One of my favorite items from Trader Joe's has to be the vast selection of Indian entrees. I'm pretty sure I stock up just about every time I go. It's single-serve and far cheaper than visiting an Indian restaurant. And to be honest, I've liked some of the frozen entrees better than some of the restaurants that I've visited.
Taste
So when Trader Joe's Shrimp Tikka Masala landed I was excited to find and try it. Now there are a number of tikka masala options on shelves. So I figured this would be more of the same.
You see the vegan tikka, chicken tikka, and paneer tikka they are all super similar in terms of the sauce. It's a very similar thick sauce that isn't rustic with chunks of tomato but still manages to be thick. This sauce on the other hand is quite different.
The heat here is mild. But the sauce tastes quite different. Its thinner and the spice blend tastes at least slightly different, but still Indian with the classic aromatic spice blends. Perhaps because different spices would complement the shrimp in a way that can't be done with the other proteins.
The rice here is classic basmati rice with some cumin seeds in it. However, I was really wishing they had gone for the spinach rice as they did with the paneer tikka masala.
The packaging here is more like the Butter Chicken than anything else. You have two deep cavities: one for the rice and one for the shrimp and sauce.
In just about 4 minutes mine was done. Now, keep a napkin around as it is a bit challenging to mix the two of these together as the sauce is more like a thin tomato soup.
The shrimp vary quite a bit in size. Some are nice medium size, some are barely salad sized. But the directions were on point (minus me needing the extra minute or two in the microwave).
And let's be honest, where can you get a seafood lunch or dinner for just $3.49? The truth is you'll only get it in the frozen section.
Now, for me, I liked this. And I've already polished off 3 boxes of this. But mostly because it was the quick meal on hand now that I have a 1-month-old and doing much cooking is off the table for right now.
Overall
But was this my favorite Indian frozen entree? For me, Trader Joe's Shrimp Tikka Masala wasn't. However, that doesn't make this bad. I think this is solid.
If you are a fan of the other Indian dishes this is totally worth a try to see if you would like it.
Would I buy this again? While I would buy Trader Joe's Shrimp Tikka Masala again, I'd still reach for the other options like the Korma Fish Curry first before this. But that is all a matter of preference.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Visual Rundown
The box of Trader Joe's Shrimp Tikka Masala:
The nutritional information
Ingredients and directions
After being cooked you get:
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The Bottom Line
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Trader Joe's Shrimp Tikka Masala
Product Name: Trader Joe's Shrimp Tikka Masala
Product Description: Trader Joe's Shrimp Tikka Masala joins a line up of tikka masala frozen entrees
Price: $3.49
Summary
Trader Joe's Shrimp Tikka Masala joins a long line up of Indian entrees in the frozen section.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- A tasty dish ready in about 5 minutes
- Shrimp did not come out rubbery from the microwave.
- A different sauce than the other tikkas in the frozen section.
Cons
- Not my personal favorite of the bunch, but I didn't hate it either.
- Hard to mix the sauce and the rice based off of the design of the packaging.
Alek says
They have been releasing new Tikka Masala frozen meals. But what I want is the exact same sauce that is from the meals bottled up. It's so dang good!!
Wynn says
Thank you always for your super informative reviews! We tried this last month and loved it! Agreed that the sauce isn’t your typical tikka masala sauce one would expect, but we thought it was tasty nonetheless! We can’t wait to get it again! It’s been a month since we’ve last been able to go to our Trader Joe’s. Sad face. Lol. Even that’s become a luxury these days! Hope you’re staying healthy and safe, and aww, CONGRATS on the Little One!!
becomebetty says
Hey Wynn! Thanks so much for your well wishes. And I'm having the same struggle of not getting to a store regularly as well. I hope everyone is staying safe on your end.
Jennifer says
I tried this and thought your review was pretty spot on! Unfortunately in mine all of the shrimp were pretty small and tough. I feel like the other frozen Indian offerings are better though so this wouldn't be a repurchase for me.
becomebetty says
Hey Jennifer! Thanks so much for sharing. I like the other frozen Indian offerings better too. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to stop by and share.
Robin says
I read your blog a few times every week, although I rarely comment. I love hearing your opinion and often agree.
I MISSED your birth announcement. I thought you just weren’t blogging as much bc you were getting grocery delivery service due to covid.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!
My preemie is now 2.5 months ❤️
becomebetty says
Hey Robin! Thanks so much and an equally big congrats to you too! How is your preemie doing? Stay safe out there.
Dagmar says
I thought I had sent a message about this product but apparently I didn't. I actually didn't like it. I thought that the shrimp were teeny tiny and the sauce was way too watery. But that may just be me. As other posters have commented I wish they had use the same sauce that they did with the chicken tikka masala
Lindsay S says
Have eaten this meal 3 or 4 times, but I don't think I'll be getting it again. It was okay. Not spectacular. Which I could completely forgive for lunch sometimes (i don't expect gourmet quality from a quick at-home or at-work lunch meal). And I could even forgive the 23 grams of fat sometimes. But I definitely didn't find this worth the 15 grams of saturated fat in the container. So for me it was an interesting trial, but not for future purchases.
becomebetty says
Hey Lindsay! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this and for taking the time out of your day to stop by.
m moynihan says
I’ve eaten Indian food in India many times and at some very good Indian food places in other cities including in the US.The Shrimp Tikka Masala wasn’t bad it just didn’t have much Indian spices flavor and the cumin seeds in the white rice contributed no cumin seed flavor at all and the sauce was very mild-kind of surprising given the package said it’s a product of India. Will I buy it again – no. Their Lamb Vindaloo is much better
Jonathan says
I cooked mine for a minute less than recommended and still found the shrimp tough and overcooked. The flavour was nice overall I think but the sauce was so watery I ended up with something like a shrimp and rice soup, which was disappointing! I would rate it 5/10