9 Frozen Meals That Are Actually Worth It, According To Reddit

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When you're staring at the array of frozen meals in your grocery store's frozen food cases, it's good to know which are worth buying. After all, frozen meals are there for you when you don't feel like cooking. Still, they're not exactly known for quality, and you don't want to be met with disappointment after you dig in. While there are some true duds out there, we wanted to showcase the ones that customers like enough to talk about. So we went to Reddit to see what people there were discussing.

By seeing which frozen foods Redditors hold in high regard, we ended up with a wide range of options. There are some old comfort standards like lasagna and chicken pot pie, and some of them can feed a family rather than just a single person. Then, we have some international food faves from India and China. While we've included one healthy option, we also included one that has a larger portion and more protein for those who find themselves still hungry after some other single-serving options. So there should be something on the list for nearly everyone. Some may even have you switching brands to see what all the fuss is about. Once you see which frozen foods impress Reddit, we think you may want to put a few of these in your cart next time you're at the grocery store.

When it comes to the best frozen lasagnas you can get from a grocery store, users on Reddit mention Stouffer's Classic Lasagna again and again as one of their favorites. There's a reason Stouffer's has been in business for around 100 years; customers know what to expect, with products like its lasagna that customers find to be consistent in quality and flavor, making it a good choice for a comfort meal. For many, it's a nostalgic option that reminds them of childhood.

Redditors find it better than restaurant-made and pretty close to homemade-quality. They also seem to like many different varieties, with many people mentioning the veggie one being the standout one that can best rival what Mom used to make. Plus, it's cheaper than trying to make it from scratch and far cheaper than what you can buy at an Italian restaurant. Some Redditors point out that you can often buy a whole tray of Stouffer's lasagna for less than some Italian restaurants charge for a single lasagna serving. Interestingly enough, one Redditor in the r/frozendinners subreddit revealed that they worked for a restaurant that served Stouffer's lasagna instead of trying to make a better one from scratch. "It was delicious, and they sold a lot of it," they said. Granted, these restaurants usually embellish it with extra ingredients like the restaurant's tomato sauce and extra cheese on top.

Although it's great as it is, some customers still make upgrades, like extra cheese and seasonings like basil and garlic powder. Plus, they suggest broiling it the last few minutes to make the cheese all nice and brown on top. It's those crispy, delicious, burnt-cheese corner pieces that get eaten first.

If you're perusing the frozen food aisle at Trader Joe's, one item that is highly likely to end up in your shopping cart is the Trader Ming's Mandarin Orange Chicken. TJ's first started offering it in 2004, and Redditors suggested that it belonged in the Trader Joe's Hall of Fame long before such a distinction existed. Over the years, Redditors have created various appreciation posts in the r/traderjoes subreddit for this addictive frozen entree. While many say the quality isn't as high as it once was, they still love it. It's a great meal to keep in your freezer for nights when you're too tired to think about what's for supper and would like to get food on the table quickly.

You can prepare it in a skillet, air fryer, or oven and even add ingredients like red chili flakes or chili oil to up the spiciness. Redditors like it both with and without the sauce and often like to pair it with TJ's frozen rice for a super easy and inexpensive meal.

It supposedly makes about five servings, but many are dubious about that, finding it to serve two adults at most. However, others bulk it up with frozen veggies like broccoli or even fresh bell peppers and serve it over rice. With a cup full of the chicken alone clocking in at 320 calories, it makes sense to add lower-calorie ingredients to help stretch it further and make it more filling and nutritious, turning a great entree into a family dinner you'll look forward to every week.

When a product declares that it's the world's best right on the box, you might be dubious, but Redditors in the r/frozendinners subreddit seem to truly find Beecher's "World's Best" Mac & Cheese to be their favorite frozen mac and cheese. Beecher's is made with handmade cheese from its kitchen at the Pike Place Market in Seattle, with one customer in r/macandcheese saying that the frozen stuff tastes just as good as what you can get from the shop. "I bet they receive it frozen and heat it up too," they said.

Redditors love Beecher's for its great texture and flavor. They find the flavor to be quite lovely, with a list of seasonings that range from smoky chipotle chiles and red chiles for heat to aromatics like garlic and onions and herbs like rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and sage. Plus, it has other unexpected ingredients like honey, lime, sea salt, and apple cider vinegar that elevate it to an extraordinary and unmatched level. Redditors like the fact that the ingredient list makes it feel more like real homemade food than ordinary processed mac and cheese. Several mention liking the hatch chile flavor even better when they can find it.

One complaint is that it's fairly expensive, but fans think it's definitely worth it for the high quality. Although, many feel that the serving size isn't realistic since the outstanding flavor makes it so easy to go over the 9-ounce single serving size. Granted, once Redditors notice the 15 grams of saturated fat and 0.5 grams of trans fat, they do take pause.

Sometimes, you want the comfort of soup with the quality of homemade without the work, which is where frozen Bibigo Chicken Wonton Soup comes in handy. It's especially great if you like brothy soups, as Redditors on the r/frozendinners subreddit find the broth to be just as good as the wontons.

The soup is a little spicy, but it's a low-key, mild spiciness, as you can see from the chili pepper heat-level indicator on the box. Some mention that it seems a bit salty, and at 1380 milligrams of salt, it does contain 60% of your recommended daily amount of sodium. But it's easy to see how hungry Redditors could ignore the high sodium content — not only is the soup delicious, but the wontons also keep their shape, which you'll appreciate if you've ever tried the type that fall apart as you fish them out of the soup with your spoon. While the soup does have some vegetables, and Redditors like the crunch that the veggies add to the soup, they wouldn't be mad if it had a few more veggies to fill it out more.

Those who like the soup often like the brand's other frozen offerings, like its mini dumplings, potstickers, and steamed buns. Basically, if they see this brand in the frozen food aisle, they grab it because they know the quality is going to be great. The nice thing about getting the soup rather than just the plain dumplings is that it saves time making your own broth.

Trader Joe's has plenty of great Indian food, especially in its frozen section. So it's really difficult to narrow it down to just one choice. However, several Redditors like the Vegan Tikka Masala With Cumin Rice. It's one that appeals to omnivores, vegetarians, vegans, and even people who are used to eating authentic Indian food. So don't think you won't like it because you're not vegan. It's so flavorful that you probably won't even miss the meat.

Several people in the r/traderjoes subreddit said they find it to be even better than Trader Joe's Chicken Tikka Masala, with some going as far as to say that it's better than tikka masala they get at Indian restaurants. Rather than chicken or paneer, the vegan version of the tikka masala has flavorful seitan and soy protein chunks. It's not very spicy heat-wise, which helps it be more widely appealing. We found several Redditors who call this frozen dish their favorite of all the items the store offers.

It's hard to go wrong with tikka masala in the first place. Some in the r/vegan sub said that they wish the portion was larger and that they could easily eat two. At the very least, many Redditors seem to wish that it had more sauce. To make the meal more filling, many people pair it with TJ's garlic naan. One Redditor wishes it came in a family-sized package, and we have to agree. However, like other products at TJ's, it's not always in stock, but be sure to grab it when you see it.

When it comes to frozen Indian food, one name that comes up over and over on Reddit is the Deep brand. It's another brand where Redditors like a lot of the products, but the one they seem to mention the most often is Deep Butter Chicken. Not only do Redditors appreciate how tasty this meal is, they feel endeared to the company because it's family-owned and claims to use old family recipes.

If you see these in your local supermarket's freezer case, you're going to want to grab some. They can be a little expensive if you pick them up from a health food-type store instead of somewhere like Walmart, where they're close to $5 at the time of writing. However, the butter chicken's flavor makes it well worth it, even at the higher cost. Whether they're getting butter chicken or other favorites like vindaloo or biryani, Redditors in r/frozendinners say that this brand never fails them, making it one of their favorite frozen food brands.

The container you get splits your meal into half rice and half white-meat butter chicken with sauce. While some Redditors find the 400-calorie portion size to be perfect, others (even ones without huge appetites) feel that a larger portion size would be nice, with some saying they could easily eat two instead of just one. One user in r/frozendinners (aptly named u/Italian_trashpanda) even admitted to licking the tray when they're done, pining for just a little more (and because it's so good).

One frozen food meal we've seen praised often on Reddit is Banquet Mega Bowls Dynamite Penne With Meatballs. If you've noticed, people often complain about small portions of their favorite frozen foods, which is one reason Banquet created its Mega Bowls line. Several users in r/frozendinners have declared it their favorite frozen meal because the flavor and quantity is on point. Plus, it's fairly inexpensive considering how much food you get (retailing for around $4 at the time of writing).

Redditors find this dish to truly be filling, as Mega Bowls all contain large portions with significant amounts of protein. This one has 24 grams of protein, which comes from its meatballs. In one Redditor's image, we counted at least 11 meatballs in the bowl, which is quite impressive. While it is a little spicy, Redditors mention that they still like to upgrade the dish with some seasonings like oregano and crushed red pepper, along with a sprinkling of cheeses like parmesan, pecorino romano, and mozzarella and even bacon bits. Others go one step further by adding ingredients like frozen ravioli to turn it into more than one meal. However, this product does pack 590 calories per one-bowl serving. So all those extras can bring up the calorie count.

There are many other winners in the Banquet Mega Bowl universe. Redditors also mention being happy with Mega Bowls like the buffalo mac and cheese and the Nashville hot chicken. However, the penne and meatballs is a good place to start if you're trying Banquet out for the first time.

If you're one of those people who likes to keep a stash of just-in-case easy frozen meals in your freezer, pot pies are a good option, with a standout being Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pies. Redditors who grew up with one brand sometimes switch allegiances once they finally experience Marie Callender's for the first time. It regularly ranks among the best frozen chicken pot pies. Some stores even sell out of them, Redditors reported in the r/frozendinners subreddit, which gives you an idea of just how popular they are.

Redditors like the buttery, flakey crust, the creamy sauce, fresh-tasting veggies, and tasty chicken. Plus, you get more filling than crust, which makes shoppers feel like they're not getting cheated out of the good stuff. Not only are these pot pies tasty, but they're still cheap options, with some people saying they grab a lot when they see specials on them for around $1 each at the time of writing. At the normal price, they're still fairly inexpensive, but watching for sales is always a good strategy.

If you're shopping for more than just a personal dinner, there are actually multiple sizes, ranging from 10 ounces all the way to 45 ounces for the family size. Redditors say that these pot pies are filling, which is a good thing since even the smaller 10-ounce pot pie is a 610-calorie meal. Even other flavors — like the beef version and creamy parmesan chicken version — get good marks from customers, but the regular chicken one is what people seem to talk about the most.

Finally on our list is Healthy Choice Power Bowls Adobo Chicken, which is a good option if you're more health-conscious. Healthy Choice has a lot of frozen meals to choose from, and the Adobo Chicken one has generated a lot of positive buzz. What people are generally looking for in a bowl are a filling meal with healthy ingredients, good nutritional stats, and great flavor, which this one delivers.

Redditors in r/frozendinners especially like that these bowls manage to be just 330 calories while providing 26 grams of protein without the high levels of sodium like some processed foods have. While it does have some spice, the level isn't overwhelming. Not many people talk about adding things to it, but one Redditor said they stir in Laughing Cow Cheese, and another adds a little mild hot sauce to kick the heat up a notch.

Honestly, Redditors find this whole line of power bowls to be good, noting excellent flavor, great nutritional stats, a clean ingredient list, and the fact that they all come with whole-grain or veggie bases. However, the adobo chicken one tends to be a top fave for many.

To determine which grocery store frozen meals are worth trying, we decided to go to Reddit to see which ones people were talking about the most. People seem to be very opinionated about their frozen meal faves, often making their purchases habitual. Some of the Redditors we read have been eating these foods for years. However, this is by no means an exhaustive list, as you can tell by the fact that we often mentioned other favorites from the same frozen food lines.

There were several ways that we landed on the frozen meals we've added to our list. One way was to look at what products Redditors talk about a lot when someone asks to list their overall favorite frozen meals. That search led us to meals like Stouffer's Lasagna and Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken. When people mentioned specific categories of frozen food, like frozen mac and cheese or pot pies, we started looking for discussions about the best brands in those categories, uncovering brands like Beecher's "World's Best" Mac & Cheese and Marie Callender's Pot Pies. Within those categories, when a brand has lots of options, like Trader Joe's and Deep's frozen Indian food, we tried to narrow the selection down to one top choice that Redditors talked about often. We also perused r/frozendinners, a Reddit group that ranks frozen meals, taking special note of ones that had a high ranking and good engagement, focusing on foods that commenters unanimously love.