I Tasted 10 Trader Joe's Sauces And Ranked Them Worst To Best

I rarely take chances when it comes to my condiments. The potential risks have just always seemed monumental — what if I end up with a whole bottle of a sauce I actually hate? Instead, I stick to my tried-and-true sauces that can top anything and everything: Chick-fil-A sauce, sriracha mayo, ketchup, ranch, and occasionally a fancy aioli. Boring, I know, but I consider them my "safe" sauces, so why should I disturb an already perfectly functional sauce shelf?

I seized the opportunity to broaden my horizons by ranking sauces from Trader Joe's, and I already know this taste-test piece will cause some controversy. I've seen all corners of the internet raving over the store's various condiments, and I downright didn't like some of the selections that forums profess their love for. That said, most of Trader Joe's Asian-inspired sauces were very palatable to my tastes, even if a bit salty. The upcoming list only includes sauces that can be used as a topping/dipping sauce, so I excluded selections like Trader Joe's pasta sauces (most of which I've tried and adore). I ranked the following sauces primarily based on flavor, presumed versatility, and how they compared to similar sauces I've tried before. The results are all across the board, running the gamut from can't-live-without to never-buying-again. I beg forgiveness in advance for what may be some singular hot takes. 

Fortunately, forums I consulted after trying Trader Joe's Spicy Dynamite Sauce also saw plenty of people expressing confusion over this offering, so I didn't feel quite so alone with my mixed feelings. This vegan sauce is made with vegan mayo as the base, and also includes ingredients like horseradish-mustard paste, pickled chili peppers, sesame oil, and garlic. The result is a condiment that fails to grasp a firm identity.

Spicy Dynamite Sauce is almost like sriracha mayo in that it's spicy and contains an ample amount of mayo. It probably didn't help matters any that I definitely liked sriracha mayo better from the get-go. I was first turned off by the clear presence of sesame oil, which made me want to pair this with something Asian-inspired (originally, I thought it was meant to be a burger or fry sauce). Second, the texture was weirdly gelatinous — the sauce almost jiggled in the bowl. Other than sesame oil and spice, it didn't give much in the flavor department, and I was left pretty confused and unsure of what I would pair this with, which is why it got last place on this list. 

Next up is another selection that I likened to a fry sauce, and one which also severely underwhelmed. I will say that my disappointment with Trader Joe's Magnifisauce! definitely has to do with my own flavor profile preferences (which I'll get to in a minute). This sauce draws its flavors from mustard, mayo, ketchup, relish, vinegar, and spices, which should be a no-brainer sauce formula. The result is ultimately unbalanced.

Some liken Trader Joe's Magnifisauce! to In-N-Out's signature sauce; I can't speak to that comparison, as I don't live near an In-N-Out location. But if this is what the chain's sauce tastes like, I don't think I'd enjoy it very much for one simple reason: This sauce was way too heavy on the relish. I can't stand relish (or pickles, or many briny things ... I know), and that's definitely the dominant flavor profile here. Other flavors come through after the relish, like the subtle sweetness of ketchup and the tang of mustard, but I couldn't get past that vinegar-forward relish appeal of the sauce. I could use this if it was masked by other ingredients (like, say, on a burger), but I wouldn't use it as a dipping sauce or on anything that made this the dominant flavor profile. It was an easy second-to-last place choice.

I tend to be an avid fan of tartar sauce, so it came as somewhat of a surprise that Trader Joe's bottle was a disappointment. But it all made sense once I realized that this tartar sauce gets all of its tang from pickle relish. It's pretty typical to use relish in tartar sauce, but you'll also tend to find some lemony notes in this mix, and this tartar sauce didn't have any lemon to speak of.

That said, I still found the tartar sauce to be more palatable than either of the previous sauces I tried. While it wouldn't be my first choice, I could put some on a fish sando just to keep it from being dry, and I didn't find the relish overwhelmingly present — it was mellowed down as a cream sauce. I wish it were brighter and more lemon-forward rather than having that sharp tang of vinegar, but I can certainly see this appealing to a certain consumer base, and I'm sad not to count myself among them.

I've had my fair share of barbecue sauces — from sauces to pair with pork to bourbon BBQ sauces — and that definitely affected how much I could enjoy Trader Joe's Organic Kansas City Style barbecue Sauce. Now, the sauce wasn't bad, and if I hadn't tried over 20 different barbecue sauces in the past year, I'd have quite liked it. But compared to the vast selection out there (and even compared to staple brands like Sweet Baby Ray's), I just couldn't rank this sauce any higher. 

Perhaps this is a snobby take, but I'll stand by it. Trader Joe's selection is a fine choice if you don't feel like going to another store, but it does nothing to differentiate itself from the competition. That alone wasn't enough to knock it down to spot seven on this list, though — its most egregious fault was a very slight bitter twang toward the end of the bite. I don't know what to attribute the hint of bitterness to, but it was unwelcome nonetheless. I found this more palatable to my own tongue than any of the prior choices, but in the barbecue sauce market, it definitely falls short. 

This and the following sauces are all selections I could be persuaded to keep on hand, and differentiating between them wasn't the easiest task, especially because five out of the six are Asian-inspired. Overall flavor profile and versatility of application really came into play when ordering the final six sauce selections, and it's likely that you'll have your own opinions about which are better than others if you've tried them all. But I did find some singular entries among the following sauces that I'm excited to have as staples in my fridge. 

While I can't call the store's Gyoza Dipping Sauce the best sauce at Trader Joe's, I did quite like it for its intended use — namely, to dip gyoza in. That said, it tastes like the dressing I make for my own salads, which is a simple blend of sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. This sauce, however, was far saltier than I'd prefer if making my own, and that's why it only got the sixth spot here. If you're using this as a dressing or dipping sauce, definitely don't over-salt whatever you're pairing it with.

I know, I know, it doesn't look very pretty in the bowl above, but let's not judge a book by its cover. This sauce is pretty delicious. The only reason I couldn't rank it higher than spot number five is because of the whole "versatility" aspect. The distinct flavors present here won't allow it to pair with everything under the sun, but in this case, that's really okay — it will fulfill its suited purpose well.

The sauce has a distinct curry appeal that I didn't expect but really enjoyed. It tastes more like a Thai curry condiment than anything peanut-flavored, and that gives it some intrigue among the other options here. I immediately wanted to toss it with a cold noodle salad or dip some veggies in it. The sauce offers a fun way to bring some of that warm, comforting curry flavor to cold dishes or sides, and imaginative cooks would have a great time with this jar. 

Trader Joe's Green Dragon Hot Sauce is hotter than I'd anticipated, but not in an unwelcome way at all. I tend to be picky about my spice — historically, I haven't been able to tolerate it, but since trying my fair share of spicy things in the recent past, I've just become more discerning about what my palate can handle. It can definitely handle this, though it was on the verge of testing my limits.

Despite packing more heat than expected, I found that the heat built up and then left pretty quickly, which endeared me more to this sauce than to other similar hot sauces I've tried. It gets ample fresh appeal from the cilantro (cilantro haters, beware — you can taste it here), which helps balance out the heat. I'd easily put this on any homemade Mexican creation, or just anything that wants a little spicy kick. I can even see it working well as a garnish on herbal soups. It's not the most imaginative of the bunch, but it does boast enough versatility to comfortably sit in fourth place. 

Onto the top trifecta, a trio of umami goodness I'll be keeping around for any and every occasion I could possibly use them. Sitting squarely in spot number three is Trader Joe's Ponzu Sauce, a simple yet unexpectedly delightful sauce that you'll find me using instead of soy sauce in almost every application. Consider this a brighter, more festive take on your standard soy sauce, but just as versatile as the OG.

My favorite thing about this sauce was the yuzu. It brings a light fruit-forward tang to the sauce, and that's given some depth by the umami-rich bonito broth. Both of these are tied together with the familiarity of soy sauce, and the result is a sauce that's at once comforting and intriguing. I did once again find this sauce to be a little salty for my taste, but I hardly minded when I sautéed some bok choy in it the other night — just a touch of the sauce made the side incredibly bright and flavorful.

Up next is your new go-to, all-purpose sauce/marinade/salad dressing, the bottle you'll grab from the fridge when you need to add flavor to pretty much anything. Trader Joe's Soyaki comes loaded with sesame seeds, and I loved the texture they brought to the sauce, elevating it from a standard teriyaki marinade to something worth taking the spotlight on your dishes.

Every flavor profile you can think of is represented in this bottle. It's slightly sweet, amply salty and full of umami, and even a bit spicy and sharp from the (very apparent) ginger in the sauce. I can't wait to marinate a batch of chicken thighs in this, or even to just use some on a cold noodle dish, salad, or on plain white rice. Dip dumplings, potstickers, or egg rolls in it — the possibilities seem fairly endless with this sauce. It was a close contender for the number one spot, but ultimately couldn't top the sauce I'll feature next. 

It's probably my own fault for never having Yangnyeom sauce before, but don't be too harsh — I simply didn't know what I was thinking. Fortunately, Trader Joe's has made me a convert, and I'm never going back to boring old sauces again. This Korean-style Yangnyeom delivers on every front. It's sweet, spicy, tangy, salty, savory, and a true marvel. It certainly lives up to its name, which means "seasoned" in Korean. 

This sauce takes the tongue on a journey, which played a big part in making it my number one choice. The beginning of the bite is undeniably sweet, but that quickly gives way to spice from the gochujang. Miso paste and blackstrap molasses bring ample umami into the equation and, of course, soy sauce runs throughout the taste. I want to dip everything in this ad infinitum — potstickers, egg rolls, thin slices of beef, thick noodles, cooked leafy greens, tiny meatballs. I'm convinced the possibilities are endless with this sauce. Do try it, and please, let me know what you come up with. 

To rank all of these sauces, I tasted them on their own, an important control to keep my ranking fair. Many of them would have been elevated by being paired with other ingredients, but I felt that would lead to a skewed ranking. I took into account the overall flavor profile of the sauce and how versatile it was (meaning, whether I could picture it having numerous uses). This is why the Asian-inspired sauces ranked highest — you could use them as a dipping sauce, a dressing, or a meat marinade. Other sauces that confused or had an unbalanced flavor profile (like the Spicy Dynamite Sauce and the Magnifisauce!) got bottom spots both because of personal flavor preference and they didn't have a wide variety of perceived applications.