September is here, so it’s time for an almost-fall haul from Trader Joe’s. Instead of just leaning into pumpkin spice and everything excellent, TJ’s is taking a walk on the savory side with an unexpected new hot sauce and even bringing in an end-of-summer new mochi flavor before it gets too chilly outside. So c’mon—let’s jump into the new Trader Joe’s items under $5, like a great big pile of leaves.
Pumpkin Loaf, $4.99
The spice is right with this fan-favorite treat, which leans more into cake territory than bread with a smattering of fall spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves, both inside and sprinkled atop the loaf. The topping also has crunchy sugar for textural contrast with the soft cake.
Try toasting a slice in butter to bring out the caramelized flavors, then top with a dollop of whipped cream or your favorite nut butter for a surprisingly simple fall dessert.
Sweet Chili Mango Complete Salad Kit, $3.99
Peak mango season may be ending, but Trader Joe’s keeps the juicy fruit in the spotlight with a salad kit that is a little sweet and has a little heat.
The kit comes with a combo of cruciferous shredded veggies like cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, and radicchio, plus double crunch from some roasted sunflower seeds and toasted quinoa, bits of chewy dried mango, and a Thai-style sweet-and-spicy vinaigrette. This would be a tremendous raw filling for summer rolls, a surprising twist to a weeknight stir-fry, or a slaw-some topping for tacos!
Sweet Potato Habanero Hot Sauce, $2.99
Don’t be fooled by the “sweet” in this name—even though the root veggie is part of the sauce, it’s boiling. Habanero peppers, sweet potatoes, and vinegar are fermented together into a fiery concoction made by a “famed hot sauce supplier out of Atlanta,” according to TJ’s website.
The sauce also features the fall spice quadruple threat of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves. This would be great with braised pulled pork, wings, nachos, and other tailgate classics, so stock up before this seasonal item disappears.
Unexpected Cheddar Cheese & Turkey Sausage Egg White Bites, $3.49
Egg bites are a morning rush savior—they microwave in just 60 seconds—and TJ’s newest flavor uses their iconic Unexpected Cheddar Cheese (a Cheddar-Parmesan mashup) and turkey sausage within fluffy cage-free egg whites fortified with cottage cheese for creaminess and tang.
The sausage is seasoned with red pepper, black pepper, sage, coriander, and rosemary for no shortage of flavor, but these would pair well with the new Sweet Potato Habanero Hot Sauce if you need to spice things up even more.
Coffee Mochi, $4.99
Are you still screaming for ice cream? This new, limited-edition flavor of ice cream-filled mochi is your wake-up call to embrace the end-of-summer weather while it lasts. There’s a touch of cocoa powder in the chewy rice flour dough to give it a rich color while complementing and enhancing the natural coffee flavor of the ice cream within.
Buy just this flavor, or add a box of green tea mochi and strawberry mochi to your cart for a new version of classic Neapolitan!
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