Here's Everything We Know About The Return Of Pumpkin Products To Trader Joe's

Update: Earlier this week, we scoured the internet for evidence as to when Trader Joe's would roll out its complete line of pumpkin foods for fall. Based on Instagram posts, YouTube videos, and Reddit threads, we discovered that the items had already started to trickle in and would most likely all be stocked by the end of September. After all that investigating, today, the grocery chain finally released its first official fall 2018 announcement of a new pumpkin product, Spiced Pumpkin Madeleine Cookies.

According to Trader Joe's announcement, the new cookies are made with classic Madeleine ingredients, along with the addition of dried pumpkin flakes, ginger purée, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and clove. TJ's suggests pairing the soft, cake-like cookies with a scoop of its Pumpkin Ice Cream or a cup of its Pumpkin Spice Coffee. The suggestions lead us to believe those items are probably stocked at your TJ's location by now. The new Spiced Pumpkin Madeleine Cookies come in packs of six and cost around $2.99. The grocery chain says they will be available "all pumpkin-season," which is officially in full swing.

Starbucks' PSL is officially back, Dunkin' Donuts has rolled out its pumpkin-centric fall menu, and Target has begun stocking autumnal food products. While you might think that would be enough for fall fanatics, at least one big questions still remains. When are pumpkin products coming back to Trader Joe's?

The internet is full of clues about the answer to this vital fall food question. Here's everything we know so far.

Last year, Trader Joe's introduced a new packaged dish called Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli. The brand officially announced the product on September 18. One day later, @TraderJoeList, a popular TJ's fan account shared a photo of several different pumpkin products, including Pumpkin Bagels, Pumpkin Spice Cookies, and Pumpkin O's, piled into a grocery cart. If Trader Joe's follows a similar pattern this year, the products could be coming back in less than ten days.

Like last year's @TraderJoesList shopping cart photo, this year, the internet is basing much of its pumpkin product return date hypotheses on a single photo originally posted by an Instagram used called @FloridayFoodLoverBlog. The picture, which was first posted yesterday, features a chalkboard sign at a Tampa-based TJ's location that reads "Pumpkin Invasion Sept 12 A Ship Load Of Pumpkin Arrives!!!" Though this might be the return date for this particular location, keep in mind, it might not be so for every TJ's nationwide.

Yesterday, yet another Trader Joe's fan account — yes, there are quite a few — shared a photo of Pumpkin Body Butter sitting on a Trader Joe's shelf in Maui. Though we're personally way more interested in the pumpkin food products coming to TJ's this fall, there is something to be learned from this photo. Underneath the body butter is a small sign shaped like a pumpkin that simply says, "Seasonal Item!" If this seasonal item is already back at select Trader Joe's locations, the seasonal food items can't be far behind.

Today, a YouTuber named Katie Hespe posted a 9-minute video of her recent Trader Joe's purchases. Included in her haul were multiple pumpkin products such as Pumpkin & Sweet Cream Cheese Muffins With Walnut Praline, Pumpkin Greek Yogurt, and a Pumpkin Chai Spice Loaf. Toward the end of the video Hespe says, "This is a great start to pumpkin season at Trader Joe's." This could mean that if you've seen these products at TJ's already, there's probably more to come.

Late last month, one desperate Redditor took to the /r/TraderJoes subreddit to see if they could get some intel on when "the full fall/pumpkin lineup" would be in stores. A commenter who claimed to work at an East Coast TJ's responded saying, "Last year things trickled in at the very end of August through September. Also, since there are so many pumpkin items, they all don't just come in at once." The commenter also noted that beer is often one of the first things to show up and the TJ's Oktoberfest and other pumpkin beers had already become available at their location. The info about the pumpkin products not all coming out at once supports our inference from the YouTube video that more seasonal offerings are still on their way to stores.

Though internet investigations can reveal a lot, we also went right to the source, Trader Joe's, to find out when we can expect to see all the pumpkin products in stores this year. A TJ's rep told Refinery2 via email, "'Pumpkin Season' returns to Trader Joe’s the first weeks of September... We love delighting our customers with seasonal offerings and have plenty in store this fall to be discovered." So, if pumpkin products haven't already started popping up at your local Trader Joe's, we're guessing you'll begin seeing them before the end of the month.