The Beef Broth Brand We Prefer Over Trader Joe's, For The Same Price
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Beef broth is to the home cook's pantry as the hammer is to the carpenter's toolbelt. If foodies don't have time to make their own (or have a bag of beef trimmings stashed in their freezer), then store-bought is the next best thing. To that end, here at Tasting Table, we're reaching for College Inn. In our ranking of eight popular beef broth brands, College Inn's broth outranked Trader Joes', and didn't even set us back any extra bones (sorry). The price point is the same for both affordable products.
As we mentioned in our review, we appreciate TJ's "impressive depth of beefy flavor" and "robust aroma" that, in tandem, reminded us more of a bone broth than a standard broth product (nice). Still, despite this high praise, College Inn ultimately beat out Trader Joes' beef broth due to its full-bodied flavors and a complex profile. College Inn's dimensionality yields a slow-cooked, homemade taste that doesn't let on that it came from a box. No comment on whether "College Inn" might be a playful mondegreen of the word "collagen," a nod to the broth's beefy robustness.
Other epicures are loving this longstanding brand. Target customer reviews compare the product to true bone broth, but with an agreeably lower price tag. Walmart reviews keep the praise rolling, writing, "Beef it up! [...] Easy to store and use. I always have some on hand. Quality product."
Look to College Inn for homemade depth and complexity
As our taste-tester noted, "College Inn offers one of the more affordable options ... but without sacrificing any flavor. It's generous with the salt, but it's not overkill." The non-GMO ingredients list for College Inn's 100% natural beef broth reads like an actual grocery list, with all real, recognizable foods and no hard-to-pronounce (or digest) chemicals: Beef broth and less than 2% of salt, sunflower oil, onion powder, cane sugar, yeast extract, vegetable stock, black pepper, and celery seed.
Regarding price, both products are currently on par. While Trader Joe's beef broth product is not currently listed on the company's official website, at the time of our ranking's publication in January, the broth ran for $2.99 per 32-ounce carton. Currently, at a Target in Chicago, a 32-ounce carton of College Inn's beef broth also costs $2.99, and at a Walmart in the Windy City, the same box is an even cheaper $2.34. Market retail prices may (and infamously do) fluctuate over time, but in general, College Inn and TJ's beef broth cost about the same — and we prefer what College Inn delivers.
Whether home cooks are whipping up a beefy slow-cooker dinner or a savory bone broth cocktail, College Inn's convenient broth gets the job done. This shelf-stable pantry staple can be kept stocked for the long haul, ready and waiting whenever you need it.