14 Good & Gather Frozen Foods At Target, Ranked

Those who shop at Target often may be familiar with the fact that, while the chain offers plenty of name-brand items, it also offers a plethora of Target-brand items. Some notable Target brands include Threshold for home goods, Figmint for kitchen supplies, and Favorite Day for sweet treats. Perhaps the most recognizable of the company's food-specific brands is Good & Gather, which covers a wide variety of products, including dairy, produce, sauces, and even coffee. 

A quick trip to Target's frozen aisle will prove that Good & Gather offers quite a few frozen foods as well, with many of the premade G&G frozen foods falling into a snack or appetizer territory. Sure, the frozen food options are there, ranging from spanakopita to mini quiches to egg rolls, but how good are they? I've tried and ranked 14 of Good & Gather's frozen foods, in search of those worthy apps that you'd be wise to stock in your freezer, or those best left in-store at Target. When ranking these frozen snacks, I mostly paid attention to flavor and texture, specifically favoring those products that were particularly delicious or exceptionally savory. I didn't downright dislike any of the frozen foods on this list, either, so it turned out to be a pretty tight race in determining the best of the best Good & Gather frozen foods.

Coming in last place are the chicken and vegetable potstickers, though I do want to say right off the bat that there was nothing wrong with the flavor here. These potstickers (not to be mistaken for gyoza or dumplings) certainly delivered on that classic savory, veggie-forward filling with just the right hit of ginger, but I really wanted more filling all around. As you can see by the photo, the potsticker didn't have nearly as much filling as one might hope for, leaving me feeling a bit tepid about the snack as a whole.

Another issue that I had with these potstickers is that, while the filling did taste decent, it was slightly on the bland side (especially when encased by a very neutral dough). These potstickers did come with a sweet dumpling sauce, which helped enhance the flavor, but I don't think that a good potsticker should be dependent on a sauce to be exceptionally good. So, alas, something had to come in last place in what turned out to be a very competitive race, and the lackluster potstickers ended up taking that spot.

It's always good to keep a veggie-forward appetizer on standby, even in your freezer, even if you're someone who eats meat. While I wanted to love these vegetable spring rolls and consider them for my go-to veggie freezer staple, they just didn't quite hit the mark. The biggest issue I had with these spring rolls is that the filling just ended up tasting a bit bland and mushy, with no single inclusion necessarily boasting a strong enough flavor to really lead the pack or make an impression when you took a bite.

I do want to sing praise to the spring roll wrapper, which got nice and crispy after just a few minutes in the air fryer. And, much like with the potstickers, the accompanying spring roll sauce did help add some sweet-spicy intrigue, but I can only give an appetizer so many points based on the sauce alone. So while I didn't hate these vegetable spring rolls, they were just a little too lackluster and forgettable to consider ranking any higher.

I certainly have to give the Good & Gather brand credit for creativity with these chicken and cheese quesadilla cones, because I can't say that I've ever enjoyed a finger food quite like it before. These little bite-sized snacks feature a tortilla shell and a chicken, cheese, and chile filling — something that certainly seems like the recipe for a flavorful bite, but also something that just ended up being a little boring.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike the flavors going on in these cones. I just wanted a bit more, especially a stronger pop of brightness, acidity, and maybe some heat from the green chiles. As these cones stood, there wasn't much green chile flavor going on, but rather just the overwhelming taste of chicken and something akin to Velveeta cheese. The texture of the chicken was also a tad strange, as it was a sort of ground chicken blob that may have boded better had it been shredded or even fried chicken instead (at least in my humble opinion). Overall, I appreciated the bite-sized, poppable appeal that these little cones had to offer; I just wish the execution was slightly better.

It's really, really hard to beat the sheer deliciousness that is a cream cheese wonton. Dare I say that I almost prefer a classic cream cheese wonton over its similar and arguably more popular cousin, the crab rangoon, especially when an added flavor like jalapeño gets involved. These wontons had all the fixings to make for a positively tasty snack, and while they did hit some high notes, I wasn't absolutely enthralled by them either.

I will start with the biggest positive, which is that the texture of the wonton got just about as perfectly crispy as one could hope for from a reheated, from-frozen snack (thank you to my trusty air fryer). I wasn't as crazy about the inside, however, as the cream cheese had a bit of a strange texture, almost gritty. There was also a serious lack of jalapeño in the mix, to the point where I don't recall a single bite that even really teetered into spicy territory. I liked these wontons, but I didn't love them, and with just a slightly smoother cream cheese filling and more of a jalapeño pop, they could have ranked much higher.

As someone who has never enjoyed mochi in a sweet context, I was pretty excited to try Good & Gather's kung pao chicken crispy mochi bites, which put mochi in a savory spotlight. At first glance, they almost looked like mac and cheese balls or even hush puppies, but that mochi texture proved them to be something a little more interesting.

Needless to say, I definitely enjoyed the mochi aspect of these bites, and I found the texture to be a unique combination of crispy on the outside yet chewy on the inside. The kung pao chicken filling wasn't quite so successful, but it's largely because there just wasn't enough of it. Each bite had the tiniest little bit of chicken tucked away in the middle with a whole lot of mochi coating on the outside. What I tasted of the filling was very pleasant, but due to such a lack of filling overall, I could only realistically rank these mochi bites so high.

Another intriguing frozen food entry from Good & Gather, this time in the form of a hot honey chicken pretzel bite. Just when you thought the list of ways to use hot honey had been exhausted, Target powered through with a unique little finger food that specifically highlights the sweet-spicy condiment in a savory context. And, for the most part, I enjoyed these pretzel bites, though I wouldn't say the hot honey was the star of the show here.

Instead, the pretzel crust is what really sold me on these bites, as it's something that was executed quite well and also made for a truly different type of poppable bite (compared to the common breadcrumb-coated bite). The pretzel coating got nice and crispy once heated up, and I also enjoyed how that ultra-crunchy outside contrasted against the soft, cheesy inside. Speaking of the inside, aka the filling, I was slightly less thrilled with that aspect of the bite, hence why they're only ranked ninth. The filling was sort of a strange conglomeration of chicken and cheese, and one that had an almost overly-gooey texture that definitely kept these bites from being something even better.

Is it a liquid? Is it a solid? It's both — a true two-for-one special when talking about soup dumplings — which is something you can find in Target's frozen aisle. I'm happy to report that these pork soup dumplings were pretty tasty, albeit a bit plain and simple. Nonetheless, they're a solid option for those soup dumpling lovers out there. Upon taking a bite, I was met with a decent amount of warm, savory soup that was pretty hard not to enjoy.

The absolute strongest aspect of these dumplings was indeed the soup itself, which was surprisingly rich, aromatic, and deeply savory. The pork filling was tasty as well, but I did wish that there was more of it in the dumpling (big surprise). I could forgive a small amount of filling thanks to that soup, however, and combined, the two made for one tasty, cozy, and comforting bite. While these dumplings may not be the most exciting or impressive option on this list, they were still tasty and didn't have too many flaws, a true middle-ground option in Good & Gather's vast lineup.

We owe a big thank you to whoever decided that spinach and artichoke would be such a dynamic duo in the culinary world. Most commonly meshed together in the form of spinach artichoke dip (and laden with plenty of cheese to boot), these foods really do make for quite the duo, as proven once again by Good & Gather's spinach and artichoke bites. These bites boast that classic crispy-on-the-outside, creamy-on-the-inside formula, and it's safe to say that they just about nailed it.

The bites crisped up nicely on the outside, which meant that my first bite had a lot of crispiness to it, followed by an almost overwhelming amount of rich creaminess to follow. Thus far, I've mostly complained about bites that had too little filling, but dare I say that these spinach and artichoke bites had just a tad too much cream cheese filling, and I almost wish there was a slightly better crispy-creamy balance going on. But there's no denying that these rich little bites packed quite a bit of savory goodness, and I could absolutely see these bites being a big hit at a potluck or gathering.

There's no denying that some things are just better in mini format. Mini muffins offer a bite-sized take on a classic treat, while something like mini M&M's are among the candy's better varieties due to their more delicate balance between chocolate filling and crispy candy coating. After trying Good & Gather's Southwest-style chicken mini egg rolls, I feel confident in adding egg rolls to that list of mini-fied success, because they struck a near-perfect balance between filling and crispy, crunchy coating.

In my humble experience with egg rolls, they almost always taste good, but they too often have too much filling for that crunchy exterior to really stand a chance. Good & Gather's mini egg rolls did not have such a problem, and in fact, that crispy exterior is what really shone here. Of course, I can't overlook the filling, which was certainly tasty in its own right thanks to flavorful additions like beans, peppers, corn, and chicken. It was the delicate ratio of filling-to-wrapper that sold me on these mini egg rolls, and though they may not have been my absolute favorite frozen food out of everything I tried, they definitely left a good impression.

Hot dogs aren't exactly renowned for being particularly high-brow elevated, but make 'em mini and wrap them in puff pastry, and all of a sudden you've got a positively dignified appetizer. That's seemingly the approach that Good & Gather took with its Parmesan pastry-wrapped hot dogs, and between the cheesy Parmesan crust, juicy mini hot dogs, and perfectly flaky puff pastry, I'd say these are some pretty successful little pups.

Something that immediately struck me was how flavorful these pastry pups were. Not only did they feature expected flavors from the puff pastry and hot dogs themselves, but they also came sprinkled with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and caraway seeds for a little extra crunch and flavor. Of course, the parmesan also carried a significant amount of the weight here, offering up that perfect savory depth that truly took these apps from good to great. The only thing that could have made Good & Gather's pastry pups even better would have been a good Dijonnaise or comparable dipping sauce, but for what it's worth, they were pretty darn tasty all on their own.

Spanakopita is a classic Greek dish that, on the surface, seems quite simple. And it really is a rather simple dish once you break it down, one that features crispy phyllo dough on the outside and a spinach and feta cheese filling on the inside. I can't say that I've had a whole lot of spanakopita in my life, but after trying Good & Gather's frozen rendition of it, I'm determined to change that fact.

Needless to say, I very much enjoyed this spanakopita, and it ended up even crispier than I could have ever imagined. That layered phyllo pastry was the key to success here, and I'd imagine that not every spanakopita could be quite as successful with a less flaky dough. But this phyllo was impeccably flaky after a quick trip to the air fryer, while the spinach and feta filling was just the right amount of warm and soft without being overly melty or gooey — a virtually perfect bite, and one that certainly left me impressed.

Quiche is an absolute go-to for breakfast or brunch, but when it comes to party appetizers or even just snack time, mini quiches are where it's at. Good & Gather's petite quiche collection not only delivers on the mini, bite-sized quiche front, but it also delivers several flavor options — three cheese and onion, spinach and Swiss, and mushroom and pepper — to make things that much more interesting.

I enjoyed each flavor of these petite quiches quite a bit, and overall, I found the little bites to be very well executed. The quiche crust particularly impressed me, boasting quite a few layers that made for the perfect crispy, buttery bite once heated up. While the quiche fillings didn't taste drastically different from one another, they all hit on those savory notes that one might hope for from a quiche bite, and they certainly kept me coming back for more. It's hard to beat a mini quiche done right, but three mini quiches done right? That's an absolute winner in my book.

In my humble option, bao buns are one of the most delicious iterations of buns out there. They're so impeccably soft, subtly sweet, and often stuffed with a deliciously rich, savory filling to really take the whole thing to a new level. Good & Gather's pork bao buns hit on all the right notes, feature that quintessentially soft, fluffy bun with a delicious BBQ-infused pork filling.

I have absolutely not complaints about the flavor of these bao buns, and in fact, there's not a single thing I'd change in terms of the flavor or texture of the filling or buns. My biggest wish was simply for a touch more of that pork filling, as it wasn't quite as plentiful as the image on the box had me believing. But it's hard to stay mad at such a flaw when less filling ultimately means more bun, and overall, these bao buns were just as tasty as ones I've had in restaurants. So, needless to say, I definitely intend on keeping these stocked in my freezer.

Full transparency: I had very little faith in these lobster mac and cheese bites going in. Obviously, I knew I couldn't determine my true opinion on them until after I tasted them, but I was fully expecting a decent mac and cheese bite, not one that really didn't have all that much lobster. Well, I was proven quite wrong, as not only were Good & Gather's mac and cheese bites delicious, but they had an impressive amount of lobster, to the point where each and every bite was packed with lobster flavor.

Of course, there were other components that led to these mac and cheese bites being so successful. They also just generally struck a near-perfect balance between crispy exterior and soft, cheesy inside, with plenty of filling to keep the bites interesting, but not so much that the crispiness got lost along the way. The mac and cheese was deliciously savory but not necessarily overly cheesy, and it worked absolutely perfectly alongside those precious bites of buttery, tender lobster. Between loving the flavor of the bites and being thoroughly impressed by just how much lobster was to be found within each one, the lobster mac and cheese bites quickly proved themselves to be the absolute best out of all the frozen Good & Gather foods I tried.

Since I thought that each of the Good & Gather frozen foods that I tried had at least some level of redeemable quality, ranking them really came down to personal preference and more nitpicky things, like filling amounts and textural balance. Less successful foods, like the potstickers or spring rolls, were simply too lackluster and missing that special something to make them stand out against a tough crowd. 

As for the better ones, like the lobster mac and cheese balls or the pork bao buns, these had positively delicious flavors throughout. These foods also came with certain features that made them shine, like exceptionally good texture or impressive filling.