The pros:Â Trader Joe's Rainbow Wrap is a new and a vegan addition to the refrigerated aisle.
The cons:Â The calorie count is pretty darn high on this one.
The verdict: Â
So, let me preface this review by making it clear that I'm not vegan, but I don't mind cutting back the amount of meat and animal products that I consume.
But that's on one condition: it's gotta taste good.
This is a new addition to the refrigerated aisle which recently seems to be getting revamped. It's a good thing because it is long overdue.
But I'm not 100% sure this is going to knock it out of the park for everyone.
You see, around Thanksgiving my father used to make leftover sandwiches. Meaning it was a turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Similarly, Trader Joe's sells the Turkey Gobbler wrap around Thanksgiving as well.
This is a play on the same idea, but I'm not 100% it is as successful as it could be.
There is a lot going on. For my palate, there was just too much going on.
It's a heavy wrap. It's cut in half. Good thing too. If you sit and eat this whole thing it's 600 calories.
But it eats pretty heavy. Sweet potatoes and hummus aren't exactly light items to consume on the same wrap. The spinach and beets lightens each bite up.
But there is just so much going on in every bite. You have large chunks of sweet potatoes, followed by curried hummus (which is a lot of flavor all on its own), some extra chickpeas, plus the addition of beets and spinach on a beet tortilla.
Between the heavy textures and flavors that I did not feel paired as well as they could together, this was another miss in the refrigerated aisle. Each bite just tasted so heavy and kinda starchy too.
For $4.49, if you are vegan and your options are more limited in the aisle, then this might be worth picking up. I know rainbow food is in, but for me this is out.
Here is the visual run down of what you get if you buy this product:
The box of Trader Joe's Rainbow Wrap:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
Out of the package you get:
Would I buy this again? No, I would not buy Trader Joe's Rainbow Wrap again.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Dag says
Hmmmm..... I don't think this one is for me. I don't totally dislike any one of the ingredients per se. I'm not the hugest fan of hummus but I don't dislike it. I love spinach. I don't much care for beets in their whole beet form but I do really love Trader Joe's beet juice with lemon. I'd rather drink it than eat it. I like roasted sweet potatoes but pretty much on their own with some spicy or curry ketchup etc. I agree with you that this sounds like a lot going on and most likely too much going on. I am more of a meat, chz & veggie wrap or a veggie & cheese/cream chz wrap person. I love how you review such a huge variety of products though!
becomebetty says
Hey Dag! This wrap was a lot and each bite was just so heavy and dense. I like my wraps on the lighter side. My favorite is the black bean and cheese burrito. But this was just over the top. Thanks as always for stopping by and yes, I try to spread out certain reviews so I'm not covering the same category too many days in a row. Thanks to you too for stopping and always giving me suggestions and tips! That's what makes this blog so much fun!
Dag says
And another thing I noticed is the seemingly abbreviated nutrition panel. I've also noticed this with some other Trader Joe products. Their vitamin and mineral panel doesn't seem comprehensive to me at times. I have studied nutrition both professionally and personally. Sweet potatoes have a high amount of vitamin A/beta carotene. From the pic there seems to be quite a few chunks in there so it should register a somewhat significant amount of vitamin A. Spinach also has some vitamin A. And there are some other things missing that should have registered at least some percentage. Strange.
becomebetty says
Actually, I find it funny that you bring that up. I had someone ask me a question about the Magnesium in Trader Joe's Cacao powder. That wasn't listed either. I don't know what the labeling requirements are, but if it is something good like that you would think they would want to put it in there. Very strange.
judilyn says
‘Twould be easy to wrap your own leftovers in a tortilla.
Virtual hugs,
Judie
becomebetty says
Not only would it be easier, I think it might end up tasting better. Thanks as always for taking the time to stop by Judie!
Catherine of VegCharlotte says
Thanks for the review. That is a LOT of calories for one wrap. I wonder if it was all the oil in the sweet potatoes and hummus?
becomebetty says
It's got to be those two item, but I was shocked how such a healthy sounding item could be so high in calories. I think they can do better for their customers on this one. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Catherine of VegCharlotte says
Actually, I was in Trader Joe's this evening and I checked out that wrap and the calories on all their wraps. All of the wraps have at least 600 calories per entire sandwich! Who would think??
becomebetty says
I was shocked when I started reviewing them! But I'm glad you can confirm they are all that high in calories. That's basically a Big Mac in terms of calories. Sadly, I can only say a few really standout in terms of taste. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing!
becomebetty says
Just a quick thought- they do sell a falafel mix. It was vegan and very good. That would make a better wrap or lunch than this rainbow wrap.
Catherine of VegCharlotte says
I have not tried their falafel mix - thanks for the tip!
Dag says
Black bean and cheese burritos....oh my gosh... I used to get them and I loved them. I think I've been so unenamored with the refrigerated section nowadays that I only give it a quick glance over which is sad. Thanks for jump-starting my memory of these burritos. I need to get some the next time I go. The last time I got a burrito was their new breakfast burrito. Strangely enough and believe it or not, I don't like eggs in their direct eggy form meaning liquid chicken offerings. I love quiche and I love souffles. But precooked scrambled eggs in a long refrigerated, prepackaged burrito ---'heck no. I picked them out which goes against everything that makes it a breakfast burrito LOL
becomebetty says
I thought about reviewing that item when it came out, but there is something about a premade egg wrap that just does not sound appealing. It would not be that hard to make either. I used to get them all the time too, but sad to say that is probably the only wrap I've bought more than once. I don't understand why the freezer section is so darn good and the refrigerated section is so bad!
Grubbing With Jess says
I agree! This wrap was not for me! It looked really good, but nothing melded well together. I kept getting huge hunks of raw spinach or a large chunk of sweet potato. I was hoping this would be a good one!
becomebetty says
I agree! I thought it might be something unique and different but those huge chunks of sweet potatoes were just too much! Thanks so much for taking the time and stopping by and sharing your thoughts on this.
Dag says
I went back and looked at the calorie count as well as a nutritional panel from a professional and personal point of view again after reading the comments. I'm guessing that the hummus and the oil in making the hummus is what adds it up. All outer wraps of that size will add at least 200 calories. Most of the calories are probably coming from the hummus as well as the vegetables if they were roasted in olive oil. All that said and going strictly from the nutritional panel that they provided... for a vegan wrap I don't see how this is worth it for anyone that is not on a strict vegan diet . Just my opinion.
Bobby S. says
I am recently vegan and am on the continual quest to find quick/easy things to take to work for Lunch. I picked this wrap up and like everyone has discussed, was super shocked that it is 600 calories. I still wanted to try it mostly for convenience and in hopes that the taste would be worth the calories. Sad to say, it was not worth it. Way too much going on with all the textures and flavors and the worst part......my wrap was soggy. Like most Trader Joes food, you must eat this wrap quickly and don't let it sit in the fridge for a day. I will continue onward (pass this wrap) to find convenient and healthy vegan food to fuel me. Cheers!
Ttrockwood says
I have bought this wrap a few times and really like it! I had half of it with a side of raw veggies for lunch, and i can see that someone with a bigger appetite would have the whole wrap.
It’s not diet food, but it’s tasty and great to have a creative plant based option
becomebetty says
Hey Ttrockwood! There aren't a ton of vegan options in the refrigerated aisle, so I too applaud Trader Joe's on making creative wraps too. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Luna says
I'm vegan, and I got really excited when I saw this, but it looked way too healthy for me. 😆 I miss their faux chicken and falafel wraps that they unfortunately discontinued. Now THOSE were delicious!
becomebetty says
Hey Luna! Same here. I wanted something to cut all the healthiness here. I remember the falafel wraps. Those were pretty good and the falafel mix is actually pretty good if you are willing to put the time into making these. Thanks so much for stopping by!