Ariana Losch
We’ve tried a lot of hog here at Sporked, and some of the best sausages we’ve ever ranked came from Trader Joe’s. So we decided to put all the sausages at TJ’s to the test. (Also, spoiler: The best Trader Joe’s sausages are all chicken sausages. With pork casings. Sorry. We didn’t want it to work out that way, but it’s the truth.)
What we looked for in the best Trader Joe’s sausage:
- A juicy, snappy bite: Casing and texture is a huge indicator of quality. We want a loosely ground interior with juice that drips right down your chin. Gross, right? Wrong. Delicious.
- Full flavor: Good sausage has a well-balanced seasoning that isn’t distractingly herby or bland.
Here are the four best Trader Joe’s sausages we really recommend grabbing over all the others.
- Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage
-
TJ’s Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage is our second-best Italian sausage—and the only one on this current list that comes raw rather than cooked. These fat meat logs have what my colleague and fellow flesh tube lover Gwynedd Stuart calls “butcher shop flavor and texture,” with a crisp pork casing and subtle spices like anise and fennel seed. They’re great for pasta dishes and sheet-pan dinners, and you can even crumble them out of the casing for homemade meatballs. Versatility, baby. We love a thick hog that tastes good no matter what you do with it.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Champagne Apple Chicken Sausage
-
The boozy-sweet flavor of this chicken sausage certainly gets your attention, but when I’m looking for the best sausage at Trader Joe’s, my main criteria is quality. Does it have that loose, choppy ground inside and impeccable juiciness? The answer, here, is a resounding yes. The flavor definitely leans sweet—too sweet for me to enjoy on a regular basis—but the quality of the logs themselves are to die for. There’s even a bit of smokiness to balance the tangy Champagne and sweet apple.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Garlic & Herb Chicken Sausage
-
To be honest with you, the quality and texture of these garlic and herb chicken sausages aren’t as good as the champagne apple ones—they’re slightly closer to a hot dog than a butcher shop sausage, but I’m really okay with that, because the flavor is excellent. This is the best sausage at Trader Joe’s if you want something neutral, herbed, and deeply savory. (They aren’t very garlicky, but we prefer subtlety to a too-strong raw garlic bite.) These are the best Trader Joe’s sausages for pork lovers; we would have never guessed they were chicken sausages, honestly. That’s how savory and flavorful they are.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Unexpected Cheddar Chicken Sausage
-
You might be surprised to find a cheesy chicken sausage in #1 place. Maybe it feels childish to you, but I stand by these cheddar wieners. They’re real winners. To quote myself in our very first review of this sausage: “This sausage is creamy, which is a disgusting way to describe sausage, but it’s true.” I know, I know, I’m not really selling it yet—but you’re going to have to trust me. The quality of the loosely packed meat mixed with the melted cheese… guys, it’s incredible. And the juice factor is out of this world. Unexpected Cheddar is a Trader Joe’s cheese that mixes parm and cheddar, and it adds a very light greasiness and addictive saltiness to every bite. You won’t be able to restrain yourself around this sausage. Trust me.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
Most Versatile
Best Sweet
Runner Up
Best of the Best
Other Trader Joe’s sausages we tried:
Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage, Maple Breakfast Sausage, Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage, Spicy Jalapeño Chicken Sausage, Smoked Andouille, Meatless Breakfast Sausage Patties, Chicken Breakfast Sausage Patties, Hot Italian Sausage
Matt Crowley
Luke Field
Jordan Myrick
