The Best Fast Food in the Frozen Aisle

In the mood for fast food? Look no further than the freezer. More and more fast food restaurants are packaging their iconic products and selling them in the frozen aisle at the grocery store. We’re still waiting on McDonald’s frozen french fries, Burger King frozen french toast sticks, and Taco Bell frozen bean and cheese burritos, but we’re also pret-ty content with the fact that we can grab Auntie Anne’s pretzels, White Castle burgers, and Arby’s curly fries on our regular grocery run.

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For a recent taste test, we stocked up on all the fast food we could find in the frozen aisle, heated it all according to their respective package instructions, and chowed down. Nothing hits quite like a White Castle burger right off the flat top grill or Arby’s curly fries fresh from the fryer, but we were pleasantly surprised by a lot of these frozen finds. Now that fast food costs what fast casual used to, here are some budget friendly and genuinely tasty fast food dupes in the frozen aisle.

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Frozen Fast Food!

Auntie Anne’s Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Nuggets

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Mall food in your freezer! These little nuggets have a convincing pretzel-y tang, and they come with butter packets and a generous amount of cinnamon sugar for coating. I heated these briefly in the microwave and then finished them in the air fryer, which seemed to work fine, but you have to eat these suckers pretty fast or they kind of seize up. We also wouldn’t have turned down a little packet of icing—we were lucky enough to have some lemon cake frosting in the fridge, which made a nice little dip for these.

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

8/10

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Frozen Fast Food!

Nathan’s Mini Pretzel Dogs

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The pretzel dough that’s wrapped around these little Nathan’s wieners could definitely be more pretzel-y, but we’re okay with it, mostly because it still tastes good AND it’s less greasy than the crescent roll dough or puff pastry you typically get with frozen pigs in a blanket.

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Frozen Fast Food!

Nathan’s Coney Island Beef Bagel Dogs

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Nathan’s hot dogs taste great, at the restaurant and at the grocery store. I grew up down the street from a Nathan’s—what’s up, Yonkers—and I love that even though I live on a totally different coast now, I can still get my Nathan’s fix at the grocery store. Now, I don’t think Nathan’s actually sells bagel dogs at its restaurants, but that’s okay—this is a fun snack whether it’s authentic or not. The dough is pliable and nicely seasoned, and the dogs are beefy and juicy. These definitely would have been in my after-school-snack rotation once upon a time.

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Frozen Fast Food!

Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzels

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Nothing beats a fresh, hot, buttery Auntie Anne’s pretzel from the mall kiosk, but these are pretty good in a pinch. They have that lye tang you expect, and we appreciate that they come with both butter for brushing and a bunch of coarsely ground salt for sprinkling. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

9/10

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Frozen Fast Food!

White Castle Jalapeno Cheese Sliders

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This isn’t something they actually have on the menu at White Castle—if you want a more authentic experience, get the cheese or plain sliders—but it’s a fun little novelty all the same. They’re made with jalapeno cheese rather than actual jalapenos, so even heat sensitive people can enjoy these. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Frozen Fast Food!

Arby’s Seasoned Curly Fries

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The Arby’s near my house closed—BOOOO!—but now I can get my curly fry fix at the grocery store. These are greasy and really well seasoned in that Lawry’s Seasoned Salt sort of way. I’ll be honest, it’s been a minute since I had a Beef & Cheddar and a side of curlies, but these absolutely hit the spot. Oh, and if Arby’s ever decides to start selling frozen roast beef sandwiches, you better believe I’m buying them.

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Frozen Fast Food!

White Castle Classic Cheese Sliders

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There are two main things that make White Castle hamburgers delicious: the little onion bits that contribute flavor to every bite and the fact they’re steamed, so the bun gets kinda gooey where it meets the meat. You’d think that would be hard to duplicate outside of a White Castle kitchen, but microwaving these little frozen burgers has a similar effect and it’s GREAT. Truly, if you are craving White Castle and don’t have one nearby (I think our closest is in Vegas!), these little microwave cheeseburgers will scratch the itch. I love them and I am in love with them. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

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