
If Trader Joe’s had a mantra, it might be: “We’ll take you on a global culinary adventure… but you might need to bring snacks.” Enter their Vegan Sri Lankan Curry and Seasoned Rice with Cashews, a three-part meal in a box that’s like assembling IKEA furniture, some assembly required, and you might be left wondering if you got the right parts and what is up with those weird cashews?!?!?
Trader Joe’s has a reputation for all things curry. They have had so many different Indian and Thai curries over the years, even I can’t keep up with them all and I have had a lot of them so I was very interested in trying a new Sri Lankan curry. I’ve had Sri Lankan food a few times, there are a couple of places here in the city that specialize in it and it is some of the most flavorful curry I’ve ever had and the hot spice level is usually over the top. Trader Joe’s has never been shy about giving us hot spicy food from all over the world so I expected the same.

Preparation
The prep here is almost too easy—like the culinary equivalent of “just add water.” First, you cut open the rice bag and the curry bag (because who doesn’t love vacuum-sealed pouches of questionable liquids and grains?), dump them into a dish, and microwave the whole thing for a couple of minutes. Voilà, dinner is served! Except not quite—you still have to sprinkle the sad, soft cashews on top, which feels less like garnishing and more like a failed experiment in textural contrast. Then, you eat and question your life choices.

First Impressions
When you first open everything up, it looks… fine. We’ve been here before with Trader Joe’s. The curry actually smells pretty good and I was anticipating having my head blown off by the spicy heat. The curry sauce has a nice golden color, the rice is fluffy enough and comes pre seasoned, and the cashews look like they’ll add some crunch, until you taste them and realize they’re more rubbery than crispy. Spoiler alert: they will not improve with heating. Grab a bag of roasted and salted cashews from the nut section if you really want good cashews.

Taste and Texture
The curry itself is watery, like it’s trying to be a soup but isn’t quite committed. The flavor is serviceable but uninspired, with just a hint of coconut and spices that whisper instead of shout. If you’re expecting bold Sri Lankan flavors, this is more like a half-hearted “meh” on your palate. The rice is perfectly adequate, though it struggles to carry the dish on its own. And those cashews? Well, we’ve talked about them enough, haven’t we? (Seriously, swap them for roasted and salted ones if you want any kind of joy.)
Portion and Value
At $3.99, it’s not a bad deal, but it’s also not something you’ll be craving after the first try. Trader Joe’s says that a portion is 610 calories but the whole box is 910 calories. So, if you split a box it’s 455 calories, hardly a meal but a whole box is too much. But from looking at the whole box prepared, I could probably eat it all by myself. Still, at $3.99 for 910 calories that’s a pretty good deal caloriewise. But splitting this with two people, you would probably need something else to fill you up.
Final Verdict
Trader Joe’s Vegan Sri Lankan Curry and Seasoned Rice with Cashews feels like a near-miss. It’s convenient, but between the soupy curry, ho-hum flavors, and those tragic cashews, it doesn’t live up to its global-inspired promise. I give it a hard pass…
Rating: 6/10 stars
Would we buy it again? Probably not. Unless they give those cashews a redemption arc. and spice it up a bit!