10 Frozen Foods You Should Always Grab From Dollar Tree

Dollar Tree is one of the more ubiquitous dollar stores still around. With locations in all of the 48 contiguous states in the US, and over 9,000 total locations, there's a good chance you're at least passingly familiar with the Dollar Tree chain. Over the last several years, the brand has expanded what it offers on its shelves to include many staple foods. You won't just find road snacks and sodas on the shelves of a Dollar Tree; no, now you could whip up chewy coconut chocolate chip cookies with the contents of a single aisle.

Part of the recent expansion that Dollar Tree has put forth includes rounding out and improving its frozen food offerings. Frozen food is convenient, easy to make, and relatively cheap, especially at Dollar Tree. While you may balk at food shopping at a dollar store, trust that it has plenty to offer you to fulfill your needs. After all, Dollar Tree isn't just a good place to pick up kitchen essentials anymore. To make things easier, we've compiled a list of the 10 frozen foods you should absolutely be picking up from Dollar Tree. Each one is either a trustworthy, name-brand, or something we've picked up and enjoyed before, sometimes both. Be aware that, while this list was compiled using the Dollar Tree website, the products available in-store may vary by location.

Frozen dumplings are the perfect blend of convenience and decadence. Sometimes you simply don't want the same sort of frozen meal that you've had before. Consistency is all well and good, but take it from someone who has eaten a lot of frozen beef burritos: Sometimes you want to shake it up a bit. That's where these Bibigo bulgogi chicken & vegetable dumpling bites come in.

Where else are you going to get 14 dumplings for $3? Each bag comes with enough dumplings for at least two people, or three servings if you're just peckish. There's a lot of flavor packed into each of these little dumpling bites, and if you pair it with the included sauce packet, things really start to pop. When you're looking to break out of a rut and enjoy something a little more flavorful without needing to prep a bunch of cookware and hover around the kitchen, just pop a few of these bad boys into the air fryer and go about your business. Not only are these far easier to make than filling, rolling, pinching, and steaming your own dumplings, but they also come in a neat resealable bag, so any leftovers don't get freezer-burnt.

Ah, chicken nuggets. The soup du jour of picky eaters. Chicken nuggets are always there when things are tough and when things are going right. No matter how mature, grown-up, or advanced someone's palette is, there's always room for a nuggie or two. Both of the chicken nuggets that Dollar Tree offers are name brands: Banquet and Tyson. While not all Tyson products are fan-favorites, the brand is overall quite consistent. Consistency is actually pretty important, especially in food, even if you're not a big fan of something.

If you are just looking for chicken nuggets and not any sides, or need to feed more than just yourself, then the Tyson nuggets are the right call for you. It may be $5 a package, but you get around 30 nuggets per bag (about 16 cents per nugget). However, if you're looking for some budget fries or simply cooking for yourself, the Banquet meal should be your port of call. For $1.50, you get a half dozen nuggets and a single serving of fries. Both Banquet and Tyson will be aided by a bit of ketchup, which thankfully Dollar Tree also offers. No matter your chicken nugget needs, Dollar Tree is there to provide.

When you think of frozen foods, you may be thinking of the original microwavable meal — the TV dinner. These trays of flash-frozen food are made to be convenient and accessible to everyone. While some have since fallen out of fashion, there are still plenty of brands out there making popular frozen meals. Dollar Tree happens to offer a decent selection of these microwavable goodies, and at competitive prices, too. Unlike the slightly fancier frozen meals — like Stouffer's — the brands that Dollar Tree stocks keep prices low.

Dollar Tree offers the classic $4 Hungry Man meal. Chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and a brownie — it's one of the quintessential TV dinner loadouts. However, Dollar Tree knows there are many different palettes out there, so it also offers a few different varieties of Banquet frozen meals, like the Salisbury Steak for $1.50. That's one of those classic diner foods that really only exists in frozen form nowadays. If you've got a more modern eye for food, Dollar Tree also stocks Banquet's Mega Bowl line: A $3, protein-forward, frozen meal for modern convenience. Whatever your personal preference for frozen food, you'll be able to find something at Dollar Tree.

So far, this list has only featured the lunch and dinner options that Dollar Tree has. However, that's neglecting how hectic the morning can be. Breakfast is not only the most important meal of the day, but it's also one of the most skipped meals, and we understand why. Mornings can get a little out of hand. Trying to make sure you're on time for work, or school, or whatever is stressful. Having to cook breakfast is just another item on a long checklist involving other must-dos like taking a shower, putting on clothes, and generally looking human. It's easy to skip food and just chug a coffee. That's where frozen food comes into play.

Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches are $1.50 a piece and are the epitome of convenience. Throw one into a microwave as you rush about the rest of your morning routine, and by the time you are walking out the door, you have a portable bite of breakfast ready and waiting. It has everything you need to get your day started correctly: carbohydrates, protein, salt, and sugar. At the Dollar Tree, you can buy either individually wrapped sandwiches (sausage and cheese) or get two slightly heartier versions (sausage, egg, and cheese) for $4.

A long-standing grab-and-go option has been pizza. Pizza cures what ails you, whether you need a quick slice at lunch, a breakfast you don't have to think about, or a dinner for a family full of different taste preferences. Frozen pizzas are a boon and a blessing, often requiring less than half an hour in an oven. If you're in even more of a rush than that, Dollar Tree offers the microwavable Celeste pizzas for your expeditious needs. At only $1.25 a piece, these personal-sized pizzas come with all the ooey gooey-ness you need for a decent bite of pie.

Baked pizzas are always a great addition to a busy night. Simply putting a frozen pizza in the oven still conjures those sense memories that harken back to childhood. The other brand of pizza that Dollar Tree stocks is Red Baron. While it may not be the most popular brand of frozen pizza, it is far from the worst one. You can get a French bread-style pizza dinner for $4, or spring for a Fully Loaded Supreme pizza for $5. Either way, you'll be baking enough pizza to satisfy.

We here at Chowhound take pride in our knowledge of pies. Whether we're ranking pumpkin pies or taste-testing Taco Bell's Baja Blast pie, we like to think we know what we're talking about. While Dollar Tree sells all the individual ingredients to make a mean chocolate cream pie, it also stocks a few frozen desserts that can help cut down on the stress and hassle of providing a delicious dessert.

Edwards Desserts does pie, pie, and only pies (while they do sell cheesecake, it is marketed as Cheesecake Pie Slices). They are dedicated to providing sumptuous flavor in a frozen form. Dollar Tree carries a couple of Edwards pies. At $3 each, the Chocolate Cream Pie and the Edwards Signature Whipped Cheesecake are an absolute dream for anyone looking to really tie a meal together, or to have a few bites of a sweet treat. Instead of needing a long bake time or a slow cool-down period, these two pies can be simply thawed and served (or eaten cold if you don't mind fighting a frozen crust). They taste great, especially for a frozen pie, and really nail that silky-smooth texture that you want in a cream pie or a cheesecake.

If you were asked to picture the epitome of frozen single-serve meals, Hot Pockets would be one of the first things to pop into your head. While you might think that the modern take on a savory meat-pie had been around forever, the predecessor to the Hot Pocket, the Tastywich, was first put to market in 1980. Hot Pockets, as we know them today, followed only three years later and have been a cultural mainstay since. The calzone-like microwavable treats are so ubiquitous with low-cost nourishment that it would be a surprise if anyone admits to never having had one.

While Dollar Tree does sell individual Hot Pockets, you can also get smaller ones in a pack of two for those days when you just need a snack. From the website, the available flavors seem to be pepperoni pizza, ham and cheese, and meatballs and mozzarella. No matter the reason for purchasing any of these savory flavors, you can easily microwave these bad boys or toss them into an air fryer to really get the most out of the experience.

Sometimes you're just not in the mood for chicken, which is totally understandable. It's an easy meal to make, and that can lead to a bit of burnout if you're not careful. Thankfully, Dollar Tree has more proteins to choose from in its frozen food section. Even ignoring the pizzas and meals, if you are looking for a good protein to plate up on a busy night, take a peek at Gorton's Frozen Crispy Battered Fish Fillets. Not only is it one of the fancier things you can pick up at Dollar Tree, at $5, but it is also less than a dollar per fillet, so you're making out like a bandit.

These fish fillets go great with some fries and are like an elevated version of fish sticks. They're versatile and easy to bake. You can serve them with mixed veggies and mashed potatoes, tossed in a basket of fries, or built into a fish fillet sandwich. They're flavorful without being pungent and crisp up nicely in either the oven or an air fryer. You can even just munch on them as a protein-filled snack if need be. They transport as easily as any other fried food. Just don't put fish in a communal microwave, even the breaded kind. It's just bad manners.

While pie as a dessert has become an American tradition, did you know that the cultural impact of pies began with the savory meat pies served as far back as the 1700s? Since they were portable meals, coal miners, construction workers, and other day laborers could walk into a diner and buy a meat pie at the start of the day, and the dish would last until they needed lunch. The concept of a diner pie has since shifted, of course, but the imprint that savory pies have left on the American consciousness can be seen even in the frozen food section of Dollar Tree.

The Banquet brand of pot pies is available at Dollar Tree; whether you're looking for chicken, turkey, or beef, each pie will only cost you $1.25. Conveniently, they can be made in the microwave for a quick meal, but the oven is an option if you have time to spare. They're the perfect size for a single adult portion and make for an easy, warm, and filling meal on a chilly night. A pot pie is a real meat-and-potatoes kind of meal in that it is homey, delicious, and satisfying. If you are interested in having a full meal in a single package, and aren't tempted by Hungry Man or TV Dinners, then a frozen pot pie is the perfect compromise for you.

If you're a real lover of ice cream, then you can eat this frozen treat year-round. It doesn't matter if it's a winter wonderland or the middle of a sizzling summer; you enjoy a good ice cream at any time, when and wherever you may be. Dollar Tree is an absolute lifesaver in that respect. It stocks so many frozen treats that no matter what you're craving, you'll be able to find some satisfaction. If you're looking for a bulk deal, Dollar Tree stocks boxes of dessert bars or classic chocolate-dipped vanilla pops. If you're looking for some good name-brand ice cream, you'll even find brands like Ben & Jerry's at Dollar Tree.

None of the ice creams that Dollar Tree offers are a game-changer — though each one is easier than making ice cream yourself. Just make sure you're aware of what you want and what you can afford, as each brand is priced differently at Dollar Tree. The good news is that you'll likely never see any ice cream over $5 at any of the Dollar Tree locations you walk into. In fact, the Founder's Street brand sells its products for $1.25 for just under a pint of ice cream. If you prefer Blue Bunny or Magnum, however, do be prepared to spend a little more.