8 Trader Joe's Soups, Ranked Worst To Best

Trader Joe's is a treasure trove of goodies. Just take a walk through its freezer aisle filled with hidden gems, or try out one of its many chocolate bars or unique juices, and you'll be impressed all over again with the quirky store's endless options. Its soup selection is yet another offering that comes in a variety of flavors, and with some of them being among TJ's most loved prepared foods, it only felt right that they'd be next on the list of things to try and rank from the popular grocer.

I grabbed just about every soup that was available at my local Trader Joe's, only leaving one or two behind that felt more like condiments (why were the tubs of gluten–free turkey gravy tucked in with all the soups, anyway?). Then, as one does, I tried each and every one of them back-to-back to see which soup reigns supreme. And spoiler alert: first-place went to a product that isn't always around, so you might want to act quick and try it before it's pulled off the shelves.

Dipping my grilled cheese into tomato soup is probably the only time I eat this particular soup flavor. Otherwise, it's just not a dish I find myself craving on its own. As such, I wasn't sure I'd get myself to enjoy Trader Joe's Tomato Feta Soup. And, after a taste test, I still wouldn't say this tomato soup makes me want to eat it any more frequently. For me, it's simply the type of food that needs something to balance out its acidity, whether that be crusty garlic bread or a melty sandwich — it just isn't a fully enjoyable experience as a whole meal. Even Trader Joe's itself recommends having grilled cheese with this soup.

Still, it's certainly more elevated than most prepared tomato soups, as this leaves a very light heat in the back of your throat that I'll chalk up to the cayenne pepper. It also contains feta, which adds an interestingly crumbly and somewhat gritty texture. That sounds off-putting, but it was a welcome contrast at the end of the day.

There really wasn't anything wrong with this soup. In fact, each of the products I tried for this ranking was good in its own way. This just isn't one that I'd like to eat as often or eat on its own as I would the others, leaving it in last place.

Minestrone is an option people are often presented with at restaurants when their meal comes with a soup or salad (I'll always go with the former). It's an appetizer I can reliably fall back on when dining out, and I'd say Trader Joe's version more or less holds to that, too.

The classic version of this soup is often made with all the familiar ingredients like tomatoes, celery, carrots, kale, and some sort of pasta. Trader Joe's minestrone also follows this formula, and though it already has carbs in it from the orecchiette, it also adds rice into the mix. This is likely an attempt to really live up to the "hearty" title. I'd say it overall succeeds in this, since this soup truly is rife with chopped veggies, but when it comes to its orecchiette and rice, there still certainly could've been more. If you've read my Whole Foods prepared soups ranking, you'd know that I find it pointless to add rice to soup if you're not going to add a lot of it. Otherwise, it's not doing anything for the taste or texture, and the grains just get lost in everything else. And that's especially the case with this soup, as it's loaded with other components.

My second critique would be the carrots. Usually, when eating minestrone, the carrots are tender and soft, whereas here, they were surprisingly crunchy. That might be a plus to those who want a bit of textural complexity, and while I'm usually part of that group, in this instance, it just felt like it detracted from my entire eating experience.

Up next, we have the Thai Style Red Curry Soup. This product is actually more of a bright orange shade, and it contains pumpkin, ginger, lemongrass, and surprisingly, chicken. Now, you might be wondering why chicken, such a commonly used ingredient, is so shocking here. Well, as I ate this soup and critiqued it, one of the first notes I wrote down was that I felt like it could be improved by adding some protein. To my great surprise, I then saw that chicken is actually listed as the fourth ingredient on the label. It was, however, nowhere to be picked up by my senses while eating, so however Trader Joe's decided to incorporate chicken into this soup was evidently a miss.

Despite this product containing so many different ingredients, other than some red bell pepper pieces, there's nothing texturally going on here. As such, it feels like a soup that you can just endlessly slurp or even drink straight from the bowl, no chewing required. Trader Joe's says that it goes well splashed on some rice, but I personally think it would be better if this soup were a bit thicker. Otherwise, though, the flavor of this curry soup is lovely. It's wonderfully milky and creamy, and the spice that's typical of Thai curries really shines through, making it great for those who want to warm up their bodies and fire up their senses. I'd just add some of my own chicken to make it feel more complete.

The Lemony Chicken Orzo Soup has everything that the lower-ranked soups lacked. Take, for example, the previously mentioned Organic Hearty Minestrone. On the label, it said it contained rice, but I was very disappointed by the scant few grains I saw floating in the tub. With this soup, however, you have a lot more pasta, so that it actually makes a textural difference in the product. And it's just as beautifully loaded with similar ingredients to the minestrone, containing carrots, onion, and celery.

Just as promised, this soup also has a generous amount of shredded chicken. The Thai Style Red Curry doesn't need to have as much chicken as this soup does, but it would've benefited from using at least one-third of what was in the Lemony Chicken Orzo.

Unfortunately, where this option falters is in the fact that I could not detect even a hint of lemon. It's the first word on the product's label, so that should be a hard ingredient to miss. And for that reason, this soup ranks right in the middle of the list.

Everyone loves tips, tricks, and hacks that help cut down time spent in the kitchen and get food on the table faster, and it's even better if these can be achieved while still giving your meal a homemade taste. Trader Joe's Lobster Bisque has become the focus of one of these hacks, as TikTok has been flooded with viral videos where people combine the soup with pasta and shrimp to make a more complete meal. And while I can absolutely see how that would be a convenient but elevated dish that I'd someday love to try out, this TJ's bisque is more than good enough to be eaten all on its own.

Made with heavy cream, sherry wine, tomato paste, lobster stock concentrate, and clam broth, this pink and orange-hued bisque is delightfully velvety and rich. The lobster pieces are plentiful, and with their soft yet meaty texture, they're almost akin to shredded chicken. They are a bit chewy, though not to the point where they feel rubbery. It's a satiating soup altogether, but again, if you wanted to amp it up, you could always use the bisque as a quick, delicious weeknight pasta sauce.

I wasn't sure whether there would be anything "unexpected" about this soup (other than the fact that it's made with TJ's famous "Unexpected Cheddar"), as the combination of broccoli and cheddar is nothing new or revolutionary. When I popped open the lid, though, I understood at least one of the ways Trader Joe's version of this cult-classic could catch you off guard: This product contains carrots. Scandalous, we know. But in all seriousness, while it's not unusual for homemade broccoli cheddar soup to contain veggies, I'm not accustomed to seeing grocery stores throw it in, too. In fact, I've got used to seeing the bare minimum in this recipe in the past, meaning a bunch of broccoli buds swimming in a sea of cheese. With this product, however, I was very pleased to see pieces of chopped carrot along with some intact broccoli florets. Extra points for effort and presentation, Trader Joe's.

Something else that should be mentioned about the veggies in this soup is that they're on the firmer side. Again, with soups like these, I've become used to all of the ingredients being so tender that everything kind of just melts together. But because both the carrots and broccoli stalks still have some bite to them, it might not have the same comforting, smooth quality that most pre-prepared broccoli cheddar soups have. And the very sharp taste of the cheeses only adds to this. Whether or not this is a good thing really depends on your preference, as many people may appreciate the variety in both taste and mouthfeel. I happen to be part of that group, which is why this soup is in my top three.

In second place, we have the Kettle Cooked Chicken Soup. This is the most comforting option on the list, save for our first-place winner. According to the packaging, this soup is made in small batches. This cooking method typically allows for better results and greater attention to detail when it comes to seasoning and flavors, and I have to say, it shows in this case.

The Kettle Cooked Chicken Soup has chicken, celery, onions, carrots, and more. The broth alone, though, even without all the other elements, is flavorful and savory enough. All the additional ingredients, of course, make this soup heartier, more satiating, and better-suited for either lunch or dinner, but you know Trader Joe's has nailed it when you can sip just the broth straight from the bowl and still enjoy it. This is the type of soup you want to throw in a bread bowl and take your sweet time with. It's nourishing and feels good for the soul.

I will forever and always be a summer gal, but if fall coming around means that Trader Joe's releases its limited-time Pumpkin Butternut Squash Bisque, I might just dread the change of seasons a little less. It's not usually like me to thoroughly enjoy something made with pumpkin and squash, let alone a dish that uses both as its star ingredients. This bisque, however, feels like a warm hug in soup form.

Visually, this soup is not all that appealing and looks a bit like baby food purée. One taste, though, and it feels like you've been transported to a cozy cottage with a woven quilt wrapped around your shoulders and a bowl of this soup on the wooden table in front of you. This dish is the epitome of comfort food, with a lusciously creamy mouthfeel and its use of honey and brown sugar offering a lightly sweet taste. And though it doesn't list this ingredient anywhere on the product label, it almost feels like there's the slightest hint of ginger to contrast the sweeter flavors. I can imagine this pairing wonderfully with cornbread straight from the skillet.

To put these soups to the test, I popped them into the microwave and ate a small bowl's worth of each one. I paid the most attention to their overall flavor and texture, along with how the soup utilized the ingredients, such as whether it contained what was advertised on the label or whether it lacked these elements. How satiating the soups were was also taken into consideration. The soups that were more filling and could be enjoyed alone ranked higher, while those that I felt would be better when eaten alongside another dish or with extra ingredients added ranked lower.