Awards season is in full swing, and we’re not just talking about the Oscars and Golden Globes. The winners of the 16th Annual Trader Joe’s Customer Choice Awards are in, and they were announced by Trader Joe’s employees Matt Sloan, customer relations communications director, and Tara Miller, vice president of marketing, on the latest episode of the Inside Trader Joe’s podcast.
For TJ’s fans who may be unfamiliar with these awards, they are designed to highlight shoppers’ favorite products from the previous year across several categories. These categories include favorite snack, favorite beverage, favorite sweet treat, and more, yielding a mix of tried-and-true classics and new must-have items. Additionally, a brand new category included this year—favorite new products—highlights items that debuted in 2024.
As a reminder, the five Trader Joe’s Product Hall of Fame inductees are no longer eligible to win a Customer Choice Award since they have already won at least five times. This means Mandarin Orange Chicken, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Peanut Butter-Filled Pretzel Nuggets, Unexpected Cheddar, and Soy Chorizo are no longer eligible to compete, though they remain beloved by shoppers across the country.
“One of the purposes of the Customer Choice Awards is to pass along recommendations so that everyone can try the favorites,” Sloan explained. “If we had the same winners over and over … then the awards wouldn’t call attention to any things we haven’t already saluted.”
Get your grocery list ready and scroll on for the 2024 winners—you may find your new favorite TJ’s buy.
Favorite Trader Joe’s Breakfast and Brunch Item: Hashbrowns
Trader Joe’s
Surprisingly, eggs didn’t even make it into the top five most beloved breakfast and brunch items you can find at Trader Joe’s. Instead, shoppers threw their support behind the category winner—hashbrowns. Sold in the frozen section, the uses for TJ’s Hashbrowns are virtually endless. Sure, you can use ‘em as a breakfast side coupled with bacon and eggs, but you can also treat them like “bread” and use them to build one epic breakfast sandwich, whip up a loaded hashbrown casserole, or make a filling brunch burrito. “People love our hashbrowns,” Miller noted. “Hashbrowns got 300% more votes than any other product in that category.”
Favorite Trader Joe’s Appetizer: Creamy Spinach & Artichoke Dip
Trader Joe’s
When it comes to appetizers, shoppers are looking for dishes that are quick and easy to make. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the top five items in this category can all be found in the frozen section. The winner? Creamy Spinach & Artichoke Dip. “You can heat it in the oven, and it comes out wonderfully, but you can also heat it in the microwave,” Miller shared of this favored app that’s been in TJ’s stores for years. “It doesn’t get that brown sort of caramelized top when you put it in the microwave, but it really does taste good.”
Favorite Trader Joe’s Cheese: Goat Cheese
Trader Joe’s
The cheese section at Trader Joe’s rivals what you would find at a dedicated cheese shop, and shoppers have a litany of delicious options to choose from. When it came time to select a favorite cheese of the year, customers kept it vague and simply gave “goat cheese” top honors. If you’ve ever scoured TJ’s for goat cheese before, you know that the retailer stocks several different types of the tangy cheese, such as Chevre Goat Cheese and Chevre with Honey. “I think what is meant by ‘goat cheese’ is fresh goat cheese,” Sloan offered. “That spreadable, somewhat crumbly cheese, but not necessarily goat Gouda.”
Favorite Trader Joe’s Bath, Body, and Home Item: Brazil Nut Body Butter
Trader Joe’s
The Brazil Nut Body Butter is so beloved that it won this category despite not currently being in stores. “It’s not even available for purchase, and that’s how much people love it,” Miller declared. “It’s still top of mind.” Made with coconut oil, shea butter, açai extract, guarana extract, and, of course, Brazil nut seed butter, this beauty aisle find is designed to nourish and hydrate skin. Fans of this favorite item will be happy to know that it’s slated to be back in TJ’s stores in “May or June of this year,” according to Miller.
Favorite New Trader Joe’s Item: Cashel Blue Cheese Irish Potato Chips
This category is new to the awards this year, but it’s certainly one worth noting. “This is a really important category,” Miller shared. “If one of the primary purposes of the Customer Choice Awards is to allow customers to recommend products to other customers, this is actually the category where we find out about new products that are really catching on.”
Miller went on to note that every eligible product in this category was introduced in 2024. The winner—Cashel Blue Cheese Irish Potato Chips—debuted in November and is a testament to TJ’s distinct ability to create snacks shoppers can’t resist. “[These chips] are from an Irish chip making factory using Irish-grown potatoes and an Irish-made blue cheese, and those sound both alluring and maybe not for everybody,” Sloan explained. “But I have heard overwhelmingly positive feedback about these chips, which is really, really good because we love this chip maker.” If you’re a fan of TJ’s chips you’ll be delighted to know that this producer is currently working on another roasted garlic and butter variety that will be on shelves later this year.
Items that were almost victorious in this new category include the “really delicious” Garlic Gondolas the Strawberry Mini Hold the Cone!, and the tasty Crispy Potato & Poblano Pepper Tacos.
Favorite Trader Joe’s Lunch and Dinner Item: Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice
Trader Joe’s
For the second year running, Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice took top honors in this category, beating other frozen finds. “This category is chock-full of products from our frozen aisle,” Miller explained. “And I think what our customers are telling us here is they’re thinking, ‘What can I make quickly? What can I make that’s gonna be really satisfying that’s not gonna that’s not gonna require a ton of effort or time on my part?’”
Favorite Trader Joe’s Produce: Teeny Tiny Avocados
Trader Joe’s
Though Trader Joe’s isn’t known for the best produce department, there are some worthwhile finds in this section if you know where to look. The winner in this category, Teeny Tiny Avocados, is an item that’s unique to TJ’s. Due to the small nature of these “personal sized” avocados, shoppers waste less and often don’t have to deal with the trickiness of storing this fast-ripening fruit. “I think that’s a great win,” Miller noted. “We saw a need, and we worked with our suppliers to find a way to fill that need.”
Favorite Trader Joe’s Snack: Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips
The Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips nabbed the number one spot in this category, and because they have now won this award five times, they’re now part of the Trader Joe’s Product Hall of Fame, making them ineligible for any future Customer Choice Awards. Grab a bag of these tangy, spicy rolled chips to celebrate their snack dominance!
Favorite Trader Joe’s Beverage: Spiced Cider
Trader Joe’s
“Our winner is actually a product that’s not available in most stores right now because it only comes in [during] Q4 of the calendar year,” Miller explained, naming the seasonal Spiced Cider as the victor. “It’s a fall classic at Trader Joe’s, and so we know when it shows up in stores that fall is about to arrive,” she continued. And while this “delicious” drink may only appear on store shelves once temperatures start to dip, rest assured that it shines when served hot or cold. I’ve made many apple cider mimosas with this stuff, and eagerly anticipate its yearly return. Expect to see it in stock again in late 2025.
Favorite Trader Joe’s Sweet Treat: Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches
Trader Joe’s
You can find ice cream sandwiches made with vanilla ice cream and chocolate chip cookies at pretty much any grocery store in the country, but Trader Joe’s version of this treat—dubbed Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches—is a cut above the rest. The sweet treat category winner has legions of fans nationwide, including Miller. “They are the best ice cream sandwiches I’ve ever had in my entire life,” she declared. “[They are] delicious. Every single time.”
Favorite Overall Trader Joe’s Item: Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips
Trader Joe’s
The Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips, which took top honors in the snack category beat out some stiff competition in order to be crowned Favorite Overall Item. The Vegetable Fried Rice, Kimbap, Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, and Steamed Pork and Ginger Soup Dumplings were all in contention for this coveted award, but those products were no match for these chips. Maybe next year!
