15 Trader Joe's Juices, Ranked Worst To Best

It's not hard to see why Trader Joe's has built up a cult-like following over the years. The Tiki-inspired chain not only offers numerous hidden gems in the freezer aisle and unique store-brand snacks you won't find anywhere else, but it also takes items everyone needs and puts a special spin on them. Its juice range perfectly demonstrates this.

At Trader Joe's, you'll find a wide variety of classic juices, as well as flavor profiles you might not put together. Customers have the option to pick anything from reliable lemonades and organic cold pressed juices to spicy yet fruity mixtures that'll leave you gritting your teeth. With such an array of choices that land on opposite ends of the taste spectrum, it's helpful to know when to stick to the classics and when it's worth trying something totally different at Trader Joe's. That's what this ranking is here to figure out.

Everyone knows prebiotic sodas are on the rise. But, despite my intrigue, I've been somewhat reluctant to try them. After all, I rarely drink traditional soda to begin with, so the desire to find a healthier alternative isn't there. Juice, on the other hand, is something I can always get on board with, leaving me excited to try Trader Joe's Sparkling Strawberry Juice Beverage.

I knew it wouldn't compare to prebiotic sodas in terms of health benefits. No points could be docked for its lack of nutrition (aside from a bit of potassium) since that's not what it's trying to do in the first place. I was hoping, however, that it'd provide a similar flavor and fizz. Turns out: It's an experience I'd be okay missing out on next time.

It was hard to enjoy the strawberry flavor when all I could focus on was the stream of overwhelming fizz and foam that came with every sip. I gave the drink hours to flatten out just so I could get a taste of the strawberry flavoring, and when I finally did, boy, was it underwhelming. It was light yet somehow almost tasted like medicine. Perhaps Trader Joe's other sparkling juice flavors, such as guava and pineapple, taste better.

As someone who is quick to jump on wellness trends, I couldn't leave the store without grabbing a few of Trader Joe's juice shots. These are 2-ounce bottles filled with carefully chosen ingredients to achieve a particular health advantage. The grocer carries several varieties, with one of them being the Organic No Joke Ginger. While I was able to take baby sips of the Energy Juice Shot (discussed later on), it was a mistake to try that with this flavor. Containing both ginger and cayenne pepper, this product is truly "no joke."

There's no way to drink this juice except like a shot of tequila. It'll give you the same all-consuming effect that overtakes your entire palate, leaving you shuddering and gagging slightly. The taste is so pungent that it probably wouldn't be too far off to say this drink is the next closest thing to taking a big bite of raw ginger root.

That being said, ginger is known to have many health benefits, including improved digestion. So, if that's enough motivation for you to muster the courage to try this one, my advice is to hold your breath and throw your head back before you change your mind.

It's hard to find a green juice that gives you a nutrition boost while still tasting enjoyable. Trader Joe's Organic Cold Pressed Green Juice Beverage, unfortunately, doesn't succeed either. On the ingredient front, it's chock-full of powerhouses like celery, green leaf lettuce, green chard, kale, spinach, parsley, mint, and more. It's a quick and easy way to supplement your veggies for the day.

As you can imagine, though, this beverage tastes and smells grassy. You won't detect much of the citrus it's supposed to contain, which could break up that overwhelming "green" taste and improve its overall palatability. Still, people aren't usually grabbing green juices from the store to satisfy a craving but rather to get extra nutrients in. So, if you can consume this drink without expecting the flavor to wow you, the Organic Cold Pressed Green Juice Beverage is worth a try.

It's common to find jalapeños atop a heap of nachos or layered on a burger, but it's rare to find them as a central ingredient in drinks sold at stores like Target or ShopRite. When you're at a place with out-of-the-box offerings like Trader Joe's, though, you'll find a whole stock of it.

There was no telling what to expect with the Organic Jalapeño Limeade except that it could either set my mouth on fire or surprise me as the beverage I never knew my fridge needed. Unfortunately, it did neither of those things. 

The experience was a bit confusing, as the drink wasn't spicy on the tongue, but it was undoubtedly spicy going down the hatch. It's an intense heat that sticks to the back of your throat long after you've finished your cup. Even as a spice lover, I wouldn't label it as a pleasant feeling, and I wouldn't suggest it to people who like their food mild, either. Rather than a straight-up juice, I can much better imagine this being the base for one or two popular cocktails.

Not too far off flavorwise from the Organic Jalapeño Limeade is Trader Joe's Spicy Mango Lemonade, which has a very similar profile but is much less spicy. Both juices contain jalapeños, though the Spicy Mango Lemonade also contains cayenne pepper that, surprisingly, doesn't do much to amp up the heat level. So, while you can definitely tell there's some seasoning going on in this drink, it doesn't quite live up to its self-proclaimed title of "spicy."

I was expecting its flavor to align more with the classic yet trendy pairing of mangoes and Tajín. It's certainly comparable, but this juice won't give you that same powerful kick you'd find in a mangonada or a candied mango treat sprinkled with Tajín seasoning. The beverage's rich, thick texture probably has a lot to do with its milder taste, too.

Doing significantly better than its ginger counterpart is the Organic Energy Juice Shot. It contains 85 milligrams of caffeine (from the green tea extract), which Trader Joe's says is about the same amount as a cup of coffee.

This drink is meant to be taken all in one go, but I sipped on it at the start so I could accurately observe its flavor. I found that it overwhelms the senses in more ways than one. It's similar to pear juice in color but smells purely of the orange juice it contains. If only that's all it tasted like. The best way I could describe its flavor is plain bitter. Some of that orange shines through but, all in all, it has a musty sort of taste, likely from the spinach juice.

After tasting, I took the remainder of the bottle (which was still almost full) like a shot. I did this when I was feeling ready for a midday nap to see if the caffeine was effective and found that it was. After just a few minutes, my eyelids weren't drooping anymore. And, because I didn't let the drink hit my tongue too much, the taste wasn't as offensive either.

Smack in the middle of the ranking falls the 100% Red Tart Cherry Juice. This is a drink that seems generally well-loved by the public, with most people praising it for its apparent ability to put them to sleep. This is likely due to the fact that tart cherries contain melatonin. While I personally didn't notice this drowsy effect either of the times I drank it, I can appreciate the juice for its invigorating flavor nonetheless.

However, while it's a true favorite for many people, not everyone wants a jolt to run through them with every sip. Just as Trader Joe's describes it, the tart cherry is so sour that it's "pucker-worthy." It takes quite a few swigs to get used to its sharp, acidic taste and, even once you start to get desensitized, its tangy profile doesn't subside. Some fans have reported enjoying this drink mixed with sparkling water rather than on its own, and though I didn't have any on hand to test this out, there's no doubt that Trader Joe's 100% Red Tart Cherry Juice could do with something to make it less concentrated.

Trader Joe's Organic Carrot Turmeric Juice Blend has the most acquired taste of all the products included in this ranking. In terms of flavor, I can confidently say it's not the first drink I'd reach for amongst the rest. I was more excited to try this for its health benefits and to see how well Trader Joe's could mask the peppery quality of the turmeric. It does a pretty decent job, giving customers a unique and interesting beverage that primarily tastes like carrot, but with a light heat that lingers at the back of your throat. I can't say it tastes great, but there's something that makes me want to keep trying it again.

It's hard to put a finger on what exactly pulls me back in but, regardless of what it may be, I don't mind sipping until I find out. The juice does, after all, fall within the better half of the ranking, partly on account of its powerful ingredients. Turmeric is good for many reasons, from its anti-inflammation properties to its ability to boost kidney health. Combine it with carrots, and you're looking at a concoction that provides an immense amount of vitamin A.

If you're looking for a bright and refreshing way to start your morning or kick-off brunch, Trader Joe's Orange Peach Mango Juice is a safe bet. It's a step up from your standard orange juice, thanks to the incorporation of the other two fruits.

The elements in this drink blend nicely without one overpowering the others. In fact, the flavors of the fruits just sort of meld together making it hard to pick out the distinct notes of each one. After a few very focused taste tests with this juice, though, mango seems to be the flavor that I picked out the most. There's the slightest hint of peach if you search hard enough for it, and orange comes more clearly in the aftertaste. But, if you turn your mind off while drinking and don't hunt around for the presence of each fruit, it'll taste even better.

Bringing the sweet yellow fruit's flavor to life just a tiny bit better than the Orange Peach Mango Juice is Trader Joe's Mango 100% Juice Smoothie. Don't get me wrong; I was still ultimately disappointed that the mango taste wasn't all that strong in this product. But, because it wasn't fighting for the spotlight with two other flavors (like in the Orange Peach Mango Juice), the taste shines slightly better here.

The juice also contains apple, orange, and lemon juice. Trader Joe's also mentions on the product page that the juice contains only a "touch of banana purée," which is funny because that's the only other detectable flavor aside from the mango. Also worth noting is the drink's very thick texture from the mix of purées, which coats your whole mouth and goes down slowly. This isn't a revolutionary juice smoothie, but it's still a good one.

The third and final juice shot, Mighty C Acerola Cherry is the only one to make it out of the lower end of this ranking — and almost into the final top three. While the other two juice shots aim to promote energy and digestion, this drink's claim to fame is that it gives you not 100%, but 1010% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. That's a whole lot of vitamins our body needs to fight off disease, better absorb iron, and help with high blood pressure. It even promotes healthier skin, since vitamin C plays a part in the production of collagen.

Vitamin C's stellar nutritional value is already a huge reason to love this juice shot, but its flavor is the cherry on top (literally). Similar to the 100% Red Tart Cherry Juice, this fruity drink is sour and tangy. Your face won't scrunch up nearly as much from a sip, though taking it as a shot (like it's meant to be) is sure to wake you up. Plus, its extremely thin viscosity makes it easier to get down, too.

As far as flavor goes, it's not like that of the sweet, dark red bing cherries commonly sold at the grocery store. Nor is it like the flavor of maraschino cherries, which often comes off as artificial. The acerola cherry instead gives off a tart and acidic taste that's oddly intriguing.

After trying the subpar refreshment that was the Strawberry Sparkling Juice Beverage, Trader Joe's had the chance to redeem itself with yet another strawberry beverage: Organic Strawberry Lemonade. Earning a spot in the top five, this juice is simple and classic, without huge amounts of flavor complexity. It's not an adventurous drink to pull off the store's shelves, but among an aisle of products made with innovative ingredients, it doesn't hurt to have something reliable to fall back on.

This dark pink juice is exactly that. It does away with the sugary, artificial taste that's typical of lemonade sold at carnivals and brings a level of sweetness adults can enjoy, too. The lemon isn't very detectable at all, and while its tang is missed, the strawberry is good enough for this to take the No. 4 spot.

If you love a simple glass of OJ to start your mornings, this drink is a must-try. Trader Joe's To The Power of Vitamin C Organic Juice Blend poses some serious competition to even the best orange juice brands, incorporating additional flavors from pineapple juice, lemon juice, and mango purée. The result is a revitalizing, bright beverage where the orange stands out, but you can still ultimately get a taste of all four fruits.

Each of these ingredients is already a rich source of vitamin C, but Trader Joe's takes it up a notch to make sure we get our full daily recommended dose of the nutrient. How? By adding acerola cherry powder, the benefits of which we previously discussed. Starting off your morning with a refreshment like this doesn't get much better. It's energizing, delicious, and wholesome. Even all 26 grams of sugar within it are naturally occurring.

While a common theme with many of the juices on this list is that one flavor tends to dominate the others, this isn't a problem with Trader Joe's Watermelon Cucumber Cooler. That comes as a nice surprise with this product, especially considering cucumber is such a subtle, mild-tasting food compared to the overwhelming flavor that watermelon tends to bring in drinks, gum, and candy. Aside from their shared green skin, you wouldn't think these two fruits come from the same plant family.

Yet somehow, Trader Joe's creates a perfect balance between the two flavors. There's a lovely sweetness to the watermelon, and the cucumber's clean, crisp taste mellows it out even further. They come together to create a light, refreshing beverage that you can mindlessly sip on all summer long. It's a pairing of two fruits I'd definitely want to see more of from Trader Joe's in future. 

For anyone wondering which items to buy your first time at Trader Joe's, a drink from its "To The Power of" line should absolutely be on the list. To The Power of Vitamin C took third place in this ranking, and now To The Power of Seven Red has taken the honor of first place. It's a relatively new addition that came to Trader Joe's in early 2024, and we're so happy it did.

Though it seems kind of vague, the name actually describes what's in the beverage: seven delicious ingredients, many of which are red, pink, or purple in color including strawberries, cranberries, hibiscus tea, beets, watermelon, and elderberries. It's hard to individually pick out these elements, though watermelon and strawberry seem to shine through the most. Regardless, everything together creates a subtly sweet and light juice you won't get tired of.

In order to put together this ranking, each juice on the list was thoroughly sampled on multiple occasions. The drinks that gave a good sipping experience in terms of flavor and texture were ranked more favorably, while the ones that we likely wouldn't reach for as often were placed lower.

Since many of the drinks are advertised as having particular health benefits, the nutritional value and use of ingredients were also important factors in determining the order of this list. In some cases, even if the juice didn't taste as good, it still moved up in the ranking if it provided a significant amount of vitamins or nutritional advantages.