A lot of classic frozen dinners involve meat. Meatloaf and gravy. Turkey and mashed potatoes. Salisbury steak. Even some bean and cheese burritos, which you might think are veg friendly, contain lard (unfortunately, that’s why our favorite frozen bean burrito tastes so damn good). But vegetarians need quick frozen dinners, too, dammit! And we’re not talking about vegetarian dinner components, like veggie burgers or vegan chicken—we’re talking about frozen meals. So that’s exactly what we’ve rounded up here. These are the best frozen vegetarian meals we’ve tried in our taste tests.
- Amy’s Bowls Broccoli & Cheddar Bake
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This mac and cheese bowl topped our list of the best gluten free frozen meals, but it happens to be one of the best vegetarian frozen meals, too. The pasta is firm and tasty (you’d never know it was gluten free), the cheese sauce is silky, and it comes with a layer of crispy breadcrumbs for texture. If you’re in the mood for vegetarian comfort food, this is your jam.
Read the full ranking of the best gluten free frozen meals
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Lean Cuisine Protein Kick Four Cheese Pizza
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We know, we know. A personal cheese pizza doesn’t seem like much of a meal, but this little Lean Cuisine pizza is packed with protein (20 grams!) and it genuinely tastes good. The sauce is nice and zesty, and it would be easy to dress up with some canned mushrooms or other veggies. Couple of tips, though? As one taste tester put it, “a.) You should cook it in the oven, and b.) You should eat it immediately or it will turn into a frisbee.”
Read the full ranking of the best high protein frozen dinners
Credit: Merc / Target
- Red’s Organic Bean & Cheese Burrito
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As we mentioned up top, the best bean and cheese burrito we found in our frozen bean and cheese burrito taste test isn’t vegetarian friendly because it contains lard (booo), which makes the #2 bean burrito on our list one of the best vegetarian frozen meals. It’s jam-packed with cheesy, hearty filling that also includes rice. Yes, bonus rice in a bean and cheese burrito. Makes it more of a meal.
Read the full ranking of the best bean and cheese burritos
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Santa Fe-Style Rice & Beans
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This is a very simple vegetarian frozen meal—you get black beans, cheese, and seasoned rice in a little bowl. It needs some zhuzhing up, but not much—add some diced avocado for richness or some good hot salsa for a little freshness and heat. This is one of the only Lean Cuisine dinners that qualifies as a vegetarian frozen meal, and it’s not half bad.
Read the full ranking of the best Lean Cuisine meals
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Trader Joe’s Chana Masala
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Trader Joe’s makes some really good Indian food. The best dish of them all happens to be this chana masala, a perfect vegetarian frozen meal if you don’t want to spend a fortune on takeout. The chickpeas are firm but creamy inside, and the sauce is perfectly spiced and balanced—you get salt, acid, and a little bit of sweetness, too. It really is restaurant-quality chana masala, but you don’t have to tip a driver to get it.
Read the full ranking of the best Trader Joe’s Indian food
Credit: Merc
- Alpha Plant-Based Mexicali Burrito
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When we taste tested frozen beef burritos, the very best one we tried was this beefless beef version from Alpha Foods. Seriously, so many frozen beef burritos are greasy and gross—this vegetarian one, on the other hand, was zesty, tasty, and filling. It’s filled with a meatless crumble, vegan cheese, and onions in taco sauce. It’s hearty enough to be a vegetarian frozen meal on its own, but we’d pair it with a side of tortilla chips and guac for fun.
Credit: Merc / Alpha Foods
- Tucson Tamale Green Chile & Cheese Tamale
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Most of the frozen tamales we tried in our taste test were filled with chicken, pork, or spicy beef. This was the sole vegetarian option to make our list, but it was well-deserving of a spot. It’s microwavable, which is extremely convenient, and the masa cooks up fluffy and flavorful. We know what you’re thinking: The average tamale isn’t big enough to constitute a full meal, but this tamale is. It’s a burrito-sized tamale and it’s totally meat free.
Read the full ranking of the best frozen tamales
Credit: Merc / Sprouts
- Trader Joe’s Organic Roasted Vegetable Pizza
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This Trader Joe’s veggie pizza blew every other veggie frozen pizza out of the water. So many veggie pizzas are covered in wet, flavorless frozen vegetables, but not this one. There’s a good variety of veggies (eggplant, zucchini, peppers, etc.), and they are all flavorful. They’re accompanied by a cheese sauce that really kicks things up a notch. We suppose it’s technically a vegetarian frozen meal for two, but we won’t be surprised if you want to eat the whole thing.
Read the full ranking of the best veggie pizza
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
Best Gluten Free Meal
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best High Protein
Rating:
7.5/10
Sporks
Best Bean Burrito
Rating:
9.5/10
Sporks
Best Lean Cuisine
Rating:
8.5/10
Sporks
Best from Trader Joe’s
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best “Beef” Burrito
Rating:
9/10
Sporks
Best Tamale
Rating:
8.5/10
Sporks
Best Veggie Pizza
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
