13 Trader Joes Salad Kits, Ranked in a Taste Test

Trader Joe’s salad kits are, like so many Trader Joe’s items, a savior of weeknight meals everywhere. But before taste testing my way through the 13 varieties (we started with ten but recently added three more to this ranking), I was skeptical. Bagged salads at other stores have let me down—they’ve been wilted, flavorless, boring, and the dressing is always subpar, like an afterthought someone squeezed into a pouch. But Trader Joe’s salads? Turns out, they’re actually all pretty darn good. 

But what’s the best Trader Joe’s salad kit? I’m not going to just tell you that. You have to go on a journey with me! Grab my hand, let’s sample the Trader Joe’s caesar salad kits (both of them!), let’s put the Trader Joe’s Southwest salad kit to the test. Let’s find the Trader Joe’s bagged salad that can be enjoyed alone as an easy lunch or side salad or plussed up and transformed into a weeknight dinner that’s ready in (literally) just a few shakes of a bag. 

Here are 13 Trader Joe’s salad kits ranked from simply satisfactory to superior. (Now with the addition of the Pomodoro Cremoso salad, the Miso Crunch salad, and the Dill-icious salad!)

Veggies & Greens

This is a dense salad. It is the definition of roughage. It combines cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, radicchio, and kale, and the toppings bag (I love that every Trader Joe’s salad kit comes with a toppings bag) contains dried pear and pistachios. It all comes together with a honey ginger dressing. For me, it’s just too much of a slog—even the pear crumbles are too chewy. And the dressing is a bit generic. Still, it’s a hearty mix and will definitely fill you up.

Credit: Liv Averett

Rating:

6/10

Sporks

Caesar Style Salad

It’s a perfectly fine caesar salad. But, honestly, you’d be better off just buying some romaine and tossing it with your own caesar salad dressing (preferably the best caesar salad dressing from the grocery store). Yes, Trader Joe’s caesar salad kits come with croutons (which are nice and crunchy and not stale) and there is cheese (though you can’t really taste it), but it’s still nothing to write home about.

Credit: Liv Averett

Rating:

6/10

Sporks

Pomodoro Cremoso

I love the name of this Trader Joe’s bagged salad. It sounds like the signature pasta dish at a Roman trattoria. Alas, it’s a lettuce salad with some pretty good croutons and a nice dressing. Look, if someone served this to me for dinner, I would not complain at all. The dressing is tangy and rich and tomato-y. The croutons are light and crispy. The lettuce (all five types of lettuce) is fresh. The cheese is fine. It could definitely be more flavorful. Overall, it’s a fine salad but it’s underwhelming.

Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Everyday Butter Lettuce

I thought this would be mid but it’s a really nice home-style salad. It comes with parmesan shreds, croissant croutons, and ranch vinaigrette. It tastes a lot like a caesar salad without iceberg lettuce. The croutons have a touch of sweetness to them, which I found slightly off-putting but others will enjoy. As I said, it’s a good home-style salad and it will do in a pinch. But it’s not very exciting. And when I shop at Trader Joe’s, I want some excitement!

Credit: Liv Averett

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Miso Crunch

The actual ingredients in this salad are nothing special. There’s the usual cabbage, carrots, and kale, with the addition of crunchy chow mein noodles, sesame seeds and cashews. That’s all fine. But the sesame miso dressing is fabulous. It’s earthy and tangy and seriously tasty. I will happily suck on a spoonful of miso paste, so maybe I’m biased. But I would totally buy this dressing. This Trader Joe’s salad kit could use a bit more whimsy in its mix-ins (you should probably add some chicken or fried tofu cubes if you really want to make a meal of it). But the dressing alone is reason to try it.

Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Mediterranean Style

I love the base of this Trader Joe’s salad: romaine lettuce, shredded broccoli stalks (the best part of the broccoli, imo), radicchio, and celery. Crunchy, herbaceous, refreshing. What a fun mix of textures! But it’s hit and miss where the toppings are concerned. I loved the dried tomato crumbles, which coat every bite with a touch of tang. I couldn’t get enough of the crunchy chickpeas. In fact, I wish there were more. The seasoned flatbread crisps add good crunch. But then the feta cheese falls flat. It’s dry and flavorless. The whole salad would have been better without it. The dressing (red wine vinaigrette) is bright and tangy. If you added some falafel or shredded rotisserie chicken to this mix, you’d have a great dinner on your hands.

Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

BBQ & Black Pepper

This is straight up good BBQ sauce on salad. The base is a mix of cabbage, broccoli stalks (whoo!), shredded carrots, and kale. It also includes tiny cornbread croutons (I love tiny croutons—all croutons should be one bite at most!), black pepper, and Toscano cheese. But the real appeal is the dressing, which is zingy and zippy, sweet and tangy. We argued about this in the office, but I submit that this isn’t a salad, it’s a slaw due to the shredded base. Whether you agree or not, you should put it on a sandwich with pulled pork or pulled chicken. And you should also add a few more sprinkles of fresh pepper.   

Credit: Liv Averett

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Southwestern Chopped

This is one crunchy salad. Between the green cabbage, romaine lettuce, roasted pepitas, and tortilla strips, it’s a crunchmaster’s dream. I am a huge fan of pumpkin seeds in salads, so that really put this one on top for me. I also like how everything really is chopped—it’s all bite-sized so you don’t have to worry about a big piece of lettuce hanging out of your mouth. It’s one of the best Trader Joe’s salad kits to bring to a BBQ. Perfect to pair with chili dogs.

Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Dill-icious

Sometimes, pickle flavored things aren’t very pickley at all. They’re dilly and maybe garlicky but not pickley. This salad, though, is very pickley and very dilly. The base of the salad is made of chopped crunchy veg like cauliflower, cabbage (TJ’s favorite filler), and radishes, along with green leaf lettuce and kale. But the pickle flavor comes from dill pickle seasoning (more salads should come with seasoning), dill ranch dressing, and crushed-up Chips In A Pickle Dill Flavored Potato Chips. That’s right, instead of croutons, this salad employs dill pickle chips. Incredible. It’s a great mixture of textures and a convincing argument for categorizing chips as a mainstream salad mix-in.  

Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Organic Caesar

I can’t believe how much better the organic Trader Joe’s caesar salad kit is than the standard one. The dressing is so much creamier! I would definitely buy this over the other one. It’s special. That dressing makes it so much more than just a standard caesar salad in a bag. Like the standard caesar, it comes with crunchy croutons and shredded parm. But that dressing puts it over the edge. Get this Trader Joe’s salad kit for the dressing alone.

Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Sesame Crunch

If you like the salad you get in a lunch deal at a sushi bar, you’ll love this Trader Joe’s salad kit. And believe it when it says “crunch” on the package. The mix of bok choy (so fun!), Savoy cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, sesame sticks, and cashews is seriously crunchy! Throw in a few nori flakes and toss everything in a toasted sesame ginger vinaigrette and you’ve got yourself a salad that keeps you coming back for umami bite after umami bite.

Credit: Liv Averett

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Elote Chopped

This salad kit really grew on us. At first, the mix seemed good but not spectacular. According to the package, it’s made with a “vegetable blend” (presumably a mix of leftovers from the other mixes), along with cornbread crouton crumbles, cotija cheese, and creamy elote style dressing. But the main event is the corn. When you get a puffed corn kernel in a bite, it really tastes like elote. It’s sweet. It’s crunchy. I want more of it! More corn in this kit!

Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Lemony Arugula Basil

I have bought this Trader Joe’s salad kit again since first trying it in this taste test. Yes, using my own hard-earned cash. That’s as much of an endorsement as I can possibly give a product. The dressing is very bright and zingy. The almonds are small so they cling to the lettuce, creating a lovely crunch. The carrots are shaved so it’s all the same consistency. It’s simple but perfect. It’s better than you could make at home without the aid of a mandolin (and that’s just asking for a trip to the ER). Serve it on the side next to a steak or put it on a sandwich. Just eat it. It’s the best Trader Joe’s salad kit. That is my ruling.

Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

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