Trader Joe’s is an American grocery store chain. It is a bit different from the other stores, though. Rather than packing their shelves with every product under the sun, Trader Joe’s sells unique, affordable products. One product that received a lot of praise over the years is Trader Joe’s pepper jelly. So, does Trader Joe’s sell pepper jelly?
Trader Joe’s sells pepper jelly seasonally. This means that it won’t always be in stock. Since it is one of the more popular products from Trader Joe’s, they will often make an announcement whenever the product is re-launched. It is also talked about often on various Trader Joe’s social media-related platforms.
On this page, we want to tell you a little bit more about pepper jelly at Trader Joe’s, as well as give you some tips on how you can work out whether Trader Joe’s has pepper jelly in stock.
Understanding Pepper Jelly
Pepper jelly is the same as any other jelly, although rather than being made from sweet fruit, it is made from peppers. So, pepper jelly is really just peppers, sugar, and salt. It will either be mixed with vinegar or pectin as the base.
Pepper jelly was incredibly popular in the US in the 1990s, and although it has fallen out of use a little bit, people still love it for that nostalgia boost.
Pepper jelly can be used in a ton of different ways. In most cases, it is going to be used as a sandwich spread, or perhaps something for dipping your fries into on the side of a plate.
You can even use it to cook with, although cooking options are more limited as it isn’t really a versatile ingredient.
If you want to go really crazy with the pepper jelly, then you can even find pepper jelly cheesecakes, something which was also popular during the 1990s.
To check the current price and availability of Trader Joe’s Hot and Sweet Pepper Jelly, click here to view the listing on Amazon.
Trader Joe’s Product Range
One of the reasons why people ask whether Trader Joe’s has pepper jelly is because the company is known for having more unique product lines on its shelves. As you may know, Trader Joe’s is a smaller store. They don’t have a lot of space there.
They are pretty much your ‘local’ grocery store. Trader Joe’s sources products from around the world and sells it under their own banner. It is pretty much the unique selling point of Trader Joe’s.
Their products cover most of what you would find in your average grocery store e.g. fruit, veg, condiments, spreads, baked items, etc. just with a smaller and much more curated selection.
On the condiment front, Trader Joe’s has a massive selection of products to choose from. You have the staples such as ketchup and mayonnaise, but Trader Joe’s loves to get really experimental with their flavors.
For example, one of the more common products in the Trader Joe’s range is their Incredisauce, which is a blend of various flavors. People go absolutely crazy for it!
For their sandwich spreads (which you can also use pepper jelly as), their flavors are equally as delightful. So, you have the typical hummus, but their spread range also includes the likes of chocolate hummus, truffle spread, and more.
As you can probably see, the whole aim of the company is to be unique. Unfortunately, many of the products that they keep on the shelves don’t stick around for long.
This is one of the bigger issues with Trader Joe’s. Eventually, products disappear and you never know when it is going to be coming back into stock. This is the problem that Trader Joe’s has with its pepper jelly.
Researching Trader Joe’s Pepper Jelly Availability
As we mentioned at the start, Trader Joe’s pepper jelly is a seasonal product. While Trader Joe’s does seem to have it in stock for a few months each year, you never really know when it is going to appear.
Owing to the fact that it is such a popular product, it often flies off the shelves too. This is why it is so important to research whether Trader Joe’s currently has pepper jelly in stock.
Your best option is to use their website. This will always list the current products that they stock, as well as the pricing. As soon as a product can no longer be found in their stores (even if they plan on bringing it back), it will be removed from their website.
Tap in pepper jelly there and have a look. You can also give Trader Joe’s a call if you want to find out whether they have plans for their pepper jelly coming in.
If you are in Trader Joe’s, then have a look in their condiment aisle. If it is in stock, there should be a few bottles. If you love the stuff, then it may be worth picking up a few.
As we said, you never know when it is going to go out of stock, and since this is a preserve, it is going to keep incredibly well.
Alternative Products or Flavor Variations
Unfortunately, Trader Joe’s doesn’t offer anything else close to pepper jelly. If you want that peppery taste, then you can purchase a pepper-infused cheese spread, but that only has limited uses.
They also do a ghost pepper salsa, although also not quite the same as the pepper jelly (it is much, much spicier).
If you head down the condiment aisle in the store, you may see some substitutes every so often, although we can’t guarantee that. We don’t think Trader Joe’s has ever had a substitute for pepper jelly.
Final Thoughts
Trader Joe’s pepper jelly is incredibly popular but, unfortunately, they don’t always have it in stock. When it is in store, it tends to be around the summer months. There is no alternative to the pepper jelly in their store.
If you wish to find out whether Ttader Joe’s has pepper jelly in stock, we suggest that you use their website. This will contain a list of all available products. You can also talk to the customer support team at Trader Joe’s who can give you more advice about the product range.