Trader Joe's New Seasoning Has Fans Remembering A Discontinued Favorite

Trader Joe's sells spice blends aplenty, but the latest addition to its lineup of flavor enhancers is stirring up some major nostalgia for a long-gone product. A new Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend recently hit store shelves, containing salt, black pepper, citric acid, lemon oil, lemon peel, garlic, and onions. While it's in a shaker bottle, not a grinder, it has food lovers remembering the original lemon pepper seasoning blend Trader Joe's discontinued back in 2022.

"I think I still have one of the grinder lemon peppers in my spice rack," a Reddit user remarked upon hearing about the release of this new spice mix. "I bought so much of that lemon pepper," wrote another. "I miss lemon pepper, my mom was so delighted in the 90's to discover it," said one more customer. While Trader Joe's fans continue to burn for the return of the grinder version of the Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend, how might it stack up against this new take?

While it's too soon to compare the two spice mashups, one difference between these two Trader Joe's seasoning blends is that the original version contained whole lemon rind. The spice was also ground into a fine powder on-demand with an in-bottle grinder, which makes a big difference in flavor and freshness. The new version comes with a shaker top, which means that the spices are pre-ground, and that could impact the taste and longevity of the batch.

While the new Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend hasn't been around long enough to accrue any reviews as of this writing, the previous version was very popular. On Trader Joe's Reviews, it carries a near five-star rating. "I use this on everything from baked fish to popcorn. It's perfect!" one customer reported. "I've been using this Lemon Pepper for a VERY long time (decades) on so many different meats, as there is no better offering out there at any price, anywhere else," said another. 

While time will tell whether the chain's brand-new take on this seasoning blend is as big of a hit with customers, there are definitely plenty of options when it comes to Trader Joe's seasoning blends. But for some, the original version of the Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend will always be a retired Trader Joe's product that needs to come back.