"I'm Gonna Be Honest, It Was Just Bad": I, A Latina, Tried 14 Trader Joe's Latin American Foods And Ranked Them From "Disappointing" To "Must Buy"
Hi, my name is Angelica. As both a Latina and a frequent Trader Joe's shopper, I decided to put Trader Joe's most popular Latin American foods to the test and see if they're actually good or just another example of white people doing too much. And let me tell you.......the results were mixed.
From pupusas to pico de gallo, I tried 14 different dishes and ranked them based on authenticity and overall taste. There were definitely some winners I'll be buying again, and (spoiler alert) there were some absolute atrocities. Let's get into it:
14.Frozen Vegetable Enchiladas
Starting off with...the item I literally took one bite of and said, "No, thank you. As you can see in the photo on the right, the sauce is reallllly grainy. The texture was straight up unpleasant, and it had this bitter aftertaste that did not make me want another bite. There was very little filling, and the vegetable mixture inside really didn't have much of a flavor. I cooked this in the oven to give it the best shot I could, but it was so crumbly I couldn't even get it on the plate in one piece. I really don't think the extra time and effort to heat it that way made much of a difference than heating it in the microwave, TBH. An all-around hard pass from me. Overall: 0.5/10 Authenticity: 1/10* *It gets a point because I get what it was trying to do, and it's a more traditional enchilada than one later in this ranking, but, like, it did it really poorly.
13.Chile and Cheese Tamales
I was nottttt a fan of these. I was expecting a savory, cheesy flavor when I cut into this tamale, but it’s actually quite sweet. I didn’t see or taste any cheese actually — it was reallllly tomato sauce heavy. Correct me if I'm wrong (because there are tonssss of tamales from all over Latin America and maybe they're mimicking one I've never tried before!), but every time I've had a chile and cheese tamale, it's had big pieces of green chile on the inside, lots of gooey cheese, and sometimes a kick of spice. That's kinda what this package is alluding to, no? These were literally nothing like that.
I also tried another tamale in this test, and the chile and cheese one has a noticeably more yellow, sweet masa. It's almost closer to that of a sweet tamale. If you're into those kinds of flavors, you might love this! But don't dupe me with spice then give me sweet!! I was not a fan.
Overall: 2.8/10
Authenticity: 2/10
12.Pollo Asado Burrito
This was a pretty middle-of-the-road grocery store burrito. It wasn’t frozen, but it essentially tastes like your typical frozen microwave burrito. Does it pale in comparison to an actual burrito? Absolutely. Like, it’s not even close. The filling overall is just kind of a mush — I could make out some corn kernels from the corn salsa and a couple chunks of chicken, but they all just kinda melded together into a bean-heavy goop inside the tortilla. It said there was chicken, and I saw chicken inside, but...I did not taste chicken?? Someone, please give Joe some pollo asado, because this is not it. There’s a hint of sweetness from the corn salsa, but otherwise, it kinda just tastes like poorly seasoned beans and rice. I’ve had Trader Joe’s burritos in the past that have been less goopy, so I was a little disappointed with the texture and flavor of these. Honestly, you could get better fast food burritos for less money.
Overall: 3/10
Authenticity: 2/10
11.Chicken, Cheese, and Green Chile Pupusas
Y’all, I was sooooo disappointed! As a self-proclaimed pupusa lover, I was really hoping these would be good, but they were alllll wrong. The texture of the masa was grainy, bland, and weirdly soggy. I cooked these in a pan a little longer than the box said to (they were looking soggggggy), but they honestly couldn’t be helped. The filling had a mealy texture and just tasted like a plain, creamy chicken. It seemed like they were trying to recreate the texture of a revuelta pupusa but with chicken, mozzarella, and green chile, but it just didn't taste like much. There wasn’t really much cheese (and pupusas can give you *chef's kiss* cheese pulls!), and I didn’t taste green chile at all. There are waaaay better frozen pupusas out there.
I’ve personally never seen a chicken, cheese, and green chile pupusa on the menu at any Salvadorian pupuseria before (and they truly make every flavor now, lol) so no authenticity points there. This seems like one of these classic TJ's mashups where they try to combine different styles of food, because the combo has big Southwest energy. Sometimes that works, but in this case, I don't think it did.
I'm ranking this ever so slightly above the burrito because I would absolutely not buy that again, but I did eat a second one of these pupusas when I got hungry and didn't have time to stop at the grocery store that night, lol. They're not bad, they're just not really pupusas!
Overall: 3.2/10
Authenticity: 3/10
10.Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas
I’ve got mixed feelings on these. If you like a saucy enchilada, these are definitely not for you. The flavor is alright — the filling is creamy (kinda similar to that of the pupusa but chunkier and a bit more flavorful), and the salsa verde is acidic and a bit sweet. I'm a big fan of the jarred salsa verde TJ's sells, and this is similar, but sweeter, I just wish there was more of it. The package says it’s mildly spicy, but it’s 100% not. Like, not even a little bit. Some bites are actually pretty good, when you get some sauce and cheese and filling together. Others, though, are bland and dry. I cooked them in the oven per the instructions, but it also said they could be microwaved, so maybe the tortilla would be less dry that way?? Regardless, they don’t stand up to classic enchiladas verdes at all and leave something to be desired texture-wise.
Overall: 4/10
Authenticity: 2/10
9.Organic Chunky Homestyle Guacamole
I've previously reviewed this guacamole in a store-bought guacamole taste test, and I feel similarly about it in this lineup of foods as I did in that one. It's alright! It's certainly not the best guacamole in the world and definitely not better than a homemade guac, but I wouldn't necessarily say it's bad, either. It's definitely on the more lime-y side and has that artificial aftertaste most store-bought guacamoles tend to have. The top layer of the guac was suuuuper smooth — even the tiny bits of tomato didn't add any texture. On the bottom, though, were a couple big chunks of avocado, so I'd honestly recommend giving this one a big mix before eating. Overall, it's pretty middle of the road. It's not exactly ~authentic~, but it's about what I'd expect from Trader Joe's, if you know what I mean. I wouldn't go out of my way specifically to get this, but if I was at the store and craving some chips and guac, I might grab it again.
Overall: 6.5/10
Authenticity: 6/10
8.Traditional Style Fat Free Refried Beans
I’ll be honest — I have always been a hater of these. I grew up eating some delicious refried beans, and the first time my girlfriend brought these home, I was absolutely not about them. They’re not even that bad, but you absolutely cannot call them “traditional style” and have them be that bland. Are they as good as homemade refried beans? Hell no. They definitely taste fat free, which is fine! We love a healthier alternative! But then call them fat free instead of traditional! Because traditional refried beans are absolutely not fat free, and you’re gonna taste the difference, which kinda sets them up for failure in my opinion.
Overall, these are fine. They really don't taste bad, but expectedly, they don't hold up to actual traditional style refried beans. Like with many of the others, you can find better canned refried beans out there.
Overall: 5/10
Authenticity: 5/10
7.Carne Asada Frozen Burrito
I was pleasantly surprised by these! My expectations were low after reading the package and seeing that it's basically just meat inside, but the meat is actually good. The carne asada is tender, juicy, and full of flavor. It’s a little smoky, and it’s got nice heat to it. The meat is a lot softer than carne asada usually is (the meat inside the burrito is kinda halfway to being stew-y, it doesn't have as much chew as a traditional carne asada does), but after tasting so many bland foods, I appreciated that this had some flavor and was not a repulsive texture. It’s a tad bit salty and obviously doesn’t have all the classic burrito fixings, but I added a bit of pico and guac to it, and it totally brightened it up. On its own I wouldn’t necessarily call it ~authentic~, but I think it’s a great base for a quick lunch or dinner you can build up. I’d definitely buy this again and beef it up with some beans, rice, guac, etc.
Overall: 7.5/10
Authenticity: 6.5/10
6.Carnitas with Salsa Verde Burrito
Now this is what I was hoping to see from the other burritos. You can tell even from the picture that this is the closest of the three to a traditional burrito you'd get at a taqueria (a sadder, smaller version, but closer nonetheless). It's by far the best of the bunch — the carnitas are well seasoned, the salsa adds a nice bit of sweetness, and the beans, rice, and meat don't mush together like the chicken one. The package says it's spicy and that there's cheese, but a) it's not even a little bit, and b) I did not taste any cheese, as I am learning is common with TJ's food apparently. The only reason this doesn't rank higher for me is because the rice inside was weirdly hard? It gave the whole thing an unpleasant texture which is honestly a shame, because this had the makings of an above-average ready-made burrito.
Also, quick question for Trader Joe's: Why are all the salsas inside your prepared foods sweet??? I got that it's A Thing??, but all of them?? It's OK to make things savory! Spicy even! I promise!
Overall: 7/10
Authenticity: 8/10
5.Chimichurri Rice
I enjoyed this! The rice was soft, the tomato and onion still had a bit of a crunch, and overall, it offered a good bit of variety. The flavor was a bit limey, but I really liked the hint of sourness and acidity this dish had to it. Did it taste like chimichurri? Kinda, but I think it's more of its own thing that feels ~inspired~ by chimichurri if you know what I mean. Like the classic, it'd pair great with a steak of grilled meat. I'd buy this again.
Overall: 7.5/10
Authenticity: 6/10
4.Pico De Gallo
I have been sleeping on Trader Joe's pico de gallo apparently!!! As soon as I opened the container and smelled that classic pico de gallo smell (IYKYK), I knew we were in for something good. And good it was! It tasted fresh, had a nice texture, and had a good heat. I will note that this is the "hot" version, and I'd 100% recommend this one over the mild one, which I've tried before and found to be watery and bland. TJ's kinda popped off with this one. I finished the whole container and will definitely be buying it again.
Overall: 8.5/10
Authenticity: 8/10
3.Carnitas
These were good! They’re honestly pretty impressive for something I just tossed in the microwave for a couple minutes. They’re tender, moist, and have a good, if not simple flavor. I don’t necessarily think it’s fair to call them plain because I literally never eat carnitas plain like I tried these, so I thew them in a tortilla with some of the pico and guac I taste tested, and it was great! They’re still not as good as traditional carnitas — it's definitely missing the nice little crust you get on the outside — but for something that’s ready in less time than it’d take me to even think about making them from scratch, I think they’re great. They're not bad at all for the price ($5.99) and the time; there’s definitely enough for a couple meals or to feed multiple people.
Side note: I used Trader Joe's corn tortillas for these for ~consistency~, and I am simply here to ask why they are so dry??? As soon as they start cooling down, they harden up again, like, immediately?? Would recommend making these with literally any other brand of corn tortillas.
Overall: 8.8/10
Authenticity: 7.8/10
2.Beef Birria
I loved this! It was flavorful, there was tons of meat, and the consommé was delicious. It’s definitely more simple than an authentic birria, but I think it had a better flavor and bang-for-your-buck than some fast food ones I’ve tried. I tried this with just a tortilla so I could really taste the ~flavor~, but there’s definitely enough consommé to dip your tortillas and make semi-homemade quesabirria, too. This is one of the rare instances where I feel like the TJ’s version is totally worth buying when compared to the original. While it will never be as good as homemade, it takes a fraction of the time and price to make and still tastes great, so it’s a win in my book! I personally don't usually have the time to make birria from scratch, so I could definitely see myself grabbing this for a warm, hearty meal this winter.
Overall: 9.5/10
Authenticity: 8.5/10
1.Pulled Pork Tamales
These tamales are fiiiiire. I had pretty low expectations, but these are so good. I think the masa is a bit more moist and tender than that of a traditional Mexican tamale. It kinda falls somewhere between the texture of a Mexican tamale and a Salvadorian tamale, which tends to be a bit more moist and doughy. The red sauce was well spiced, the meat was good, the masa wasn't bland, and there was a good ratio of filling to masa. They're not perfect, but for Trader Joe's, they're pretty damn good. I will absolutely be buying them again. Nice work, TJ's!
Overall: 9.8/10
Authenticity: 8.5/10
Thanks for coming on this taste-testing journey with me!! If you enjoyed it, you can find my review/ranking of fast food burritos here and grocery store guacamoles here. Happy LHM!
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