The 10 Best Trader Joe’s Products for Hanukkah

Amid the busy end-of-year rush, it’s easy to feel unprepared for the first night of Hanukkah. This year, the eight-day Festival of Lights begins on December 14, and whether you’re hosting a latke party or frying sufganiyot for your family, one popular grocery chain can help make your Hanukkah a little easier and more delicious.

Trader Joe’s offers both everyday groceries and seasonal treats, with a surprisingly good selection of items to help you plan an effortless Hanukkah feast.

Fill your cart with our official Trader Joe’s shopping list for the holiday this year, from Hanukkah classics to shortcut ingredients and drinks everyone around your table will enjoy. 

Potato Pancakes

If you don’t have time to shred your own potatoes, pick up a quick version of Hanukkah’s most famous dish in Trader Joe’s freezer section. Plus, you can grab some sour cream to serve with them while you’re there.

The ingredient list for these potato pancakes — or latkes — is straightforward: potatoes, cracker meal, canola oil, eggs, salt, and white pepper. Another plus? You heat them in your oven, so there’s no need to fill a skillet with oil for frying, and they cost just $3.69 for a box of eight.

Organic Biscuits

Whipping up pillowy, jelly-filled sufganiyot from scratch may seem intimidating, but using store-bought dough can make these sweet doughnuts more accessible. Buttery canned biscuit dough is a surprisingly great hack for making doughnuts and sufganiyot at home. 

Simply fry each biscuit until golden, let them cool, and then inject the doughnuts with a filling of your choice using a wooden skewer — to make a hole — and a piping bag. You don’t have to finish them off with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, but it certainly isn’t a bad idea.

Portuguese Donuts 

Imported from Portugal, these thaw-and-serve frozen doughnuts are an even quicker way to enjoy sufganiyot on Hanukkah. Like traditional sufganiyot, they have a fluffy, yeasted base. But these sugar-coated delicacies are filled with a chocolate hazelnut spread, making them perfect for those who aren’t fans of jelly.

Coins of the World 

Switch up the gelt you get for a game of dreidel this year, and pick up a bag of TJ’s Coins of the World. These chocolate coins depict euros, francs, pounds, and U.S. dollars with shiny gold, silver, and copper-colored foil wrappings. They’re kosher certified, and when strewn across a table, they make for an easy, festive decoration.

Jumbo Pomegranates

Not only are they in season during the colder months, but pomegranates also hold deep significance in Judaism. The abundant seeds inside each fruit are said to represent the 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah, and pomegranates are often used for decoration or eaten at Jewish celebrations. With their tart, juicy flavor that pairs well with both sweet and savory notes, you can sprinkle these seeds over so many different dishes as a garnish.

Artichoke Bottoms

Carciofi alla Giudia, or Jewish fried artichokes, is a Jewish-Roman dish popular during Hanukkah because of its double-frying in hot oil for maximum crispiness. Fresh artichokes are, admittedly, a pain to deal with, so you can save yourself some time with these prepped and pre-cooked frozen artichoke bottoms. 

You can quarter them and fry them until crispy — just make sure you thaw and dry the artichokes thoroughly first — or use them however you like to honor the delicious Italian holiday tradition. 

Everything But The Bagel Seasoned Smoked Salmon

Smoked salmon is a premium latke topping, so you’ll want to stock up for Hanukkah. Trader Joe’s offers several varieties of the tender, buttery fish, but this smoked salmon coated in savory, crunchy everything bagel seasoning is a top contender for the best one. Plus, it’s certified kosher! 

Sparkling White Chardonnay Grape Juice

Without sparkling grape juice, is it even a Jewish holiday? This bottle’s festive design matches the occasion, and it’s made with Spanish-grown Chardonnay grapes for a touch of sophisticated flavor. Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of sweetness in this bottle — and of course, no alcohol — so all ages can enjoy it and toast l’chaim together. 

Okonomiyaki

Jewish-Japanese restaurant Shalom Japan serves up a festive okonomi-latke — a combination of latkes and Japanese okonomiyaki, a savory pancake with a shredded cabbage base — for Hanukkah each year. While they’re far from traditional, these tender and crispy cabbage pancakes are fried in oil and would pair well with a spread of latkes. Luckily, Trader Joe’s sells a frozen version that makes them super easy to serve.