My kids and their friends taste-tested 20+ Trader Joe's GF products. Here's what they'd actually eat again vs. what went straight in the trash. No sugarcoating.
So I brought home like $80 worth of gluten-free stuff from Trader Joe's.
Not because I'm rich or organized. Because I was desperate to find SOMETHING my kids would eat that doesn't cost $9 per box at Whole Foods.
Grabbed my daughter and three of her friends (all GF, ages 6-8) and did a completely unscientific taste test.
Here's what they actually liked. Spoiler: they hated most of it and I have $50 worth of food nobody will eat sitting in my pantry right now.
How This Went Down
Put everything on the table. Gave each kid a plate and a pencil.
Told them to rate everything 1-5 stars. Be honest. No hurt feelings.
What actually happened: Lots of dramatic "EWWW" faces, one kid spit something into a napkin, my daughter said "Mom why did you buy this" about half the items.
So yeah. Brutally honest 7-year-olds. You're welcome.
The "They Actually Ate It" Category
GF Joe-Joe's (Chocolate Sandwich Cookies) (★★★★★)
What they are: Oreo knockoffs basically
Kid verdict: All 4 kids gave these 5 stars. One kid asked if she could take some home.
My take: These are legit. Even I ate like 6 of them.
Price: $3.99 for the box - way cheaper than GF Oreos elsewhere
Why kids liked them: "They taste like regular Oreos!" (highest compliment possible)
Will I buy again? Already did. Have 3 boxes in my pantry.
GF Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies (★★★★★)
What they are: Thin crispy cookies, chocolate chips
Kid verdict: 4 out of 4 kids finished their cookies and asked for more
My take: Crispy, not too sweet, actually good
Price: Around $4.99
Why kids liked them: Crunchy texture, good chocolate flavor
Con: They're MESSY. Crumbs everywhere. I was finding cookie crumbs in my couch for days.
Will I buy again? Yes, but I'll make them eat outside.
GF Mac & Cheese (Frozen) (★★★★☆)
What it is: Frozen mac and cheese in the freezer section
Kid verdict: 3 out of 4 kids liked it. One said "it's okay"
My take: Better than I expected honestly
Price: Like $4.49 maybe?
Why kids liked it: Cheesy, familiar comfort food
Con: Small portion. My daughter ate the whole thing and said she was still hungry.
Comparison: Not as good as homemade, better than most frozen GF options
Will I buy again? For emergency dinners, yeah.
GF Pancake Mix (★★★★☆)
What it is: Just add water pancake mix
Kid verdict: Made these for breakfast the next day. Kids ate them.
My take: Decent. Not amazing but totally acceptable.
Price: $3.99
Why it's good: Easy (just add water), makes fluffy pancakes
Con: Slight weird aftertaste if you eat them plain. Syrup masks it.
Will I buy again? Probably. It's convenient.
The "They'll Tolerate It" Category
GF Bread (White and Wheat) (★★★☆☆)
What it is: Sandwich bread in the bread aisle
Kid verdict: Split decision. 2 kids liked it, 2 said it was "too dry"
My take: It's... bread. Not the best GF bread I've had but not the worst.
Price: $4.99 for the loaf
Pros: Doesn't fall apart, toasts okay
Cons: Does taste a little dry, smaller slices than regular bread
Will I buy again? If I'm already at TJs and need bread, sure. But Canyon Bakehouse is better.
GF Chicken Nuggets (Frozen) (★★★☆☆)
What they are: Breaded chicken nuggets, frozen
Kid verdict: 2 kids liked them, 2 were "meh"
My take: Breading is kinda thick and weird texture
Price: $5.99 I think
Comparison: Perdue GF nuggets are better. These are... fine.
Why some kids didn't like: "The outside is too crunchy" "They taste weird"
Will I buy again? Nah. I'll stick with Perdue.
GF Waffles (Frozen) (★★★☆☆)
What they are: Frozen waffles, homestyle flavor
Kid verdict: 3 kids gave them 3 stars (average)
My take: They're waffles. They exist.
Price: $3.49
Pro: Cheap, easy breakfast
Con: Kinda dense, not very fluffy
Comparison: Van's GF waffles are better but more expensive
Will I buy again? Maybe if I'm being cheap that week.
The "Absolute No" Category (Kids Refused)
GF Granola (★★☆☆☆)
What it is: Crunchy granola, various flavors
Kid verdict: 1 out of 4 kids ate it. The other 3 were like "no thanks"
My take: It's fine? I ate it in yogurt.
Why kids hated it: "Too hard" "Tastes like health food" (accurate)
What happened: Now I have a giant bag of granola I'm eating alone
Will I buy again? Not for the kids. Maybe for me.
GF Pretzels (★★☆☆☆)
What they are: Pretzel twists in a bag
Kid verdict: 2 kids tried them, both said no
My take: Texture is... off. Kind of chalky?
Why kids hated it: "These don't taste like pretzels" "They're weird"
Comparison: Glutino pretzels are better (and that's saying something)
Will I buy again? Hard pass.
GF Pasta (★★☆☆☆)
What it is: Various pasta shapes
Kid verdict: Made this for dinner. Got complaints.
What happened: Overcooked INSTANTLY. Like I followed the directions and it still turned to mush.
My take: Barilla GF is way better. This is not worth saving $1.
Will I buy again? Nope. Learned my lesson.
GF Bagels (Frozen) (★★☆☆☆)
What they are: Plain and everything bagels, frozen
Kid verdict: "Mom these are hard" "I don't like this"
My take: Even toasted they were dense and weird
Price: $3.99 maybe?
Why they failed: Texture is just wrong. Too dense, too chewy.
Comparison: Udi's bagels are WAY better
Will I buy again? Nope. Wasted money.
GF Muffins (★☆☆☆☆)
What they are: Blueberry muffins in the bakery section
Kid verdict: All 4 kids took one bite and quit
My take: DRY. So dry. Like eating a brick.
What one kid said: "Mom can I spit this out?"
What happened: I threw away most of them. Even I couldn't eat them.
Will I buy again? Absolutely not. These were terrible.
What We Didn't Try (But I've Heard About)
GF Pizza Dough - heard it's good but haven't tested with kids yet
GF Cookie Butter - not GF last time I checked? Someone correct me if I'm wrong
GF Baking Mix - I don't bake enough to test this
GF Snack Bars - ran out of money before I got to these lol
The Real Talk About TJ's GF Selection
What's good about Trader Joe's:
- Prices are decent (cheaper than Whole Foods)
- They label things clearly
- Good variety to try
- The cookies are actually amazing
What's frustrating:
- Hit or miss quality (lots of misses)
- Some items are GF but not labeled obviously
- Not everything is kid-friendly
- Regional differences (not all stores have same stuff)
Compared to other stores:
- Better than: Regular grocery stores for GF variety
- Worse than: Whole Foods for quality (but way cheaper)
- About the same as: Target for selection
What I Wish I'd Known Before Spending $80
Don't buy in bulk until you test it. I bought 3 boxes of the muffins. Mistake.
Read reviews first. There are whole Facebook groups about TJ's GF products.
Bring your kid if possible. Let them pick what sounds good.
Keep the receipt. TJ's has great return policy. I should've returned half this stuff.
Stick to the winners. Now that I know what works, I just buy those items.
The Kids' Top 5 (What They Actually Want)
- Joe-Joe's - unanimous favorite
- Crispy cookies - messy but delicious
- Mac & cheese - easy win
- Pancake mix - weekend breakfast solved
- Fruit snacks (oh yeah these were good too, forgot to mention)
Everything else can stay on the shelf.
What I'm Actually Buying Going Forward
Every trip:
- Joe-Joe's (obviously)
- Crispy chocolate chip cookies
- Pancake mix
Sometimes:
- Frozen mac & cheese (emergency dinners)
- Bread (if I'm already there)
Never again:
- Muffins
- Bagels
- Pasta
- Pretzels
- Granola (unless it's for me)
The Price Breakdown (What I Spent vs. What Was Worth It)
Total spent: ~$80
Worth buying again: ~$30 worth
Wasted money: ~$50
Lesson learned: Test before you bulk buy.
Comparison Shopping: TJ's vs. Target vs. Costco
Did this same thing at Target and Costco (yeah I have no life).
Best prices: Costco (but limited selection)
Best quality: Target honestly (their GF stuff is pretty good)
Best variety: Trader Joe's
Best cookies: Trader Joe's Joe-Joe's win hands down
Best bread: Neither - Canyon Bakehouse from regular grocery store
Best pasta: Barilla GF from anywhere else
My strategy now: Get the cookies and a few staples at TJ's, everything else elsewhere.
Questions You're Probably Wondering
Q: Did you really spend $80 testing this? A: Yes. In the name of science. (And desperation.)
Q: Can I return the stuff my kids won't eat? A: Yes! TJ's return policy is great. I just felt weird returning food.
Q: What about the GF pizza? A: Haven't tried it yet. My kids are pizza snobs.
Q: Are the Joe-Joe's really that good? A: YES. Go buy them now. I'll wait.
Q: Is Trader Joe's worth it for GF shopping? A: For specific items, yes. For everything, no.
Q: What if my TJ's doesn't have these items? A: Ask them to stock it. Sometimes they will.
Real Mom Review: One Month Later
It's been a month since the taste test.
What we're still eating:
- Joe-Joe's (gone through 5 boxes)
- Crispy cookies (3 boxes)
- Pancake mix (bought it twice)
What's still in my pantry untouched:
- The granola
- Half a bag of pretzels
- Frozen bagels (probably freezer burned now)
What I learned: Listen to your kids the first time. They know what they like.
The Bottom Line
Is Trader Joe's good for gluten-free kids?
For specific items, yes.
For a full GF shopping trip, not really.
My strategy: Hit TJ's for the cookies and a few staples. Do the rest of my shopping elsewhere.
Best value: Those Joe-Joe's. Seriously so good.
Worst value: Everything I bought that's now sitting untouched in my pantry mocking me.
Would I do this again? The shopping yes. The $80 taste test no.
Final thoughts:
If you're new to GF and want to try Trader Joe's, start with the Joe-Joe's and crispy cookies. Branch out from there.
Don't do what I did and buy $80 worth of random stuff hoping your kids will like it.
They won't like it.
They'll like the cookies and nothing else.
You're welcome for this expensive life lesson.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to eat $50 worth of food my kids won't touch.
