8 Trader Joe's Granola Flavors, Ranked

Trader Joe's is the place to go when you're craving a snack. There are plenty of options within its aisles, whether you're seeking a sweet and salty snack or items that are more affordable and healthy. The sheer amount of choices makes it hard to narrow down what to get, especially if you aren't all too familiar with certain products. I decided to hone in on the granolas, which are in the aisle along with cereal, granola bars, and baking ingredients. Trader Joe's currently offers eight granola options, so I tried one of each to give them the ultimate ranking. 

Granola is such a convenient snack to have on hand. I like to add it to Greek yogurt, eat it by the handful, or pour it in a bowl with milk for something cereal-esque. So I wanted to see which of the TJ's options would be best to add to my pantry. I based my judgments mainly on the flavor — whether the ingredients worked well together and whether I could taste the supposed ingredients — as well as the overall texture, but my personal preference does come into play. Let's find out how they stack up and which of the granolas from Trader Joe's are most worth purchasing. 

I previously tried this protein-packed peanut butter granola when I noshed my way through several high-protein Trader Joe's items, and the granola fared similarly then — toward the bottom of the list. It's not that it's unpleasant. It's fine, but frankly, it's boring compared to every other granola on this list. While it contains rolled oats, pea protein, peanut butter, and peanuts, it's the most one-note in terms of flavor. There's peanut butter, and that's about it. It feels dry and bland on the tongue; I can't help but want to add chocolate chips, flaky sea salt, or a sprinkle of cinnamon.

I appreciate the peanut chunks to bring added texture, but it's not enough to give it a boost in the ranking. If I were including nutrients as part of my judgments, it would likely do a bit better because of the protein content. But as it is, this peanut butter granola doesn't have much dimension. I'd still purchase it merely because I enjoy that there's protein for a more well-rounded breakfast, but when pitted against these other TJ's granola options, there are way better flavors to choose from.

It shouldn't come as a shock that the Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola faces a similar issue as the PB protein version I just mentioned. Here we have ingredients like rolled oats, peanut butter, brown rice crisp (which brings an airy texture into the mix), semi-sweet chocolate chunks, peanuts, and cocoa powder. While there's a smidge of chocolate flavor to round out the peanut butter, the nut butter is all-encompassing once again. 

Peanut butter and chocolate clearly work really well together, but it has to be well-balanced. There needs to be more semi-sweet chocolate chips in this mix, as well as a deeper cocoa flavor, to help with the mismatch. As it is, the chips are sparse, so I have to eat a few bites before I get a noticeable chippy. When I do come across one, there's a pleasant chocolate-and-PB combination that makes it marginally better than the plain peanut butter granola. But since the nut butter is more powerful than the chocolate and the oats, this granola receives the seventh-place spot. The rest of the Trader Joe's options are considerably more captivating and flavorful.

The Almond Ginger Sesame Granola is more like a bag of toasted oats than a nice clumpy granola. Though the texture issue docks some points, the almond slivers, whole almonds, and teeny sesame seeds bring a touch of unique textures into the mix. And while the previous two options were slightly more one-dimensional, this granola has added intrigue thanks to oats, crystallized ginger, maple syrup, tahini, and cinnamon and ginger powder, which place it a bit higher. 

The spices are mild enough that they don't make it taste like a winter-only granola, yet they add a touch of warmth. The tahini and sesame seeds give it a nutty profile that blends with the almonds. The flavors work well, but I want more (and larger) crystallized ginger; the pieces are very small and hard to locate. You have to be searching for them, swirling the granola around on the tongue to notice its zingy punch. The overall texture of the granola — loose pieces without any clusters — leaves something to be desired, and the flavors aren't the most interesting of Trader Joe's selection.

Fruit lovers may want to snag a bag of the Very Berry Granola, which offers immediate intrigue with its fragrant, fruity aroma. This option features sweetened dried blueberries as well as dried strawberries for the titular berry component. Granted, the pieces are very small, and the blueberries are quite sparse. I'd like to see, well, a lot more of both, but I understand this would hike up the price. 

They still bring a touch of fruitiness and interesting crisp texture; this granola is excellent with milk to soften those fruits and switch up the mouthfeel. The berry granola has rolled oats and brown rice meal as its base, so it has interesting, crunchy clusters that go beyond the standard oat-only granola. The relatively plain flavoring of the granola lets the (minimal amount of) fruit remain the focal point, making it a good option when you don't want something with bold flavors. I prefer the fruitiness here over the Almond Ginger Sesame Granola, giving it a higher spot on the ranking.

The sweet, comforting profile of maple paired with the nutty taste and meaty texture of pecan makes a terrific duo that you see in everything from maple pecan cream pie to maple pecan glazed carrots. And the combination works wonderfully in this Trader Joe's snack. I'm not entirely sure why it's called "Just the Clusters," as it has plenty of non-clustery pieces as well, but it's definitely more defined than some other options on this list. This is the granola to reach for when you want something pleasant and not overpowering. 

I'd wager this is one of the more traditional flavors of the bunch. It has a hint of maple sweetness with those crunchy pecan pieces that make it easy to munch on any time of day, but in particular, it's a great breakfast option straight from the bag, paired with milk or sprinkled over chia pudding. While this isn't the most riveting flavor combination among TJ's options, it's the best-tasting so far. It's also worth noting that this is a 1-pound bag vs. the 12 or 10 ounces of everything else on this list.

When you want a scrumptious treat, get the Grainless Granola. This creation is made of almonds, dried coconut, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and a few other ingredients. It's sweet from the coconut sugar and tapioca syrup, nutty from the almonds and seeds, and there's that savory touch from the sea salt. I especially like large pieces of coconut, which add a tropical, almost creamy taste to the mixture — but also bring a crisp texture similar to that of dried apple. 

It's the texture that makes this "granola" a knockout. It's delightfully crunchy with clusters that you can easily pop in your mouth. I'm not sure I'd call it granola, as it's more like a nut or trail mix. But no matter what, it is such a scrumptious combination that I'd without a doubt purchase it again. The mixture is vegan and gluten-free, making it a top pick for those with dietary restrictions. This is my third-place pick because the flavors work wonderfully together, the textures are immaculate, and it delivers everything it says it's going to. 

If you've read any of my previous reviews, you know I love chocolate (one reason why the PB chocolate granola was so underwhelming). So, I was interested to try this Chocolate Coffee Flavored Granola and was even more captivated by how dark the granola appears. It's so dark it's nearly black. By name alone, chocolate and coffee sound like they'll provide mocha vibes, but that's not what I picked up on. Instead, the chocolate is the most prominent flavor. 

On one hand, no, it doesn't deliver much of a coffee profile, so it misses the mark there — the coffee extract is barely noticeable and only if you seek it out. But somehow, it still makes for a marvelous and ultra-chocolatey granola. If you aren't a big coffee fan, this is worth trying out, although you may be more sensitive to the coffee notes than I am. The rich and deep chocolate taste — thanks to cocoa and dark chocolate — makes it perfect for cocoa lovers out there. When I tried it with milk, it tasted somewhat like Cocoa Puffs and made my milk chocolatey. The Chocolate Coffee Flavored Granola's chocolate flavor is so strong and memorable that it has to rank higher than the Grainless Granola.

The Homestyle Cherry Pistachio Pecan Granola is a surprising first-place pick for me. Typically, chocolate would take the cake, but I found the dimension and range of flavors here a little more attractive to my taste buds. This concoction has rolled oats, maple syrup, brown sugar, and extra-virgin olive oil, which establishes a sweet and mildly savory equilibrium. Then the sweetened dried tart Montmorency cherries bring further balance to the flavor, along with a chewy texture that none of the other granolas have. It's far from one-dimensional. 

The cherries, unlike the berries in the Very Berry Granola, are proportionate to the granola, so you get a bit with every couple of bites. Plus, there are pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes, pistachios, pecans, and sea salt. This combination of ingredients is intriguing to my senses, while the pistachios, EVOO, and dried cherries give it an elevated touch that makes it anything but basic. And yet, nothing is too overpowering. If I were recommending one Trader Joe's granola to the masses (which is essentially the purpose of this article), it's this one. 

I purchased every granola that Trader Joe's sells and judged them primarily on flavor and texture. For flavor, granola ranked higher if the advertised flavors and ingredients were evident in each bite; I also wanted the flavors to work well together. As for texture, I was looking for a satisfying crunch and larger clumps rather than loose oats. That said, personal preference plays its part, as you may love or hate a particular ingredient I don't feel the same about. I sampled each of the granolas all in one afternoon, first eating them alone and then trying them with milk for a cereal-adjacent snack.