The best Trader Joe’s seasonings are spice rack powerhouses. Sure, some of them were probably formulated with very specific use cases in mind—for instance, I mostly use their everything seasoning on my cream cheese-slathered bagels, as god and Trader Joe intended—but if you’re willing to get creative in the kitchen, these things do double (or triple) duty. The best part? They’re cheap as hell. I always put off buying certain spices because I’m not made of money (and I figure my chili will be fine without ancho chili powder, specifically). At TJ’s you could stock your entire spice cabinet for around 50 bucks.
When we set out to find the best seasonings at Trader Joe’s, we focused on spice blends rather than, say, cumin and paprika. TJ’s loves a creative, food-inspired blend and we find that … inspirational. I tasted all of these on their own. I licked the back of my hand, sprinkled, and licked again, like I was about to do a tequila shot. We were looking for utility but mostly just good flavor. These are the best Trader Joe’s seasonings to have on hand.
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- Everything but the Bagel Seasoning Blend
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You know it. You love it. Everything but the Bagel seasoning is one of the best Trader Joe’s seasonings and probably always will be. I recently purchased a generic everything seasoning from my local grocery store and I swear it was just a little bit off compared to this (too much black pepper, I think). The mix of ingredients is much more balanced in this little bottle, although I would add more salt. The black sesame seeds, which you won’t always find in everything blends, are a nice touch and give it a good, earthy flavor. It’s certainly not the only everything seasoning you can buy, but it’s definitely a good one.
Credit: Merc
- Italian Style Soffrito Seasoning Blend
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I brought this jar of soffrito home, mostly because I can’t wait to figure out what to do with it. This is not a powdered seasoning blend like most of the others on our list. It has big bits of dried tomato and onion and garlic. The label suggests mixing it into meatloaf, but I envision mixing it with some really good olive oil and using it as a dip for bread. It’s absolutely packed with spices and aromatics–rosemary, sage, red pepper, parsley—but I think if you’re going the oil-and-crusty-bread route, it could stand an extra sprinkle of coarsely ground sea salt.
Credit: Merc
- Chile Lime Seasoning Blend
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This is the best Trader Joe’s seasoning for Cuban food (or, you know, any food you want to taste like Cuban food). Take heed: Trader Joe’s also sells a Cuban-Style Citrusy Garlic Blend, but it smacks too much of citric acid. While this seasoning also contains citric acid, it does a much better job of channeling the flavor of actual lime. It’s limier than Tajin and would be really good on the rim of a Michelada. “It’s taking the [Tajin] concept and running with it,” Sporked editor-in-chief Justine Sterling said. “It’s doing its own thing.”
Credit: Merc
- Everything but the Elote Seasoning Blend
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Trader Joe’s loves to sell a seasoning blend that consolidates the flavor of an entire dish’s multiple components into one savory sprinkle. Everything but the Elote really works. I will say that I don’t think you should use this on elote—you should use this to make other things taste like elote. You wouldn’t suspect it on first lick, but sugar is the number one ingredient, presumably to mimic a nice, sweet cob of corn. It’s nice and smoky, and I think it would be great on a salty snack like popcorn.
Credit: Merc
- Mushroom & Company Multipurpose Umami Seasoning Blend
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I always have a bottle of this next to the stove at home. If you’re mushroom averse, don’t judge this by its aroma. It has a powerful mushroom smell, but the flavor is umami without being too earthy. My husband cannot abide mushrooms, and he really likes this. It’s excellent on grilled chicken and sprinkled in soups to deepen their flavor. I really think this should be in everyone’s spice rack. The bottle says you should use it to “add a boost of savory flavor to just about any dish,” and that really holds true. This probably would have been number one, but I’ve also bought generic versions of this from other stores that are really good, too.
Credit: Merc
- Cheesy Seasoning Blend
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Before I took a lick of this, I imagined it would taste like those sort of yucky popcorn seasonings they have at some movie theaters, which I find to be really overly salty and artificial tasting. While this Cheesy Seasoning Blend would be great on popcorn, it’s much better tasting than you’d expect it to be. “This has some real nuance,” Justine said when she tasted it. “It has a real aged flavor. It’s better than it needs to be.” Besides salt and dried cheddar, this blend contains garlic, onion powder, dried rosemary, and dried oregano (no pepper, even though it tasted peppery to me). Put this on some buttered pasta. Or popcorn, obviously.
Credit: Merc
- Onion Salt
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I know, I know. What a boring seasoning to put in the top spot. But this onion salt has a lot more going on than onion and salt. The jar calls it “a savory allium blend with a touch of salt.” A touch is a bit of an understatement. It’s quite salty, but it has a really excellent oniony, herbaceous flavor. They recommend using it on eggs or stirring it into sour cream to make a dip. You’d probably have to use a lot to make a dip, but I love the idea of it. Gimme some good potato chips, this onion salt, and some Greek yogurt, and leave me in peace. Dip aside, this would be good on pretty much anything to add a burst of really concentrated onion flavor. It made me crave fried chicken sprinkled with onion salt.
Credit: Merc
Best Ol’ Standby
Best Question Mark
Best Zesty
Best Dish Inspired
Best All-Purpose
Best Surprise
Best of the Best
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