6 Store-Bought Indian Foods That May Just Be Better Than Takeout

Imagine this: You've spent 10 minutes perusing your favorite Indian restaurant's online menu. Finally, you settle on a portion of tikka masala, a box of rice, and a few gulab jamun to round things out. You head to checkout, and — gasp — the total is a whopping $40. You start rethinking your dinner plans, ultimately convincing yourself that you can live with yet another peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner.

But wait. It doesn't have to be that way. Although it's famously difficult to match the quality of freshly prepared Indian meals, a handful of store-bought Indian foods show up for the challenge — and I've rounded them up for you. Not only do these products bring admirable flavors to the table, but they are also easier on the wallet and can conveniently be bought on your next grocery store trip. Not to mention, if Indian restaurants always set your mouth on fire, you'll be happy to hear that these store-bought alternatives frequently fall on the milder side.

To assemble this line-up of products, I referenced customer reviews and my own experiences. I've tried several of these products myself, eaten at countless Indian restaurants, and even live in India the majority of each year. Finally, because we all have different spice tolerances, I urge you to turn to these expert tips for adding spices to your at-home Indian dishes, as necessary. That said, many customers like these products as-is, straight from the package or jar. You can learn more about my methodology at the end of this article.

Brooklyn Delhi is famous for its roasted garlic achaar — so famous, in fact, that Trader Joe's got itself into hot water in 2022 for introducing a strikingly similar product. But in addition to Brooklyn Delhi's chutneys and pickles, I love its simmer sauces. They come in five varieties: tikka masala, golden coconut curry, coconut cashew korma, cashew butter masala, and mango curry. Reviews indicate that kids might enjoy these sauces, too. Even the mango curry, which packs a bit more heat than the others, is said to be kid friendly.

One Redditor praised these sauces for their authenticity. Of course, the matter of authenticity is complicated (just take the mysterious origins of tikka masala), but I agree that these products taste much like what I eat in India.

I love that the sodium levels in these sauces are reasonable and that they are all vegan. This is a big win for plant-based folks who may have never tried butter masala or tikka masala before. You could doctor up these sauces if desired, but I don't find it necessary. One customer recommended adding coconut milk, while others suggested using milk or cream. To be clear, this is not indicative of a product shortcoming; the brand itself recommends adding such ingredients if you're after additional richness.

Whenever you're lucky enough to find them, grab a few jars of Aldi's Specially Selected simmer sauces. Despite not always being available, these products have received an immense amount of praise from customers. The tikka masala is a popular choice, while even a chef recommended the korma variation on Facebook. Meanwhile, the butter chicken sauce can apparently turn out great when you take the time to marinate chicken in yogurt and spices the night before.

Part of what makes the Specially Selected sauces so unique is that each jar includes a separate container filled with dry spices on top — a gamechanger, according to customers. One Redditor advised blooming these spices in oil, thus amplifying their flavor tenfold, before adding the sauce itself to the pan. This is a step I frequently take when cooking Indian food at home; it's obvious that someone familiar with the cuisine introduced this feature. Another Redditor reported that they use the spices for marinating meat. Yet another customer recommended adding coconut milk and garam masala if you feel that these sauces need a boost of flavor, but they also said it wasn't entirely necessary.

Don't confuse these Specially Selected sauces with the regularly available Journey to India or Burman's sauces, both of which have received mixed reviews from customers (though they are generally praiseworthy, as well). As of this writing in June 2026, the Specially Selected korma sauce was spotted at Aldi within the past few months, so check your local store to see if you're in one of those golden windows for stocking up.

Despite living in India, I eat woefully fewer samosas than one might expect. While I sometimes enjoy a bite or two of these savory vegetable pastries, they're too deep-fried for my taste (and often result in heartburn). That's why I would much rather buy a frozen version at the grocery store and pop a few piquant pockets into my air fryer whenever the craving strikes. Trader Joe's offers frozen samosas on the regular, but it's the mini spicy pumpkin samosas that really get customers talking. That's both a product of their novelty (you'll rarely find pumpkin samosas at Indian restaurants), as well as their superb flavors and textures. Besides, folks often agree that these samosas are better than Trader Joe's standard variety.

Indeed, many would say that this is one of the best Trader Joe's pumpkin products of all time. Notably, these samosas are tried and approved by Indians, not just those of us who dabble in the cuisine. One customer, who stocks up on these samosas every fall, reported that their flavor is akin to pumpkin bharta, a sweet and tangy mashed pumpkin dish.

If you, like me, would like to air fry these samosas, 10 minutes or so at 375 degrees Fahrenheit will do the trick. Finally, I'll add that making samosas by hand can be challenging if you don't have someone to teach you, so it may be better to let Trader Joe's supplier do the work for you.

There was only one semester in college when I did not partake in my university's meal plan, and during that semester, I spent more money on Maya Kaimal products than I'd like to admit. The everyday dals were sometimes an everyday staple for me. After all, they're high in protein and easy to prepare in a microwave. Whenever I had time to venture into the kitchen and chop vegetables, however, I often brought along a jar of Maya Kaimal simmer sauce instead. In fact, I had quite the array of these pretty jars on standby. Some of my favorite flavors were (and still are) the Madras curry and the Goan coconut.

Another one of my favorite flavors, the tikka masala sauce, earned top honors in a previous Tasting Table ranking of tikka masala sauces, easily beating brands like Tasty Bite, Saffron Road, and even the aforementioned Brooklyn Delhi. I agree with my fellow writer in that this product is aromatic and well-balanced in flavor. Tikka masala is traditionally paired with chicken, but I find that this sauce is also a great match for tofu, sweet potato, and green peas. There's even a vegan version of the tikka masala featuring coconut cream.

Now that I've graduated from being a student to being a mother, I also appreciate that several of these sauces are, as others have noted, child friendly. I know that my own toddler wouldn't touch any spicy gravy from an Indian restaurant with a 10-foot pole, but I may try one of these on her soon.

Clearly, there's no dearth of competition when it comes to store-bought Indian simmer sauces. While some restaurants offer their bestselling sauces in takeaway tubs, that's not the norm. Besides, it wouldn't take long for such rich, expensive food to lose its glamor if you ate it regularly. Store-bought simmer sauces run the added benefit of being shelf stable, too. Thankfully, if you buy these products from a brand like Patak's, you could achieve a meal approaching restaurant quality.

Patak's simmer sauces come in over a dozen varieties. Two of the core flavors — butter chicken and tikka masala — come in reduced-fat and reduced-sodium varieties, as well as spicy varieties. Other products include the korma simmer sauce and the spicy vindaloo simmer sauce. The dopiaza simmer sauce is one that I've not seen from any other brand but have made from scratch at home; this dish combines the robust flavors of onion with the tanginess of tomatoes.

So, which one to start with? The tikka masala has earned high reviews from Redditors, one of whom said it tops all other jarred tikka masala sauces. Others recommended the korma sauce, with one Reddit user specifically suggesting tossing in some shredded rotisserie chicken. Frequently, Patak's spice pastes came up in discussion, so if you have more time to cook, try making a curry from scratch with the Madras spice paste or the hot curry paste, two customer favorites.

Frankly, I find homemade Indian desserts to leave restaurant versions in the dust. I find it difficult to say no to aunties who want to stuff me with ladoos, kheer, and halwa — it's all just too delicious! It turns out, there's a case to be made for store-bought Indian desserts, as well.

If you order gulab jamun at an Indian restaurant, it may come with a plain Jane scoop of vanilla ice cream. But by heading to an Indian grocery store or ShopRite, you can purchase one of several Vadilal ice cream flavors at an affordable price and savor it over the course of multiple sittings, which is certainly not the case with restaurant desserts. Speaking of gulab jamun, one Redditor tried a Vadilal ice cream of the same flavor and gave it an exceptional review. They said it was generously infused with gulab jamun pieces and would be a sure hit among those who love warm spices.

You might also try the approachable Alphonso mango flavor, or else venture further afield with the falooda kulfi variety, featuring vermicelli and basil seeds. Meanwhile, meetha pan (starring spices like fennel and amaranth) might be the refreshing treat you need this summer. Or, if saffron and pistachios rock your boat, try the kesar pista kulfi flavor, which has received especially high praise from one Redditor. There's even cassatta. Despite being one of several popular Italian ice cream flavors you won't easily find in America, I've heard friends wax poetic about this nostalgic flavor in India, too.

I curated this list of store-bought Indian foods based on personal experience and customer reviews from sites like Reddit and Facebook. Occasionally, I used reviews from product pages on brands' websites. I looked for feedback that specifically compared these products to dishes you might get at Indian restaurants. When restaurants were not explicitly mentioned, I ensured that the products were still described as robust in flavor, at the top of their game, and (however complicated the term may be) authentic. Customers often recommended doctoring up these products to meet personal preferences, and a few simple spices bloomed in ghee or oil can indeed make a world of a difference. For the simmer sauces, of course, you'll need to provide your own meats, meat alternatives, and/or vegetables.