Trader Joe’s Jalapeño Sauce
We are huge fans of many Trader Joe’s products. Like their aged “1000 day” Gouda, the giant bricks of semisweet chocolate and raw cashew pieces we use in our Cashew Coconut Clusters, ridiculously affordable Boatswain Ale and those pricey Cheese Bites. We are not above grabbing a few produce or meat or dairy items in a pinch, and have found them to be consistently of good quality and well-priced. In fact, until now we have never found a Trader Joe’s product we would emphatically NOT recommend.
Enter Trader Joe’s Jalapeño Sauce.
We grabbed a bottle of this relatively pricey ($3.49 for 10 oz) product at a feature display this past winter. We’ve put it through its paces as a taco topping and in many other instances where you want a green (=vegetal) topping. It’s just not hitting the mark. The jalapeño flavor is way too mild and it mostly tastes of an emulsion of generic green stuff in a fatty base. It’s the textbook definition of “empty calories”, adding fat and a bland mouthfeel without much flavor enrichment.
Fresh jalapeños are amazing, and universally available. If you like the flavor, just chop up a fresh pepper, removing the seeds and veins if you are timid, and add to your whatever. Green sauces are also pleasant. If you crave a verdant coating to your meat or veggies, try our aji verde.
But Trader Joe Jalapeño Sauce? No, y bienvenidos a la basura!
Have you ever been disappointed with a Trader Joe’s product? Please share in the comments!
Otis – I didn’t buy it when I saw the bottle in Trader Joe’s but it reminded me of this jalapeno sauce from the pizza forum. No sugar in this sauce. I think you might like it better.
https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=18462.msg179517#msg179517
As far as disappointed in a TJ’s product, they had some Watermelon Jerky I tried at the start of the summer. It was awful. Tasted like a skunked melon.
Thanks Jon and thanks for the thumbs-down on the watermelon jerky. The green sauce recipe isn’t really a recipe the way it’s written. So it’s sliced up peppers, oil to sauté them in and a bit of salt at the end?
That’s all there is to it.
We love the TJ Jalapeño Sauce in our house. It is pretty spicy but not over the top and we have had success using it in a lot of various ways. One of our favorite is as a topping on Hawaiian burgers with grilled pineapple, bacon, and grilled red onions.
I’m a hot sauce fanatic (even make my own), but that Trader Joes sauce is pretty damn good tbh!