8 Trader Joe's Steaks, Ranked Worst To Best

Whether you are looking for something to throw on the grill during your next cookout or are hoping to treat yourself to a steak dinner (without the steakhouse prices), Trader Joe's has no shortage of steak options fit for the job. From basic beef ribeye to top sirloin, the cuts at Trader Joe's vary considerably in their quality, flavor, and price point — and when you are putting down money for a steak, whether at a grocery store or a white-tablecloth restaurant, it is important to choose your cut wisely.

If you're buying a steak from Trader Joe's and don't know where to start, you've come to the right place. I tried every single steak I could find at my local Trader Joe's in Washington, D.C., including original, premium, all-natural, and kosher options, with the goal of determining which of its steaks have the most tender texture and succulent flavor. 

While I could never complain in good conscience about having had the privilege to sample so many steaks, I will say that Trader Joe's Beef Rib Eye Steak left much to be desired. Out of its package, the cut's marbling was decent (and there is no overstating how marbling impacts your steak). However, even before taking a bite, I knew that it would be a disappointment.

When I cut into the steak, I noticed that it resisted coming apart. One look and it was easy to see why: sinew, the thin, white ropes of tough tendon that do not melt down or render during the cooking process, was more abundant in this cut than in any of the others that I tasted. 

The steak's taste was about as good as its texture. The flavor leaned sulfurous (despite being prepared more than a week before its sell-by date), and it did not offer the deeply unctuous, savory taste I've come to expect from ribeye. It is no wonder that so many shoppers avoid buying ribeye steaks from Trader Joe's.

I had so much hope for this steak when I took it out of its packaging. Its marbling was dreamy and it lacked the massive, tough fat cap that is often synonymous with a New York strip. Sadly, the All-Natural USDA Choice Premium Angus Beef New York Strip Steak did not live up to its "premium" label. 

The steak turned out to be tougher than it looked. Despite being one of the thinner cuts on this list, it took a couple of spirited saws with my biggest, sharpest chef's knife to get through it. Its flavor, while perfectly acceptable, did not pack as much umami goodness as many of the other contenders.

Given how much marbling the steak looked like it had, I would have expected it to have a little bit more of that decadence. If you are looking for a New York strip steak with a bit more of a flavor payoff, you are best skipping this one.

Unlike the sinewy and sulfurous Beef Rib Eye Steak, Trader Joe's USDA Choice Premium Angus Beef Rib Eye Steak is packed with umami flavor and is delightfully tender. This is a steak fit for a true carnivore; it's well-marbled, has a fat cap that renders beautifully when cooked, and has a wealth of savory, lean meat in the cut's eye. Better yet: It is free of the sinew found in the non-USDA Choice Trader Joe's Beef Rib Eye Steak.

Truthfully, this steak would rank much higher on the list if it wasn't for its high amount of fat. While the ribeye is one of the fattiest cuts of steak you can get, it is almost unavoidable in this "premium" cut. If you're paying a markup for a better-quality cut of meat, it would be nice to have more of the meat itself. Although the fat does add flavor to the leaner parts, other steaks offer an even better flavor and bang for your buck.

The final (and, in my opinion, the best) Trader Joe's ribeye on this list is the Glatt Kosher Rib Eye Steak. It is the tenderest of the three, and while it does have a decently high fat content, there is plenty of lean meat to enjoy. This steak also developed the best crust out of any of the other options on this list, including my top picks.

While it is far from a restaurant-quality rib eye, this steak has a truly special cap. The tender piece of lean beef develops a mouthwatering crust and has a flavor and texture that could go toe-to-toe with the best cuts of steak. If the rest of the steak were like this little cap, the Glatt Kosher Rib Eye Steak would easily be ranked among this list's top three. Sadly, while this is undoubtedly a scrumptious piece of steak, there are others from the Trader Joe's lineup that are even more impressive.  

The Beef New York Strip Steak climbed far above its All-Natural USDA Choice Premium Angus Beef counterpart. It is hard not to love this cut, which is thick and toothsome with plenty of umami and a giant fat cap that, when rendered, slowly soaks into the rest of the (very) lean steak.

The flavor of this steak can best be described as rich, with an almost overwhelming amount of unctuousness from the aforementioned fat cap. The fat cap is absolutely pulling its weight here; the lean meat, which would be dry without it, is exceptionally juicy.

Still, there are a few hangups that have prevented this cut from reaching top-three territory. For one, while the fat cap lends plenty of flavor to the rest of the steak, it stays fairly tough and does not melt the way the fat on many of the other Trader Joe's steaks does — a hard problem to overlook when the tough fat is so abundant. The lean beef itself, while intensely flavorful, was not the most tender. Since this steak was so thick, I needed a bit of elbow grease to cut through it. If I were judging on flavor alone, this steak would have ranked higher.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Trader Joe's Beef Filet Mignon Steak, a luxe cut, is in my top three. There's no debating the top-tier tenderness of this steak (or steaks, as this cut of beef comes in a pack of two), or the fact that it contains a near-perfect balance of marbled fat and lean meat.

This steak develops an incredible crust, making for an enjoyable textural contrast between an almost-crispy exterior and the delicate interior. Even though I admittedly slightly overcooked the filets, they tasted more succulent at medium than many of the other Trader Joe's steaks did at medium-rare.

We are at the point in this list where the only reason a steak is not ranked higher is because others were just that much tastier. If you are looking to prepare a fancy steak dinner at home, there are plenty of reasons to recommend the filet mignon from Trader Joe's — but before you head to the store, check out which cuts I preferred more than it.

Flank steak is not my typical steakhouse order, and I would venture to guess that it is not most people's — which is part of what makes the USDA Choice Premium Angus Beef Flank Steak all the more impressive. This cut of steak is known for being especially lean, but it was actually one of the juiciest cuts on this list. 

Flank steak often has an intense horizontal grain, which can make the steak tougher, even if you slice against it (which you should always do, as there are consequences for not cutting it against the grain). However, I had no issue sinking my teeth into this Trader Joe's steak, which had the intense, beefy flavor of a less fatty cut and the richness of a well-marbled ribeye. 

When it comes to constructive feedback on this flank steak, I truly have no notes. While I have oftentimes reduced flank steak to meat for sandwiches and tacos, where they can be marinated and doused in myriad condiments, the Trader Joe's USDA Choice Premium Angus Beef Flank Steak is perfect for grilling and savoring on its own. As soon as I tried it, I thought I had found my top pick — until I had the final steak on this list.

We have finally made it to the best steak available at Trader Joe's — and it was the definition of a sleeper hit. At first, I was intimidated to cook the All-Natural USDA Choice Premium Angus Beef Top Sirloin Steaks, which also came in a pack of two, due to their thickness and relatively low fat content — but one bite into these buttery masterpieces and my fears subsided completely.

Despite having very little fat, these top sirloin steaks gave way to an indescribable amount of flavor. They were full of the kind of complex, slightly funky umami flavor that I have only ever really tasted on dry-aged beef. They were also exceedingly juicy, even after I let them sit — and they were just as tasty when I scarfed down the leftovers the next day. 

For your next cookout or at-home steak dinner, skip the filet mignon and go straight for the top sirloin. You will be getting a very similar cut of meat in terms of thickness and quality, but with even more tenderness and flavor. What could be better?

All of the steaks for this roundup were purchased within two days at the same Trader Joe's store in Washington, D.C. I selected steaks with similar sell-by dates to ensure that they had similar levels of freshness. 

Each steak was cooked in its own clean pan. I patted each steak dry before seasoning with equal amounts of salt and pepper. I used a large, shallow, stainless-steel pan with avocado oil. Once each steak developed enough of a crust to unstick itself from the pan, I flipped it over, which helped develop the perfect pan sear. I seared each steak evenly until I got an internal temperature of about 130 degrees Fahrenheit for a medium-rare cook. I then rested each one for five minutes before sampling (which is a critical step for pan-cooking or grilling steak).

The steaks were evaluated on their tenderness and flavor. Different cuts of steak naturally have different amounts of fat, so rather than judging a steak by its marbling, I considered how the amount of fat that was there impacted the flavor and texture of the lean meat. All of these factors were assessed with the goal of finding the steaks from Trader Joe's with the best eating experience.