Trader Joe’s does a lot of things right. It has some ridiculously good snacks, hyper-popular foods, and tasty treats for the gluten-free folks among us. It even does nuts well, if you’re the kind of person who loves snacking on a handful of almonds or cashews. In fact, we took a look at 12 of Trader Joe’s nut-based snacks, all so we could give you the lowdown on the worst and the best that Trader Joe’s has to offer. According to our taster, the absolute worst Trader Joe’s nuts you could buy are the Crispy Crunchy Coated Peanuts.
Setting aside the crunch factor, which was actually pretty good, everything else about this snack falls a little flat. These peanuts are based on Mexican cacahuates japonéses, and they don’t do the dish much justice. They’re overly sweet and missing that delicious, roasted depth of flavor we all know and love from a good peanut snack. The peanuts themselves are pretty soft, too, making for a funky contrast between the interior and its crunchy outer shell. Overall, this is a bland flop that really isn’t good for much outside of mindless munching.
What’s the word on the internet about these peanuts?
Sadly, we’re not the only ones who find Trader Joe’s Crispy Crunchy Coated Peanuts to be sorely lacking. A Redditor started a discussion on this snack, ranking it as potentially the most disappointing product they’ve ever tried from Trader Joe’s. Fellow Redditors hopped on to discuss how tasteless and boring the peanuts were. The extreme crunch was also a swing and a miss to some, with one commenter comparing the coating to a hard-tack biscuit, which is notoriously difficult to chew. Someone even claimed to have cracked a tooth on one of these peanuts. While a few commenters chimed in to talk about how they enjoyed them, the overwhelming consensus seemed to be that you might find them disappointing, especially if you’re used to the cacahuates japonéses they were based on.
If you want a flavorful snack, definitely swerve this one. If crunch is all you care about, then you might enjoy a bag occasionally, but be aware that the outer shell might actually be too hard even for fans of the crunchiest nuts. While scouring the shelves of Trader Joe’s for other nutty snacks (nut butters, anyone?), you’ll definitely come across some better treats, so there isn’t any need to spend your time, money, or tastebuds on this sad and lackluster snack.
