My PSA Today Is Trader Joe’s Peanuts in a Pickle Are a Revolting

I thought I’d do a review of Trader Joe’s Peanuts in a Pickle today but I decided that this should be a Public Service Announcement instead. My PSA for you today is: Trader Joe’s Peanuts in a Pickle are revolting. Don’t buy these, don’t eat these, don’t even take them for free, and above all else if someone offers you some at a BBQ or a house party don’t be polite and put them in your mouth.

You’ve been warned.

I happen to love pickles. Dill, sour, hot, I love them all. Oh wait! Not Butter and Bread! Those were forged in the fiery pits of Mount Doom with the One Ring! But yeah, I love pickles. On hamburgers, as a snack, on a Chick-Fil-A, as a side with my grilled cheese sandwich, bring on the pickles! Bring extra! I’ll eat ’em!

The thing I don’t really like is pickle flavored items. I’m seeing a lot of pickled flavors this and that popping up, particularly at Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s just went hog wild with the dill pickle stuff. They have a dill pickle salad, dill pickle seasoning, etc…

I’m not really into pickled-flavored stuff. Doesn’t do it for me. One thing, in particular, I don’t like would be dill pickle potato chips. I mean, I’ll eat them but they aren’t really something I purchase, seek out, or love.

I was curious when Trader Joe’s Peanuts in a Pickle launched though. Social media went crazy with these and everyone and their mom was posting about them. I instantly had to seek them out. One of my dearest friends lives in Rome and I send her over all the new Trader Joe’s stuff. It brings me such joy watching her try new things like Everything But the Bagel Seasoning. As soon as I saw these I was like oh, wow, we both need to try these. I drove to TJ’s and picked up two bags.

I had the perfect opportunity to relax and try them out this week as my boyfriend had flown out to SF in the AM and wasn’t returning to SoCal until later in the evening. So, I spilled some into a ramekin, plopped on the couch, got an episode of Never Have I Ever Season 3 up on the telly, and was prepared to enjoy my snack! I got so engrossed that Paxton Hall Yoshida was looking a little 30ish this season versus 16ish that I forgot my little snackie. After I watched two episodes I realized I didn’t eat a single peanut! I quickly went to work on them into my next episode. I scooped about five nuts into my hand, gave them a little shake, tilted my head back, and popped them all in my mouth.

Bad idea. Really bad idea. These taste horrible. These are raw nuts so you don’t get that particularly nice roast-y consistency you’d get from a dry roasted peanut. I’m not a fan of un-roasted peanuts. I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure these were cured, sprinkled with seasoning, and poured into the bag. And that’s ok! Some people enjoy pure, unaltered peanuts. I don’t. But that’s neither here nor there! The dill flavoring is what we need to discuss! The peanuts contain salt, distilled white vinegar, and dill pickle seasoning which has salt, dried garlic, dill seed, spices like bay leaves, mustard seed, and caraway seeds.

There’s really not a lot of dill going on here. I was brave and ate about twenty peanuts and I do think the more you eat the more of a somewhat briny flavor you’ll get. But it’s not a dill pickle flavor more like a subtle briny vinegar flavoring. But initially, the experience is really not good. I read someone on Reddit saying they tasted musky and another person saying they tasted like a musky old sponge. And I have to agree. The flavor is really quite nasty and tastes old and off! Someone else said it’s like kissing someone with morning breath! I’d say it’s worst! The saddest part is the flavor just doesn’t go away at all. It lingers in your mouth and you just keep tasting it. The nuts even look like they have mold in them. That’s obviously the seasoning but the presentation isn’t really appealing.

If you’re a lover of peanuts and dill pickles don’t expect to find good snacking in a bag of Trader Joe’s Peanuts in a Pickle. These are rancid tasting and just not a good pick!

Tried them?

Let me know what you think!