4 Trader Joe's Spring Fruits To Buy And 3 To Skip

As much as I love winter fruit — especially winter citrus — I'm always excited when spring rolls around. Sure, I'm excited about the warmer weather, sunnier days, and more opportunities to do things outside. But spring fruit is a highlight of the season. Those crisp flavors give way to more variety, and suddenly, the produce section at the grocery store fills with a rainbow of colors. Although you can snag springtime fruit at any grocery store, I especially love doing my produce shopping at Trader Joe's. Not only will you find all of the standby fruits you already know you love, but there are often novelty fruits that you can't find at other grocery stores, giving you the opportunity to try new flavors once winter melts into spring.

That's why I've tasted my way through some of the Trader Joe's spring fruits on offer. I've categorized them into two groups: fruits you should absolutely buy if you want to taste the best that TJ's has to offer, and those you can probably skip without feeling too bummed about missing out. However, you should keep in mind that there can be a lot of variation from fruit to fruit, not to mention between different stores, so just because a specific type of fruit tastes good (or bad) at my local Trader Joe's doesn't mean the same will be true for you when you go produce shopping. Use this roundup as a guide to pick the spring fruits you want to try next.

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

I'll be honest, I'm not generally a huge fan of pineapple. Often, I think it tastes too sweet, with its bold, tropical flavor that tends to be hit or miss when it comes to acidity. Plus, it can be a pain to prepare if you don't have solid knife skills. But I have to admit that Trader Joe's has some seriously delicious pineapple. Instead of opting for a whole fruit, I instead snagged myself a package of the fresh cut pineapple chunks. These are a great option if you're just as lazy about your fruit intake as I am, since you can just open the container and start snacking.

When I tried these pineapple chunks, I was delighted to discover that they're not at all too sweet. Instead, I think they lean toward the tart end of the spectrum, which is personally what I prefer in a pineapple. Although they're delicious on their own, the pineapple chunks especially shine when you pair them with a slightly spicy ingredient, like jalapeños or Tajín. And if you really want to go all out, drizzle the pineapple with some chamoy for a spicy, salty, and sweet snack that you'll crave on repeat.

If you've never tasted Cotton Candy grapes before, then you really have no idea what you're getting into when you buy a container of them from Trader Joe's. They don't really taste like normal table grapes at all. Sure, they have that grape-y juiciness to them, but they're also a lot sweeter than typical grapes. They really do taste like cotton candy, with a distinct vanilla undertone that makes you feel like you're eating something a lot more decadent than fruit. And because they're such a novelty, you might find yourself wondering if you should get some the next time you see them at Trader Joe's this spring.

Personally, though, I don't think that these grapes are worth the price. I paid just under $10 for a package of them, which, to me, seems absolutely outrageous for some grapes. Plus, although they're certainly fun to taste, I find that the sweetness becomes overpowering after I've had a small handful of them. Unless you have a ton of grocery money to throw away on produce, I suggest just sticking to typical grapes instead of springing for the Cotton Candy variety.

When I bought these strawberries at Trader Joe's, it was still pretty early in the season, so I wasn't expecting them to be top-notch. However you wouldn't be able to guess that, based on their beautiful appearance, bright red color, and lack of noticeable blemishes (which usually isn't my experience when I buy strawberries from other grocery stores). However, upon tasting them, I realized that these strawberries are absolutely delicious, complete with a bold, fresh juiciness that made it difficult for me to stop eating the whole package.

Admittedly, I did find the strawberries to be quite tart, but that's what I like in a berry, so I didn't miss the sweetness. Even without that sweetness, though, there's a flavor concentration here that you won't always find in grocery store strawberries. Although they may not be as good as plucking a fresh strawberry directly from the plant on a warm, late spring day, they're excellent quality by Trader Joe's produce standards. If you want an easy entry point into Trader Joe's spring fruit offerings, pick up a package of strawberries the next time you shop there.

When you want to try a true novelty spring fruit at Trader Joe's, Cape gooseberries are a strong contender. These fruits have a really unusual flavor; they're super acidic and your nose may wrinkle when you eat one, but they also have a powerful sweetness to them. This combo of flavors balances the fruit in a really unique way, and they're definitely worth trying if you've never had them before. But is this a fruit I would buy regularly? Definitely not.

Although this wasn't the most expensive package of fruit that I bought at Trader Joe's, I still don't think the price is worth it. I spent over $3 for these gooseberries and I barely got any fruit at all. There are maybe two snacks' worth of berries in a container, which just doesn't seem like a smart purchase when you can get more bang for your buck with fruit that tastes a lot better than these gooseberries do.

Are the avocados you'll find at Trader Joe's unusual or exceptional in any way? Not really. They're just basic avocados, with that signature creamy texture and mild flavor profile that make them quite versatile. I'm not even that much of an avocado person — I think they're a wildly overhyped fruit that doesn't offer much in the way of flavor — but I do think that they're nice to have on hand if you're in the mood for avocado toast or just want to add some healthy fat to your meal.

Although I can't exactly rave about Trader Joe's avocados, I still think that they're worth buying at the popular grocery chain. If you're already doing your grocery shopping there anyway, you might as well pick up some avocados. Every time I've gotten avocados at TJ's, they've turned out to be pretty solid, and they're not too pricey, especially compared to some of the other types of fruit on this list.

Never heard of a dekopon mandarin before? Well, maybe you've heard of their other name: Sumo citrus. Yes, a dekopon is the same thing as a Sumo orange, and if you spend much time on food-focused social media, you've probably seen people raving about them. Admittedly, they can be pretty good, with a more pronounced sweetness than normal oranges. Perhaps even more appealing is the fact that they're so incredibly easy to peel; you can get the fruit out of its skin in just a few seconds. They're also seedless, so you don't have to worry about picking out the seeds, either.

Although it's definitely worth trying a dekopon at some point in your life, I think that they're wildly overpriced, which is why I suggest skipping them the next time you're doing your fruit shopping at Trader Joe's. At almost $3 a pop, I'd rather struggle with peeling a regular orange.

I didn't realize that the mango I had purchased from Trader Joe's was as unripe as it was until I opened it up, but even after tasting it in its relatively unripe state, I can say that Trader Joe's mangoes are absolutely worth purchasing. Because this mango was a bit unripe, it was extremely tangy, but in the best possible way. I actually love the tanginess of an unripe mango, but I tasted a surprising amount of sweetness as well. The mango I tried was also exceptionally juicy, and other mangoes I've purchased from TJ's in the past have been even juicier when they reached full ripeness.

Overall, mangoes are just a delicious fruit (and might just be the best tropical fruit out there, full stop). They're not too expensive, and you can feel good about the fact that you're probably going to get a quality fruit when you buy them at Trader Joe's.

I determined whether these fruits were worth buying or better off being skipped based on two factors: flavor and price. Fruits that offer a good flavor and price balance fall into the "buy" category, while those that were more expensive than what I would prefer to pay for fruit fall into the "skip" category. I tried all of these fruits individually and without any accompaniments to avoid muddling their flavors.