We’ve reviewed more than 300 of Trader Joe’s foods meals. While their freezer aisle seems nearly endless (especially since items rotate out seasonally), there will eventually come a point when we feel like we’ve tried pretty much everything they have to offer.
We’re not there yet, folks, but we do feel like it’s time to step outside of the TJ’s frozen section for a bit to taste some of the other treats they offer. That’s why we’re reviewing the Trader Joe’s PB&J Bars today; we simply wanted to explore some of TJ’s other offerings.
These come six in a box, and each peanut butter bar comes individually wrapped, as shown in the image above.
The bulk of one of these bars is an oat-based outer shell, which was not the choice we would have expected here (it does, however, mean these are gluten-free). It’s an alright choice that gives the whole affair a lot of texture, which we appreciate.
It’s not very peanut-buttery, though. In fact, we could hardly even taste any peanut butter at all. We spent our entire bar-eating time wondering if maybe the next bite is where all the PB ended up, only to be left feeling a little disappointed by the peanut-butter content (or lack thereof) in these bars.
There’s also a thin layer of strawberry jelly inside, but like the peanut butter, there’s not enough of it for the flavor to stand out. Since the oat-based shell is kind of dry, a more generous jelly portion would have served as a really lovely contrast. As is, this ends up being lacking in flavor. It’s really just an oat bar that dreams of being a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich.
One bar contains 170 calories and 70 mg of sodium. For that calorie count, you’ll probably really be missing the peanut butter. You could always add your own, we suppose.
The Trader Joe’s PB&J Bars are light on the J and even lighter on the PB. There’s just not a lot of flavor here, which makes these just oat bars rather than true PB&J treats. With a little more love given to the PB&J, these could have really been something. As is, we think TJs should maybe go back to the drawing board and redo some of their peanut-butter math.
To learn more about the nutrition content or ingredients in these peanut butter and jelly bars, check out our package scan below.
