeat buy for me.
Sparkling Watermelon Juice
- New to Me (Seasonal)
- Verdict: Good but a little sweet for me
I do love to try the different sparkling beverages that Trader Joe’s puts out seasonally! I don’t recall seeing this one in my store last year, or maybe I just missed the boat. Seeing as it does only make an appearance on the shelves seasonally, I decided to give it a try.
Fruity drinks most certainly say “summer is here” and I think this would be best served as a cocktail mixer. It was a little sweet for my taste, but my husband enjoyed it.
Rainier Cherries
- New to Me (Seasonal)
- Verdict: Delicious!
Not only are Rainier Cherries beautiful, they are also delicious! They are the perfect amount of sweet, and I found they stay nice and firm in the fridge and don’t get overripe too quickly. I will look forward to buying lots of these next summer!
Sparkling Lemonade
- New to Store (Seasonal)
- Verdict: Yum!
Here’s another great summer mixer! This sparkling lemonade is a delicious addition to the summer beverage lineup. I used it as a base for some summery vodka cocktails, and also drank it plain on it’s own. There’s no wrong way to enjoy these little cans!
Tangerine Cream Bars
- New to Store (Seasonal)
- Verdict: A new favorite frozen treat!
Wow! These Tangerine Cream Bars will bring back all those childhood memories of eating orange creamsicles! I don’t even want to admit how many boxes of these I bought over the summer season. It’s probably good that they don’t stock the shelves with these all year because I legit would buy them every grocery trip. They are SOOO good!
Spicy Honey Sauce
- New to Store
- Verdict: A great addition to the condiment shelf!
When I first saw this new item on the shelves, my mind immediately went to a cut scene where I imagined myself drizzling this all over some fried chicken. So, I did it! I drizzled it over some chicken (albeit it was just BBQ chicken), but it was a great flavor enhancer!
I also added this to a few pots of homemade baked beans for a spicy and sweet kick (I recommend everyone do this).
Corned Beef Dog Treats
- New to Store
- Verdict: My dogs love them!
What can I say…I’m a sucker for making sure my dogs are happy too. So, I generally pick up a bag of every type of new dog treat Trader Joe’s rolls out. My dogs aren’t picky, however, so it’s easy to get the stamp of approval from them.
Organic Medium Salsa
- New to Me
- Verdict: New favorite salsa!
Organic Medium Salsa – where you been all my life! I’m not sure when this actually hit the shelves in my store, but on a whim, I decided to change things up since I had been unhappy with the Medium Salsa Especial that Trader Joe’s carries. Boy am I happy I did! I often buy three tubs of this to last me two weeks (some for my husband to snack on and also to go with scrambled eggs and various lunches/dinners). It is seriously the best fresh salsa!
Wildberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- New to Store (Seasonal)
- Verdict: AMAZING!!!
I saved the best for last so we could go out on a high note this month. The Wildberry Cheesecake Ice Cream is perhaps one of the best ice creams that Trader Joe’s has ever made. I’m not even a huge cheesecake fan (though it is one of my husband’s favorite desserts), but this was enough to win me over. The ice cream is super creamy and has a great tangy flavor from the berries. With chunks of cheesecake mixed in, you just cannot go wrong!
I may have bought five pints of this over the course of a couple of weeks (I did not want to miss my chance to stock up while these were in the stores!).
Can’t wait to see you next year Wildberry Cheesecake Ice Cream!
And with that, we come to the end of my June 2021 Trader Joe’s New Finds roundup. Did you see any of your new (or returning) favorites on my list?
No Comments