For those that want a lighter, crispier way of putting breadcrumbs on their food, panko is the way to go. A staple in many Asian cuisines, panko breadcrumbs have started to make their way into Western stores. People have fallen in love with them but, unfortunately, you can’t create panko yourself. So, does Trader Joe’s sell panko breadcrumbs?
Trader Joe’s seems to sell panko breadcrumbs seasonally. It does not seem to be a common product for them to stock, but they will have it on the shelves a couple of times throughout the year. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for when it gets added to their shelves, though. You would just need to keep checking their website.
We want to spend the rest of this page telling you a little more about panko breadcrumbs and why it may be worth checking Trader Joe’s for them.
Understanding Panko Breadcrumbs
As we said, panko breadcrumbs are a staple in Asian breaded cuisine, notably in Japan, China, Korea, and Malaysia. Although, panko can be found all over the continent. They are different from normal breadcrumbs. Well, sort of.
If you head to your local store right now and picked up some normal breadcrumbs, you would essentially be buying bread that has been baked, completely dried out, and then shredded up.
This is something that you could literally make at home. Although, we admit that it is a bit easier for you to go to a store and pick them up instead.
Panko breadcrumbs are different. They are made from a bread that hasn’t been traditionally baked. Instead, that bread has been baked using electrical currents. It is then ground down into incredibly fine crumbs. There is no crust on panko breadcrumbs.
This means that when you cook panko breadcrumbs, they are much lighter in texture. It is worth noting that panko breadcrumbs don’t even stick together like traditional breadcrumbs since they are flakes of bread. They aren’t actual crumbs.
When baked, panko breadcrumbs not only feel lighter, but they get much crunchier. This is because they have much more surface area than the traditional breads.
The more surface area, the more parts there are to ‘bake’. As a result, panko breadcrumbs have become a staple for those frying foods, although you can easily cook some and sprinkle them over dishes e.g. salads, casseroles, and more.
If that wasn’t enough, panko breadcrumbs absorb a lot less oil when cooking. This means that, in theory, they are much healthier to eat than normal breadcrumbs too.
To check the current price and availability of Trader Joe’s Panko Breadcrumbs, click here to view the listing on Amazon.
Trader Joe’s and Its Products
Trader Joe’s is a grocery store chain in the United States. While they have stores all over the US, they are not like your typical grocery store. You can’t go there and buy everything under the sun.
Trader Joe’s carefully sources its products. They aim to be different with the products they sell, and they have accomplished this.
A lot of people praise Trader Joe’s for the quality products that they sell. In fact, certain Trader Joe’s products have developed quite a following, and you will constantly see people talk about how fantastic they are.
Almost all of the products sold at Trader Joe’s will be sold either under the Trader Joe’s brand or another brand name associated with the company.
Trader Joe’s is committed to ensuring that their products are of the highest quality, just because they stick their brand on it. Of course, this does pose a couple of issues for its products.
Trader Joe’s is known for running limited promotions on products i.e. you can only buy them for a certain period each year.
They also discontinue products randomly. So, it is no wonder people are wondering whether Trader Joe’s sells panko breadcrumbs. They may have them one day, and they may completely disappear the next.
Trader Joe’s Panko Breadcrumbs: Availability
At the time of writing, Trader Joe’s does not have panko breadcrumbs in stock. They only stock standard breadcrumbs.
However, we are fully confident that, eventually, they will get panko breadcrumbs back in stock. The only question is when it will happen.
Thankfully, Trader Joe’s makes it simple to know. If you hop on over to their website, it will always list the products they currently have on their shelves.
It is unknown why Trader Joe’s will only have panko breadcrumbs at certain times of the year. They do have limited shelf space, so it may mean that they have noticed that panko sells more frequently at certain times of the year than others, so it capitalizes on those dates.
It may also be because their supplier isn’t able to produce the quantities that Trader Joe’s needs and they are struggling to find a new supplier.
Other Options for Panko Breadcrumbs
There isn’t really a viable alternative to panko breadcrumbs. Some people suggest shredding tortillas or cornflakes, but this isn’t the right flavor and it certainly isn’t the right texture. Doing that would actually be closer to making normal breadcrumbs.
Thankfully, if Trader Joe’s doesn’t have breadcrumbs in stock, panko isn’t hard to find. Every Asian store will stock it, as will all of the larger grocery stores.
Best Practices For Choosing Panko Breadcrumbs
Any panko that you buy should be completely white. If there is any brown/black in it, then this is not proper panko. It will have been baked with a crust, so you don’t have that light, airy texture to it.
The panko should also be in flakes, not crumbs. If it is crumbs, then it doesn’t bake as well. Finally, make sure the panko has no flavor. Panko is for adding crispiness to a dish, not flavor.
Panko should only ever include these ingredients:
- Flour
- Yeast
- Sugar
- Salt
You can use panko breadcrumbs in a ton of different dishes. In fact, you can use them as a healthier replacement for standard breadcrumbs.
However, do bear in mind that it can’t be a straight replacement. Panko doesn’t stick to foods as well as normal breadcrumbs, so there will need to be a much thicker coating for them to stick to. Of course, the exception is if you are sprinkling on casserole or mac ; cheese. You can just sprinkle it on then.
Final Thoughts
Trader Joe’s will sell panko breadcrumbs, but not throughout the year. It is a seasonal product for the company. If you need panko breadcrumbs and Trader Joe’s does not have them in stock, then you can check local Asian supermarkets.
Larger stores may also have panko breadcrumbs, but they will likely sell them in small containers, which means they won’t be great if you have a lot of frying or baking to do.
