Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
Some of Trader Joe's most popular items are in the frozen section. But quality can vary, fortunately, that's why you have this site!
From the Chicken Tikka Masala to the Sweet Potato Gnocchi to their very popular Cauliflower Gnocchi find hundreds of reviews of Trader Joe's frozen products and see which ones are worth your time and which ones you may want to consider leaving on the shelf!
Every now and again, I have to clarify that I’ve bought some products more than once for the sake of testing them. If you buy Trader Joe’s Chicken Chilaquiles Rojo, please read through my review, because I have to be honest, I wasn’t loving this product the first time around. Odds are you might think badly of this product too.
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Every now and again you get hit with a product that is a spin off of an original. And every now and again that spin off is better than the original. That seems to be the case here with Trader Joe’s Neapolitan Joe Joes Ice Cream.
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Is there anything more comforting than Mac and Cheese? I didn’t think so until I ate Trader Joe’s Mac and Cheese Bites. How can Mac and Cheese be made better? Clearly, the answer is breading them and frying them. This is another item from the freezer section, but I would keep this to a crowd pleasing appetizer or snack.
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There are some sections at Trader Joe’s where they can do no right: sushi would be an example. It’s so wrong, it has no chance of being right. There are other sections of the store where they can do no wrong. That section is the Indian selection, where they have now added Trader Joe’s Fiery Chicken Curry.
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Confession time: One food related item that I’ve made it a point not to publish or try is yogurt. To date, the only yogurt products I’ve put up reviews for are the ones where the yogurt is buried in with another ingredient. Why? Of all the dairy items I consume, I detest yogurt. So why would I try something like Trader Joe’s Strawberry Greek Frozen Yogurt Parfait Bars?
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When I went to Trader Joe’s before 4th of July, I was really there for a different frozen item. I was actually there to pick up the now returning frozen Mac and Cheese Bites (review to be updated soon). But right next to it was an unexpected sight: Trader Joe’s Shrimp Scampi Lasagna.
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With summer upon us, on my most recent trip I was going to pick up the usual seasonal Key Lime Pie. In New York, this isn’t something you can find regularly. Nor can you find it at Trader Joe’s. It’s summer only. But next to that bright green box was an equally yellow box of Trader Joe’s Lemon Meringue Tarte.
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Have you ever looked at the calorie count of an item and put it back? Or prayed it was really good to justify the calories? Well, that’s pretty much how I felt after I picked up Trader Joe’s Kunefe. While this box isn’t big, this packs a heavy hit of calories.
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While the first day of summer is nearly upon us, the taste of summer has already hit the shelves of Trader Joe’s. Amidst the mango flavors that are both arriving and returning from a hiatus, Trader Joe’s Peaches and Cream Tarte sits quietly in the freezer section returning from a years hiatus. And if you are looking for a picture perfect dessert, then keep one of these handy, even if summer is over.
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I am a proud choco-holic. The more chocolate the better. In fact, I believe that chocolate is almost a dietary need. If you feel the same love and passion that I do about chocolate, then you might want to give Trader Joe’s Chocolate Lava Cakes a try. …
Once again, a seasonal favorite has returned. It does not seem to have changed much from the previous review. If you are looking for a fully cooked skewer with pretty grill marks and full of Caribbean flavor, then for a frozen item, Trader Joe’s Grilled Jerk Chicken Thigh Skewers is pretty good overall.
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The longer I’m at this blog, the more patterns I see. I’ve seen products come and go. And come back again. Sometimes after years of disappearing. If you are familiar with Trader Joe’s A Dozen Sweet Bites, you might recognize this cake. In fact, Trader Joe’s Opera Cake hasn’t been on shelves in many years.
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I was beginning to wonder when we would see another cauliflower item appear in Trader Joe’s shelves. And now, it has found its way into breakfast through Trader Joe’s Egg Frittata. But don’t worry, the taste of cauliflower was quite muted.
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Lunches. There are so many times I am so guilty of not making my lunch. Before I moved close to a Trader Joe’s I existed off of frozen meals. But truthfully, they were pretty terrible. The calorie count was reasonable, but there was a sacrifice in taste. Most of those frozen meals tasted like cardboard. Trader Joe’s Korma Fish Curry tastes like anything but cardboard.
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I love Blondies. I reviewed Trader Joe’s Blondies Bar Baking Mix not too long ago. When my Mom and Sister hear that I’m making a Trader Joe’s run, that is their usual request. That is one of my sister’s favorite items to make and bring to her workplace. Because who doesn’t love the dense blondie nature that reminds you of a big cookie?
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If we were to go out for sushi, you would probably see me with one roll of Spicy Salmon in front of me. There are certain cuisines that you just order again and again. I took a sushi making class. The most important lesson I learned was that I wasn’t going to be making sushi at home. But I now know I can get a good bit of the flavors in Trader Joe’s Spicy Salmon Gyoza.
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Trader Joe’s is finally bringing us some real food in addition to a whole bunch of snacks. So if Trader Joe’s Shakshuka Starter is in any way unfamiliar to you, perhaps you are more familiar with a similar dish that can easily be made at home: eggs in purgatory. What’s the difference you ask? Here, the difference is spice.
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Well, I can now say, I feel like I’ve seen it all. Or now I can say, and now I’ve tried them all. Trader Joe’s offers no shortage of gnocchi offerings. Ranging from the basic Gnocchi Sorrentina, to the more cheesy Gnocchi Gorgonzola, to Sweet Potato Gnocchi to the non-potato based Cauliflower Gnocchi. Now, Trader Joe’s is playing with the order of things. Now, Trader Joe’s Outside In Stuffed Gnocchi have the familiar topping of the Gnocchi Sorrentina on the inside.
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If the Skittles slogan is “Taste the Rainbow,” then someone was thinking “Taste the green pizza.” Well, I tasted it. It tastes about as attractive as it looks. A pizza made with spirulina would have made for a prettier pie.
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Confession time: It’s the second time in two days I’ve been to Trader Joes, forgive me, I went on a Sunday and it seems like food was going out of fashion, especially in the frozen section. I wasn’t actually there for this product. I was actually looking for Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Butter and Sage.
I adored it.
But like many things at Trader Joe’s they like to tease you with great items and come back and try something new every time. So, this is my new bag of gnocchi: Trader Joe’s Gnocchi alla Sorrentina. In plain English it’s regular gnocchi with tomato sauce and some cheese….
Most of the new products hitting shelves this week aren’t of the healthy nature: there are new almond butter cups, candy coated peanuts, and this Blushing Apple Tart. So snacks and dessert items seem to be the order of the day. Trader Joe’s Blushing Apple Tart is the new addition in the freezer aisle.
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So if I’m going to do all these bread reviews, it’s only fair to share something that could use some bread. Or something for all that bread to sop up. I love a good sauce, but with almost a foot of snow being predicted by the weekend, I was thinking about some hearty meal planning and lots of staying indoors by the weekend.
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Let me apologize in advance if my reviews seem carb heavy. Because most of the new items hitting shelves are for some reason breads. I thought I was done reviewing bread last week when I tried Chocolate Chip Pain Au Lait. Nope, not only does the frozen Indian section have a new bread, there is also a pancake bread (review to show up in the near future). So while Trader Joe’s does an excellent job of serving certain food communities, I feel like the low carb crowd might be left out here a bit.
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Well, it wouldn’t be the beginning of the year without looking at the lighter options available at Trader Joe’s. Now, I’ve had my fair share of Mac and Cheese offerings from the Pepperoni Mac and Cheese, Truffle Mac and Cheese, Gluten Free Mac and Cheese, Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, and Hatch Chile Mac and Cheese. And yes, they are mostly pretty good.
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