The Addictively Crunchy Snacks We’re Loving at Trader Joe’s

Snacking can be a healthy part of most dietary lifestyles, but it’s not always easy finding snacks that fit into your personalized nutrition plan. Craving something crunchy and clean? Trader Joe’s can help. Their in-house brand offers a slew of options that are free of GMOs and trans fats, and low on sugar and salt. Here are the five Trader Joe’s snacks we’re stocking up on right now.

1. If you want to give your trail mix a crunchy upgrade…

Trader Joe’s Bazaar Basket Snack Mix combines roasty-toasty almonds and slivers of richly-flavored pistachios with sweet and tart dried apricots and cherries. And, it also has an unusual ingredient — roasted chickpeas. The combination makes for a uniquely-textured treat. With zero grams of trans fat, no cholesterol, 2 grams of added sugars, and just 4% of your daily recommended sodium, it’s an afternoon treat you can feel good about.  

2. If you like your crunch with a bit of sweetness…

Trader Joe’s Organic Freeze Dried Berry Medley uses very low temperatures over a long period of time to create big flavor and big crunch. With no trans fat, cholesterol, added sugar, or sodium, and 32% of your daily recommended fiber, this is a healthy snack that’s great on its own, sprinkled over cooked oats, or swirled into plain yogurt. 

Photo Credit: Geraldine Campbell

3. If you want pre-portioned crunchy snacks…

Perhaps the best part of Trader Joe’s Just a Handful of Seeds & Fruit Trek Mix is that it’s already portioned into individual serving packets. Seeds not nuts are the stars in this mix, specifically sunflowers seeds, and roasted pumpkin seeds. Raisins, cranberries, dried apples and a few semisweet chocolate chips add an interesting sparkle. 

4. If you love Marcona almonds…

Trader Joe’s Guara Almonds with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Sea Salt are quite similar to the well-loved Marcona almonds of Spain. They’re a bit larger, a touch  sweeter, and a lot cheaper. Deeply flavored and cooked in EVOO, these nuts are particularly well-served beside a robust cheese. But feel free to toss them into salads, blend them into a savory dressing, or whizzed into a nut spread. They are on the salty side, so enjoy sparingly.

5. If you like your crunch with a side of paradise…

Trader Joe’s Savory Banana & Nuts Trek Mix is starts with Filipino green bananas. They taste somewhere between slightly underripe finger bananas and green plantains, with a pinch of mellow, earthy squash thrown in. The chips have a deeply-crispy bite, which comes with a fair amount of saturated fat. But it’s balanced by the creamy sweetness of pecans and cashews and fruity-savory coconut aminos.