11 Discontinued Trader Joe's Items That Need To Make A Comeback

If you stroll down the aisles of your local Trader Joe's, you'll likely find plenty of products that you won't be able to find anywhere else. That uniqueness is part of the chain's appeal, but it can also make losing a favorite item especially disappointing. Trader Joe's products sometimes disappear from shelves with little to no warning, leaving loyal fans without an opportunity to stock up on them before they're gone forever.

In some cases, the letdown can be so great that customers continue mourning their discontinued favorites through Reddit threads and social media posts years later. While Trader Joe's does offer a Discontinued Product Feedback form where shoppers can request which discontinued TJ's products they miss most, the chain itself acknowledges that there are "no guarantees" that submitting a form will result in a product coming back. So, consider this Food Republic's official plea for Trader Joe's to hear its customers out and give a few products another chance. From beloved TJ's frozen goods to sweet treats, we've rounded up various Trader Joe's items that deserve to make a comeback.

Filled with mushrooms and onions and wrapped in a cream cheese pastry, Trader Joe's Mushroom Turnovers were once a customer favorite. More than one shopper has shared online that the turnovers were a lunchbox staple they grew up eating as a kid. Unfortunately, however, the children of today won't be able to say the same. The turnovers were said to be discontinued around 2015 or 2016.

Some fans miss the product so much they've joked that they want to petition to bring them back (though perhaps they were serious). While it seems Trader Joe's has yet to answer their prayers, the chain is currently offering another mushroom-based appetizer for a limited time: Mini Mushroom Tartelettes.

With that said, while the mini tarts may also feature mushrooms, they differ from the discontinued favorite in several ways. For starters, the tartelettes have an open-faced crust, while the turnovers were enclosed in a cream cheese pastry shell. Their fillings are quite different as well. The Mushroom Turnovers appeared to contain a relatively simple mixture of mushrooms and onions (though some copycat recipes also incorporate binders like sour cream or butter and eggs). The Mushroom Tartlettes, however, have a more intricate filling. According to Trader Joe's, they contain a combination of white and shiitake mushrooms, garlic, and shallots, as well as a cheese blend of Parmesan, cream cheese, and ricotta. If you're really craving a mushroom-filled app, though, it might still do the trick.

There are plenty of ways to make a hearty vegan dinner from scratch, but sometimes you can't beat convenience. That's why the discontinuation of Trader Joe's Vegan Mac in 2022 was so disappointing for many vegan shoppers. Customers have expressed frustration with the chain's tendency to discontinue many vegan products due to low popularity. After all, with only about 2% of the United States following a vegan diet, it's not exactly surprising that these products attract a smaller customer base. Still, that doesn't mean that they should be eliminated. Many vegan shoppers depend on such items for quick and easy meals.

Perhaps that's why, even years later, Vegan Mac is still missed. Many TJ's shoppers have taken to social media to share that they miss the product so much they think about it almost every day. While there were hopes that the chain was simply reformulating the product, those hopes have gone unanswered as Vegan Mac has yet to return to store shelves.

To make matters even worse, Trader Joe's still doesn't offer a similar dish. In fact, the only other vegan pasta option available as of June 2026 is the chain's Hearts of Palm Pasta, a plain, linguine-shaped pasta derived from the center of a palm tree. The chain describes the palm pasta as "mild," allowing it to pair with various sauces — but there's a reason the dish is called macaroni and cheese. Linguine isn't a suitable noodle for the dish. Besides, "linguine and cheese" just doesn't have the same ring to it. If you're following a vegan diet, you're certainly welcome to give it a try, but in the meantime, consider picking up some noodles elsewhere and whipping up our go-to dairy-free stovetop mac 'n cheese instead.

Trader Joe's Tomato Spread may not have been the chain's most widely known product, but the shoppers who loved it still aren't over its disappearance. The sweet-and-savory tomato jam launched in 2020 was discontinued the following year. The chain described it as a sweet yet savory spread that best complemented cheese, cold cuts, roasted meats, or vegetables.

Unfortunately, the product is no more, leaving behind countless potential charcuterie boards it never had the pleasure of gracing. It doesn't appear that Trader Joe's or other major grocery chains (at least in my local area) offer a suitable replacement either. A quick Google search doesn't turn up many promising alternatives, and customers have shared that they have struggled to find anything comparable at a similar price point — unless a $12.95 version from Sur La Table fits into your budget. Like the Vegan Mac, this may be another discontinued Trader Joe's product you can only get back into your life by whipping it up yourself at home.

Pudding may be a food associated with childhood lunchboxes, but Trader Joe's Belgian Chocolate Pudding had plenty of adult fans. The rich chocolate dessert was discontinued in 2021, leaving many shoppers devastated. Some have even gone as far as to call it the best chocolate pudding that they've ever tasted. Unfortunately, they likely won't get a taste of it again.

While the chain no longer sells a larger tub of chocolate pudding, it does currently sell a 4-pack of individual chocolate pudding cups for $2.99. Still, this newer item has received criticism for lacking the richness and the authentic chocolate flavor the Belgian Chocolate Pudding possessed. The discontinued dessert was more elevated than a standard pudding cup, with a decadent, chocolate mousse-like consistency. Fans of brands like Snack Pack or Jell-O may enjoy the newer product, but shoppers hoping for the same luxurious dessert will likely be a bit disappointed.

If you have a peanut allergy but can safely eat other nuts, alternatives like almond and cashew butter may be go-to options for you. But if you were hoping to make a CB&J using solely Trader Joe's products, you're out of luck. The chain discontinued its creamy, salted Cashew Butter in 2022.

One thing you may not know about the non-traditional nut butter is that there are plenty of grocery store alternatives — though they could cost you. While a jar of Jif peanut butter can retail for under $3, cashew butter alternatives can range from $4.99 to over $17 for a 16-ounce jar. Trader Joe's may be known for its low prices, but its version reportedly cost $7.99 in 2021, placing it within the same general price range as many current alternatives. So, unlike some of the other products on this list, perhaps there are perfectly suitable replacements for this product. If you're really missing that Trader Joe's formula, though, you can always pick up a bag of Cashew Butter Cashews for $4.99, which consists of cashews coated in the chain's cashew butter.

The Trader Joe's snack aisle may be overflowing with delicious options but one fan favorite hasn't seen the shelves in years. The chain's Partially Popped Popcorn was known for its stellar crunchy texture and buttery, salty flavor. While many shoppers loved the product with some even calling it the "best snack ever," it was unfortunately discontinued in 2017.

If you're looking for a suitable replacement, be warned that it won't be easy. Halfpops, a brand that once specialized in partially popped popcorn and potentially supplied the product to TJ's according to some Reddit sleuths, is now relatively impossible to find. Nuts.com appears to sell a similar snack for $8.49 per 12-ounce bag, a far cry from the 6-ounce bag shoppers used to snag for just $2.49. With that said, some Reddit users have compared Trader Joe's Partially Popped Popcorn to cornick, a popular Philippines snack called made from deep-fried corn nuts. Boy Bawang Cornick is one of the most popular cornick brands and is available on Amazon.

This next Trader Joe's product was certainly ahead of its time. Before matcha took the world by storm, it was already taking on Trader Joe's ice cream section. The chain launched its Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream in 2020 only to discontinue it by 2022. At $2.99 per pint, the price was ahead of its time too. (Today, most of the chain's ice cream pints retail for $3.79 or more.) 

Fans were definitely unhappy once the product disappeared from the freezer aisle. One shopper even called it the worst news they had received since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Yes, apparently it was that serious.)

Honestly, it's kind of shocking that Trader Joe's hasn't brought this product back. (I mean, have they seen how obsessed the internet is with matcha?) That doesn't mean they've abandoned the flavor entirely though. Trader Joe's still offers matcha green tea powder, a canned matcha green tea beverage, matcha green tea latte mix, and instant matcha latte packets. Of course, none of the options are as creamy or refreshing as a pint of ice cream, but they can still deliver that earthy green tea flavor if you want to get your matcha fix at home.

Trader Joe's sure knows how to make unique sweet snacks — and this next one was no exception. The chain's Milk Chocolate Smashing S'mores featured layers of chocolate, graham cracker, and marshmallow, all dipped in a milk chocolate shell. For many shoppers, it was the cream of the crop when it came to s'mores candy. Unfortunately, Milk Chocolate Smashing S'mores were discontinued in 2023. (Some might say the product is ... no (s)'more.)

Luckily, Trader Joe's hasn't abandoned the s'mores flavor profile altogether. In 2025, the chain introduced the limited-time S'mores Clusters, a 7-ounce bag of bite-sized clusters made with mini marshmallows and graham crackers coated in milk chocolate. With that said, Smashing S'mores stans don't think the newer s'mores offering lives up to its predecessor. In fact, some have even called it "the AliExpress version of what is already considered perfection."

If you're of a similar opinion but still have a s'mores craving during a TJ's run, you can always head to the freezer aisle for another limited-time option: S'mores Bars. Launched in 2023, the bars are stored frozen but meant to be enjoyed at room temperature. Each one features a layer of toasted marshmallow over a fudge brownie and graham cracker crust, putting a spin on the classic flavor without being an exact dupe of the beloved Milk Chocolate Smashing S'mores.

Once upon a time, Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seed Drops were a Trader Joe's staple, with some customers claiming they've been enjoying them for over a decade. Featuring chocolate-covered sunflower seeds finished in a colorful candy coating, the bite-sized treats were a fan favorite for many. But in 2019, their reign came to an end when they disappeared from store shelves.

The product certainly appears to have been unique. Trader Joe's doesn't currently offer anything remotely similar, and one of the only comparable substitutes comes from Nuts.com, which sells a 7-ounce bag of the chocolate-covered seeds for $8.79. (A bit of a hefty price tag if you ask me.)

If you're looking for another sunflower seed sweet treat and have an open mind in terms of the form in which it comes, consider trying Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Cups. The candy is essentially the chain's peanut-free alternative to its Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. Admittedly, the sunflower seed cups have very little in common with the discontinued Sunflower Seed Drops beyond their star ingredient. Still, they can satisfy a sunflower craving for just $1.59 (which certainly isn't as nuts as the Nuts.com price).

For a handful of customers, Trader Joe's Horseradish Hummus felt almost like a figment of their imagination. Some shoppers recalled hearing about it online but never finding it in stores, while others spotted it once only to never be able to find it again. And while no — it wasn't a fever dream back then — now that Trader Joe's has discontinued it, it may as well be one.

It's not as though Trader Joe's fans aren't fond of hummus. The chain currently offers a whopping seven hummus flavor options (although one is simply an organic version of classic hummus, so we're not sure if that counts). Still, none deliver the same sharp, tangy bite that made the horseradish version so unique.

If you're still craving hummus with some heat, your best bet is Trader Joe's Crunchy Chili Onion Hummus. Made with the chain's popular Crunchy Chili Onion, it's a spicy alternative, though it doesn't possess the same distinctive, sinus-clearing heat that makes horseradish what it is. For fans of the original, you may be better off trying to make some yourself.

Last but certainly not least, we have Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs. For many vegetarian customers, the product was one of the best (if not THE best) plant-based meatballs on the market. Its relatively recent discontinuation sent shock waves through the community, with many shoppers still asking the chain to bring the product back.

The departure of the Meatless Meatballs also raised questions among vegetarian customers about the frequent disappearance of many of Trader Joe's vegetarian and vegan food options. The chain still offers several plant-based meat alternatives, but come on: It's not as though you'd want to toss its Meatless Breakfast Sausage Patties into a bowl of spaghetti.

To make matters worse, Trader Joe's currently offers five varieties of meatballs — that's right: five — across its fresh and frozen sections plus freeze-dried beef meatballs made specifically for dogs. With so many versions still on shelves, it's hard not to wonder why exactly the meatless option was the one that had to go. And I mean, no offense to the canine community, but surely vegetarian shoppers deserve a meatball too. Here's to hoping the product is simply on a hiatus while Trader Joe's reformulates it.