People Are Very Upset About Trader Joe’s New Carrot Cake Spread

Last year, I had to move — which in itself is kind of a pain. But one of the saving graces was the fact that for the first time in my life, I’d be close to Trader Joe’s. For years, I’ve heard my friends from out of state rave about the deals and fun products that Trader Joe’s has. It seemed like a real experience. And it was — not only was the produce fresh and reasonably priced, but I left with a spontaneous new plant almost every time I stepped in. But sometimes, it’s our heroes who disappoint us the most, which brings us to the news that one of TJ’s newest products reportedly isn’t half as good as it sounds.

The news comes from Trader Joe’s superfan Jelisa Castrodale, who penned an article for Kitchn about the new Trader Joe’s carrot cake spread. Just thinking about the spread probably leaves a pleasant taste in your mouth. Carrot cake is a must for fans of cream cheese. And not going to lie, it makes us feel slightly healthier than, say, ice cream cake. 

Spreads themselves are an intriguing product because they pretty much make you feel like you can turn a piece of toast into anything. Or, you can eat it by the spoonful. To this day, I lament the loss of a pizza spread I found at BJ’s Wholesale Club, and annually, I look online to see if it’s returned. Sadly, it’s been about 20 years of rejection. (It’s called Podo, if anyone has any answers.)

But for Castrodale, the carrot cake spread probably isn’t something she’ll get nostalgic about.

As Trader Joe’s does a good job in eliminating certain ingredients from the food they sell, it ended up tasting less like carrot cake and more like straight carrots with hints of ginger. “I ate two or three more bites, and then just had to stop. It’s too sweet to the point of being cloying,” she wrote. But Castrodale wasn’t the only one who was disappointed. On Instagram, the spread received comments like, “I really can’t decide how to feel about this…” and “Trash, tried it at work the other day and it tastes like applesauce and some other b*llshit.”

Bah... Carrot cake isn't carrot cake (whether a cake or a spread), without the cream cheese icing... I'd need a cream cheese icing spread on top of my carrot cake spread.

— Jared the Skeptic (@jaredvc) September 26, 2018

But, it does have some fans, namely people who treat it like something other than carrot cake spread.

So @kirk20172018 asked me how I’m doing today? I’d say GREAT because I just tried #TraderJoes Carrot Cake spread on a graham cracker. It’s like #Thanksgiving caviar!!!! Yummm! pic.twitter.com/MMqKPeUKoh

— Gayle Bass (@gaylebass) September 17, 2018

If you’re a fan of carrots and ginger, you might want to give it a try. Otherwise, you might want to try making your own spread at home. Or at least stop by a bakery for a slice of the real thing.