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Let the nutrition professionals help you find the healthiest frozen foods at Trader Joe’s, plus which ones you should avoid if you want to keep your diet on track. Trader Joe’s is known for selling a wide variety of unique frozen foods, including cuisine inspired by Japan, China, the Caribbean, as well as many vegetarian choices. Their fresh take on frozen foods makes Trader Joe’s a go-to for shoppers looking for quick fixes to get dinner on the table during hectic weekdays.
These days, even health-conscious shoppers will have plenty of options when browsing Trader Joe’s frozen food sections. Over the past decade, many food manufacturers have made great strides in creating better frozen options that contain less sodium and saturated fat, and provide more vegetables, whole grains, and essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals and fiber.
However, not all Trader Joe’s frozen foods are created equal. Some can be loaded with sodium, added sugar, and often lacking in vegetables, fiber, and lean protein. Here, we highlight the best and worst frozen meal options available at Trader Joe’s right now.
A guide to choosing the best frozen foods
Trader Joe’s offers a line of nutritious frozen meals that can be a convenient and balanced part of your diet. The popular supermarket chain offers plenty of frozen vegetarian options, veggie-heavy entrees, and lean protein-rich choices that offer both great taste and high nutritional value. I always recommend looking for meals that contain whole food ingredients, lean protein, fiber, and limited amounts of sodium and added sugars.
“It’s important to read the ingredient list first, advises Cynthia Sass, MPH, MA, RD, CSSD, a Los Angeles-based sports dietitian and author. “The ingredient list for a healthy pre-prepared frozen meal should read like a recipe you could have made yourself. In addition to simple, recognizable ingredients, rate the quality of the ingredients, i.e. tell if it’s made with whole grains rather than refined grains and what type of oil it contains Ingredients are listed in order of weight, so the ingredients higher on the list are a greater part of every bite,” adds Sass.
Dietitian Patricia Bannan, MS, RD, author of From Exhaustion to Balance recommends shoppers choose frozen foods that meet these nutritional goals:
- More than 15 grams of protein. Protein should be the highlight of a balanced meal and will help promote feelings of fullness.
- Less than 600 milligrams of sodium. Sodium is often used in large quantities in frozen meals. Monitoring sodium intake is important for heart health and blood pressure regulation. The recommended daily limit is 2,300 mg per day. If your frozen meal is over 600mg, that doesn’t give you much wiggle room to stick to your daily sodium budget.
Below are options recommended for healthier frozen meals by dietitians, as well as some options to skip. Only some of these items are listed on Trader Joe’s website, but all can be found at most TJ stores. And for more helpful shopping tips, check out 9 Healthier Ice Creams That Really Taste Great, Dietitians Say.
Trader Joe’s Best Frozen Goods
Trader Joe’s has a variety of frozen shrimp options, but this one has two ingredients: shrimp and salt. Frozen shrimp is one of the best ways to add delicious lean protein to meals in a snap, and seafood in general is one of the best ways to get high-quality protein for less. of calories. Plus, frozen shrimp are versatile, so you can enjoy them endlessly, such as stir-fries, tacos, as part of pasta dishes and hearty salads.
This frosty fan favorite is an Instagram sensation that fans are constantly gushing over and sharing their stories of how to make healthy meals with these cauliflower treats. THE Cauliflower gnocchi is made with just 5 ingredients and is a nutritional all-star, thanks to the cauliflower base. In addition to being lower in calories and fat, gnocchi are high in fiber and naturally gluten-free. I love them when air fried, but you can also fry, boil, microwave or bake them for a delicious and healthy meal.
Instead of a beef burger high in saturated fat, how about a mahi mahi burger for your next barbecue? TJ’s Mahi Mahi Burgers are another top pick in Trader Joe’s frozen food aisle. Mahi Mahi is rich in omega-3, B vitamins, magnesium, potassium and selenium. You can enjoy these burgers prepared on the grill, in the oven, or pan-fried. Serve on whole wheat bread and with your favorite vegetarian condiments for a healthy meal.
Trader Joe fans say this Asian-inspired meal sets it apart. It has delicious lean chicken and lots of veggies, including shiitakes, green beans, and edamame. Nutritionally, it’s relatively low in calories, saturated fat, and added sugar, but it packs 20 grams of protein per serving. Serve with ½ cup cooked brown rice and you’ve got a satisfying meal that beats the order.
RELATED: 25 Best Healthy Frozen Pizzas, According To Dietitians
Trader Joe’s Worst Frozen Goods
This TJ Shrimp Dinner gets great reviews for its delicious taste online, but it’s not a nutritional star. Shrimp tempura is always a crowd pleaser, but Trader Joe’s Shrimp Tempura comes with a sweet soy dip that has 2 teaspoons of sugar and the sodium content is very high. The calories in the serving are modest, but that’s mostly due to the small serving of just 3 ounces of shrimp or 3 and 1/3 shrimp.
These savory meat pies are one of the unhealthiest options we can find in the frozen food aisle at Trader Joe’s. They are a healthy eater’s worst nightmare. You’ll get 50% of your total daily sodium intake with one serving and more of saturated fat than you should get in an entire day!
Even eating half a pie would derail your healthy eating goals. Most of the calories, fat, saturated fat, and low-quality carbs come from the buttery crust. Many online reviewers also complain that the pies are all crusty and have little meat.
Even if the Meatless Cheeseburger Pizza is considered a vegetarian choice, a “cheese burger” pizza is probably a good indicator that it’s not the best option. The problem with this pizza is that a 1/3 serving of pie contributes 25% of all saturated fat and over 1/3 of the sodium you should have in an entire day. Saturated fat comes from cheese and plant-based faux ground beef crumbs made from pea protein. The ingredient list for this pizza also reads like a novel.
The packaging boasts that these corn dogs are uncured and contain no nitrates or nitrites, but the nutrition label shows how unhealthy these dogs are for you.
These dogs are considered an ultra-processed food with over 30 ingredients and several sources of added sugars, including sugar, molasses, maltodextrin and honey. They’re also incredibly high in sodium, with two corn dogs contributing almost 40% of the sodium you should have in a day. Avoid those carby, salty dogs.
A jamaican pancake it’s beef and vegetables in a pastry, to make a deliciously seasoned ground beef pie. Nutritionally, these made our worst picks due to high total fat, saturated fat, sodium, and low-quality carbs. One patty contains 440 calories, 50% of the saturated fat and 25% of the sodium you need per day. The high saturated fat and sodium content makes these patties a risky choice for your heart health. Like Trader Joe’s Steak and Stout Pies, online reviewers of these patties also complain that the patties are light on the beef.
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