I ate every frozen appetizer I could find at Trader Joe's. Here's what is and isn't worth buying for a party.

Lucien FormichellaFeb 10, 2024, 04:47 IST

I compared 19 different frozen appetizers from Trader Joe's.Lucien Formichella

I tried 19 Trader Joe's frozen appetizers to figure out which is the best for a large party.
I thought the artichoke timbales were kind of bland and the pastry pups left much to be desired.

As a habitual snacker, it'd be cruel not to share my opinions on the best Trader Joe's frozen appetizers to bust out for a party.

So, I picked out 19 of the best-looking frozen appetizers at Trader Joe's to review.

I was disappointed that almost none of the items came with a sauce. As such, I tried almost every item without a sauce to see how the flavor stood up.

As for the cooking, I ignored the instructions for most dishes and put everything in the air fryer for five to eight minutes at either 370 or 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of them turned out fine.

Here's how the appetizers stacked up, from my least favorite to my top picks I'd love to eat at a party.

I started off with a wildcard item, Trader Joe's artichoke timbales.

The artichoke timbales weren't anything special to me.Lucien Formichella

I started off with a wildcard item, Trader Joe's artichoke timbales.

The artichoke timbales weren't anything special to me.Lucien Formichella

The coconut shrimp didn't have a lot of flavor to me.

At least Trader Joe's coconut shrimp was juicy.Lucien Formichella

The coconut shrimp didn't have a lot of flavor to me.

At least Trader Joe's coconut shrimp was juicy.Lucien Formichella

Trader Joe's Parmesan pastry pups combine cheese and hot dogs.

The pastry puffs had a decent dough, but I wasn't a fan of the hot dog part.Lucien Formichella

Trader Joe's Parmesan pastry pups combine cheese and hot dogs.

The pastry puffs had a decent dough, but I wasn't a fan of the hot dog part.Lucien Formichella

There was a little too much going on in the vegetable spring rolls.

I think the edamame, kale, and tofu were just too much.Lucien Formichella

There was a little too much going on in the vegetable spring rolls.

I think the edamame, kale, and tofu were just too much.Lucien Formichella

I wasn't sure what to expect with the ratatouille bites.

I think there was a little too much bread on Trader Joe's ratatouille bites.Lucien Formichella

I wasn't sure what to expect with the ratatouille bites.

I think there was a little too much bread on Trader Joe's ratatouille bites.Lucien Formichella

Trader Joe's gnocchi alla Romana was missing something.

Trader Joe's gnocchi alla Romana looked huge.Lucien Formichella

Trader Joe's gnocchi alla Romana was missing something.

Trader Joe's gnocchi alla Romana looked huge.Lucien Formichella

The mini vegetable samosas were a little bland.

I thought Trader Joe's vegetable samosas were just OK.Lucien Formichella

The mini vegetable samosas were a little bland.

I thought Trader Joe's vegetable samosas were just OK.Lucien Formichella

The mini beef tacos were all right but I think they needed more fixings.

I almost didn't notice the salsa in Trader Joe's mini beef tacos.Lucien Formichella

The mini beef tacos were all right but I think they needed more fixings.

I almost didn't notice the salsa in Trader Joe's mini beef tacos.Lucien Formichella

Trader Joe's Southwest-style chicken quesadillas were pretty hearty.

Trader Joe's Southwest-style quesadillas had a chicken, corn, and bean filling.Lucien Formichella

Trader Joe's Southwest-style chicken quesadillas were pretty hearty.

Trader Joe's Southwest-style quesadillas had a chicken, corn, and bean filling.Lucien Formichella

Trader Joe's perfectly pickled pups surprised me.

The breading on the exterior of the perfectly pickled pups was nice and crunchy.Lucien Formichella

Trader Joe's perfectly pickled pups surprised me.

The breading on the exterior of the perfectly pickled pups was nice and crunchy.Lucien Formichella

Trader Joe's Buffalo-style chicken poppers came in a shape I didn't expect.

I thought the Buffalo-style chicken poppers had a great filling.Lucien Formichella

Trader Joe's Buffalo-style chicken poppers came in a shape I didn't expect.

I thought the Buffalo-style chicken poppers had a great filling.Lucien Formichella

The mac-and-cheese bites needed a sauce in my opinion.

Trader Joe's mac-and-cheese bites were pretty decent.Lucien Formichella

The mac-and-cheese bites needed a sauce in my opinion.

Trader Joe's mac-and-cheese bites were pretty decent.Lucien Formichella

The crispy vegetable pouches had a great combination of ingredients.

I really enjoyed the crispy vegetable pouches.Lucien Formichella

The crispy vegetable pouches had a great combination of ingredients.

I really enjoyed the crispy vegetable pouches.Lucien Formichella

The breaded fried ravioli was tasty.

I wish I had a sauce to dip the ravioli into.Lucien Formichella

The breaded fried ravioli was tasty.

I wish I had a sauce to dip the ravioli into.Lucien Formichella

The pastry bites with feta cheese and caramelized onions had a great taste.

The feta and caramelized onions worked together nicely.Lucien Formichella

The pastry bites with feta cheese and caramelized onions had a great taste.

The feta and caramelized onions worked together nicely.Lucien Formichella

Spanakopita was a childhood favorite of mine.

I loved the flavor and flaky dough in the spanakopita.Lucien Formichella

Spanakopita was a childhood favorite of mine.

I loved the flavor and flaky dough in the spanakopita.Lucien Formichella

Trader Joe's corn-and-cheese arepas looked amazing when I took them out of the box.

I was excited to try Trader Joe's corn-and-cheese arepas.Lucien Formichella

Trader Joe's corn-and-cheese arepas looked amazing when I took them out of the box.

I was excited to try Trader Joe's corn-and-cheese arepas.Lucien Formichella

The breaded mozzarella-cheese sticks were basically perfect.

I love a cheesy appetizer.Lucien Formichella

The breaded mozzarella-cheese sticks were basically perfect.

I love a cheesy appetizer.Lucien Formichella

I'll definitely be repurchasing Trader Joe's mini cheeseburgers.

Trader Joe's mini cheeseburgers tasted delicious.Lucien Formichella

I'll definitely be repurchasing Trader Joe's mini cheeseburgers.

Trader Joe's mini cheeseburgers tasted delicious.Lucien Formichella

In the end, the mozzarella-cheese bites were the winner.

I liked quite a few of the Trader Joe's appetizers.Lucien Formichella

In the end, the mozzarella-cheese bites were the winner.

I liked quite a few of the Trader Joe's appetizers.Lucien Formichella

I made Rachael Ray's lucky 7-layer dip, and it's the perfect game-day appetizer

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I ate every frozen appetizer I could find at Trader Joe's. Here's what is and isn't worth buying for a party.

I started off with a wildcard item, Trader Joe's artichoke timbales.

I started off with a wildcard item, Trader Joe's artichoke timbales.

The coconut shrimp didn't have a lot of flavor to me.

The coconut shrimp didn't have a lot of flavor to me.

Trader Joe's Parmesan pastry pups combine cheese and hot dogs.

Trader Joe's Parmesan pastry pups combine cheese and hot dogs.

There was a little too much going on in the vegetable spring rolls.

There was a little too much going on in the vegetable spring rolls.

I wasn't sure what to expect with the ratatouille bites.

I wasn't sure what to expect with the ratatouille bites.

Trader Joe's gnocchi alla Romana was missing something.

Trader Joe's gnocchi alla Romana was missing something.

The mini vegetable samosas were a little bland.

The mini vegetable samosas were a little bland.

The mini beef tacos were all right but I think they needed more fixings.

The mini beef tacos were all right but I think they needed more fixings.

Trader Joe's Southwest-style chicken quesadillas were pretty hearty.

Trader Joe's Southwest-style chicken quesadillas were pretty hearty.

Trader Joe's perfectly pickled pups surprised me.

Trader Joe's perfectly pickled pups surprised me.

Trader Joe's Buffalo-style chicken poppers came in a shape I didn't expect.

Trader Joe's Buffalo-style chicken poppers came in a shape I didn't expect.

The mac-and-cheese bites needed a sauce in my opinion.

The mac-and-cheese bites needed a sauce in my opinion.

The crispy vegetable pouches had a great combination of ingredients.

The crispy vegetable pouches had a great combination of ingredients.

The breaded fried ravioli was tasty.

The breaded fried ravioli was tasty.

The pastry bites with feta cheese and caramelized onions had a great taste.

The pastry bites with feta cheese and caramelized onions had a great taste.

Spanakopita was a childhood favorite of mine.

Spanakopita was a childhood favorite of mine.

Trader Joe's corn-and-cheese arepas looked amazing when I took them out of the box.

Trader Joe's corn-and-cheese arepas looked amazing when I took them out of the box.

The breaded mozzarella-cheese sticks were basically perfect.

The breaded mozzarella-cheese sticks were basically perfect.

I'll definitely be repurchasing Trader Joe's mini cheeseburgers.

I'll definitely be repurchasing Trader Joe's mini cheeseburgers.

In the end, the mozzarella-cheese bites were the winner.

In the end, the mozzarella-cheese bites were the winner.