The Best Trader Joe's Sauce On The Shelves Delivers On All Fronts

Most grocery stores have their own proprietary store brands that imitate more expensive name-brand counterparts. But Trader Joe's name brand goes above and beyond by offering some of the highest-quality alternatives to name brands that are often even tastier. Trader Joe's selection of condiments, sauces, and dips is overwhelming, and the brand continues to come out with new options to try. We recently sampled 10 Trader Joe's sauces to find that the best sauce on TJ's shelves is a newcomer that delivers on all fronts.

Debuting in 2025, Trader Joe's Korean Yangnyeom Sauce landed in first place in our ranking, blowing the competition out of the water. Yangnyeom sauce is a Korean sauce invented to coat Korean fried chicken and is made of a blend of soy sauce, sugar, aromatics, ketchup, gochujang, and gochugaru. TJ's version contains sugar and blackstrap molasses and swaps the ketchup for tangy red miso and rice vinegar. The miso, dried mushroom powder, and soy sauce pack a serious umami punch.

This sauce hit every single one of the five major tastes, not to mention the spicy kick from the chili flakes and ginger. But instead of a chaotic sensory overload, we were taken on a flavorful and harmonious journey. No one flavor dominated, and while we could perceive each unique taste separately, they all seemed to cascade into one another, culminating in the perfect balance. With such an all-encompassing flavor profile, Trader Joe's Yangnyeom Sauce is exceptionally versatile. We want to pour it over everything!

Trader Joe's customers are as complimentary of Yangnyeom Sauce as we are, showering this flavorful sauce with praise on Reddit. One Redditor described Yangnyeom sauce as tasting "like sweet chili and teriyaki had a baby." Various Redditors compared it specifically to Bachan's Japanese BBQ sauce but still commended TJ's sauce's balance of sweet, spicy, tangy, and salty.

Redditors also commented on the sauce's versatility, with a diverse range of suggestions for applications. One Reddit user wrote, "I first tried it as a sauce for TJ's kimbap, then used it on roasted Brussels sprouts and even eggs. All were fantastic." We've got many Brussels sprouts recipes that you can try this Yangnyeom Sauce on for a delicious shortcut, or consider drizzling the sauce over avocado toast and poached eggs for an Asian-inspired breakfast toast.

Other customers recommended using the sauce as a glaze for pan- or air-fried salmon. It's traditionally used as a glaze to coat Korean fried chicken, so you can certainly toss homemade fried chicken, wings, or even store-bought frozen chicken tenders in it. You can also use it as a sauce to coat Korean barbecue. If you're vegetarian or vegan, you can air fry tofu or tempeh to toss in TJ's Yangnyeom Sauce to serve over steamed rice with veggies. It'd be the perfect sauce for dipping one of Trader Joe's many frozen dumplings or other frozen Korean dishes on Trader Joe's long list of frozen Asian-inspired foods.