8 Frozen Foods At Dollar Tree To Buy And 7 To Skip

Back in the day, dollar stores lived up to their name; every single item for sale cost $1, full stop. In the days of inflation, however, a more apt name for them is the "slightly-cheaper-than-Walmart" store. Nevertheless, these ubiquitous stores can be both goldmines for ultra-cheap products and the source of the most disappointing $1.25 you'll ever spend.

Typically, when we think of a dollar store, we think of things like single-use party favors, cheap holiday decorations, and suspiciously inexpensive cleaning supplies. We don't often associate a chain like Dollar Tree with food shopping. But unbeknownst to many, Dollar Tree is home to hidden gems in its grocery aisle that shouldn't be overlooked. Along with canned goods, condiments, spices, and snacks, the chain has an impressive selection of frozen foods, most of which are either chilled desserts or heat-and-eat snacks.

I scrounged up a variety of Dollar Tree's frozen items to give them a try and uncover which fall under hidden-gem status and which aren't worth even their meager price tags. I based my taste test on factors like flavor, texture (a contentious topic in the world of microwave cooking), and value. In some cases, the uber-cheap outlet shouldn't be ignored for affordable, quick eats you can toss in your freezer and snack on when you don't feel like cooking. In other cases, Dollar Tree's frozen foods are freezer-burned catastrophes not worth the precious space in your icebox.

Sometimes, on a really hot day, a glass of lemonade doesn't do enough to cool you down — but this Minute Maid Frozen Lemonade will get the job done. It strikes a great balance between creamy and icy, and it's plenty sweet. It reminds me more of a typical grocery store Italian ice than one of Rhode Island's famous Italian-inspired frozen lemonades, but I didn't expect an artisanal sweet treat in this Dollar Store find anyway. The container is much larger than a typical Italian ice cup, so a cooler full of these $1.25 frozen lemonades is sure to put a smile on the face of everyone at the beach or barbecue.

If you plan on scooping up one of these treats, make sure you let it sit out for a while before diving in. After about 10 minutes on the kitchen counter or five minutes in the sun, it melts just enough to spoon out easily while still being icy cold. I tried mine in a homemade smoothie with frozen berries and Greek yogurt, and it was divine.

Right off the bat, microwavable bread sounds like a bad idea. I didn't have high hopes for the Bosco mozzarella cheese-stuffed breadstick, but it managed to sink lower than my already rock-bottom expectations. After microwaving it according to package directions (for about a minute and a half, still in the wrapper), it slid out of the plastic with an unappetizing, wet plop. Some of the cheese leaked out and left a watery pool on the plate, while the rest of the cheese stayed snug inside the bread log, but only because it was the consistency and stickiness of Elmer's glue.

Biting into this abhorrent breadstick was like snacking on a sponge. In addition to being the worst texture imaginable, the cheese was too salty, and the bread had the flavor of cardboard. Even though it only cost $1.25 and was ready-to-eat (technically speaking) in only about a minute, I would eat drywall before I bit into another Bosco breadstick.

Dumplings are one of those appetizers that can taste as if they came from your favorite restaurant when they actually came from your freezer. Dollar Tree's Bibigo Steamed Chicken & Vegetable Dumplings are just as good as dumplings you'd find at a take-out spot, but the best part is that they're delicious after just a few minutes in the microwave.

If you like soft, squishy dumplings, microwave them directly in the plastic packaging they come in, which will effectively steam them. After three or four minutes, their delicate wrapper and savory meat and veggie filling will be piping hot all the way through. However, if you prefer a little crunch, take the dumplings out of their plastic packaging, drizzle them with a little oil, and toss them in the air fryer. Make sure to remove the umami dipping sauce that comes with them first, so it can get to room temperature before your snack is ready. These dumplings are a solid deal at only $3 for a tray of six — the perfect amount for an appetizer before a dinner for two.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In the case of the above photo of the Celeste Original 4 Cheese Pizza for One, every one of those words is "ew." You're probably thinking, "Well what did you expect, microwaving a pizza?" But here's the kicker: I put it in the oven. I fully anticipated the cheese to melt evenly and the crust to get nice and crispy by picking the oven-cooking method. Instead, the cheese melted into ugly white strands that decorated the pizza like leftover confetti on the floor the morning after a raucous party. I wish I could say it tasted better than it looked, but everything about this pizza was incredibly sad and not worth even its mere $1.25 price tag.

I'll admit that the sauce had a nicely sweet flavor, accentuated by earthy black pepper. But the egregious taste of the cheese, like salty nothingness that eerily dissolved on my tongue, completely ruined any semblance of an attribute that this personal pie could have had.

Jimmy Dean is the king of frozen breakfast foods, and Dollar Tree's Jimmy Dean offering appeared no different than what you'd find in a box from the grocery store. In this case, I picked up a single sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich, which came in a plastic wrapper and cost $1.50. It needed just a few minutes in the microwave to come to life, and although this frozen morning meal isn't as good as a fresh sandwich from a diner, or even a fast-food place, it still hits the spot.

The egg on this sandwich was similar to the extra-fluffy eggs at McDonald's, and the sausage had a nice peppery flavor and zesty bite. The biscuit was pretty dry and bland, but for a cheap snack to eat on the go, it's still hard to resist. One of the best things about this sandwich, though, is that it manages to heat evenly all the way through. Anyone who had to sustain themselves on frozen meals for a time will understand the significance of that seemingly trivial virtue.

Spinach and artichoke dip is easily among my favorite pub fare, and it seems like something that would freeze and reheat well, so I was excited to dive spoon-first into this TGI Fridays snack. I microwaved it after thawing it, and it took a surprisingly long time to reach optimal temperature. At the three-minute mark, I gave it a good stir, but it still managed to heat incredibly unevenly.

The uneven heating wasn't the worst part. As I poured the dip into a serving bowl, I noticed that it was strangely foamy — not an appetizing quality in a cheese-based food. I was apprehensive to take that first bite, and my intuition was correct. The cheese was bland and watery, with no tang or umami flavor to speak of, and the spinach and artichoke chunks were few and far between. It's no wonder this dip earned the last-place spot in our ranking of TGI Fridays frozen appetizers.

At $5 for what the box claims is eight servings (it's only eight servings if your guests are having one bite each), and for such a mediocre dip, I say the iconic bar-food chain, and by extension, Dollar Tree, dropped the ball here.

Frozen fruit is a staple in my house. I use it for smoothies, yogurt bowls, desserts, and even simple, nutrient-packed snacks. The worst thing about frozen fruit is that it typically comes with a hefty price tag, but that's not the case for this medley from Dollar Tree. TJ Farms Frozen Strawberry, Mango, and Blueberry blend is only $3 for a 20-ounce bag, and when it comes to quality, it's perfectly satisfactory.

I defrosted my bowl of fruit using my microwave's defrost setting, but thawing under refrigeration would likely yield better results. My fruit was a tiny bit freezer-burned, but for a cheap product, that wasn't too disappointing, especially since freezer burn can't make you sick. I probably won't end up snacking on this fruit as-is, because the mangoes were on the mushy side. However, I'll be stocking up on this medley for future smoothies and yogurt bowls on the cheap.

At this point in this taste test, I've come to learn that when Dollar Tree food is bad, it's really, really bad. The Yummy brand Hot Buffalo Style Boneless Wyngz, allegedly made from all-white-meat chicken, wound up being the epitome of inexpensive Dollar Tree food gone wrong.

Instead of having the classic texture of white-meat chicken, which should be tender but substantial enough to bite into with a little force, these buffalo-style nuggets practically disintegrated as soon as I bit into one. They appeared to be made of the same stuff as the cheap chicken patties from the school cafeteria, but somehow, they were even worse than those tasteless, mushy patties of yesteryear. The coating made them so moist that they were like a soggy lump of mystery meat.

Even though I baked them for a little longer than the package suggests, they still ended up with absolutely zero crisp. The buffalo sauce didn't offer any solace; it was sugary, salty, and anything but spicy. Next time, I'll keep my $5 and put it towards something fresher.

Jalapeño poppers are one of those party foods that few go to the trouble to whip up from scratch. Usually, a frozen version will hit the spot all the same, especially for mindless munching while watching the game. TGI Fridays' jalapeño poppers from Dollar Tree satisfy the craving for a fried, spicy snack just as well as anything from the grocery store, and for only $5 a box. Those five bucks gets you about nine decently sized poppers, which heat thoroughly and evenly after about seven minutes in a hot oven.

My poppers came out of the oven ultra crispy, and the cream cheese inside was piping hot. Still, they weren't so hot that I couldn't bite into one after only a couple of minutes of waiting for them to cool down. The filling was thick and creamy, and the jalapeños had a potent, spicy-sweet flavor that paired nicely with the thick, salty coating.

You don't have to look too closely to observe that Founders Street Vanilla Frozen Dairy Dessert doesn't have "ice cream" anywhere in its name. This doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad product; in fact, some of your favorite grocery store ice cream brands probably aren't labeled "ice cream" because they don't meet strict USDA standards. In the case of this Dollar Tree product, however, even calling it a dessert is a stretch.

This vanilla-flavored frozen treat comes in a 48-ounce tub for just $3, but it isn't even worth some spare pocket change. The vanilla flavoring tastes blatantly artificial and even somewhat medicinal. At the same time, the texture is far from rich and creamy; it tastes like it was made with more water than milk. As a cheap ingredient for a complex recipe, this product might be worth it, but as a dessert, it's a major disappointment.

Gorton's is to frozen fish what McDonald's is to fast food. It may not be on par with fresh, wild-caught Chilean sea bass from a bougie Mediterranean joint, but the brand is absolutely iconic. At Dollar Tree, you can pick up a large box of Gorton's classic fish sticks for $5.

Fish sticks might not be as popular as they once were, but they hit the spot when you're craving something crispy to dunk in a bowl of tangy tartar sauce. Gorton's fish sticks, made with surprisingly simple ingredients, were extremely crispy after about 15 minutes in the oven. They held up well to dunking in condiments despite being delicate and flaky. Unlike a lot of similar frozen snacks, they aren't saturated with sodium, which makes them a good Dollar Tree buy for anyone watching their salt intake.

I can't imagine many of us spend time thinking: "I wish I could have all the flavor and less of the convenience of a gas station sandwich from the comfort of home." For the rare few who do, the Fast Bites Breaded Chicken Sandwich is for you. The rest of us will be happy to put our $1.50 to better use.

I was actually pretty impressed with how well this mini sandwich heats up in the microwave. After about two and a half minutes, it's hot all the way through, and the bread is fluffy and not too soggy. Although the texture was a surprising win, the taste of this poultry patty completely ruined the experience. I expected a salty, savory meat patty that could really hit the spot when a late-night craving hits. Instead, this tastes like absolutely nothing; it's completely bland all the way through. Honestly, I would have preferred something excessively salty that I could dump ketchup or mustard all over. But even the tangiest of condiments couldn't bring this sad sandwich to life.

I didn't expect to like the Edwards Signatures Whipped Original Cheesecake as much as I did. I'm not crazy about even fresh bakeshop cheesecake, but this Dollar Tree dessert hit all the right notes. It had a bright, lemony tang that ensured the cream cheese wouldn't be too mouth-coatingly rich. The Graham cracker crust is my favorite part of cheesecake, and this one didn't disappoint. There also wasn't so much cream cheese that it drowned out the sweet, cinnamon-y crust, which is normally my main qualm with this type of dessert.

Before you go out and scoop up this box of two cheesecake slices for $3 at Dollar Tree, know this: They're much better when they're still mostly frozen. Thawed out completely, the cream cheese gets too thin. But frozen, it makes an ultra-refreshing, flavorful dessert that was the perfect serving size to be satisfying without leaving me in a sugar-and-cheese coma.

I love the idea of a single serving of wholesome, all-American comfort food for only $1.25. I thought this heat-and-eat chicken pot pie from Banquet — a classic grocery store brand — would serve me well, but it should be avoided from Dollar Tree at all costs for a very specific reason.

The box provides both conventional oven and microwave oven directions. I figured the pot pie would come out much better in a conventional oven, but the instructions claim it takes over half an hour for the pie to be ready using this method. So, I decided to microwave it, since I assumed, with such a long oven cook time, most people who scoop up this cheap dinner will do the same.

Even using a 1,100-watt microwave and nuking the pie for longer than the box instructed, the dough wasn't even close to being cooked thoroughly. It was wet, goopy, and definitely not safe to eat. And, for what it's worth, another store in my area sells the same item for even less than Dollar Tree.

When the mood for a greasy, fast-food-esque snack strikes, few things are as satisfying as a White Castle slider. The famed brand's iconic mini burgers are a popular option from the freezer section. Somehow, they manage to come out of the microwave tasting almost as good as the fresh sliders from an actual White Castle restaurant.

The meat on these burgers was minimal. In fact, there was almost the same amount of meat as cheese. Despite the bread-to-meat-and-cheese ratio skewing hard in favor of squishy, soft bread, the whole slider managed to taste balanced and cohesive. The tiny, minced onions were my favorite part; they add a uniquely sweet and umami taste that makes these morsels so iconic. For those times when a Harold-and-Kumar-level White Castle craving hits, this box of four tiny burgers for five bucks is worth having stowed away in your freezer.

To discern whether each of these Dollar Tree items should fall under the "buy" or "avoid" category of this review, I tried each at its intended temperature, cooking everything according to package directions. For those that needed to be cooked, I chose each cooking method based on what I assumed would be the most common way for Dollar Tree customers to prepare their freezer finds.

I didn't compare these items to one another. Instead, I judged each as a standalone item, basing my assessment primarily on the food's flavor, texture, and value. I also considered how easy it was to prepare, but that factored into the review only slightly. Ultimately, the snacks that I would personally buy again or that exceeded my expectations, I encourage readers to buy, and I urge readers to steer clear of the foods with a cheap, artificial taste and mushy texture. Please note that all prices reflect those at my local Dollar Tree and may vary depending on location.