9 Trader Joe's Sandwiches And Wraps, Ranked

When you're looking for a good sandwich to curb that lunchtime craving, Trader Joe's delivers on two fronts. First, you could easily stock up on all the necessary ingredients to make a stellar sandwich. After all, the store's various deli meats, sourdough bread, condiments, and fresh veggie toppings are all easily sourced at any Trader Joe's location. But for those who don't want to buy all of the separate elements and assemble a sandwich themselves, Trader Joe's also offers an impressive array of prepared foods, including packaged, ready-to-eat sandwiches and wraps that will make lunchtime a little easier.

Of course, as with just about any Trader Joe's line of products, not all of the popular chain's sandwiches or wraps are top-tier. To determine which ones are indeed among the best, I purchased and sampled nine Trader Joe's sandwiches and wraps (seven wraps, two sandwiches to be more specific).

When sampling each of these lunchtime staples, I paid attention to how good each one tasted, whether the bread or tortilla was particularly soggy or too bulky, and how balanced the respective wrap or sandwich felt. This included the bread-to-filling ratio, whether there were plentiful fillings, if the accompanying sauce paired well, and so forth. Without further ado, here is my ranking of nine Trader Joe's sandwiches (and wraps).

As someone who's a fan of lentils by themselves, in soups, and in canned form, Trader Joe's spicy lentil wrap hurt a bit. Not in the sense that it physically hurt me to eat, but in the sense that it was a letdown of a wrap overall. The premise was promising enough, with this wrap boasting a lentil, bulgur wheat, and red pepper paste filling, all rolled up in a lavash flatbread wrap and even served with a spicy tahini sauce to boot. While I did enjoy the flavors that this wrap had to offer, there simply wasn't enough filling to balance out against all of that flatbread.

So, yes, the reason TJ's spicy lentil wrap is falling into the last place slot isn't necessarily because of bad flavor, but because the filling-to-wrap ratio was way off here. Each bite felt like 80% wrap, 20% filling, and obviously that's just not going to make for a tasty lunch. Also, I do think that the filling should have lived up to its spicy namesake a little more accurately. As far as I could tell, the only real spicy element was the tahini sauce that comes on the side, and even that was barely sparking any real spice action. I do appreciate a good ready-to-eat vegan lunch or snack option, but overall, this spicy lentil wrap just missed the mark.

Ah, tuna salad — perhaps the most divisive of the lunchtime sandwich staples out there. Yet frustratingly so because it doesn't have to be so controversial. It is possible to make a rather tasty and even elevated tuna salad sandwich, and it can sometimes be as easy as picking the right ingredients, like opting for oil-packed tuna instead of a water-based one. Alas, Trader Joe's seemingly did not get the memo that tuna salad can be something delicious and refined, because this tuna salad wrap was just about as lackluster as they can get.

To start with the positives, I do think that this wrap could have more potential if a little more care was put into it. Instead, as-is, the wrap featured a wheat tortilla with some greens, tomatoes, and an incredibly bland tuna salad. Even some additional seasoning could have made this wrap a little more palatable, but it was just so incredibly bland and uninspiring. At the very least, I had to give the wrap a point or two for having a decent filling-to-wrap ratio, but ultimately, this is not one TJ's food item I'd be packing in my lunchbox.

Buffalo chicken is never going out of style, be it in the form of Buffalo chicken dip or good old fashioned wings. Trader Joe's is no stranger to the Buffalo chicken love either — in fact, TJ's popular Buffalo chicken style dip happens to be an excellent mac and cheese upgrade. This sentiment is proven further by Trader Joe's Buffalo style chicken wrap, which comes with a blue cheese dressing on the side. While I didn't hate this wrap by any means, it definitely left me wanting a bit more, both in terms of more filling and more of that subtly spicy Buffalo flavor.

Right off the bat, this wrap struck me as being a bit smaller than the others on this list, which is seldom a good thing (especially when it's 1pm and you're as hungry as can be). And, once I actually ate the wrap, it was evident that there wasn't nearly as much chicken inside as one might hope for. The flavor was decent enough, hitting on those classic Buffalo sauce notes, but I wanted more of that too, because certain bites of the wrap were bordering on dry. Of course, that's what the blue cheese dressing was there for, an I did appreciate the creamy, pungent notes that it added to the wrap. Ultimately, TJ's Buffalo style chicken wrap is far from a loser, but it's not exactly one I'd call a winner either.

As someone who loves cranberries (likely more than the average person) and especially loves sweet elements in otherwise savory sandwiches, I knew that Trader Joe's chicken and cheddar cheese sandwich on cranberry seeded wheat bread would be right up my alley. And while I certainly enjoyed the flavor of this sandwich, certain textural issues left me feeling a bit more "meh" about this one than I'd initially hoped.

One of the two actual sandwich entries on this list, this chicken and cheddar sandwich at the very least offered a break from a near endless stream of wraps. The sandwich toppings – which included sliced chicken, white cheddar cheese, arugula, and an intriguing maple cranberry aioli — were tasty enough, but they were a bit mushy (even a crisper lettuce might have helped out here a little bit). Then, pair that with a very tasty but also very soft cranberry-studded wheat bread, and you've got a sandwich that leans a little too far into mushy territory to be completely appetizing. The flavors were on point here, but that texture kept me from wanting to go back for more bites.

Tarragon, often considered to be a great herb substitute for dill, isn't necessarily an herb that many people are keeping stocked in their kitchen. Realistically, tarragon is a bit of a polarizing herb due to its sort of licorice-forward or star anise-like flavor profile, but in the right contexts, it can be quite tasty. Trader Joe's tarragon chicken salad wrap presents a strong argument for tarragon, pairing it with a neutral chicken salad filling to make for a pretty tasty wrap (and one that didn't taste like licorice, fortunately).

Perhaps my favorite aspect of this wrap wasn't necessarily the flavor but rather the texture. There were certain soft elements, like the tortilla and the chicken salad itself, but there were also a couple of crunchier elements, like almonds and romaine lettuce, making for a more complex wrap that wasn't at all mushy.

As far as the flavor is concerned, I did enjoy those tarragon notes. However, I almost think the chicken salad could have benefitted from even more seasoning, like more salt to help those herby flavors shine even more. Ultimately, if you know you enjoy tarragon and are a fan of a classic chicken salad wrap, then this one won't disappoint (even though I preferred the top four entries).

Though the other vegan option on this list (the spicy lentil wrap) wasn't exactly a winner, Trader Joe's vegan creamy hummus and vegetable wrap certainly is. This wrap came loaded with a plethora of veggies, ranging from carrots to bell peppers to spinach, along with a creamy hummus, all wrapped up in a spinach tortilla. Vibrant, crunchy, and earthy, this wrap was a very tasty one, boasting particularly strong veggie notes with lots of tahini flavor from the hummus.

While a hummus wrap might seem like something that'd be very mushy at first, those veggies were working overtime to ensure that there was crunchiness with every bite. The spinach tortilla itself was also a unique addition, adding a little more veggie flavor overall and offering up something a little more interesting than a plain flour tortilla. If I have one minor complaint about this wrap (which kept it out of the top three), it's that the hummus flavor had a tendency to overpower the veggies. This meant that after a few bites, you're tasting chickpeas and tahini more than anything else. Fortunately, that hummus did taste pretty darn good, though, so ultimately I enjoyed this wrap and would absolutely pack it in my lunchbox.

Apple slices deserve a place on sandwiches, and I'm tired of pretending otherwise. Though the thought of loading up a turkey sandwich with apples might seem a bit strange at first, it's really no different than opting for slices of a juicy, crunchy vegetable, with the added bonus that you're going to get a little bit of sweetness with each and every bite. Trader Joe's turkey apple cheddar sandwich is a great example of a sandwich with apples done right, and though this is ultimately a rather simple sandwich, it's one that's undeniably delicious.

Aside from the apples, which really do the heavy lifting in adding a delicious crunch, brightness, juiciness, and subtle sweetness to this sandwich, the bread also stands out. The sandwich comes on a rustic multigrain roll, and it's a rather tasty bread type that switches things up from typical white or wheat sandwich bread.

I do wish there was a slightly better bread-to-filling ratio, as some bites were a bit overpowered by the multigrain roll. However, between the classic turkey sandwich fixings, crisp apple slices, and rustic bread? This is one undeniably tasty sandwich that's well-executed and a safe bet for a satisfying lunch option.

A chicken Caesar salad is already an established lunchtime go-to, so why not transform it into a handheld wrap? Trader Joe's got the memo about turning the beloved salad into a handheld option with its chicken Caesar wrap, and I have to say, this one surprised me a bit. Sure: I expected it to taste good enough, but I also thought it'd be a bit soggy. Yet the wrap wasn't soggy at all, and while it wasn't necessarily the crunchiest option on this list, it did offer enough textural balance to avoid teetering into mushy territory, earning it the number two spot.

The formula behind this wrap is pretty simple. It consists of chicken breast strips, lettuce, and Parmesan cheese, all wrapped in a spinach tortilla. Now, this means that the beloved and classic Caesar salad croutons are missing from the wrap, but I suspect that had they been there, they wouldn't have remained crunchy, which would have lessened the quality of the wrap overall.

Of course, I can't overlook arguably the most important aspect of any good chicken Caesar salad (wrap): The Caesar dressing. On that note, the dressing was very tasty, offering up those familiar creamy Caesar notes with just the right tanginess and slight pungency to make it a little more complex. I don't have any complaints about this wrap, and it's one that any certified Caesar salad lover should try.

Earning the number one spot in this ranking is an absolute Trader Joe's classic: The turkey breast, spinach, and Swiss cheese wrap. Now, I know what you're thinking — this wrap doesn't have any crunchy elements, so how could it be good (or at the very least, not mushy)? I'm here to assure you this wrap doesn't need any such elements to be interesting, nor does it have a soggy texture in the slightest.

This wrap is super well-balanced in terms of fillings and tortilla. It also has a surprising amount of flavor packed in, largely thanks to the garlicky tortilla and honey mustard sauce. And while there are many aspects to love about this wrap, my favorite is how loaded it is with turkey, cheese, and spinach. You can tell from the picture that there's no shortage of filling in this bad boy, which is a shortcoming that so many other wraps on this list fell victim to.

Plus, just when you think the wrap might be too lackluster in flavor, the honey Dijon mustard sauce adds the right subtly sweet and vinegary hit, making each bite more enjoyable than the last. I wouldn't change anything about this wrap, and if I'm perusing Trader Joe's at lunchtime on an empty stomach? This is the wrap I'd reach for time and time again.

When ranking Trader Joe's sandwiches and wraps, the most important factor came down to a combination of flavor and texture. A successful sandwich or wrap both tastes good and isn't complete mush, but establishing this balance is easier said than done. In the case of Trader Joe's sandwiches and wraps, there was one obvious weak link in terms of texture, which was the spicy lentil wrap. Though this wrap did offer up some tasty flavors, it wasn't enough to overlook the fact that it was way too heavy on the flatbread wrap.

On the other hand, the first place wrap — the turkey, spinach, and Swiss wrap — struck a near-perfect balance between fillings and tortilla. The wrap wasn't at all soggy, either, which is another key to being a successful sandwich or wrap in my book. In short, those sandwiches or wraps that were more successful here managed to strike that ever-important balance between exceptional flavor and texture, while the lower-ranked ones just couldn't quite find harmony.