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I Finally Tried Trader Joe’s Most Popular Product, and Now I Don’t Know Why I Waited So Long

Patty Catalano
Patty Catalano
Patty is a freelance recipe developer who worked as Alton Brown’s Research Coordinator & Podcast Producer and in the Oxmoor House test kitchen. She loves maple syrup, coffee and board games. Patty lives in Atlanta with her husband and two children.
published Mar 21, 2023
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Trader Joes Exterior
Credit: Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

Trader Joe’s is one of our favorite places to score supper shortcuts and fun snacks. Yet, every time I visit TJ’s I pause at the same spot and consider the pull to purchase the same colorful bag of crunchy chips. Ultimately, I put the bag back.

This week, I went in with the sole mission of replenishing my depleted stash of crunchy pantry snacks. It was finally time for me to add Trader Joe’s Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips to the cart. The only problem now is that I regret not trying them sooner.

Credit: Danielle Centoni

What’s So Great About Trader Joe’s Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips?

The bright pink and neon green packaging caught my eye, but it’s the serious crunch and intense flavor that has me planning my next TJ’s run. This snack is made from thick, rolled corn tortillas, fried to perfection and generously coated in chili and lime flavoring. The snack follows Trader Joe’s ingredient standards, so that means no artificial flavors, preservatives, or colors. Instead, these cylindrical chips get their electric red-orange hue from turmeric, paprika, and concentrated vegetable juice.

These citrusy chili chips are not the only ones to grace grocery store shelves. There’s a natural comparison between Trader Joe’s Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips and Takis Fuego snacks. Both are fried rolled corn tortillas with a similar flavor profile, but the Trader Joe’s version is crunchier, more tart, and spicier. While a handful of Takis are enough to satisfy, there is something about the tongue-tingling spice mixed with the tart flavor that keeps me reaching into the Trader Joe’s bag again and again.

Don’t just take my word for it: Trader Joe’s recently released its 14th Annual Customer Choice Awards and these chips not only took the top spot in the snack category, but they were also the winner of the favorite overall product!

Find it in stores: Trader Joe’s Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips, $2.99 for 9 ounces

This post was originally published on The Kitchn. Read it there: I Finally Tried Trader Joe’s Most Popular Product, and I Wish I Hadn’t Waited So Long