10+ Trader Joes Recipes for Easy, Delicious Meals

If you love shopping at Trader Joe’s, you might enjoy trying out some easy recipes with their fun products. Trader Joe’s recipes let you whip up simple meals using ingredients you can find right in their stores.

These meals are perfect for saving time and eating well without a ton of effort.

Whether you’re cooking for yourself or feeding a few friends, there are ideas here for different tastes and skill levels. You don’t have to be a chef to make something that feels fresh and satisfying with Trader Joe’s stuff.

Ingredients
Cooking Instructions

1) Beefless Bulgogi Bowl with Jasmine Rice and Kimchi

You can whip up a quick, tasty meal with Trader Joe’s Beefless Bulgogi. It goes really well with jasmine rice and kimchi for a simple, flavorful bowl.

This dinner is great if you want something meatless but don’t want to fuss over it. Start by heating the beefless bulgogi in a pan.

While that’s cooking, warm up the jasmine rice. When everything’s hot, layer the bulgogi over the rice and toss on some shredded carrots.

Add a scoop of kimchi for crunch and tang. If you want, drizzle some soyaki sauce for extra flavor.

This dish only takes about 10 minutes and feeds two.

Ingredients

• 10 oz Korean Beefless Bulgogi
• 1 pouch of jasmine rice
• Shredded carrots
• Kimchi
• 1/4 cup soyaki sauce

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat the beefless bulgogi in a pan over medium heat until hot.
2. Warm the jasmine rice in the microwave or on the stove.
3. Put rice in bowls, top with bulgogi and carrots.
4. Add kimchi on the side.
5. Drizzle soyaki sauce on top before serving.

2) Blood Orange, Fennel, & Feta Salad

This salad is fresh and light—perfect for a quick bite or a side. Sweet blood oranges mix with crunchy fennel for a nice balance.

Feta cheese gives it a creamy, salty kick that just works. Pour on a tangy vinaigrette, like Trader Joe’s French Vinaigrette with Shallots, and you’re set.

Serve it chilled if you want the flavors to really pop.

Ingredients

• 3 blood oranges, peeled and sliced
• 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons Trader Joe’s French Vinaigrette with Shallots
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions

1. Peel and slice the blood oranges.
2. Slice the fennel thin.
3. Toss oranges, fennel, and feta in a bowl.
4. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss gently.
5. Add salt and pepper as you like.
6. Chill before serving if that’s your thing.

You can check out more on this Blood Orange, Fennel, & Feta Salad recipe.

3) Cilantro Lentil Tacos

Cilantro lentil tacos are a fast, tasty way to do dinner without meat. Just heat up canned lentils with taco seasoning for a little kick.

The lentils soak up the flavors and make a filling base. Add fresh cilantro to brighten things up.

Warm some corn tortillas for soft shells. Top with diced bell peppers or avocado if you want more crunch or creaminess.

This recipe is simple and uses easy Trader Joe’s finds. Great for when you want something healthy without a lot of prep.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 can Trader Joe’s lentils
• 2 teaspoons Trader Joe’s taco seasoning mix
• 8 Trader Joe’s corn tortillas
• 1 cup diced bell peppers
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Cooking Instructions

1. Warm olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add lentils and taco seasoning. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Warm tortillas in a skillet or microwave, about a minute each side.
4. Fill tortillas with lentils, bell peppers, and cilantro.
5. Serve and dig in.

For more details, see Cilantro Lentil Tacos | Trader Joe’s.

4) Yellow Curry Chickpeas

You can throw together a simple yellow curry with Trader Joe’s Thai Style Yellow Curry Sauce. It’s got a mild, coconutty flavor with garlic and ginger—pretty comforting.

Start by sautéing onion and garlic. Add chickpeas and the curry sauce.

Want more veggies? Toss in broccoli or carrots. Serve everything over jasmine rice and you’ve got a filling meal.

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 jar Trader Joe’s Thai Style Yellow Curry Sauce
• 1/2 can coconut milk
• 1 pouch jasmine rice
• 12 oz broccoli florets (optional)
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium.
2. Add garlic and onion, sauté 1-2 minutes.
3. Stir in chickpeas, curry sauce, and coconut milk.
4. Cook 5-7 minutes, stirring now and then.
5. Steam jasmine rice as the package says.
6. Steam or sauté broccoli if you want.
7. Serve curry over rice, broccoli on the side.

Find more details at Trader Joe’s Yellow Curry Chickpeas recipe.

5) Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Bagels

You can make a quick breakfast or snack with smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels. Toast your favorite bagels however you like them.

Spread on a thick layer of cream cheese. Add slices of smoked salmon.

If you want, pop on some thin red onion, capers, and dill for more flavor. Eat your bagel right away for the best bite.

Ingredients

• 4 bagels, sliced
• 1 tub whipped cream cheese
• 1 package wild sockeye smoked salmon
• 1/4 red onion, sliced thin
• Capers (optional)
• Fresh dill (optional)

Cooking Instructions

1. Toast bagels to your liking (about 350°F if you’re baking).
2. Spread cream cheese on each half.
3. Top with smoked salmon.
4. Add onion, capers, and dill if you’re into it.
5. Eat right away.

More details at Trader Joe’s Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Bagel.

6) Unexpected Fig Bites

You can make a quick snack with freeze-dried fig slices from Trader Joe’s. Lay the fig slices on a tray.

Add a square of Unexpected Cheddar cheese on each fig. For sweetness, top with a little fig butter.

Finish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves. These are great for appetizers or just snacking.

Ingredients

• Trader Joe’s freeze-dried fig slices
• Unexpected Cheddar cheese squares
• Fig butter
• Fresh thyme leaves

Cooking Instructions

1. Put fig slices on a tray.
2. Top each with a cheddar cheese square.
3. Add a bit of fig butter.
4. Sprinkle on thyme leaves.
5. Serve right away.

More info at Trader Joe’s Unexpected Fig Bites page.

7) Double-Apple Crisp

You can bake up a double-apple crisp using Trader Joe’s apples—try Honeycrisp and Granny Smith for a sweet-tart combo. Mixing two types gives a nice balance.

Dried cranberries add a little chew and color. Warm spices like cinnamon and chai mix make it cozy.

This crisp is perfect for sharing with friends or family. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if you want to go all out.

Ingredients

• 12-13 small Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups organic brown sugar
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cold butter, cut up
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Mix apples, cranberries, and half the cinnamon in a big bowl.
3. Spread fruit in a baking dish.
4. In another bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, the rest of the cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
5. Cut in the cold butter until it’s crumbly.
6. Sprinkle topping over fruit.
7. Bake 50-60 minutes, until topping is golden and fruit is bubbling.
8. Let cool a bit before serving.

Check out the full recipe at Spiced Chai Apple Crisp.

8) Trader Joe’s Chicken Curry

Trader Joe’s Chicken Curry is a fast, flavorful meal you can pull together with just a few things. The pre-made curry sauce saves time but still tastes pretty fresh.

Add your favorite veggies to make it colorful and more filling. This dish goes great with jasmine or coconut rice.

The mild spices mix with tender chicken and veggies for a cozy dinner. It’s a solid pick for a weeknight.

Ingredients

• Trader Joe’s Chicken (cut up)
• Trader Joe’s curry sauce (yellow or red)
• Veggies like bell peppers, broccoli, or potatoes
• Jasmine or coconut rice
• Olive oil or coconut oil

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium.
2. Add chicken and cook until browned.
3. Toss in chopped veggies, cook 3-5 minutes.
4. Pour curry sauce over everything.
5. Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes.
6. Cook rice as the package says.
7. Serve curry over rice while hot.

See a quick recipe example at Trader Joe’s Thai Style Red Curry Chicken Dinner.

9) Trader Joe’s Dirty Gyoza Stir-Fry

You can whip up a tasty, quick meal with Trader Joe’s frozen chicken gyoza. Just toss the potstickers into a hot skillet and let them get crispy on one side.

Throw in a bunch of your favorite vegetables. Stir-fry everything together with soyaki or whatever sauce you like best.

That combo gives you a nice mix of crisp and tender. It all comes together in about 15 minutes.

Honestly, it’s a lifesaver for those hectic weeknights. Not much fuss, but still super satisfying.

Ingredients

• Trader Joe’s frozen chicken gyoza
• Mixed vegetables (bell peppers, broccoli, carrots—whatever you’ve got)
• Soyaki sauce or any stir-fry sauce you love
• Oil for cooking

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (about 350°F / 175°C).
2. Add frozen gyoza in a single layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes, letting the bottoms get golden and crispy.
3. Toss in your veggies and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Pour in soyaki sauce and stir to coat everything. Let it go for 2 more minutes.
5. Serve hot. Dig in!

10) Masala Lentils with Spinach

Masala lentils with spinach is one of those simple, tasty dishes you can pull together fast. Start by heating up Trader Joe’s tikka masala sauce.

Add cooked lentils and fresh spinach to the pan. Stir it all up and let it simmer just until the spinach wilts.

The flavors come together quickly, and the lentils soak up all that good sauce. Serve it as a main or a side—your call.

If you want to round it out, serve with rice or naan. The whole thing takes about 10 minutes, so it’s perfect when you’re short on time.

Ingredients

• 1 jar Trader Joe’s tikka masala sauce
• 1 cup cooked lentils
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• Optional: salt or spices to taste

Cooking Instructions

1. Pour the tikka masala sauce into a pan and set it over medium heat.

2. Toss in the cooked lentils and give everything a good stir.

3. Add the fresh spinach.

4. Let it cook until the leaves wilt, which should take around 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Taste it and tweak the seasoning if you think it needs a little something.

6. Dish it up warm, and pair it with rice or naan—whatever you’re in the mood for.