The 51 Best Vegan Things To Buy At Trader Joe’s

It’s not always easy to find simple, vegan breakfast sausage patties, and when you do, they’re often either expensive or not very good. These are only $3.99 for six and are perfectly greasy and savory, just how a breakfast sausage should be.

I’ve never been a huge fan of chocolate-covered strawberries, so I initially wasn’t sure if this would be for me. I was SO wrong. The freeze-dried strawberries add a tartness that makes this kettle corn impossible to put down. I don’t go to Trader Joe’s with this on my list, but it almost always ends up in my cart.

I have long been a little bit convinced that I’m the only one who buys these. Literally no one else I know does, or has been convinced to start by eating some of my stash. That said, I’ve been buying them for over 10 years, and they’re still around, so someone else clearly enjoys them too! If you like crunchy, weird-shaped snacks that taste a little bit healthy, maybe that someone could be you?

I honestly feel that TJ’s is doing a bit of a disservice to this sauce by calling it a satay sauce, which initially confused me as to what I should do with it. They really should have labeled it a Thai You’re-About-To-Put-This-Peanut-Sauce-On-Everything Sauce, because that’s how good and versatile it is.

Despite the name, this is entirely vegan. It’s also one of the tastiest, heartiest meals you can get in a can. I swear it used to have some kind of soy in it, but I’ve just checked and it is now pea protein crumbles. Some vegan chilis are just beans, so the addition of these additional crumbles really helps make this satisfying.

Try dipping some Trader Joe’s Corn Chip Dippers into this for a demo station-approved meal.

Okay, I am not going to lie, I think this needs a little cheesy boost to make it actually worthy of being called pesto. Once you add a little nutritional yeast, though—this is a KILLER dip, sauce for pasta, spread for sandwiches… You really can’t go wrong.

Trader Joe’s Indian meals are one of their most popular frozen items, and this vegan version of their chicken tikka masala makes it easy to see why. It’s cheap, easy to cook, and the sauce is SO flavorful. My one qualm would be that I sometimes find the soy chunks to be a bit larger than I would like, but that’s a fine problem to have compared to the chicken version, which has gotten complaints in recent years for not having enough meat.

Trader Joe’s has yet again hidden away an awesome product behind, let’s be honest, a pretty ridiculously vague and unsexy product name. The “vegan cheddar style crackers with nut & seed flour” doesn’t do much for their image problem either.

I’ll help: These are Cheez-Its, people! Or at least one of the closest facsimiles vegans can get. Buy them so they don’t go away (but save me at least one box on the shelf).

If you’re the kind of person who thinks lentil soup usually tastes a little too thin and boring, this is the Trader Joe’s product that’ll change your mind on it forever. It’s THICK and hearty, and there’s enough in the container to really satisfy (or to eat for multiple meals).

Man, sometimes Trader Joe’s is really doing too much with their vegan product labeling, but don’t let the word “morsels” turn you off. These are a little like if chicken nuggets were turned into orange chicken, and trust me–you want that.

Someone somewhere decided a snack we were all missing was the end of a Drumstick, and now you can find a variety of different companies making them. Trader Joe’s somehow found a vegan version to private label, for which I am very grateful. These are like the best part of an ice cream cone, with the added benefit that you can eat more than one.

This frozen meal stands out for two reasons: One, it actually has enough sauce for the amount of rice that comes with it (i.e, the rice doesn’t soak it all up immediately). Two, it contains tofu sheets, or yuba, which is another product that Trader Joe’s sells that I just can’t figure out how to use. Luckily, that’s a mystery I don’t have to solve because I can just enjoy it in this delicious curry.

These noodles are like if ramen packets were made for discerning adults who still appreciate a good deal. For just $4.99, you can get four packs of noodles and sauce that are as good on their own as they are turned into a stir-fry or soup. Trader Joe’s also has a spicy version, but I find this one to have enough flavor that I don’t need the heat.

I am obsessed that Trader Joe’s sells vegan marshmallows and just doesn’t make a big deal out of it at all. Is it a little harder to get vegan marshmallows to toast or melt? Yes, absolutely. Are they still just as tasty, and do they mean everyone can get in on the fun of s’mores or Rice Krispies treats? DEFINITELY.

Trader Joe’s, if you’re listening, please please don’t discontinue these ravioli like you have all the other vegan versions you used to sell. These are just as tasty as their non-vegan counterparts and are the perfect easy meal.

This stuff is expensive or completely unavailable everywhere else, so the fact that Trader Joe’s casually sells this for $3.99 is really incredible. When you think about how you’d have to spend upwards of $15 for an açaí Playa Bowl, it’s even more amazing.

Trader Joe’s has a regular vegetable fried rice that is serviceable, but if you’re looking for excellence, you’ve gotta reach for this Japanese-style version. Its combination of soy sauce and mirin, plus the addition of deep-fried tofu and shredded hijiki seaweed, will have you rethinking what fried rice can and should be.

The world of meatless ground meat has made big strides in the last decade or so with the emergence of Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods (the latter of which they sell for a good price at TJ’s), but I’ll always have room in my life for this good, old-fashioned “beef” made from soy protein. It’s there for me when I want to save money, or Trader Joe’s is out of the alternatives, and that’s something I’ll always appreciate.

To be a fly on the wall in a Trader Joe’s marketing meeting, am I right? At any rate, no one knows why they named this “piquant” or even how to pronounce it, but what I do know is that this popcorn is awesome. It’s a little like their Herbs & Spices Popcorn, but without the herbs.

If I had to guess what most people would say is the best vegan product at Trader Joe’s, I’d say it’s almost certainly this soyrizo. The price is right, and it’s extremely tasty (for meat-eaters and vegans alike). Fun fact—around ~2014, Trader Joe’s replaced this with a vegetarian version, and people practically rioted. They had the OG back on the shelves within months.

Hot tip: Freeze it, then slice pieces off as needed. It will crumble as it cooks, but won’t turn your cutting board orange or make a mess on your counter.