Trader Joe’s Vegan Tikka Masala is Acceptable but Boring

Trader Joe’s offers a freezer meal of Vegan Tikka Masala with cumin seasoned basmati rice.  I am not Vegan or Vegetarian but was curious how this meal would stack up against their other Indian meal options.

Trader Joe's Vegan Tikka Masala

Nutrition, Ingredients and Labelling

Let’s take a closer look at what comes in this 9.5 ounce tray.

Nutrition Facts

One meal tray is a single serving.  The nutrition facts for a single serving are:

  • Calories: 390
  • Fat: 17g (22% DV)
  • Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV)
  • Sodium: 800mg (35% DV)
  • Carbohydrates: 49g (18% DV)
  • Protein: 12g

On the plus side the meal has no cholesterol.  On the negative side the fat and sodium content are higher than I prefer.

Vegan Tikka Masala Nutrition

Ingredient List

The Tikka Masala has the following ingredients:

  • Vegan Meat Substitute
    • Wheat gluten
    • Soy protein
    • Lots of other stuff!
  • Tomatoes
  • Onion
  • Water
  • Coconut milk
  • Canola oil
  • Cashews
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Lemon juice
  • Paprika
  • Turmeric
  • Fenugreek
  • Cilantro
  • Vinegar
  • Mango
  • Cumin seasoned basmati rice

Heating and Serving the Meal

The heating instructions for this product are:

  • Poke several holes in the plastic film to let the steam vent.
  • Heat in the microwave on High for two minutes.
  • Lift the film and carefully stir the tikka masala.
  • Heat in the microwave on High for two more minutes.
  • Let stand for two minutes and serve.

Taste Test

The packaging says:

The soul of this entrée is the Masala-a unique blend of exotic spices that inform a rich and spicy tomato curry.  The vibrant sauce enlivens hearty soy based Tikka and accents a complement of delicately flavored cumin rice.

While the description sounds delightful, in reality the dish is just okay.  Not Bad, Not Great.

The meal isn’t much to look at and could have been enhanced by use of a more colorful rice.  Trader Joe’s has a Paneer Tikka Masala with a beautiful spinach rice that would have done wonders for this dish. The cumin seasoned rice provided does have some cumin flavor but the packaging was correct in the use of the phrase “delicately seasoned”.

Ready to Eat Vegan Tikka Masala

The Masala sauce is lovely and while I think it is fair to call it “rich”, it certainly isn’t “spicy”.

The soy based Tikka is what it is.  The texture of the meat substitute is similar to what you get with Trader Joe’s Meatless Italian Sausage which is acceptable.

The meal was filling and got me through the day.

My biggest complaint about the meal is that, while it is acceptable, it is nothing special and I just sort of trudged through.  I guess I am not a fan of Vegan meals that are simply recreations of meat based meals.

Vegan meals do not have to be “Me Too Knock Offs” as evidenced by Trader Joe’s Vegan Misal Curry with Brown Rice which is an absolute masterpiece of flavor and an incredibly interesting meal.

This meal was okay but I can’t imagine that I would buy it again.

David

Good morning and welcome to the site dedicated to helping you find great products at Costco and other stores! My name is David Somerville and these are hands on reviews of products that I have bought and used or am seriously considering purchasing. I do most of my shopping at the Costco in Baton Rouge, Louisiana but will check out any other Costco warehouses I find while travelling. Please get in touch with any questions and let me know of any great products that deserved to be featured in this blog!

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