How Trader Joe's Fans Really Feel About Its New Ranch Seasoning Blend
Trader Joe's shoppers love the chain for its low prices, helpful staff members, and rotating selection of store-brand products. One popular item made by the grocery chain is it's Everything but the Bagel Seasoning Blend.
If you're unfamiliar with the product, it's a mix of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sea salt, dried garlic, and dried onions that — of course — approximates the flavors of an everything bagel. The blend is consistently ranked among shoppers' favorite store items, so it probably comes as no surprise that Trader Joe's has attempted to capitalize on this popularity, offering a number of other seasoning blends in flavors like Cheesy, Ajika Georgian, Green Goddess, and Everything but the Elote (which draws upon the flavors of Mexican-style grilled corn).
And now there's a new contender in stores: Trader Joe's Ranch Seasoning Blend. While many can't get enough of ranch-flavored items, the TJ's shoppers who have tried the new mix don't seem all that thrilled with it.
Shoppers aren't sold on the ranch flavor
Ranch (typically a mix of buttermilk powder and dried herbs) is a beloved snack food flavor in the U.S., showing up in everything from Doritos and Cheetos to rice cakes and Veggie Straws (via Kitchn). And Trader Joe's has officially jumped on the ranch train, offering a bottled Ranch Seasoning Blend. While the other TJ's seasoning mixes have been generally well received, customers that have tried to the new product seem to feel that it misses the mark.
Trader Joe's Instagram fan account @traderjoesfoodreviews awarded the seasoning a seven out of 10, stating that they think it goes too heavy on the dill. Many followers of the account concurred, with one shopper writing "VERY dill heavy. Def missed the mark on 'ranch.'" Another person agreed it wasn't a winner, commenting "I love ranch ... and I love dill, but this tasted more artificial to me."
Instagrammer @traderjoeslist also shared the new product, and while commenters were mostly excited, it seems few had been able to get their hands on the seasoning blend. One person wrote "I hope this tastes better than the TJs Ranch dressing" to which @traderjoeslist replied "I hope so too," leading us to believe this could be an issue with Trader Joe's interpretation of ranch in general. It may be too early to tell, but somehow, we don't see this ranch mix attaining Everything but the Bagel status.