Trader Joe’s HARVEST WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

“A good source of fiber, sweetened with honey”

If you are looking for “regular sliced bread” at Trader Joe’s for sandwiches, or what have you, but don’t want white bread, and prefer one made from whole wheat, this whole wheat bread is another option for a whole grain bread.

“HARVEST WHOLE WHEAT” is made as the name implies, from whole wheat flour and is lightly sweetened with honey. It has a soft crumb and the pleasant wholesome flavor of whole wheat.

100 calories/slice, 5 gr of Protein, 3 gr of Fiber.

Trader Joe’s HARVEST WHOLE WHEAT BREAD has a light brown color from the whole wheat. It has what we would call regular slices, not too thick nor too thin (16 slices per loaf). It’s soft but not too soft if you know what I mean. It has a little bit of texture to it. The ingredient list is very short and simple with whole wheat flour as the first ingredient.

INGREDIENTS: Whole wheat flour, water, wheat gluten, honey, yeast, canola oil….

Its a healthy choice but it doesn’t taste “too healthy” if you know what I mean. Even picky kids may like it. Its quite tasty, both toasted and As Is. This is perfect to make sandwiches with, it won’t fall apart easily.

It was really good toasted which is one way I like it. Peanut butter and jelly on toasted whole wheat coming right up.

It’s one of the most affordable bread options at Trader Joe’s at (now) $2.99 (was 2.49 not long ago) This will beat most supermarket similar breads for price, value and quality. I like this and would buy it again.

HARVEST WHOLE WHEAT BREAD $2.99, 24 oz loaf (1 1/2 lbs, 680 gr)

Trader Joe’s HEALTHY SNACK IDEAS

Do you need a few ideas for Healthy Snack options for shopping at Trader Joe’s?

Here are just a few ideas….

Fruits and Veggies: A great snack could be say, fresh apples sliced up.

One favorite snack for me is some sliced APPLE with some PEANUT BUTTER. A classic combination providing fiber, healthy fats, and protein. Besides apples I like bananas and peanut butter. As well as cut up sticks of vegetables (carrot, celery or jicama sticks) All these things are great snacks on their own but get some protein from nut butters. Besides peanut butter, there are other nut butters too, such as almond butter. My favorite peanut butter at Trader Joe’s? Crunchy salted with the blue label. The one with honey one us also good.

Now I would just buy an apples and cut them up. However Trader Joe’s does sell some “pre-cut” fruits and veggies for convenience. Personally I never buy these type of items. It’s not a big deal to cut up an apple for me. The moment you cut any fruit or veggie up it starts to oxidize and deteriorate. And you pay a lot more for someone to do that work.

Nuts or Trail Mix; these are great snacks (in moderation) Trail Mix: Trader Joe’s offers a variety of mixes with nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. Raw, Unsalted, Untoasted Nuts: A simple and healthy snack. Dark Chocolate-Covered Almonds: A delicious way to get antioxidants and healthy fats. Finally the fantastic TRAIL MIX CRACKERS

Cut up some Vegetable Sticks such as carrots or celery and pair them with some HUMMUS or some other lower fat dip. How about that new Roasted Tomato LABNEH?

For chips, I think the PLANTAIN CHIPS are kind of better than potato or other chips

Protein Snacks: Any Cheese or cheese sticks, string cheese, hard cooked peeled eggs, chomps turkey sticks….

Other Healthy Options:

  • Organic Popcorn with Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A whole-grain, antioxidant-rich snack. 

Grainless Granola: A crunchy blend of nuts, seeds, and dried coconut. Puffins Cereal (Peanut Butter flavor): A fun and healthy way to enjoy cereal. Low-Fat Greek Yogurt: Pair with berries and a touch of honey for a healthy and protein-packed snack. Piquant Popcorn: A top snack for weight loss. Norwegian Crisp Bread: A versatile base for avocado and other toppings. Bamba Peanut Snacks: A high-volume, low-calorie option.  Plantain Chips: A healthier alternative to potato chips. Lentil and Chickpea Crisps: A flavorful and healthy snack. Oven-Baked Cheese Bites: A high-protein option. Trek Mix Handfuls: A portable and nonperishable snack. Hummus: A creamy blend of chickpeas, tahini, and olive oil. They have some hummus snacks that come with crackers for easy snacking.

With just a little prep work and some baggies, you can make snack packages. Good luck!

Trader Joe’s ROOT BEER FLOAT PIECES CANDY

“…Modernity does occasionally produce snacks and sweets that previous generations could never have imagined… Fun, flavorful, and even a little fizzy, each Root Beer Float Cookie Piece starts with a vanilla sandwich Cookie, filled with popping candy-imbued vanilla crème, which our supplier enrobes in a toothsome, remarkably Root Beer-reminiscent candy coating…. ” – TJ’s

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/root-beer-float-pieces-081429

All I’ve been reading about is how fantastic the new Trader Joe’s Root Beer Float Pieces candy is. So I had to try it.

OK so my honest review is yes, the first piece you taste does in fact taste surprisingly like a root beer float, with even a little fizzy sensation in your mouth from the pop rocks evoking soda bubbles. Yes, I grant you that someone did come up with the right list of food chemicals stuff to do that. (yikes! you don’t want to read that list of ingredients).

To be honest, I found it just OK. I would not say I loved this. Its OK. My wife however spit it out after a little bite.

I find it way, way too sweet. However kids may just love this as it is unusual. After that first piece where you get the root beer float concept and say to yourself, wow it does taste like a root beer float, the novelty wears off, and as a candy it’s ok but not amazing. After that and I ate two more pieces, I was pretty much done with it. I find it more gimmicky than a great candy.

$3.79 (7 oz bag)

Sorry internet. I would not buy it again.

Me, I love dark not milk chocolate myself. Give me some dark chocolate peanut butter cups any day of the week. I could probably eat the whole container.

Trader Joe’s HALLOUMI CHEESE for summer grilling (with recipes)

“The traditional grilling cheese of Cyprus”. A great addition to a barbecue skewer. Browns rather than melts when grilled

NOTE: TJ’s sells this cheese as a “seasonal item” starting late Spring though end of Summer. That’s when when you will find it on the shelves (not available at other times).

This “Atalanta brand HALLOUMI cheese” I got at Trader Joe’s at some point last year was one of those items I tried just once and fell absolutely in love with instantly. However trying to find it a month or two later, I could not find it. It was MIA. I was afraid they discontinued it. Say it’s not so, Joe. I learned they carry this cheese seasonally.

It’s another of their “seasonal” items. They stock it starting in the Spring and have it for Summer (till mid-August maybe?). Trader Joe’s seems to peg this cheese for “grilling” outdoors. Think “Summer grilling. “

So just note that you will only see this part of the year. I wish they had it all year round. But here’s a useful Tip: the shelf life is quite long as it’s a cured, brined hard cheese. My package date was good for six months. So I might just stock up on a few packages, for that half+ of the year they don’t have it. You could probably even freeze it. Most cheese, especially harder ones, actually can be frozen (cheese needs to be slow defrosted in the fridge)

If you haven’t tried HALLOUMI before, you have got to check it out. It’s so good grilled. Just delicious.

Halloumi originates from the island of Cyprus. It’s a semi hard cheese brinded made with sheep’s milk with a unique quality: it browns rather than just melts. Therefore you can grill, broil, or pan fry it, until it gets golden brown & delicious. It gets a chewy, meaty texture that is so good!

TJ’s website says: “Atalanta® Halloumi” is made on the island of Cyprus using sheep’s milk. During production, the curds are heated to high temperatures, a process which gives it both its “squeaky” texture and ability to hold its shape when cooked or grilled. Atalanta® ‘s cheesemakers also include a bit of mint, which adds a slight refreshing counterbalance to Halloumi’s natural brininess.”

Some people are making “Halloumi Croutons” with it, which you could make by cutting the cheese into cubes, brown them in a little olive oil and remove for adding to salads or other dishes

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/recipes/fried-halloumi-salad

Atalanta Brand Halloumi Cheese, $5.99 package (8.8 oz)

The picture below is of a dish I made with the halloumi, tomatoes and a can of white beans. “Crispy halloumi, white beans and tomatoes” I had seen in the NYTimes. The dish is DELICIOUS and its a fairly healthy (vegetarian) dish that we all found to be an excellent; a keeper recipe that is now on monthly rotation for us. I got the recipe from the NY Times (may need registration)

TRADER JOE RECIPE FRIED HALLOUMI SALAD here…

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/recipes/fried-halloumi-salad

Crispy Halloumi With Tomatoes and White Beans

By Nargisse Benkabbou

Published May 5, 2025, NYTimes

Ingredients

Says “4 servings” (2 of us easily ate the whole thing!)

  • Olive oil, as needed
  • 1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise 
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, plus more for serving  
  • 1 teaspoon honey, plus more for serving
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano or thyme
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, butter beans or navy beans, drained
  • 1 (8-ounce) block halloumi, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices 
  • ½ lemon
  • Crusty bread (optional), for serving

Preparation

  1. Set broiler to high heat, with a rack positioned in the upper third of the oven, 3 to 4 inches from the heat source.
  2. In a large, ovenproof pan over medium heat, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil with the tomatoes, garlic, parsley, honey and oregano. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes soften and release their juices, about 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in the beans and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat.
  4. Arrange the halloumi slices on top of the tomato-bean mixture in the pan. Transfer the pan to the oven. Broil until the halloumi is golden and crispy on top, about 5 minutes, depending on the oven’s broiler strength.
  5. Drizzle generously with olive oil, squeeze the lemon half over the pan and add a light drizzle of honey. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately, with bread if desired.

Her Halloumi Crouton Salad recipe looks great! (TIKTOK)

Trader Joe’s ROASTED TOMATO LABNEH DIP, review

NEW ITEM

Trader Joe’s latest dip is called ROASTED TOMATO LABNEH DIP. Its thick and creamy, tangy, cheesy, and herby from dill and parsley.

It has roasted tomatoes on top. Labneh is made from very thick strained yogurt. Trader Joe’s dip incorporates ingredients like balsamic vinegar, herbs and garlic as well. You can use this as a spread or a dip. This would be great on top of chicken or fish. Try it with Pita chips or your favorite crackers. It worked great when I put this out as a dip along with veggie sticks (celery, carrot, yellow pepper….) T

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/roasted-tomato-labneh-dip-081050

“Try dunking Trader Joe’s Roasted Tomato Labneh Dip with pita chips, fresh Lavash, or really anything tasty and dunkable…. carrot sticks, pitted olives, French fries, you name it. Try spreading it on a sandwich, a Falafel wrap, or even just a slice of sourdough toast. Try dropping it by the spoonful over salads, hearty grain bowls, or tomato-based soups. Whatever you do, just be sure you try it! It’s a tart, cheesy, herby, phenomenally full-flavored eating experience, and it’s now available at your neighborhood Trader Joe’s.” – Trader Joe’s

I liked this quite a bit. The Labneh dip is good with most anything: vegetables, chicken, meat or fish like grilled salmon, as a dip, as a shmeer on a bagel or sandwich, with falafel, mixed with hummus, or chickpeas. Spread some on TJ’s Lavash. Labneh is especially good with eggs, Turkish style. Try putting an egg, fried or poached egg on top of a spread or bed of the labneh. It’s a little tangy/sour. I liked that taste, however my wife found it a little too tangy. After I finished half of it as-is, I decided to see how it would be mixed with a mashed avocado. It was very good mixed with the avocado. After doing that my wife loved the Avo-Labneh mixture, so you may want to try this hack too. Speaking of which, this would be great as the base of AVOCADO TOAST.

Trader Joe’s Roasted Tomato Labneh Dip $3.49 (8.5 oz) I would buy this again.

Trader Joe’s SKIPJACK TUNA FILLETS in Olive Oil

NEW ITEM, SPRING 2024

RAVE

If you are fan of “tinned” or canned fish, you probably know that Trader Joe’s has gotten into this popular food trend more and more the last few years.

They now carry quite a few varieties of tinned fish and keep adding new items like this new one: SKIPJACK TUNA FILLETS in olive oil.

Of course Trader Joe’s sells plenty of kinds of cans of tuna. They probably have about 4 or 5 different cans of tuna which include 3 varieties of ALBACORE TUNA (packed in oil, water, 1/2 salted…) YELLOWFIN in olive oil, plus two kinds of SKIPJACK (not like this though)

They came out with a tin of CALAMARI in olive oil (Squid), which is quite good if perhaps not for a #tinnedfish newbie. So let’s consider a far easier entry for most people, like a can of salmon. They have the regular stuff then they have what may be the best canned salmon you ever tasted. The level up salmon in the pink square can they call “Lightly Smoked Salmon”.

Now, they’ve introduced this gourmet level tuna SKIPJACK TUNA FILLETS in olive oil. Just glancing at it, you can tell this one is fancy. Its in a lovely looking rectangular can which indicates much more “gourmet” compared to the other cans of tuna. For a good reason. This is totally Gourmet level tuna. A Must Try product. Isn’t the design gorgeous?

Trader Joe’s says: ‘”Has there ever been a better time to be a tinned fish enthusiast? It seems like all sorts of prepossessing piscine proteins are popping up on shelves, and we here at Trader Joe’s are proud to do our part with options like Trader Joe’s Skipjack Tuna Fillets in Olive Oil. They’re made for us by a supplier in Tunisia, who sources their Skipjack Tuna in the Mediterranean, which is caught via sustainable pole-and-line fishing methods to reduce by-catch. The loin of the Tuna is cut into long, flat fillets, then lightly salted and cooked to perfection, then packed in Olive Oil so that they’re ready to be used in all sorts of culinary contexts right out of the tin.”

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/skipjack-tuna-fillets-in-olive-oil-075995

Here’s my honest review of Trader Joe’s new Skipjack Tuna Fillets in Olive Oil. This may be the best can of tuna you ever tasted. This is one of those Must Try new items. This tuna is so freakin’ good!

Ingredients are simple: Skipjack tuna, olive oil, salt.

And by the way, check out that this has a whopping THIRTY FOUR GRAMS PROTEIN per can! Sweet.

You may know Skipjack Tuna as “light tuna”. This can is the highest gourmet level of it.

Open the can up and you will see some nice meaty fillets of pure tuna, flaky, and moist looking all covered in tasty olive oil. The tuna is so delicious. Skipjack Tuna is slightly darker with a more intense flavor than albacore tuna. Yes, you may think that this is a bit on the pricey side at $3.99 for a “can of tuna”. But trust me, this tuna is truly Level Up Gourmet. A bit like those very pricey super deluxe imported gourmet jars or cans of tuna (like Ortiz) which go for 3-4x the price of this one, albeit those are generally Albacore tuna (white) while this is Skipjack Tuna which looks a little bit darker than albacore but is delicious.

“So, how best to enjoy these Skipjack Tuna Fillets? That’s the real beauty of them—you can use them in all the same situations you would with everyday canned tuna, like tuna salads, melts, and casseroles, and in more elevated instances like charcuterie boards, on pasta primavera, or in a Nicoise salad. We find that their firm, flakeable texture and mild flavor make them a great choice for simply snacking on while served on a cracker or crostini. ” – Trader Joe’s

How does this compare to the $1.79 pouch of Skipjack? I guess you could easily say that this gourmet version kind of makes that pouch seem like cat food compared to this one.

HOW TO USE SKIPJACK TUNA: Is this gourmet four dollar can of tuna “Too Good” just to make a tuna sandwich? Maybe, but then again maybe no, as it just may make you the best tuna sandwich you ever had in your life.

Seriously. I made a fantastic tuna salad with this tuna which I used to make a Tuna Melt (on TJ’s Rustico Bread). This tuna melt was so amazing and delicious. It was yes, perhaps the best tuna sandwich I ever had.

My first thought when I tasted this tuna was how perfect this would be for making a TUNA NIÇOISE salad. This tuna would be outstanding for the classic French salad with tuna (Salade Niçoise) A recipe link follows…

You can eat the tuna right out of the can. Maybe add a sprinkle of lemon. You can do things to it, such as make a great tuna melt, tuna salad, put it on top of rice, a Japanese style rice bowl with some nori (seaweed snacks)…. Oh and the oil that comes with this is excellent. I say use it, don’t toss it. Use at least a bit of it on the tuna, or save some for a dressing. Its just natural juices and olive oil and its yummy, filled with umami.

A “pan bagnat” is similar but in sandwich form which this tuna would be perfect for!

https://www.seriouseats.com/pan-bagnat-recipe-8603598

IS SKIPJACK TUNA A HEALTHY AND ETHICAL TUNA CHOICE VS ALBACORE TUNA? Yes.

“Choosing pole-and-line-caught light skipjack tuna is your best choice for a low mercury and sustainable option“. Skipjack are smaller fish with lower levels of mercury than yellowfin or bluefin. And Sustainable and Wild.

Trader Joe’s SKIPJACK TUNA FILLETS in Olive Oil $3.99 (6 oz net weight, drained 4.2 oz) I would buy this again.

PRODUCT OF TUNISIA

SKIPJACK TUNA: In Japan its a prized fish known as Katsuo

Katsuo Fish with Cherry Buds, print by Hiroshige, 1830

#tinnedfish #tinnedfishlovers rejoice!

update: june/july 2025 – Now these are MIA. I can’t find these on the shelves! Argh! Perhaps too popular!

Trader Joe’s SOFT MULTIGRAIN RUSTICO BREAD, soft sliced rustic sandwich bread, review

“A soft rustic sandwich bread with rolled oats, molasses, flax seeds and sunflower seeds”

WHY TRADER JOE’S MULTIGRAIN RUSTICO SANDWICH BREAD IS A MUST TRY

Trader Joe’s Multigrain RUSTICO BREAD – This is a very tasty bread you may have seen at Trader Joe’s at some point. Its a little soft with an oblong shape, kind of like a long skinny rye bread. The slices are roundish, again like a rye bread. The outside is coated with rolled oats and seeds.

I tried it and liked it. I found it good for making all kinds of sandwiches and seems especially good when toasted or grilled. RUSTICO BREAD is both a little “rustic” as well as seeming a bit on the healthier side from some of the ingredients such as whole wheat, rolled oats, molasses, flax, sesame, and sunflower seeds. While its soft it’s not too soft, this has a little hearty body to it.

Each slice has 4 grams of fiber. At 80 calories per slice, its a bit on the lower calorie side as some Trader Joe’s sliced breads come in at 120-150 calories per slice. The roundish slices are probably a tad smaller than regular square shaped sliced bread. While the bread is soft it still has a little rustic nature from the seeds and oats hence the “Rustico” name. And while it has seeds I would also say its not “too seedy” for those picky eaters who might object to seeds, like some kids I think might. This is a good compromise all around.

Both of us really liked this bread trying it out for the first time. We found TJ’s RUSTICO BREAD to be another good addition to all the many breads we would gladly pick up again at Trader Joe’s, which is a list which seems to keep getting longer and longer all the time, as they have so many good breads.

The RUSTICO BREAD makes excellent toast and sandwiches. For example, say Avocado Toast or a Tuna Melt. Heres what it looked like all grilled up for a Tuna Melt I made on RUSTICO Bread. It looks good and tasted even better.

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a26146096/tuna-melt-recipe/

$3.49 (22 oz)…. interesting as almost every bread at TJ’s is 24 oz.

I give RUSTICO BREAD a thumbs up. I would buy it again

INGREDIENTS: UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR, WATER, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF THE FOLLOWING: FLAX SEEDS, SESAME SEEDS, SUNFLOWER SEEDS, ROLLED OATS, SUGAR, MOLASSES, SALT, YEAST, WHITE RYE FLOUR, DOUGH CONDITIONER (WHEAT GLUTEN, WHEAT FLOUR, ENZYMES, ASCORBIC ACID), CULTURED WHEAT FLOUR (FOR ADDED FRESHNESS), WHEAT SOUR, CORN MEAL.

CONTAINS WHEAT

New Item! Trader Joe’s Artisan Style SANDWICH ROLLS (hero bread)

Trader Joe’s Artisan Style SANDWICH ROLLS

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/sandwich-rolls-078138

TJ’s says: “The Canadian bakery that makes these sub-shaped Rolls for us uses a slow and gentle fermentation to achieve an airy crumb. The soft insides are complemented by a hearty exterior that can support all kinds of cold cuts and condiments—not to mention a healthy helping of meatballs, sauce, and melty cheese.”

I saw these and really wanted to try them as I thought these would be great for making a hero, specifically an Italian meatball hero. Right out of the bag, these are soft and seemed to me just the tiniest bit under-baked, to allow for some additional cooking or toasting. So take that into account.

Meatball Hero; I sliced the roll down the middle, and added my ingredients inside. After I finished adding the ingredients of my sandwich, in my case grilled meatballs, grilled yellow peppers, some homemade tomato sauce and two kinds of cheese, Fontina and Pecorino. I put them in the oven for 5 minutes or so until it got nice and golden brown and crusty.

My Italian meatball parm hero came out perfect on these Artisan Sandwich Rolls. Crusty on the outside and nice and soft on the interior to soak up all the goodness of my ingredients. The meatball hero was very tasty and along with a salad that was our dinner.

I can easily see these rolls being good for most any sandwich, especially those like any kind of “hero”, “sub”, “grinder” or whatever they call it in your neck of the woods. The 4 rolls work out to less than 90 cents per roll which will be hard to beat for price. Rolls where I am cost at least $1.50 or more.

“You’ll find these Sandwich Rolls to be equally delicious, whether you’re enjoying a cold Italian grinder, or a hot Philly cheesesteak. And when lightly toasted, they develop a wonderfully thin, crisp crust. They can also be pressed quite successfully in a panini grill if you’re craving a traditional Cubano…”

There are 4 rolls in the package ($3.49 12 oz)

I would buy them again.

NEW ITEM! Trader Joe’s Sweet & Spicy RICE CRACKER MIX (GF)

NEW ITEM!

GLUTEN FREE

SWEET AND SPICY RICE CRACKER MIX

These are a good new addition to all of the many wonderful snacks that Trader Joe’s sells. If you like things that are a little Spicy you may love these new rice crackers. These are a little similar to those rice cracker snacks called Rice Cracker Medley. These however have a bit of spice added to them along with the sweet.

These are made from RICE so naturally Gluten Free. Theses don’t have a laundry list of chemical names in the ingredients either, it looks pretty simple.

As a fan in general of “spicy”, albeit not crazy spicy, I found these Just Right in the heat department as the spiciness is counterbalanced by the slight sweetness of the crackers. There are about four or five different shapes. I found they are a really good match with a little cheese.

We found these to be ever so slightly addictive! The two of us could not keep our hand off the package.

Product of Thailand

$2.49 bag (8 oz) I would buy these again

NEW ITEM! Trader Joe’s OKONOMIYAKI (Savory Japanese Pancake)

NEW ITEM: Trader Joe’s frozen OKONOMIYAKI, a Japanese Savory Vegetable Pancake with a sweet and savory sauce and dried bonito flakes

Product of Japan

What is OKONOMIYAKI you ask? Okonomiyaki is a kind of savory pancake, which almost everyone in Japan loves. They are eaten all over… at home, at restaurants (see picture) and from street vendors. They are really popular, and they’re delicious.

(note: Just to be clear this is Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki which has noodles. Someone from Osaka would get into a fight over this and Osaka vs. Hiroshima style, like New York Pizza vs Deep Dish pizza.)

These pancakes have chopped cabbage and a few other veggies mixed into batter with flour and eggs, like a pancake batter but savory. This is poured onto a grill and cooked. These will usually have some kind of protein element added as well, such as thinly sliced pork belly or squid or shrimp. But they can have just about anything in it as its very name states. “OKONOMI” in Japanese means something like “however you want”, or as you like it.

Trader Joe’s says: “Directly translated, Okonomiyaki is derived from two words, yaki (meaning “grilled”) and okonomi (meaning “as you like it”), a testament to its customizable nature. In Japan and in Japanese-inspired street food scenes across the globe, these savory pancakes can be made with a wide variety of ingredients, including different veggies, proteins, and cheeses, and topped with everything from mayo to seaweed to dried, shaved fish flakes. For Trader Joe’s Okonomiyaki, our supplier in Japan has opted for a relatively simple, yet sublimely satisfying combination of cabbage, yam, and green onion held together in an eggy batter. When prepped at home, it takes on a crisp texture on the outside and a light and creamy texture on the inside. And if that wasn’t enough, they’ve also included a packet of sweet and savory okonomi sauce and delicate tuna flakes so that you can enjoy your Okonomiyaki, appropriately enough exactly as you like it. ” – Trader Joe’s

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/okonomiyaki-japanese-vegetable-pancake-077090

(what it looks like just out of the package)
(here’s what mine looked like all done – the yellow bit is an egg I added)

So I saw that Trader Joe’s came out with a frozen OKONOMIYAKI. Frankly I had my doubts that a Trader Joe’s version would be any good. My wife (Japanese) was especially skeptical. But guess what? We were both pleasantly surprised at how tasty these actually are. These are good! They are made for Trader Joe’s in Japan. This one is a simple basic version that has chopped cabbage, scallions, Japanese yam, and other items. My one gripe is the Okonomi sauce they give you could be a bit better (the best being OTAFUKU brand). This sauce is just OK. If you have Worstershire sauce, I would add a bit of that.

Word seems to be getting out about these too, with the internet saying this is a Good New Item. Its going a bit viral.

For five bucks, this is well worth trying. One could be a snack for two people. But better one each!

These as we’ve said, can be added to, as you recall these are “however you like it?” You can learn how to customize these. To start with for example we just said to each other lets add an egg (scrambled) when it was almost finished cooking and that improved it quite a bit. I suggest at a minimum think about adding an egg if you want.

As Trader Joe’s says, these are a very simple basic version of something you may learn to customize with other things. You can add things to put on top like some grilled pork belly (very typical), cooked bacon or other grilled pork, grilled shrimp, squid (typical), chicken or tofu for that matter. (Hmm, I think these might work with sliced up grilled Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs? I think those might match well with this Okonomiyaki.)

Believe it or not these pancakes are terrific when you add cheese and get the cheese melted all over. Grate up cheddar and when you are finishing the bottom, put it on top and cover till the bottom side is done.

But even just as is this fairly basic version that Trader Joe’s gives you is fairly tasty. In the package you will find a cooked frozen pancake plus two little side packages. One is the sauce you will put drizzle all over it and the other has the yummy dried bonito (tuna) flakes, known as katsuobushi, which are a linchpin of Japanese cooking. Most people in Japan drizzle Kewpie mayo on it too so if you have that great, if not you can add a bit of sweetener to some mayo and spread that on.

TIP: you can add other toppings. If you have TJ’s FURIKAKE flakes, sprinkle a bit on top. Pickled red ginger (benishoga) is a typical thing many Japanese add.

This version from TJ is more or less a basic vegetarian Okonomiyaki (not counting the dried tuna flakes which you add as a topping)

HOW TO COOK Trader Joe’s Okonomiyaki: Open it up and take the sauce packet and put it in a dish of warm water to defrost. The package instruction says to nuke the pancake first a minute or two to defrost it, then grill it in a pan. (TIP If you do the defrost stop there. I strongly suggest you DO NOT COOK this by microwaving it. The pancake should get pan fried for correct crispy outer texture)

TIP: I skipped nuking altogether. I just let it left it on the counter for about 20 minutes to defrost and that worked fine. Then tossed it into a hot cast iron pan

Pan fry the pancake with a little oil or butter on low-medium heat until it looks GDB on the bottom and gets a bit of crispiness. Flip and let the other side finish.

OPTIONAL, of course but i think adding an egg makes this way better and a bit more of a meal. I removed the pancake from the pan to a plate, then tossed in an egg with a little butter, scrambled it and put the pancake back on top of it and cooked it for about a minute. Or just do a sunnyside up egg and put that on top before you dress it with your sauce.

When the pancake is golden brown and delicious, plate it, then dress it. Cut the corner of the sauce package and drizzle the Okonomiyaki savory sauce on all over it, in lines, then top that with the whole package of dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi, which are an Umami bomb). Another option you can add is a drizzle of mayonaisse, especially Kewpie which is sweeter than our mayo. Pickled shredded ginger (benishoga). Nori flakes…

TJ’s NORI FURIKAKE

If you are interested in learning more about this dish, this site has a recipe plus great pictures of what it can look like properly dressed up.

$4.99 (10 oz package) Frozen

I would buy this again

Note Re: GF – This has wheat flour. NOT Gluten Free (but see below about making a GF one if you want to try your hand) *

For a Gluten Free version, I found a recipe where this guy has a GF version using rice flour instead of wheat: https://platesbynat.com/gluten-free-okonomiyaki/

Also it has great pictures of what the real McCoy looks like!

It just so happened that right after i wrote this post, there was a Japanese street fair festival nearby that I passed which had a vendor selling Okonomiyaki and it had the longest line of people waiting to buy it (sticker shock, they were 12 bucks!) I took a few pictures to share.

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries