19 Discontinued Trader Joe's Products We're Probably Never Getting Back

Trader Joe's isn't a regular grocery store; it's a place where dedicated customers can find seasonal goodies and limited-time products that the store is constantly reinventing. With all those changes, however, Trader Joe's sometimes has to retire products regularly. The grocery store has strict standards for pricing items, saving space in stores, and developing food catered to their customers' preferences; these standards are why iconic flavors and products leave the shelves.

The company allows customers to air their grievances when something gets discontinued. Dedicated Trader Joe's fans seek out which products are discontinued by asking the chain's team members since the store doesn't officially announce discontinuations. Then the fans will often take to social media to air their grievances on accounts dedicated to lost items. 

Trader Joe's has a knack for capturing its customers' attention with inventive products ranging from frozen sweet treats to easy weeknight dinners. But, whether these products are flops or hits with shoppers, sometimes they are removed, never to be seen again.

Sesame oil is essential for noodle recipes, drizzling on potstickers, or even a component in salad dressings. This Trader Joe's Chili Sesame Oil was a great product for people who wanted extra spice with their sesame oil. The ingredient list was simple: sesame oil and dried red chilies. The oil was infused with a little heat courtesy of the dried red chilies and could be used as a topping, dip, or mixed into a sauce.

This oil was discontinued in 2023 and Trader Joe's lists it as unavailable, which doesn't bode well for a comeback. Shoppers can purchase the grocer's Organic Toasted Sesame Oil and Crunchy Chili Onion oil for a similar experience when mixed. These two products aren't the same, but each has a flavor profile close to the discontinued product, so shoppers can mix and match to create their new favorite combo.

Trader Joe's offers plenty of convenient foods for people with dietary restrictions or plans. Their plant-based protein alternatives and vegetarian options are plentiful and just as high-quality as other options with meat. One of those beloved plant-based foods was the Hi-Protein Veggie Burger from the frozen aisle. This frozen patty was made with pea protein, making it a wonderful way for plant-based eaters to get a serving of an important nutrient (26 grams of protein per serving, to be exact). The ingredient list included a pea protein blend, canola oil, onions, brown rice flour, and flavorings.

Unfortunately, they were discontinued in the spring of 2023. The grocery store sells their Quinoa Cowboy Veggie Burgers for vegetarians, but they contain eggs, making them unsuitable for vegan shoppers. Outside the freezer aisle, Trader Joe's Protein Patties are made of pea protein and contain 18 grams of protein per patty, making them a decent replacement for the discontinued item.

The chile/lime combo seems to be Trader Joe's bread and butter. The grocery store sells a popular Chili Lime Seasoning Blend, Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips, and formerly sold Chile Lime Mayonnaise. The spread was discontinued in 2021. Some shoppers were sad to see this one go, but others praised the store's decision to discontinue it. "I tried this one — sounded good, but I hated it. The citric acid "lime" flavor was like dipping your tongue into a bowl of 9v batteries," commented one customer on Instagram. Maybe they would have liked to know about the store's test-tasting policy before making the purchase.

Shoppers who defend and miss the flavored mayonnaise can purchase some of the Chili Lime Seasoning Blend and mix it into their preferred mayonnaise to create a spread for burgers, breakfast sandwiches, or tacos. Shoppers can still find interesting condiments at Trader Joe's, like their signature Magnifisauce!, Peri Peri Sauce, and Enchilada Sauce.

Delicious frozen dinners are something shoppers adore about Trader Joe's. The grocery chain boasts a wide variety of frozen foods that can be ready in minutes and taste just as good as homemade meals. The Frozen Spinach Lasagna was one of those products. It came frozen with a simple list of ingredients including spinach, noodles, tomato sauce, ricotta cheese, olive oil, and spices. The vegetarian meal was a single serving, perfect for office lunches or a quick dinner for one. The item was discontinued in 2021, and many fans of the frozen meal were disappointed, with one simply exclaiming on Instagram, "What!?! Ugh this is so sad."

Today, the store still sells a Family Style Meat Lasagna with ground beef and pork, but it can't replace the discontinued vegetarian option. The Vegan Italian Bolognese Ravioli is another pasta dish suitable for vegetarians (and vegans) but not as convenient as the discontinued single-serve lasagna. Suppose shoppers are looking for other delicious single-serving frozen meals at Trader Joe's. In that case, they may find some luck with the Vegetable Biryani with Vegetable Dumplings or Cuban Style Citrus Garlic Bowl.

Trader Joe's snack aisles are tempting and full of exciting new flavors. The grocery chain is home to its popular cookie line, Joe-Joe's, which often gets seasonal revamps and twists on flavor combinations. One of the more exciting flavors was the Matcha Joe-Joe's. These sandwich cookies had two golden vanilla cracker cookies with a bright green tea matcha-flavored creme in between them. The sweet treat was great for matcha lovers with a hankering for a cookie. But, these cookie sandwiches were discontinued in 2019 after two years on shelves.

Trader Joe's still sells Joe-Joe's flavors like the Chocolate & Peanut Butter Joe-Joe's and the Gluten Free Chocolate Vanilla Creme flavor. The Chocolatey Coated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers and Maple Leaf Cookies are other tasty cookies that can fill the Matcha Joe-Joe's gap.  The grocery store continues to carry Matcha Green Tea Latte Mix and Matcha Green Tea Powder.

Frozen waffles are the definition of a quick and easy breakfast. The Trader Joe's Banana Waffles were just that, with a little extra flavor. Spreading peanut butter or syrup was delicious on these wheat and gluten-free waffles. Unfortunately, the frozen breakfast item was discontinued way back in 2009 and most likely won't hit shelves again.

The grocery chain is no stranger to seasonal toaster waffles; in the past, they've had products like Blueberry Waffles, Strawberry Waffles, Pumpkin Waffles, and Frozen Belgian Waffles. These frozen breakfast foods are either discontinued or rolled out seasonally, but a mainstay in Trader Joe's freezer section is their Whole Grain Waffles. The chain also offers waffle and pancake mixes, which take more work than popping in the toaster. 

Trader Joe's does spreads, dips, and sauces especially well and always seems to have an inventive product on the shelves. The Organic Buffalo Style Hummus was one of the winners that many shoppers miss. The hummus spread packed a punch with the heat from Buffalo flavors like cayenne, chili, and garlic. Dipping vegetables and crackers in the dip, or even spreading it on a sandwich were great ways to enjoy this spread that was discontinued in 2021.

Shoppers who love a spicy dip may find comfort in Trader Joe's Vegan Buffalo Style Dip, made from vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, and peppers, or the Buffalo Chicken Dip. Trader Joe's offers other Buffalo-flavored products outside of dips and spreads with their Buffalo Style Seasoned Almonds and Buffalo Style Chicken Poppers, which are an appetizer from the frozen aisle that contains chicken, cheese, and hot sauce wrapped in a crispy filo dough.

Dedicated fans of Trader Joe's know that their frozen meals are consistently impressive. But, this unique frozen stew was discontinued in 2023. The reason for its discontinuation is unknown, but one shopper commented on Instagram, "I used to love this, but in recent years the amount of seafood noticeably decreased so it wasn't as filling so I stopped buying."

Cioppino Seafood Stew was a frozen meal that could be cooked on the stovetop or in a microwave. It contained shrimp, clams, and scallops drenched in a thick tomato sauce for a hearty meal. There isn't a perfect replacement for the stew on shelves today but the grocery store sells their Shrimp Boom Bah (frozen crispy shrimp) and Sriracha Shrimp Bowl for shoppers wanting a frozen seafood product.

Speculoos Cookie Butter is a shortbread cookie-flavored spread that Trader Joe's has capitalized on by mixing it into tons of other products like ice creams, cookies, and cheesecake. The Speculoos Cookie Butter Cheesecake Bites were a frozen dessert that featured a vanilla and cookie butter cheese filling atop a Speculoos cookie crust. These indulgent treats were discontinued in 2018. They came with 12 bites that only had to be thawed briefly before serving.

Shoppers who miss these rich, decadent treats can attempt to make a copycat recipe or settle for the other Speculoos products at Trader Joe's, like their Speculoos Cookie Butter Ice Cream. The grocery store also posts recipes for milkshakes, cakes, and sandwiches using Speculoos Cookie Butter on their website.

Trader Joe's Island Salsa was a tropical dip with mango, pineapple, and red peppers that was discontinued around 2022. Many shoppers enjoyed the premade fruity salsa and would pair it with corn chips or spread it on tacos. The fact that it didn't contain tomatoes also appealed to shoppers' interests. The grocery chain has not explained why they stopped selling this salsa, but it is missed nonetheless.

To replace Island Salsa, shoppers may want to check out Trader Joe's Corn and Chile Tomato-less Salsa, a sweet and spicy chunky salsa perfect for dipping and topping on tacos. They also sell more traditional salsas like Pico de Gallo, Organic Thick & Chunky Salsa, and the Salsa de Cacahuat, made of peppers and peanuts. The Island Salsa can also be replicated with copycat recipes that include fruits, vegetables, and seasonings.

The folks at Trader Joe's are always inventing unique flavors for chips and crackers. The Honey Butter Potato Chips were a sweet and salty treat discontinued in 2018. These chips had a nearly creamy taste to resemble the butter and a subtle honey sweetness. The Trader Joe's Honey Butter Potato Chip may have been a reaction to the craze in South Korea in 2014 when a snack food brand released honey butter-flavored chips, only for the products to fly off shelves when social media creators started raving about them.

The Everything But The Bagel Seasoned Potato Chips are a specialty chip many of today's shoppers love because of their garlicky, oniony, and salty flavor. The Ghost Pepper Potato Chips are another potato chip that shocks eaters with its spicy chili flavor.

People who love the nostalgic taste of Spaghetti-O's and shop at Trader Joe's were lucky to have the grocery's signature canned pasta, until they were discontinued in 2022. The O-shaped pasta was doused in a cheesy tomato sauce and canned into Trader Joe's Organic Joe's O's. The pasta could be heated up and minutes, creating a nostalgic and hearty snack. Fans of the product were devastated at the news, with one saying on Instagram, "Ok why? They are SO good. Why do you do this to us TJs?"

Trader Joe's offers tons of jarred pasta sauces and dried pasta, but nothing with the same convenience appeal as the Joe's O's had. Shoppers wanting an easy-to-prepare pasta dish may enjoy the 4 Cheese Ravioli or the jarred Italian-Style Wedding Soup, but nothing comes close to the memorable canned pasta.

Another quick frozen meal was discontinued in 2022 when the Aloo Chaat Kati Pouches disappeared from shelves. These flaky pastries were stuffed with potatoes, chickpeas, chaat masala, and chutney, making a super convenient snack that shoppers missed. Each frozen package came with two pastries that could be cooked in the oven or briefly heated in the microwave.

Kati refers to an Indian cooking method that rolls meat and vegetables into a pita. Aloo Chaat is another Indian dish that fries potatoes, spices, sauces, and other vegetables into a delicious spread. Trader Joe's did something special when they combined the two dishes, making it convenient, easy, and quick to prepare. The Chicken Shawarma Bowl and Mini Vegetable Samosas are other Indian food-inspired frozen foods that Trader Joe's shoppers can still find at most locations. 

This Trader Joe's ready-made dessert was a dream until the Rice Pudding was discontinued in 2021. The treat was kept in the refrigerated section and contained simple ingredients like rice, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Shoppers loved this premade item for its convenience and flavor. One of many comments on Instagram pleaded, "Why?? This is the best. Time to horde and stock up." Nobody knows why Trader Joe's took the treat out of stores, but there have been no updates of it coming back.

The grocery chain offers a few different cool and frozen desserts that shoppers may find fill the gap that the Rice Pudding left. The Non-Dairy Vanilla Bean Oat Frozen Dessert, Super Chocolatey Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough, and Vanilla Overnight Oats.

The Mixed Nut Butter at Trader Joe's was a thick combo of almonds, cashews, walnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans, and hazelnuts. The nut butter was noted as "Not Available" on the Trader Joe's website in 2023 and is thought to be officially discontinued.

Unlike other nut butter, it was less sweet than traditional nut butter and was hailed for having no added sugar. However, the spread had lots of oil build-up and a gritty texture. It could be spread on sandwiches with jams, used as a dip for fruit, or baked into cookies. Shoppers can still rely on the grocery store carrying their Organic Creamy Peanut Butter Salted Valencia, Raw Almond Butter Creamy No Salt (along with many other almond butter variations), Cocoa Almond Spread, and Sunflower Seed Spread that will all taste great.

Trader Joe's pasta products are unique and favored by many shoppers. This discontinued product was a refrigerated pasta that was a quick way to have a unique weeknight meal. The pasta was stuffed with goat cheese, ricotta cheese, breadcrumbs, sundried tomatoes, and many yummy spices. The pasta needed a quick boil in water before being ready to serve with a sauce or drizzle of olive oil to create a hearty, simple meal.

Luckily, Trader Joe's is always inventing amazing ravioli products. The grocery chain still offers an extensive list of ravioli: the 4 Cheese Ravioli, Gluten Free Ravioli, Vegan Spinach & Cashew Ravioli, Cacio e Pepe Ravioli, Vegan Italian Bolognese Ravioli, and the Italian Tomato & Burrata Ravioloni are just a few options available in Trader Joe's locations today.

Shoppers were disappointed to hear that the Trader Joe's breakfast item was discontinued, confirmed by the website's label as "Not Available." The ingredient list only had grains, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt; it was the perfect sweet breakfast. It was a healthy and filling breakfast, with only 2.5 grams of total fat per serving. Each box contained ten packets of instant oatmeal that were ready after a little while in the microwave. The chocolatey oatmeal paired nicely with berries or dried fruit mixed in.

Shoppers can make homemade versions of the product because of the minimal ingredient list. The grocery chain offers plenty of plain oatmeals and delicious Almond Butter Chia Overnight Oats from the refrigerated section. Shoppers should keep their eyes out because Trader Joe's rolls out seasonal oatmeal flavors like Organic Triple Ginger Instant Oatmeal and Apples and Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal.

Another relic of the refrigerator aisle, "Just Sauce" Turkey Bolognese, was discontinued in 2022. It was a great product to jazz up simple pasta dishes or even as a soup starter. It needed to be thawed and heated, but the easily coated noodles, gnocchi, or dipped with bread. The turkey was a good alternative to traditional bolognese sauces that use beef, and shoppers liked that this sauce was pretty much ready to go after heating.

Trader Joe's does not offer frozen pasta like the "Just Sauce" Turkey Bolognese. However, it has jarred sauces like the Bolognese Style Tomato & Beef Pasta Sauce, Roasted Garlic Marinara Sauce, and Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Almond Pesto Sauce that can be paired with ground turkey, pasta, and vegetables to make a Trader Joe's-inspired bolognese.

Trader Joe's always seems to have new flavors of chicken sausages. The smoked andouille flavor had chicken and Cajun spices sealed in a pork casing. They, unfortunately, were discontinued in 2023. Andouille sausages are traditionally made with pork and originate in France but were popularized in Louisiana cooking. These reinvented chicken sausages could be mixed in gumbo or jambalaya, or chopped with vegetables for a sheet pan recipe.

Luckily, Trader Joe's offers plenty of back-up chicken sausages that don't contain added preservatives, artificial ingredients, or MSG. The Spicy Jalapeño, Unexpected Cheddar (wrapped in pork casing), and Sweet Apple versions are amazing. Many people like to use them in casseroles or as a protein in a pasta dish. If those recipes are too unfamiliar, each Trader Joe's chicken sausage tastes wonderful in a regular hot dog bun.