11 Trader Joe's Chinese Foods That Are Better Than Takeout (#8 Is the Best)

Trader Joe's is a great place to save money on groceries and on a wide variety of flavors from around the world that it's known to offer.

You can even grab some amazing deals on your Chinese food favorites from this value store. From quick bites to hearty dinners, there's no shortage of restaurant-quality products at a steal.

Trader Joe's operates 661 stores across 43 states and Washington, D.C., and its private-label model means almost everything on these shelves, including its Chinese food lineup, is developed in-house rather than sourced from outside brands. 

Because the store rotates its lineup and occasionally discontinues items, it's worth checking with a store associate or the Trader Joe's website if a specific favorite isn't on the shelf during a visit.

Editor's note: Prices and availability are subject to change and may vary by location.

Price: $2.99

This vegetable fried rice will remind you of your favorite takeaway dish. When you take advantage of this Trader Joe's deal, you get an easy-to-make side your whole family will love.

Serve it with some of these tasty meals, like Mandarin orange chicken or gyoza, for a restaurant-style dinner at a bargain.

This 16-ounce bag comes fully cooked and packed with carrots, edamame, corn, green peas, leeks, and red bell peppers, seasoned with soy sauce, rice wine, and a touch of sesame oil. 

Because the rice is already cooked, it just needs a few minutes in the microwave for soft, fluffy grains, or a turn in a skillet or wok over medium heat for a crispier, more restaurant-style texture. 

With about three servings per bag, it also works well as a base for tofu or a plate of Trader Joe's beef and broccoli for a heartier meal.

Price: $3.99

These gyoza potstickers have a chicken and veggie filling for delicious flavor.

You can crisp one side during cooking to add a bit of crunch to your dinner. Each bite has flavors of ginger, cabbage, chicken, and other authentic tastes. You can also find these with pork.

These dumplings come fully cooked in a one-pound bag, so steaming, pan-frying, microwaving, or dropping them into soup are all great ways to reheat them. 

According to food historians, the potsticker's name traces back to a Chinese legend about a cook who let a batch of boiling gyoza run dry, leaving them stuck and crisped to the pan, a happy accident that became the dish's defining cooking method. 

Pan-frying them the same way, seam-side up in a hot pan with a splash of water added partway through, is still the method most fans recommend for the best texture.

Price: $3.49

Here's a tasty meal you can take to work.

This spicy "peanutty" bowl blends Asian flavors for a bold explosion of taste. The mix of peanut sauce and spicy elements might just make this your new favorite dinner option.

This 306-gram bowl is inspired by dandan noodles, a classic Sichuan dish known for its mix of heat and umami. Wheat noodles are topped with minced chicken and a mix of bok choy, onions, and carrots, then finished with a spicy peanut sauce for that signature bold flavor.

 At 500 calories and 19 grams of protein per bowl, it's substantial enough for a full lunch rather than a side dish, and leftovers keep best when you store the noodles and sauce separately to avoid them getting overly thick in the fridge.

Price: $3.79

Here's a plant-based Asian dish that's perfect for Meatless Monday.

Enjoy the flavors of vegan Mandarin orange chicken with this steal. This sweet-and-spicy dish pairs well with noodles, steamed veggies, and other classic Chinese food.

This vegan version of Trader Joe's famous orange chicken swaps in breaded soy protein morsels for meat and comes with a separate sauce packet, so the breading stays crisp until you're ready to toss everything together. 

The 9.25-ounce package is fully plant-based, though it does contain wheat, so it's not an option for shoppers avoiding gluten. 

Because the morsels are precooked, a quick trip through the oven or air fryer is usually enough to crisp them up before mixing in the citrus-forward sauce.

Price: $4.79

These crescent-shaped dumplings add some authentic Chinese flavor to any meal.

Heat these in a pan and serve with flavorful gyoza sauce for an easy dinner anytime. Plus, these dumplings are packed with delicious veggies.

The filling in this one-pound bag centers on white cabbage, carrot, chive, and white radish, seasoned with ginger, garlic, and soy sauce, all wrapped in a wheat flour dough. 

Like the chicken version, these dumplings are fully cooked, so you can steam, pan-fry, microwave, or simmer them in soup depending on how much time you have. 

Trader Joe's recommends pan-frying them bottom-side down until browned, then adding a splash of water and covering the pan to steam them through for the crispiest results.

Price: $3.49

This cabbage dish draws on Asian flavors for a bold side you'll love.

Try this with a variety of Trader Joe's dishes for umami and garlic flavors. Since it's ready in under 10 minutes, you can serve it with just about any meal.

The ingredient list is short: cabbage, garlic, a stir-fry sauce made with sea salt, cane sugar, yeast extract, and dried kombu seaweed, plus rice bran oil. 

A one-cup serving has 130 calories and 4 grams of fiber, making it a lighter side than fried rice or noodles if you're building out a bigger Chinese food spread. 

Because it cooks quickly from frozen, it's an easy way to round out a meal built around potstickers or orange chicken without much extra prep time.

Price: $5.99

Get your favorite flavor of Kung Pao chicken in a healthier way with these tempura cauliflower bites. Their spicy kick will remind you of your favorite Chinese restaurant.

At this amazingly low price, you can stock your freezer with these handy bites.

This 24-ounce bag is entirely vegan and includes battered cauliflower florets and a separate kung pao sauce packet made with soy sauce, rice vinegar, pineapple juice concentrate, and ginger. 

The package instructions call for baking the florets at 450 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, though many shoppers get similar results faster in an air fryer. Reviewers note the heat level lands somewhere in the middle, noticeable but not overwhelming, so it can work as a crowd-pleaser even for people who don't usually reach for spicy food.

Price: $4.99

Indulge in an authentic taste on your next trip to Trader Joe's with this fan favorite.

These Mandarin orange chicken bites are a classic taste with no prep time. Just grab some rice on your shopping trip for an affordable, quick dinner.

Introduced at Trader Joe's in January 2004, this dish became such a repeat winner of the chain's annual Customer Choice Awards that it was retired to the store's Product Hall of Fame in January 2023 to make room for other items. 

Trader Joe's recommends baking the breaded chicken in the oven, then tossing it with the warmed sauce in a skillet so it caramelizes slightly rather than simply microwaving the two together, though microwaving remains the faster option for a weeknight dinner.

Price: $3.49

You can use your fancy bamboo steamer basket or any microwave-safe bowl to make these Chinese treats.

These soup dumplings have pork and ginger flavors inside for a bold bite. Their mix of spice and heat is a must for any quick dinner.

These dumplings are Trader Joe's take on xiao long bao, a soup dumpling style that originated in China's Jiangsu province and is traditionally steamed in a small bamboo basket called a xiaolong. 

The recipe leans more heavily on ginger than the traditional version, at just over 5% of the filling, giving each bite a noticeable spicy warmth alongside the pork. 

Steam from frozen in about 8 to 10 minutes, and because the filling includes a gelled broth that turns liquid when heated, let them cool slightly and eat them over a spoon so none of the soup goes to waste.

Price: $4.49

You can't go wrong with a classic spring roll.

These chicken spring rolls make a great appetizer or meal, depending on how you serve them. You can also snag other spring roll varieties during your Trader Joe's shopping run.

These rolls are based on Taiwan's popular "3 Cup Chicken" dish, with white meat chicken, cabbage, and carrots cooked with basil, garlic, and ginger before being wrapped in a wheat flour shell and fried until crisp. 

You can finish them in the oven or on the stovetop, and Trader Joe's suggests pairing them with its Sweet Chili Sauce for dipping. Along with the chicken version, Trader Joe's also sells a vegetable spring roll made with tofu, kale, and edamame for shoppers looking for a meatless option from the same lineup.

Price: $4.49

This hearty meal is ready in no time. Enjoy Mandarin orange chicken, rice, and veggies in this quick dinner.

Keep a few in your freezer for a handy lunch that packs big flavor.

This single-serve, 13-ounce bowl pairs battered dark chicken meat with rice, broccoli, peas, carrots, and water chestnuts, plus a separate sauce pouch to mix in after heating. 

To prepare it, thaw the sauce pouch in warm water while microwaving the bowl for four to five minutes, then stir in the sauce before serving. It's a more convenient, single-serving alternative to Trader Joe's classic bagged Mandarin Orange Chicken for anyone who wants the same flavor without cooking rice and vegetables separately.

When you shop at Trader Joe's, you can count on quality items at low prices that help you save money shopping.

These Chinese food favorites let your whole family enjoy the taste of takeaway at a bargain. Stop by your local store to see what other classic dishes you can find.

With 661 stores now spread across 43 states and Washington, D.C., more shoppers than ever have a Trader Joe's within driving distance to stock up on these Chinese-inspired staples. 

Because the chain's product lineup rotates and some items are seasonal, it's worth checking the freezer aisle regularly or asking staff if a favorite has been swapped out for something new. 

Stocking a mix of proteins, sides, and dumplings from this list makes it easy to mix and match a different combination each time you shop, without needing to spend much more than a typical takeout order for one dish.