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

I don’t eat cereal often, but I couldn’t pass up the maple-pecan clusters at Trader Joe’s. The combination of sweet maple syrup and earthy pecans sounded like the perfect fall combination.

Right off the bat, I liked that this cereal had big oat-pecan chunks. I figured it would pair well with either milk or yogurt.

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 couldn’t wait to try Trader Joe’s pumpkin-spice cold-brew concentrate, made with cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, and orange peels.

It seemed like the perfect autumnal morning beverage, and I was happy to have a quick coffee option for busy mornings.

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.

While browsing the frozen section at my local Trader Joe’s, these pumpkin-cheesecake croissants grabbed my attention.

The box showed a bakery-quality breakfast option, complete with flaky pastries and a creamy pumpkin-flavored center. Per the instructions, I baked these croissants in the oven for about 25 minutes.

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.

Before I even went to Trader Joe’s, I saw the retailer’s organic maple butter all over my social-media feeds.

Upon looking at the ingredients list, I was surprised to learn that this spread is actually made with just organic maple syrup that’s been reduced and whipped into a thick spread.

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.

Trader Joe’s offers a few fall baking mixes, including standard and gluten-free pumpkin-bread and muffin options.

I know a few friends and family members on gluten-free diets, so I decided to try the latter and see whether it was worth the purchase.

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.

I first saw Trader Joe’s apple-cinnamon buns on social media and immediately wanted one.

They were on display in the bakery section of the store, and there weren’t many boxes left, which seemed like a good sign. They looked amazing with a golden, braided pastry and a gooey yet crumbly center.

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’ve had oat-based drinks that are super watery and overly thick and many maple-flavored products that were too sweet or artificial-tasting.

So, I was pretty hesitant to try Trader Joe’s maple-oat beverage.

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.

Though I love pumpkin-flavored foods, I always get excited for apple-cider doughnuts.

I was excited to pick up a box of the doughnuts, which came in a pack of six.

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.

I initially thought it was a little odd that the pumpkin-oat beverage was sold as a shelf-stable item when the maple-oat one was kept in the refrigerated section.

Still, I decided to try the pumpkin-oat beverage at room temperature. Unfortunately, it was not the most pleasant experience, as I thought it was watery and a bit off-putting.

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.

Trader Joe’s pumpkin bagels are a fall item I tend to buy every year.

The only downside is that they’re not presliced, though the gluten-free ones do come presliced.

Out of the bag, the pumpkin bagels were soft and moist with a slightly sticky exterior.

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.

I like to buy Trader Joe’s pumpkin cream-cheese spread to pair with the store’s bagels.

I’ve only ever had the cream cheese with bagels so I was interested in how it would hold up on its own.

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.

I usually keep some buttermilk or cinnamon waffles in the freezer to make quick breakfasts so I expected the pumpkin version to be just as convenient and delicious.

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.

As a fan of the glazed vanilla-bean scones from Trader Joe’s, I was looking forward to the smaller, ready-to-bake pumpkin-ginger version from the store’s freezer section.

I especially appreciated the mini size, as I could pair them with other ingredients like fresh fruit and eggs for a balanced breakfast.

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 was happy to see that the harvest-blend herbal tea was a caffeine-free option.

Out of the box, the tea bags smelled very cinnamon-forward but I was disappointed that they didn’t include a string. I grabbed a spoon and fished out the tea bag after it finished steeping.

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.

I don’t eat a lot of cereal, but when I do, I tend to prefer Cheerios or shredded-wheat cereals.

I thought Trader Joe’s Pumpkin O’s would be a good option for an easy, quick fall breakfast.

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.

I love snacking on granola on its own or with fruit and yogurt. The Honeycrisp-apple granola sounded like a refreshing change after all of the pumpkin-flavored fall foods.

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.

I typically like basic vanilla Greek yogurt, but I was interested in Trader Joe’s Honeycrisp-apple-cinnamon take for fall.

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.

When I spotted the pumpkin brioche in the bakery section, I was already thinking of ways to use it for pumpkin-flavored French toast or bread pudding.

The packaging also recommended simply enjoying it with nut butter.

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.