The best $30 Trader Joe’s white elephant gift everyone tries to steal

Every time I went to the store, I veered off of my TJ’s grocery list to pick up one or two items for the gift basket.

I kept a running tally of my total until I reached the allotted amount. I really enjoyed putting it all together, and deciding what would make the cut.

I chose all shelf stable items, so that I wouldn’t have to worry about refrigerating anything ahead of time, or trying to make room for the present in the fridge once I arrived at the event.

Also, all of the items I chose are vegan like me, but they can be enjoyed by anyone.

In this post:

Not familiar with a white elephant-style gift exchange? Here’s how you play:

1. Everyone brings a wrapped, untagged gift to the party within a certain price limit. All of the gifts are placed on a table, and no one knows who brought each one.

I wrapped my white elephant gift in Trader Joe’s seasonal brown paper bags. It didn’t add anything to the cost, and the bags are always well designed at the holidays. Plus, I liked the idea that I was giving a little hint for whoever was picking first.

2. Players decide who will go first (either by age or drawing numbers to determine the order).

3. The first person opens a gift. Subsequent players can either “steal” an opened gift or grab a new one from the table.

At our party, my niece went first. Intrigued by the “wrapping paper,” she picked the Trader Joe’s gift basket right away. When my brother nabbed it from her, she said, “Yeah, I was expecting that…”

4. If your gift gets stolen, you can either steal a different opened gift or select a new one. You can’t steal a gift back.

(Every group plays the game a little differently, but usually each gift can only be stolen a certain number of times, like two or three.)

5. This continues until all of the gifts are claimed or a set number of steals has been reached.

6. At the end of the game, the first player gets one last chance to swap their gift (since they didn’t have that option at the beginning of the game).

Here are the items that I chose for my Trader Joe’s white elephant gift:

• A collapsible bag: To hold the gifts and reuse later
• Balsamic glaze: Great in olive oil dip or for drizzling on bruschetta
• Grilled green olives: Wonderful on their own or in a hummus bowl
• Maple leaf cookies: Sorry, Joe-Joe’s, these are my favorite Trader Joe’s cookies
• Pappardelle pasta nests: A pantry staple for vegan garlic butter noodles
• Jalapeno seasoned corn & rice puffs: Lightly spicy with delicious crunch
• Onion salt: Terrific in onion & garlic salad dressing
• Everything but the bagel sesame seasoning blend: Love it on avocado toast
• Grilled artichoke halves: Delicious on a snack board or in an Israeli couscous salad
• Polenta tube: They make crispy polenta fries in the air fryer!

I really had a tough time paring down my basket!

Here are some other non-seasonal items to consider for yours:

• Soft pretzel twists: Great as a snack or on a vegan charcuterie board
• Olive fougasse: Amazing with sun-dried tomato & basil spread
• Pink lady apple chips: The flavor of apple with the texture of potato chips
• Piquant popcorn: A good anytime popcorn
• Salt & pepper potato chips: Almost too good to have in the house?
• Peanut butter caramel coated popcorn: Salty & sweet snack
• Squiggly knife cut noodles: A satisfying lunch in a bowl with peanut sauce
• Thai wheat noodles: Shelf stable noodles make an easy stir-fry
• Organic tomato basil marinara: Use for pasta, pizza, or as a dipping sauce
• Green ripe pitted olives: Eat on their own or add to a flatbread pizza
• Greek chickpeas with parsley & cumin: Terrific air fried until crispy!
• Dolmas: These stuffed grape leaves are one of the best TJ’s products
• Nuts: I especially love Marcona almonds
• Fruit jellies: Soft gel-like candies with 6 different flavors
• Dark chocolate bars: The mini 3-pack with almonds is my fave
• La Sonriente garnacha: My go-to wine for a casual evening, around $7

Trader Joe’s always has really fun seasonal items – especially during the holidays.

Here are some fall and early winter items you might want to include:

• Grocery bag mystery packs: Sold once a year with grocery bags from 3 states in each envelope
• Trader Joe’s insulated lunch bag: Colors vary throughout the year
• Horseradish & chives potato chips: Best chips ever!
• Thanksgiving stuffing seasoned popcorn: Tastes just like that beloved holiday side dish
• Scented candles: The new can of corn scented one is so kitschy & fun
• Novelty cat and dog toys: A dog toy that’s canned corn!
• Chocolate passport: A taste of chocolate from around the globe

Keep in mind that your store’s stock may vary. For seasonal items, once they’re gone, they’re usually gone until next year.

If you like, you could choose a theme for your Trader Joe’s gift basket.

Romantic dinner: Choose items that work together for one cohesive meal like marinara, pasta, wine, and olives.

(Obviously, this would be best suited for an adults-only white elephant exchange where all of the people attending enjoy alcohol.)

Mediterranean mezze: Put together a basket with Greek chickpeas, dolmas, artichokes, and a variety of olives.

All one type of food: Stick with one type of food like all salty snacks, all sweets, all noodles, or all savory items.

For the stationery lover: Trader Joe’s always has really cute cards for only $1.

For a $30 white elephant exchange, put together a collection of 30 cards to last them through a year of birthdays and other occasions.