Remember that weird veggie burger that tasted like cardboard? Or those banana waffles that were more banana-ish than waffle? Sometimes even Trader Joe’s strikes out with products that just don’t quite hit the mark. While fans often mourn discontinued items, there are some products that probably deserved their fate. Here’s a look at some Trader Joe’s items that got the ax – and honestly, we’re not too sad about it.
The hi-protein veggie burger nobody wanted
Back in 2023, Trader Joe’s said goodbye to their Hi-Protein Veggie Burgers, and the reaction was pretty mixed. While some customers were bummed about losing their protein fix, many others had already given up on these patties long before they disappeared. The main issue? These burgers had a texture that was more reminiscent of compressed sawdust than anything you’d want to put between two buns.
The problems didn’t stop at texture. Many shoppers complained that these burgers were nearly impossible to cook without them falling apart. You’d end up with either a crumbly mess or a hockey puck – there was no in-between. And despite being marketed as “high-protein,” they actually contained less protein than many competing veggie burgers on the market.
Anyone who tried to grill these burgers quickly learned their lesson. They’d stick to the grates like cement, and good luck trying to flip them without a complete structural failure. Even pan-frying required the skills of a professional chef to keep them intact. Most people ended up with something that looked more like vegetable scramble than a burger.
The taste was another story altogether. While most veggie burgers try to either mimic meat or embrace their vegetable identity, these seemed confused about what they wanted to be. They had an oddly bitter aftertaste that no amount of condiments could mask, and the spice blend used was more puzzling than pleasing. No wonder they got the boot from the shelves.
Philly cheesesteak bao buns were just wrong
Sometimes fusion foods work brilliantly, creating exciting new taste combinations. Other times, they’re just plain wrong. The Philly Cheesesteak Bao Buns fell firmly into the second category. These weird little pockets tried to combine the classic Philly sandwich with Asian steamed buns, and the result was about as successful as putting ketchup on sushi.
Customers found the texture particularly off-putting. The bao bun exterior was often too doughy and thick, while the filling was strangely sparse. The meat inside was neither authentically Philly nor particularly cheesesteak-like, leaving people wondering what exactly they were eating.
The cheese situation was even more perplexing. Instead of the gooey, melty goodness you’d expect from a proper cheesesteak, these buns contained something that seemed more like a weird cheese-flavored sauce. It neither captured the essence of traditional cheesesteak nor complemented the bao bun style.
Heating them was another adventure entirely. Microwave them and you’d get a soggy mess. Steam them and the filling would become watery. Try to pan-fry them and you’d end up with a hard exterior and cold interior. It was a lose-lose situation no matter how you tried to prepare them.
Cookie dough that couldn’t make up its mind
The Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough seemed like a sure win – after all, who doesn’t love cookie dough? But this product managed to miss the mark in several ways. First off, the texture was oddly grainy, as if someone had forgotten to properly mix the ingredients. It was neither smooth like regular cookie dough nor satisfyingly chunky.
Many customers reported that the cookies came out different every time they baked them. Sometimes they’d spread too thin and become crispy wafers, other times they’d barely spread at all, resulting in dough balls with slightly crispy exteriors. Consistency is key with baking, and this dough was anything but consistent.
The chocolate chips were another issue entirely. They weren’t distributed evenly throughout the dough, so you’d end up with some cookies packed with chocolate while others had barely any. And when baked, the chips didn’t melt into that perfect gooey consistency that makes chocolate chip cookies so irresistible.
Even the raw dough (for those who dared to sneak a taste) was disappointing. It had an artificial vanilla flavor that overpowered everything else, and the sweetness level was way off – sometimes too sweet, sometimes not sweet enough. It’s no wonder this product got pulled from the shelves.
Honey butter chips that missed the sweet spot
Remember those Honey Butter Potato Chips that disappeared from shelves? While some shoppers mourned their loss, many of us weren’t surprised to see them go. These chips tried to ride the Korean snack trend wave but ended up more confusing than crave-worthy. The problem wasn’t just about taste – it was about identity crisis.
Numerous customers noticed that the chips had an inconsistent coating – some were drowning in the honey butter flavor while others were practically naked. You’d reach into the bag and never know if you were getting a sweet chip or just a plain one. Talk about snacking roulette!
The texture was another head-scratcher. The honey butter coating would make some chips weirdly soggy, especially if the bag was open for more than a day. Nobody wants a potato chip that feels like it’s been sitting out in humid weather. Plus, the coating would stick to your fingers like glue, making them impossible to eat while doing anything else.
And let’s talk about that artificial butter flavor. Instead of the rich, creamy taste you’d expect from real butter, these chips had a weird, almost chemical undertone that left a funky aftertaste. Combined with the synthetic honey notes, it was like eating chips that had been dipped in fake movie theater popcorn butter and then sprinkled with honey-flavored cough drops.
Island salsa that should have stayed on the island
The Island Salsa was one of those products that sounded exotic and exciting but turned out to be more miss than hit. This tropical take on traditional salsa tried to combine familiar Mexican flavors with Caribbean-inspired ingredients. The result? A jar of confusion that couldn’t decide what it wanted to be.
Many shoppers complained about the weird mix of sweet and spicy that just didn’t work. The pineapple and mango overtones made it too sweet for traditional Mexican dishes, but the tomato base and jalapeños made it too spicy and savory for a tropical fruit salsa. It was stuck in some weird salsa limbo.
Storage was another nightmare. The fruit ingredients would ferment faster than traditional salsa, so even if you liked it, you had to eat the whole jar within a few days. Open it, forget about it for a week, and you’d find a bubbling science experiment in your fridge. Not exactly what you want when you’re craving chips and dip.
The texture was also problematic. The fruit pieces would get mushy and break down, turning the salsa into an odd, soupy mess. And don’t even think about using it as a topping for tacos – it would make everything soggy and create a pool of sweet-spicy liquid on your plate. No wonder this tropical experiment got voted off the island.
Spicy chakri mix that spiced its way to failure
When Trader Joe’s introduced their Spicy Chakri Mix, they probably thought they were bringing something special to the snack aisle. This Indian-inspired crispy snack seemed promising at first – a spicy, crunchy mix that would be perfect for munching. But sometimes good intentions lead to not-so-good results.
Customer reviews revealed major issues with this snack. First up was the spice level – it wasn’t the good kind of spicy that builds gradually. Instead, it was an overwhelming blast of heat that masked any other flavors and left you reaching for water after every bite.
The texture was another big problem. The traditional chakri snack is supposed to be light and crispy, but these often came out hard as rocks. Some customers actually worried about their teeth! And if you left the bag open for more than a day, they’d get weirdly chewy, like stale spiral pasta.
The seasoning was wildly inconsistent too. Some pieces were coated in so much spice powder that they looked like they’d been rolled in red dust, while others were completely bare. Plus, the spice coating would come off and collect at the bottom of the bag, creating a powder bomb when you reached the end.
Breaded turkey-less stuffed roast that fooled no one
Plant-based alternatives can be amazing when done right. Unfortunately, the Breaded Turkey-less Stuffed Roast wasn’t one of those success stories. This ambitious attempt to create a vegetarian holiday centerpiece ended up disappointing both vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.
Many customers complained about the strange, spongy texture that no amount of gravy could fix. The outside breading would often get soggy instead of crispy, while the inside remained mysteriously dense. It was like trying to cut through a rubber ball wrapped in wet bread.
The stuffing inside was perhaps the biggest letdown. Instead of the herb-filled, savory goodness you’d expect, it was a bland, mushy mixture that had an odd sweetness to it. Some people said it reminded them of undercooked bread pudding – definitely not what you want in a holiday roast.
And then there was the gravy that came with it. Rather than enhancing the flavor, it tasted artificial and had a weird shiny texture that made it look more like cheap movie prop food than something you’d want to eat. This turkey-less wonder quickly became a holiday don’t.
Organic Joe’s O’s pasta that nobody asked for
Sometimes products fail because they’re bad. Other times, they fail because nobody can figure out why they exist in the first place. The Organic Joe’s O’s Pasta fell firmly into the second category. Taking inspiration from SpaghettiOs was already a questionable choice, but making them “organic” and marketing them to adults was an even stranger decision.
Customer feedback showed that the pasta itself had serious issues. The O-shaped pieces would often stick together during cooking, creating clumps of partially cooked, partially raw pasta. When you did manage to cook them properly, they’d either be mushy or oddly chewy – there was no perfect middle ground.
The sauce was perhaps the biggest letdown. It tried to be more sophisticated than the childhood classic but ended up tasting like watered-down tomato soup with a hint of dried herbs. Adding insult to injury, it would separate in the can, so you’d get a weird layered effect that required serious shaking to mix – and even then, it never quite came together right.
And who was this product even for? Adults wanting a nostalgic twist on a childhood favorite found it too different from the original, while kids preferred the classic version. The organic angle seemed forced, like slapping a fancy label on something that was never meant to be fancy in the first place. It’s no surprise these O’s got zero’s from customers.
Ajika Georgian seasoning blend that missed the mark
Trader Joe’s attempt to bring traditional Georgian flavors to American kitchens with their Ajika Georgian Seasoning Blend was admirable. However, this spice mixture ended up being more confusing than versatile. What should have been an exciting addition to the spice aisle became a dusty bottle at the back of many spice racks.
Users reported that the blend lacked the authentic depth of real Georgian ajika. The balance was off – too much salt, not enough of the traditional warm spices, and a weird aftertaste that wasn’t present in the original version. It was like getting a photocopy of a photocopy of the real thing.
The biggest issue was that most people didn’t know how to use it. The packaging offered vague suggestions but no clear direction. Should it go on meat? In soups? On roasted vegetables? The uncertainty led many customers to try it once and then forget about it, leaving it to expire unused in their cabinets.
When people did use it, the results were often disappointing. The spice blend would clump together in humid weather, and the flavor would get muddled in cooking. What was supposed to be a bold, versatile seasoning ended up being neither bold nor particularly useful.
Cilantro jalapeño hummus that went way off track
Adding new flavors to hummus can be great, but the Cilantro Jalapeño Hummus proved that not all experiments pay off. This green-tinted dip tried to combine traditional hummus with Mexican-inspired flavors, creating something that managed to disappoint fans of both cuisines.
Regular shoppers noticed that the consistency was all wrong. Instead of being smooth and creamy like traditional hummus, it often had a grainy, watery texture. The oil would separate and create an unappetizing pool on top, making it look more like a science experiment gone wrong.
The flavor combination was particularly problematic. The cilantro tasted artificial, more like someone had dumped dried herbs into the mix rather than using fresh cilantro. And the jalapeño heat was unpredictable – some containers were mild as baby food, while others packed an unexpected punch that overwhelmed any other flavors.
Perhaps worst of all, the hummus would turn an unappealing brownish-green color after being open for just a day or two. Even if it was still good to eat, the appearance was enough to make most people think twice about serving it to guests. This experimental hummus quickly found its way to the discontinued list.
So while we might miss some discontinued Trader Joe’s items, these weren’t exactly winners. Sometimes products get discontinued for good reason, and these examples show why that’s not always a bad thing. The good news? Trader Joe’s is always cooking up new ideas, and for every flop that disappears, something better usually takes its place.
