Here’s a list of gluten-free foods that you can find at Trader Joe’s, from convenient frozen meals to crispy snacks to sweet treats. This is based on my experience of shopping at my local Trader Joe’s in Boston’s Seaport district and trying out nearly all of their gluten-free offerings. Scroll below to check out the list, which displays products in order from my favorite to least favorite. Enjoy!
Curious why some products display a “Gluten Free” claim on the packaging while others may not? According to Trader Joe’s Product FAQs, any product that displays the “Gluten Free” claim has been validated to contain less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. I have limited the following list to only validated products with the “Gluten Free” claim.
Chicken Tikka Masala
This is one of my favorite frozen meals of all time. I’ve been enjoying it for over 10 years and it’s consistently good every time. It includes roasted chicken breast with an amazing tomato-cream sauce (non-spicy) in one compartment, and basmati rice in another compartment. After microwaving, stirring the contents of both compartments together gives you a quick, flavor-packed meal.
If you’d rather make this dish from scratch, check out my recipes for Stovetop Chicken Tikka Masala, Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala, and Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala.
Why It’s Tasty: Amazing flavor-packed sauce
Heating Methods: Microwave or Conventional Oven
Cost: $4.49
Nutrition: 360 kcal, 14 g total fat, 39 g total carbs, 21 g protein per serving
Servings: 1 serving per container
Good for: Quick dinners
Sweet & Salty Umami Crunchies
This item’s packaging is so whimsical that I knew I had to pick it up when I noticed it in my local Trader Joe’s. If you buy this and open it, be ready to eat the whole bag in one sitting. It’s super addicting, with a strong savory flavor and a much milder sweetness. They are essentially sturdy little rice crackers with a bold flavor that will keep you wanting more. Definitely one of the tastiest snacks I’ve had in a while. I’ve had similar rice crackers from Japanese grocery stores that are much larger in size, whereas Trader Joe’s version is bite-sized.
Why It’s Tasty: Perfect crunchy texture and addicting taste
Heating Methods: N/A
Cost: $2.99
Nutrition: 150 kcal, 9 g total fat, 17 g total carbs, 2 g protein per 1 oz serving
Servings: 6 servings per container
Good for: Switching up your snack game
Instant Boba Kit
I was very excited when I first saw this item in the frozen section. Enjoy boba from the comfort of my own home? Yes, please. It’s amazingly easy to put together; microwave a pouch (which contains the boba drink mix), pour it into a glass, add milk or your beverage of choice, and stir. It even comes with disposable boba straws. I stirred the boba mix with a cup of homemade unsweetened soy milk and it tasted excellent. The tapioca pearls had just the right amount of chewiness to them. It was sweet but not too sweet, which is perfect. My main issue with store-bought boba is that it’s often too sweet and hard to adjust to my liking.
Why It’s Tasty: Perfect tapioca pearl chewiness, delicious flavor
Heating Methods: Microwave, Stovetop
Cost: $4.99
Nutrition: 110 kcal, 0 g total fat, 28 g total carbs, 0 g protein per 1-pouch serving
Servings: 4 servings per container
Good for: Convenient on-demand boba at home
Uncured Pepperoni Pizza
This pepperoni pizza is loaded with toppings such as bell peppers, red onions, and black olives. It also features a cauliflower crust with herbed tomato sauce and part-skim mozzarella cheese. I thought this was one of the better frozen pizza dinners I’ve ever had. The crust is crisp and sufficiently sturdy despite being made of cauliflower, and the toppings go well together. The pepperoni isn’t overwhelming. This pizza is a good size for two people to share for a meal.
Why It’s Tasty: Tasty cauliflower crust, flavorful toppings and sauce
Heating Methods: Conventional Oven
Cost: $6.49
Nutrition: 290 kcal, 13 g total fat, 33 g total carbs, 10 g protein per serving (1/3 pizza)
Servings: 3 servings per container
Good for: Pizza cravings while on a gluten-free diet
Green Tea Mochi
Green tea is my favorite mochi flavor, so I didn’t hesitate to grab a box of these when I saw them. My local Trader Joe’s also sells flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. The sweet rice dough has fantastic texture; soft and chewy without too much powder on the exterior (I dislike it when my mochi has so much powder so that I can taste it). The green tea ice cream is flavorful, with the perfect balance of creaminess and sweetness. Each individual mochi is a generously-sized portion, unlike some of the mini ones I’ve seen from other brands. Overall, it’s the best one I’ve had compared to those found in generic supermarkets. If the texture is too hard, let it thaw a bit on the countertop before consuming.
Why It’s Tasty: Perfect balance of creamy and sweet
Heating Methods: N/A
Cost: $4.99
Nutrition: 80 kcal, 2.5 g total fat, 13 g total carbs, <1 g protein per serving (1 mochi)
Servings: 6 servings per container
Good for: Mochi aficionados
Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
These cookies are surprisingly good; imagine thick cookies with the perfect amount of chewiness, with a tasty coconut and oat flavor alongside occasional bites of raisins. I wouldn’t have been able to tell they’re gluten free if it wasn’t labeled so. They were very satisfying and ideal for anyone looking for pre-made cookies on a gluten-free diet. The only downside is that it’s very calorie dense at around 380 kcal per cookie.
Why It’s Tasty: Delicious flavor combination, chewy goodness
Heating Methods: N/A
Cost: $4.49
Nutrition: 190 kcal, 8 g total fat, 28 g total carbs, 2 g protein per 45 g serving (half cookie)
Servings: 6 servings per container
Good for: Satisfying your cookie cravings
PB&J Bar
These oat bars are soft and chewy, filled with a peanut butter and strawberry mixture. I thought they were tasty overall, although the peanut butter flavor was a bit weak so the ratio is off. They don’t quite taste like a classic PB&J. The size of the bar also looked quite small for something that’s 140 kcal.
Why It’s Tasty: Soft and chewy
Heating Methods: N/A
Cost: $3.29
Nutrition: 140 kcal, 4 g total fat, 24 g total carbs, 2 g protein per 1 serving (1 bar)
Servings: 6 servings per container
Good for: Grab-and-go convenient snack
Dark Russet Potato Chips
These dark russet potato chips taste a bit like burnt chips, which means you either love it or hate it. They have a crispy texture with a deep and bold charcoal flavor, and if the distinct taste is too much for you, you can pair them with an onion dip to help balance the flavor. Note that these chips aren’t actually burnt; the Russet potatoes used to make them have a higher sugar content which leads to a darker color and taste during caramelization.
Why It’s Tasty: Distinct bold taste
Heating Methods: N/A
Cost: $2.49
Nutrition: 150 kcal, 8 g total fat, 17 g total carbs, 2 g protein per 1 oz serving
Servings: 7 servings per container
Good for: Unusual palates
Maple Pancake Flavored Puffs
These puffs have a lovely light texture, but the maple flavor and smell is very strong. It’s almost as if my brain is expecting a savory flavor and decided to revolt against the strong sweet aroma and taste. Because the texture is good, this snack is still strangely addicting to munch on even though I don’t particularly like the taste.
Why It’s Tasty: Light and airy puffs
Heating Methods: N/A
Cost: $2.49
Nutrition: 150 kcal, 8 g total fat, 18 g total carbs, 1 g protein per 1 serving (1.5 cups)
Servings: 4 servings per container
Good for: People who love sweet-and-salty snacks
Thai Coconut Pancakes
These coconut pancakes are bite-sized dome-shaped treats with a slightly sweet taste, featuring a creamy custard-like center with coconut milk and a slightly crisp exterior. They’re made with rice flour, tapioca starch, and coconut. Instead of being packaged as individual pancakes, they are attached to each other like a lattice and should be cooked as such. Once cooked, you can break them apart into individual pancakes. I have never had Thai coconut pancakes before, and I really liked their creamy centers and how they weren’t overly sweet.
Why It’s Tasty: Crisp with custardy center
Heating Methods: Air Fryer, Microwave
Cost: $3.29
Nutrition: 450 kcal, 23 g total fat, 56 g total carbs, 4 g protein per 180 g serving
Servings: 1 serving per container
Good for: Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free
Lentil and Chickpea Crisps
Originating from the Indian subcontinent, these bite-sized crisps also called papadums and are made from legumes. They’re thin and crispy, disk-shaped, and flavored with cumin. I thought they were OK, but a bit bland when eaten by themselves. They would be delicious when paired with flavorful dips such as tzatziki, curry cauliflower dip, pumpkin hummus, or mango chutneys.
Why It’s Tasty: Light nutty taste, satisfying crunch
Heating Methods: N/A
Cost: $2.67
Nutrition: 140 kcal, 8 g total fat, 13 g total carbs, 5 g protein per 1 oz serving
Servings: 5 servings per container
Good for: Vehicle for delicious dips
Mac & Cheese
This gluten-free mac & cheese has rotini pasta made from corn, rice, lentil, and quinoa flours, stirred with a four-cheese blend of cheddar, swiss, havarti, and gouda. I didn’t like how whole container needed to be heated together and you can’t just heat a single serving. The mac and cheese was creamy and comforting, but tasted very bland. To upgrade this, I suggest dressing it up in any of the following ways:
- Sprinkle crumbled and crispy bacon on top, after the mac and cheese is cooked and stirred
- Drain a can of green chiles, and stir it into cooked mac and cheese
- Stir adobo sauce into cooked mac and cheese
- Chop up pre-cooked sausages, and add it to mac and and cheese while it’s cooking
Why It’s Tasty: Creamy & comforting
Heating Methods: Conventional Oven, Microwave
Cost: $3.69
Nutrition: 300 kcal, 10 g total fat, 41 g total carbs, 11 g protein per serving (1 cup)
Servings: 2 servings per container
Good for: A blank slate to dress up with other flavors
Mini Chicken Tacos
These mini chicken tacos are made with shredded chicken breast and roasted green salsa wrapped in corn tortillas. I prepared them in my air fryer and overall thought they were OK. Some of the tacos stuck together so it was hard to place them in a single layer in the air fryer as per the instructions. The chicken tacos had a nice crunch, but they were mostly corn tortillas and had very little chicken or green salsa. To jazz them up a bit, I would pair these tacos with Mexican cauliflower rice or fresh homemade salsa.
Why It’s Tasty: Crunchy taco shell
Heating Methods: Conventional Oven, Air Fryer, Stovetop
Cost: $5.99
Nutrition: 260 kcal, 13 g total fat, 24 g total carbs, 11 g protein per serving (4 tacos)
Servings: 6 servings per container
Good for: Satisfying your taco cravings for very little effort
That’s the end of the list! For more food ideas, check out these easy gluten-free recipes that you can make at home.