I tried 18 of Trader Joe’s fall breakfast foods, and I’d buy most of them again

I usually stay away from cereals that have a sweet element to them, but this one was a pleasant surprise.

The granola clusters and pecans held their crunch even after sitting in milk. Overall, I’d buy this again for a quick, easy, and tasty breakfast.

I combined the cold-brew concentrate with oat milk, and the mixture definitely delivered the pumpkin-spice flavor. As I drank it, I also got hints of orange.

The cold brew paired well with the oat milk, but I thought the beverage would be better with a sweetener to create a more balanced drink. It tasted much better after I added a splash of maple syrup.

The final croissants had a great taste and texture, with a buttery, flaky pastry. The cheesecake-inspired center was creamy, and balanced the flavors of warm spices and sweet, earthy pumpkin.

I plan on keeping a pack of these croissants in the freezer all season long.

I started by trying just a small spoonful of the maple butter on its own, and, as expected, it tasted like syrup. When I tried the spread on a slice of Trader Joe’s gluten-free pumpkin bread, it created an amazing combination I could eat for breakfast, a snack, or dessert.

This organic maple butter would be good in any dish that typically calls for syrup. I’d use it in coffee, on pancakes or waffles, mixed into yogurt, or even over some crispy bacon.

I opted to make pumpkin bread instead of muffins, and the process was as easy as it would be with any other boxed baking mix. I just needed to combine the mix with two eggs, oil, and water.

While it was baking, the bread made my entire home smell delicious. Even better, the finished bread came out incredibly moist without being too crumbly. 

It was great on its own, but I loved how rich and indulgent it tasted with Trader Joe’s organic maple butter spread on top. Overall, this bread-and-muffin mix will be another repeat purchase for my household.

The apple-cinnamon buns were delicious, especially when warmed up. The edges were golden and slightly crispy, and the center stayed soft and gooey.

The bun tasted like a mashup of an apple Danish pastry and a cinnamon roll. I’m already eager to go back and buy more.

I enjoyed the creamy oat beverage’s flavor, which reminded me of natural maple syrup, but I thought that the texture was slightly gritty.

I was hoping that this would be good mixed into coffee, but after pouring some in, I thought the beverage tasted strange with an almost burned flavor. 

However, I ended up using this maple-oat beverage in many other ways. It was great with cereal, in a batter for French toast, and mixed into tea.

Trader Joe’s doughnuts were pretty thick and dense rather than light and fluffy, but their light apple-cider flavor was great.

I really liked the sweetness and spice in the cinnamon-sugar coating. My partner also loved the doughnuts, especially when dipped into hot apple cider.

Drinking the pumpkin-oat beverage was like drinking orange milk. Though it smelled like pumpkin spice, I thought that the texture was very thin and watery.

The flavor was more earthy than sweet, and I didn’t really like it alone or with coffee. I don’t think I’d buy this one again.

I toasted the bagels for about five minutes so they were slightly browned. They tased OK plain, but not as sweet as I expected.

Paired with Trader Joe’s pumpkin cream cheese, these bagels’ sweet, savory, earthy, and spiced notes came through and balanced each other out.

Even on its own, the cream cheese was tasty.

It was sweet but still had those spiced, earthy notes and some tanginess from the cream cheese. It paired perfectly with the bagels, though I think it could also be fun to add to the center of muffins or use as a frosting base for a pumpkin roll.

I’ll be experimenting with this ingredient for the rest of the fall.

The waffles had more of a straight pumpkin flavor rather than a pumpkin-spice taste.

They got nice and crispy in the toaster oven, and though they weren’t very flavorful on their own, they were great with some sweet maple syrup. I’d buy these again and pair them with fresh fall fruit, like persimmons, for some extra sweetness and freshness.

Their texture was dryer on the outside, but incredibly moist and soft inside. I didn’t taste the ginger much at all, just the pumpkin.

The scones weren’t as sweet as I thought they’d be, though they’d probably be good with a little butter or some apricot jam. 

I tried the harvest-blend tea both plain and with a little bit of honey.

When sipping it plain, I thought the overall flavor was pretty mild and a little bland with a cinnamon aftertaste. For me, it definitely needed something to boost the flavor.

It was better with honey but I eventually added a splash of Trader Joe’s maple-oat milk. The combination of cinnamon tea with honey and the maple-oat beverage was the best and made for a smooth, creamy, spiced, and slightly sweet tea.

To me, the Pumpkin O’s tasted like any other sugary cereal, though they didn’t have a prominent pumpkin flavor.

I found the texture to be really crunchy and they held up well in the milk without getting soggy. I especially liked this cereal paired with Trader Joe’s maple-oat beverage.

Though it was a flavorful breakfast, I’d only eat a small bowl of this at a time because it was so sweet.

Trader Joe’s Honeycrisp-apple granola had great flavor and texture.

It had a more natural apple flavor, and I loved that it came with big chunks of granola. It tasted good on its own, but it was especially great when I paired it with some apple-flavored Greek yogurt.

On its own, the yogurt wasn’t for me. I thought the texture was incredibly thick, even for Greek yogurt.

But when I paired the yogurt with the Honeycrisp-apple granola, they became an amazing breakfast duo. The crunchy granola balanced out the thick texture of the yogurt, and I was a fan of the extra apple and cinnamon flavors.

This brioche was one of my favorite breakfast items at Trader Joe’s. It was good on its own and had a sweet, cinnamon flavor, a soft, spongy interior, and a chewy crust.

I decided to use it in French toast and it turned out amazing. The bread soaked up the egg coating very well and was thick enough to resist falling apart while frying.

The exterior became golden and slightly crisp and the inside became soft and custardy and held onto its delicious pumpkin-cinnamon flavor.