I Tried 14 Popular Lemon-Flavored Products At Trader Joe's And Ranked Them

Trader Joe's may not be the best place to shop for the most basic staples you need to stock your pantry, but it is an excellent grocery store to frequent when you want to find new, fun products. This includes a variety of lemon-flavored items that span the sweet to savory spectrum. I wanted to get a taste of all the lemony things Trader Joe's has to offer, which is why I sought out these items to taste test myself. After tasting, I ranked them, starting with my least favorite of the group and ending with the very best.

These are all very different products, so I ranked them according to their overall flavor, including potency of the lemon notes as well as flavor balance. Where applicable, I also took into account the products' freshness and texture as well as how versatile they are. By taking a closer look at how these different products stack up against one another, you can better determine which of Trader Joe's lemon-flavored products you want to try for yourself ... and which you may be better off skipping entirely.

Trader Joe's has some delicious breads in its lineup, but the sweet bakery items often miss the mark, at least in my experience. That's definitely true when it comes to the chain's Lemon Flower Cookies. I wanted to like them because they're just so pretty. They come with two shortbread cookies held together with a sticky filling in between. When I took that first bite, though, I immediately noticed how processed these cookies tasted. I picked up on a strange, clay-like flavor that immediately turned me off, and when I got to the filling itself, I found it way, way too sweet. The texture isn't too bad — the cookies are softer than I expected, without any of the dryness you sometimes get with store-bought cookies. Still, I'm not a big fan.

Are these cookies cute? Absolutely. I think they would make an attractive addition to any summer-themed dessert spread. But I can't recommend buying them for their flavor or the overall experience of eating them. With so many other Trader Joe's cookies to try, I think it's safe to leave this product on the shelf.

Tiramisu is one of the most delicious desserts of all time. The flavor combo works because you get the sweetness of the ladyfingers balanced by the bitterness of the coffee. When those different elements come together, the result is perfectly balanced, with a fantastic fluffy and creamy texture to boot. Admittedly, you do get that texture in Trader Joe's lemon tiramisu, which I find a bit surprising considering that this is a frozen product. But the flavor is where this dessert falls off.

The ladyfingers in Trader Joe's lemon tiramisu recipe aren't soaked in coffee — rather, they're infused with a sweet lemon syrup. Therefore, there's no bitterness to counteract all that sugar. The sweetness is way, way too intense, even though there's also plenty of acidity as well. The other issue here is that the serving size is out of control. You get two large portions of tiramisu, which isn't a bad thing if we're talking about the traditional variety. But all that sugar and those lemony notes need to be enjoyed in moderation — like one to two bites at a time — to avoid some serious palate fatigue.

I like the idea of grabbing a salad kit at Trader Joe's when I'm trying to throw together a quick and easy dinner. Not having to buy individual ingredients and prep them just to have a salad definitely has its appeal, particularly when you're busy or you know you're not going to use up an entire larger container of, for example, arugula. But in practice, I've found that Trader Joe's salads often aren't very good, particularly when it comes to the salad kits. Unfortunately, the lemony arugula basil salad kit met my expectations on this front.

First of all, you're just not getting very many actual salad greens when you choose this option. The bag was less than half full, which made me feel like TJ's was almost trying to trick me into thinking I was getting more than I actually was. But serving size aside, the greens themselves aren't very fresh. Of course, this could just be the bag I chose, but it's a problem I've encountered with other Trader Joe's salad kits in the past as well. The basil lemon vinaigrette is nice, with a bold lemony flavor and well-balanced acidity that does pair really well with both arugula and basil. Still, though, that's the best part of the whole product, so you may be better off just building your salad from scratch.

If you love lemon-flavored anything, then lemon curd is probably right up your alley. It can be used as a topper for toast and pastries, a filling in your favorite dessert recipes, and even a marinade for meats and other proteins to infuse them with a tangy sweetness. All that being said, I'm very pro-lemon curd, and I think it makes an excellent addition to a good breakfast spread.

Unfortunately, though, I'm not the biggest fan of Trader Joe's lemon curd. It's quite thick, which is a good thing, but it's also way sweeter than I'd prefer. There's an acidic tang there as well, but I found it to be completely overpowered by all the sugar. Lemon curd is supposed to be sweet, of course, but I also want it to be balanced, which is where the Trader Joe's variety fails. If you're not too picky about your lemon curd, it might not be a mistake to pick this stuff up the next time you shop at Trader Joe's, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

One of the best parts of going to Trader Joe's is wandering through the freezer aisle to ogle at all of the chain's frozen desserts. There are a ton of different Trader Joe's ice creams to choose from, and you can even get your hands on some frozen mochi. While you're exploring this part of the store, you may come across Trader Joe's classic lemon bars. These bite-sized desserts are great for when you want a little bite of something sweet but don't want to go all out with your treat, and they offer a tangy alternative for those who prefer less rich, chocolate-heavy options.

I appreciate that these lemon bars are so small; they really are perfect for when you just want a little dose of something sweet. But still, this is far from my favorite lemon-flavored offering at Trader Joe's. The dessert crumbled as soon as I took it out of the packaging, and I found it to be aggressively sweet in an unpleasant way. It's not the worst lemon product at Trader Joe's, but it's far from the best.

One of the best things to snag at Trader Joe's when you want to get dinner on the table quickly? Ravioli. The grocery chain boasts a wide variety of ravioli flavors, including options for just about any palate. One of the more interesting-sounding ravioli offerings in the lineup is the ricotta and lemon zest one, which offers a rich creaminess and touch of acidity in every pasta pouch. This ravioli is a solid choice, but its flavor is also a lot more subtle than I expected it to be. You can taste the ricotta, but ricotta has a rather neutral flavor anyway. However, that lemon zest note tastes more like a whisper of the real thing than an actual lemon-forward flavor profile.

For those who just want a standard ravioli that's a bit more interesting than the usual varieties, this product is absolutely worth a try. But if you're actually looking for a bold, lemon-forward flavor that matches the intensity of most of the other offerings on this list, you'll probably be disappointed with this ravioli.

Looking for a sweet breakfast treat that you can take with you on the go? You're covered with these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins from Trader Joe's. Again, I'm not the biggest fan of Trader Joe's sweet baked goods, but these muffins are actually pretty solid. They're quite sticky, moist, dense, and leave you feeling full. Plus, you get a nice crunch from the inclusion of poppy seeds — TJ's doesn't seem to be skimping on that front.

So, how does the flavor of these lemon poppy seed muffins stack up? Overall, they're good. You have a strong note of acidity from both lemon juice and lemon zest, so the potency I'm looking for is certainly there. That acidity, though, is balanced with an intense sweetness that is a bit too strong for my taste. I'm not the biggest fan of super-sweet desserts (especially those that are meant to be eaten for breakfast), so I can't get too excited about these muffins. However, I think that pairing them with coffee might make for a more balanced bite, since its bitterness could temper the sugar nicely.

I'll be honest — if it weren't for the fact that I was purposefully taste-testing all of these lemon-flavored Trader Joe's products, I probably never would have picked these up from the shelf at Trader Joe's. I like the idea of a light, crisp, wafer-style cookie, but I feel like wafers are so light that they need a stronger flavor, like chocolate, to complement them. I was pleasantly surprised by these, though. As expected, the texture was super light and airy, with a crispness that made the cookies fun to eat. The layers of lemon creme are quite subtle, so I didn't find the lemon flavor overpowering. Plus, there's a decent amount of sweetness in this dessert, but it's also pretty restrained in a good way.

After eating a few of them, I got kind of bored — they really seem to be more about texture than flavor, the latter of which is very light. When you want to do some mindless snacking, though, that's not always a bad thing. Ultimately, I do think that there are better cookies to choose from at Trader Joe's. But if you're looking for lemon-flavored cookies specifically, these wafer-style ones may be your best bet.

Sometimes, I like going to my local Trader Joe's specifically for its prepared foods. These prepared dishes can make grabbing a quick lunch easy, and they're usually more affordable than takeout from a fast-food restaurant. Plus, you're not just going to find the same sad, basic sandwiches you'd get from any grocery store prepared foods section. Trader Joe's offers a lot of fun, flavorful meals that'll actually leave you feeling satisfied. The store's lemon basil pasta salad is one of them, with its bold, bright lemony flavor along with plenty of fresh-tasting greens that keep the flavor light. Asiago cheese adds a nice complexity to the meal, and it even comes with a lemon wedge for extra flavor.

This is a really delicious pasta salad, especially if you are looking for something lighter and fresher-tasting than most of the other prepared foods in Trader Joe's refrigerated section. I couldn't help but feel like something was missing, though — some spice in the form of crushed chili flakes, vinegar-based hot sauce, or even just a bit of cracked black pepper could elevate this basic dish into something slightly more interesting.

Trader Joe's sells a surprisingly large array of dry pasta, but it's undeniable that the Organic Lemon Torchietti is one of the most interesting. First of all, the shape of this pasta is excellent. The pieces have all of these ridges and crevices that help trap whatever sauce you're using, which instantly makes your dish taste more flavorful. But what really makes this pasta shine, of course, is its bold, bright, lemon-forward flavor. You can taste its tanginess, and it offers a subtle acidity that makes it taste refreshing before you even add anything else to the mix.

This lemon-flavored Trader Joe's product is a lot milder than most of the others listed here, but I think that's mostly a good thing in this case. After all, you're likely to use some sort of sauce or dressing with your pasta, so you don't want the flavor of the pasta itself to overpower the other ingredients you add to the mix. True lemon lovers might want a bit more lemon flavor when buying this TJ's offering, but I still think it's worth a try if you're trying to give your favorite pasta dishes a makeover.

I didn't realize quite how tasty a lemon-flavored yogurt could be until I tried this Meyer Lemon and Cream Yogurt from Trader Joe's. Compared to the other yogurts I've tried from the chain grocer, this might just be my favorite. It has a really nice balance between sweetness and acidity. The lemon flavor is strong, but I didn't find it to be too pronounced. Rather, it tastes like just the right amount of lemon juice was squeezed into a slightly sweetened container of yogurt.

What I really love about this yogurt, though, is just how creamy it is — the "cream" part of the name of the product is totally accurate. The texture is deeply decadent, with a richness that you're definitely not going to get from your average fat-free Greek yogurt. If you're just dipping your toe into the world of sweet lemon-flavored Trader Joe's products, this yogurt is the place to start.

Now, we're starting to get into the lemon-flavored Trader Joe's heavy hitters. The brand's Lemon Pesto Sauce might just be one of my all-time favorite sauces. It's not a typical pesto made with green herbs. Rather, it's made with whole crushed lemons, which are then combined with sunflower seed oil, cheese, and almonds, plus salt and pepper. The resulting flavor profile is a simple but powerful one. The fact that it uses whole lemons gives it a nice balance between acidity and a subtle bitterness that really rounds out the flavor profile nicely, keeping it from being too zippy. It's also quite oily, which provides the richness a good pesto sauce needs.

I tried this pesto sauce all on its own, but I think it could be used in so many different dishes. You could certainly use it as a pasta sauce, but it could be even better spread onto a sandwich for a brightness that you can't achieve with most other ingredients. My only complaint is the fact that it comes in such a small jar.

Don't sleep on Trader Joe's soup! The popular grocery chain sells several different varieties of soup, but they're not the overly salty canned versions you may have eaten growing up. Rather, these are fresh, refrigerated soups that pack more flavor than you might expect. The chain's Lemony Chicken Orzo Soup might be one of its best. Although a lot of prepared soups come with shockingly little meat, that's not a problem when you choose this variety. It's brimming with large chunks of chicken that are a lot more appealing than the tiny, fatty cubes you often find in canned soups. There's also plenty of orzo, carrots, onions, and celery, which creates a sort of chicken noodle soup vibe — just elevated.

What elevates the dish is the fact that it's so bright and lemony. This feels like the ideal kind of soup to enjoy on a sick day during the spring and summer months when you're in the mood for something that tastes lighter than your average chicken noodle soup recipe.

It's official: the Lemon-Stuffed Olives are now officially my new favorite Trader Joe's product. I've had garlic-, pimento-, and even blue cheese-stuffed olives in the past, all of which I adore. But I didn't know how amazing a stuffed olive could taste until I tried this lemon number. The Chalkidiki olives that TJ's uses for this product are fat and meaty, which is a great place to start. But the tart little pieces of lemon squeezed inside of the olives are what take this product to new heights. The resulting flavor is bold and bright, but it's not overpoweringly lemony.

This combo works because the lightness of the lemon offers a nice counterpoint to the fatty richness of the olives, making them supremely snackable. I also think they could make an excellent addition to a tangy pasta salad. Don't throw out the brine, though; that liquid alone can contribute an interesting, salty flavor to a marinade or even a lemony dirty martini.

I selected lemon-flavored Trader Joe's products I've seen mentioned on social media, focusing on a mix of both savory and sweet items. I ranked the products according to overall flavor, including flavor balance as well as the potency of lemon flavor. Texture also played a role in the final ranking, although criteria for each individual product varied according to the category of the item in question. The highest-ranked items on this list offered a strong — but not overpowering — lemon flavor, and the worst-ranked items tended to have a less-balanced flavor, often skewing too sweet.