I have literally reviewed hundreds of products from Trader Joe’s. I have written 350 reviews over 10 years. I have tasted just about everything that they sell and tried all the soaps and bought all the plants. One of the reasons I shop at Trader Joe’s is that I try to eat as healthy as I can. While I am not a vegan, my family tries to eat clean, healthy food as much as possible. Trader Joe’s frozen meals have a special place. They are some of the most interesting and healthy foods that you can buy at any grocery store. They source food from all over the planet to give you a wide variety of cuisines.
Over the years I have compiled a shortlist of things that I think are the healthiest frozen meals that Trader Joe’s sells. Here is my list for 2024:
1. Trader Joe’s Vegan Thai Green Curry
One of my favorite cuisines is Thai food and Trader Joe’s does a great job importing high-quality Thai food. Mostly it’s frozen and made in Thailand. This Vegan Thai Green Curry doesn’t get much healthier than this. Made with Tofu and lots of interesting vegetables, the flavors in this can’t be matched. Just watch out if you don’t like the heat.
2. Trader Joe’s Vegan Harvest Chili
I’m not a vegan but I review a lot of vegan products because Trader Joe’s carries a lot of them and most of them are pretty darn good. I really liked this Trader Joe’s Vegan Harvest Chili. I was impressed with the rich, smoky goodness of the chili. Lots of black beans. Some of them seem to be undercooked a bit but. There were chunks of cauliflower and pumpkin in there. Lots of little interesting bits. It wasn’t too spicy, which is good for me. All in all, I quite enjoyed it. I would easily buy this again!
3. Trader Joe’s Vegan Tikka Masala
I’m a big fan of Indian food and Trader Joe’s has a lot of it in their freezer section. If you like Tikka Masala this might be the dish for you! Very spicy and full of protein and comes with a side of rice. Perfect for bringing to the office for lunch.
4. Trader Joe’s Vegan Meatless Meat Eater’s Pizza
I really like Trader Joe’s Vegan Meatless Meat Eater’s Pizza. Taken altogether, this wasn’t half bad! I could eat this on a regular basis and not miss having any real meat. The only off-putting thing was the weird texture on the “pepperoni” but when you take a bit of the crust and sauce and everything altogether, you don’t really notice it. At 750 calories, it’s too much for one person and not enough for two to split.
I wish it was either a little smaller or a little bigger. But either way, vegan pizza has come a long way in the past couple of years and I could probably feed this to my kids and they wouldn’t have a clue that they weren’t eating all vegetables!
5. Trader Joe’s Vegan Pasta Bolognese
6. Trader Joe’s Chicken Burrito Bowl
Trader Joe’s Chicken Burrito Bowl has been at Trader Joe’s for a very long time but it’s proven the test of time. It’s one of those products that unless you try it, you’ll never know how good it is. I was shocked at how good it was. The amount of food you get for only a few dollars was surprising. This bowl is filled with chicken, beans, rice, and a few other veggies.
7. Trader Joe’s Riced Cauliflower Vegan Bowl
This bowl couldn’t be simpler. Take it out of the box. Just cut a slit in the top of the plastic and nuke it in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Take off the plastic and stir and nuke again for a minute or two. Voila, done!
The aromas emanating from the microwave were incredible. I was eager to pull off the plastic top and dig into it. The bowl is a brightly colored mix of vegetables, grains, and other interesting bits. My first bite was a bit sour but as I ate more it seemed like it was balanced good and the sourness seemed to fade. It has a bit of chili heat and the tahini gives it a really nice richness. I really quite enjoyed this and even as a non-vegan I would be happy to eat this again!
8. Trader Joe’s Mildly Spiced Organic Vegan Vegetable Burritos
Trader Joe’s Organic Vegan Burritos have it all in terms of full-on vegetables and beans and no meat or cheese. I missed the cheese but these burritos hit the spot for lunch. If you just want vegetables and burritos, these are for you! You can always bury these in vegan cheese and salsa for more flavor.
9. Trader Joe’s Japanese Styled Fried Rice
I really like this Trader Joe’s Japanese styled vegan fried rice! I am probably going to buy bags of this stuff and put them in my freezer for all those times I want a quick healthy lunch. This is what I’m talking about when I say that vegan food should be more like this and less about fake meat. Edamame and tofu are more than enough protein to fill you up. The carrots and seaweed are a nice accent to the rest of the flavors, which can be a little bland. I did find that it needed just a little shot of soy sauce as it was a little bland and needed something salty to kick it up. I have to say that I was very impressed with this one and this is one more reason to eat more vegan food.
10. Trader Joe’s Tofu Scramble with Soy Chorizo
Finally, something for breakfast that is vegan and wonderful. Trader Joe’s Tofu Scramble with Soy Chorizo. I really liked it. The texture was good. I didn’t think it was too far off from a real egg scramble. The fake Chorizo was pretty authentic. It had a nice spicy kick and a deep depth of smokey flavor. It was quite filling and I really enjoyed it. I wanted to put it in a tortilla and make a burrito out of it. But we have to talk about the skeleton in the closet. The sodium.
