Are These Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Products Secretly Made by Major Brands?

If you’ve been gluten-free for a while, you start to notice things.

A texture that feels too familiar. An ingredient list that makes you do a double-take. A product that tastes like something you know you’ve had before.

And while Trader Joe’s keeps its manufacturing partners pretty close to the vest, it hasn’t stopped the gluten-free community (myself included) from connecting a few dots.

So today, I’m sharing five gluten-free Trader Joe’s products that I suspect may be made by brands we already know and love.

To be clear: this is just my take. I don’t know this for sure, so don’t come at me. But the similarities? Hard to ignore.

1. Gluten-Free Donut Holes… are they Katz?

The moment I saw these, I had a very strong “wait a second…” reaction. And if you’ve ever had products from Katz Gluten Free, you might notice it too.

The packaging, the size of the donut hole, the texture, the glaze … it all feels very familiar. Even the overall eating experience has that same soft, slightly dense bite that Katz is known for.

While I always thought Katz donut holes were sold frozen, Sprouts has been leaving them out to slack on their bakery shelves. And the packaging looks suspiciously similar to the Trader Joe’s ones these days.

2. Gluten-Free Egg Fettuccine… Taste Republic vibes?

This one might be my strongest hunch.

Trader Joe’s refrigerated gluten-free egg fettuccine looks and tastes so similar to Taste Republic pasta. And yes, both are absolutely amazing!

If you’ve had Taste Republic before, you know what I mean. That fresh, slightly chewy texture of homemade pasta that you miss. Everything just lines up, and the similarities are hard to ignore.

3. Break-and-Bake Cookies… a blast from the past?

Okay, longtime gluten-free friends, this one’s for you.

Do you remember the gluten-free cookie dough from Immaculate Baking Company? The break-and-bake cookies that quietly disappeared from the market a few years ago?

Trader Joe’s version feels very reminiscent of those. And thanks goodness. The Immaculate cookies were a favorite, and nothing on the market today compares.

The dough, the texture, the way they bake up… it brought me right back to Immaculate. I don’t know if it’s the same manufacturer or just a very similar formulation, but it definitely feels like a blast from the past.

4. Green Tea Mochi… Bubbies energy?

If you’ve ever had mochi ice cream from Bubbies, you might notice some similarities here, too.

The shape of the mochi, the soft outer layer, the creamy frozen center, it all feels very familiar.

Trader Joe’s mochi has been the subject of speculation for years, and after trying the green tea version again recently, I totally get why. And yes, that’s a certified gluten-free label on the Bubbies.

5. Brown Rice Penne… Tinkyáda throwback?

Before the gluten-free pasta market exploded, many of us relied on Tinkyáda brown rice pastas.

And take a look at Trader Joe’s brown rice penne. It has that same classic look and feel.

The color, the texture, the way it holds up after cooking, it truly reminds me so much of the staple pasta brand. And both are manufactured in Canada? Coincidence, I think not.

I will say, though, that I think the taste is slightly different. But it’s subtle. And I could be wrong. My taste buds are shot after 14+ years on a gluten-free diet.