Trader Joe’s, which is a cousin to Aldi, can sometimes feel a bit like an international grocery store. This is especially the case in the frozen food aisle, where I’ve found everything from Asian-inspired orange chicken and spring rolls to Italian-themed gnocchi and fettucine alfredo. I have discovered that TJ’s is also a great store to buy Indian or Indian-inspired food.
Trader Joe’s Indian favorites my family has tried over the years include:
- Chicken tikka masala
- Vegetable biryani
- Vegan tikka masala
- Channa masala
- Butter chicken
- Paneer tikka masala
- Shrimp tikka masala
- Indian style flatbread
- Samosas
Recently, I found some veggie burgers in the Trader Joe’s freezer aisle that feature masala seasoning. Since I’m slowly working my way through sampling all the the Indian types of food at Trader Joe’s, I picked up the burgers to try at home.
Trader Joe’s Vegetable Masala Burgers cost $2.99 for a 10-ounce box at the time of publication. These are sold frozen, and the box says they are made “with authentic Indian spices.” One box has four burgers, and they’re packaged in two-packs in clear plastic wrappers.
Ingredients include potatoes, canola oil, carrots, green beans, bread crumbs (wheat flour, sugar, yeast, salt), bell peppers, onions, corn, water, salt, sugar, spices, ginger, cellulose gum, green pepper, citric acid, and turmeric. It would be good if Trader Joe’s could specify what “spices” are used in these burgers.
If you’re watching out for allergens, these contain wheat.
One burger (71 grams) has 140 calories, 7 grams of total fat (9% DV), 0.5 grams of saturated fat (3% DV), 410 mg of sodium (18% DV), 19 grams of total carbohydrates (7% DV), 2 grams of total sugars, and less than 1 gram of added sugars (1% DV).
Nutrition information, ingredients, and cooking directions. (Click to enlarge.)
The back of the box has directions for cooking these burgers on a stove top or on a barbecue grill.
To cook on the stove, lightly oil a preheated pan or skillet. Heat the burgers for 3-4 minutes on each side or until thoroughly heated.
To grill, butter or oil both sides of the burgers. Grill on both sides until thoroughly heated. The package offers no information on what heat level to use or how much time to grill the burgers, but it does state that grilling times may vary.
Burgers after heating on the stove.
I heated these on the stove top for 4 minutes on each side, and the centers were still a little cold to the touch, so I heated them for an additional 2 minutes on one side. They’re easy and fast to heat and you can make as many or as few as you want, which makes them ideal on days when you need a quick and uncomplicated lunch or dinner. They came out golden and slightly crispy on the outside.
These are mostly potato with some chunks of veggies such as carrots, onions, and peppers. As with many veggie burgers, they’re more delicate than a traditional beef burger and can break apart if you aren’t careful, so handle them gently when transferring them from the skillet or grill to a plate or bun.
My family didn’t care for these, but I thought these had nice flavor. The lightly crisped outer edges added some nice texture variation, too. They’re well seasoned and not spicy. If you like the idea of veggie burgers but find them to often be too bland, these might be good to try. I served our masala burgers on buns with some mayo, sliced tomato, and lettuce for a healthy dinner. You could also serve them with sliced onion and watercress, as the image on the package shows.
The Verdict:
Trader Joe’s Vegetable Masala Burgers are potato-based vegetable patties that also include carrots, green beans, onions, bell peppers, corn, and various spices and seasonings. These are nicely seasoned and not spicy. Great if you like Indian-inspired food or want vegetarian options.
These are tasty but VERY OILY.