The best Trader Joe’s appetizers can turn around even the crummiest party. Seriously, I’ll suffer through some lame small talk as long as I can post up next to the snack table and stuff my face with mini samosas and cocktail wieners wrapped in puff pastry.
Trader Joe’s appetizers, particularly the ones you find in the frozen aisle, are a life-saver and a time-saver for hosts, too. No need to futz with sheets of filo when the best Trader Joe’s appetizers are as good as pretty much anything you’d put together yourself, unless you’re Ina Garten (in which case, hi, I love you, please make appetizers for me).
But not all Trader Joe’s frozen appetizers are worthy of your party spread. Over the course of three separate taste tests, we cranked up the office oven and heated up everything from little empanadas to pigs in a blanket to separate the guaranteed crowd-pleasers from the bites that’ll wind up in the trash, crumpled-up into cocktail napkins. In our most recent taste test, our previous number one pick just didn’t hold up—which means a new best Trader Joe’s appetizer has been crowned. Others dropped off the list because they simply aren’t available anymore. (Bring back the Portuguese bacalhau tartlettes, dammit!) Here are the 12 current best Trader Joe’s frozen appetizers.
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- Trader Joe’s Chao Tom
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Do you love lemongrass? Like, enough to marry it? Well, then this is the Trader Joe’s appetizer for you. These shrimp-and-veggie lollipops, which come on sticks made of sugarcane, are a take on a popular Vietnamese snack. They’re like tender shrimp meatballs on sticks—they have a lovely and savory seafood flavor, but, yeah, lemongrass is the predominant flavor profile, for sure. In fact, I was compelled to ask Mythical Chef Josh if chao tom is always super lemongrassy and he said yes, so TJ’s gets a pass on this one. If you’re looking for Asian apps to preempt an Asian meal, give these a shot.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Fried Olive Bites
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Okay, why aren’t fried olives more of a thing and who can I yell at about this? While I work on finding the right person to berate, allow me to extol the virtues of this cute, creative frozen appetizer. First of all, they probably aren’t what you’re expecting (i.e., breaded and deep-fried cheese-stuffed olives). Instead, they’re made of a macerated mixture of different types of salty, savory olives formed around a blend of creamy cheeses, which are then breaded and fried. I’m not certain why it was necessary to mash up and create a dough of something that was made to be stuffed with cheese in its original form, but I’m sure Trader Joe has his reasons. And if you’re concerned about the salt factor, I get it, but if you can handle fried pickles, you can handle these Trader Joe’s frozen appetizers.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Mini Vegetable Samosas
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If you’re putting out a spread of frozen appetizers for a crowd of vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, this is one of the best Trader Joe’s frozen appetizers to have in the mix. TJ’s Mini Veggie Samosas—filled with potatoes, carrots, peas, lentils, and onions—are crispy, spicy, and satisfying without including meat. I also think they might have amped up the heat a little bit here—I took a bite and actually coughed a little. Sometimes the best frozen appetizers are the ones that remind you you’re alive.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Trader Joe’s Spanikopita
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Spanikopita is a classic app and it’s a total pain in the hole to make, so I’m pleased to report that Trader Joe’s makes a good version. (We tried the kind that comes in little triangles rather than the pie-shaped version.) The filo crisps up nicely and the filling is tasty, although it could use a little more salt, especially considering feta is involved. But I love how authentic the filling tastes. It reminds me of dolmades—pretty sure there’s even some mint in there. If you aren’t fixing to futz with filo, this is one of those Trader Joe’s appetizers to have in the freezer.
Credit: Merc
- Trader Joes’ Party Size Mini Meatballs
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Between the overall look and the zany font on the bag, I didn’t expect a lot from Trader Joe’s Mini Meatballs. Surely they’re like little rubber balls, no? No! These frozen meatballs are tender rather than dense and tightly packed. They taste like a good fast food hamburger. And if you’re looking for something versatile, these are absolutely one of the best Trader Joe’s frozen appetizers. You could put them in a hot dog bun with marinara to make snack-size meatball subs or just serve them right out of the oven with a bunch of different dipping sauces. The best Trader Joe’s appetizers give you options, and these are great in that sense.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Parmesan Pastry Pups
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Kinda crazy that this Trader Joe’s frozen appetizer was our #1 pick and now it’s #7, huh? I was tempted to say that we’re happy to admit when we’re wrong, but I’m not sure we were wrong! What happened is that when we tried these pigs in a blanket in our most recent Trader Joe’s appetizers taste test, the mini hot dogs had a little bit of a strange, gamey aftertaste that lingered on our palates as we ate—and that definitely didn’t used to be true. All the same, these are still good. The puff pastry is oily in a satisfying way. The sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top gets all golden brown and adds some nutty, savory flavor. And hey, maybe you’ll get a better batch than we did!
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Empanadas de Ropa Vieja
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These ropa vieja empanadas are a relatively new addition to the lineup of Trader Joe’s frozen appetizers (this was the first taste test in which we tried them), and they’re great. They’re made with a cassava crust instead of a crust made from regular wheat flour dough, and it’s a nice touch. They get crisp on the outside, but the dough stays a bit chewy, too. The filling is savory and beefy, although I was sort of disappointed that they don’t contain any cheese, but that’s only because it kind of looks like they have cheese in the photo on the box. My fault, not theirs. These would be really good dunked in some chimichurri.
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
- Trader Joe’s Mini Mushroom Tartlettes
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I love stuffed mushrooms, and these little tarts taste exactly like stuffed mushrooms, but with a nice buttery crust instead of a bunch of dusty ol’ breadcrumbs. Really, what’s not to love about a mini pie crust filled with mushroom duxelles? This is one of the best Trader Joe’s appetizers if you’re hosting a party specifically for me.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Trader Joe’s Crispy Vegetable Pouches
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These little bundles taste a lot like spring rolls, but the format rather than the filling is what really hit for us. If you love “crunchy experiences,” as my colleague Justine Sterling put it, you’ll like these. See, the way the dough is cinched at the top of the pouch creates a bunch of thin, crackly folds and they’re incredibly pleasing to eat. Don’t get us wrong: The filling is good, but this Trader Joe’s frozen appetizer just also happens to be very fun to eat.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Mini Chicken Tikka Samosas
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When it comes to the best Trader Joe’s frozen appetizers, you can’t go wrong with meat wrapped in dough, and these Mini Chicken Samosas are proof. These are small, but they pack so much Indian-food flavor. All the hits are there: curry, cumin, coriander. They taste like tandoori chicken. And while the filling is a little mushy—I couldn’t really detect whole pieces of chicken—the dough cooks up so nice and crispy that it all just works. You’ll want to let these cool before you put them out—third-degree tongue burns are terrible party favors.
Credit: Merc
- Trader Joe’s Jalapeno & Cream Cheese Crispy Wontons
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Does anyone not like crab rangoon? Well, yeah—people who don’t eat crab. This Trader Joe’s frozen app solves for that, although people who don’t like heat are out of luck. All the same, everything about these is pretty perfect. The wrapper gets crispy crackly, and there’s a great filling-to-wrapper ratio. (Is there anything worse than getting underfilled crab rangoon from a restaurant? I think not.) The box shows these being served with a ramekin of sweet chili sauce, and that would be a perfect pairing. In fact, TJ’s, put a packet of sauce in the box!
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Trader Joe’s Pastry Bites with Feta Cheese & Caramelized Onions
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This Trader Joe’s frozen appetizer is a classic for a reason. No app spread would be complete without these. The consistency of the filling is so eggy and light—like a little souffle. There’s a little bit of salty bite from the feta, but it’s not too briny or dry. The caramelized onion is sweet, savory, and goes so well with the flavor of the cheese filling. The pastry is a little tough, but it’s not a deal breaker. We cooked these in our toaster oven, and they came out a little greasy on the bottom, but with all that flavor, I sort of doubt your guests will care. We’ve always loved these, and now they top our list of the best Trader Joe’s appetizers!
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
TJ’s Apps!
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Other Trader Joe’s appetizers we tried: Buffalo Style Chicken Poppers, Mini Quiche Duo, Herbaceous Cheesy Bites, Spizzico di Pizza, Panzerotti Pizza Bites, Breaded Mozzarella Sticks, Savory Squash Pastry Bites, Mac and Cheese Bites, Kalua Pork Spring Rolls, Thai Banana Fritters, Breaded Fried Ravioli
