Trader Joe's Has a New Vegan Entree We Can't Stop Obsessing Over

Justina Huddleston
·4 min read

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If we stanned any harder for Trader Joe’s, we’d probably be arrested for vandalizing a Whole Foods in their honor or something. But for now, we’ll stick to telling everyone we know and their mother about our favorite TJ’s items, from their convenient bagged brussels sprouts and pretty pink lemons to the fact that you can buy your favorite Trader Joe’s products on Amazon. Well, our obsession isn’t going anywhere any time soon, because we just found out about another new TJ’s item that we can’t wait to get our hands on: Ready to eat vegan mac and cheese!

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Just tried the 💫 new VEGAN Mac & Cheese 🧀 ($4.49) and I really liked the flavor.. not too salty considering it’s a tad high on sodium (I would add some chili flakes 🌶 next time) and the pasta itself was a little soft so if you like al dente pasta this isn’t for you😂! Overall this is a must buy if you are trying to add more vegan options into your life 😋 Please check out my stories ⬆️ and Highlights for even more TJ’s items as well as new & fav kitchen items & swipe up to find out more info ❤️ 🙏🏻 #newitem #newitems #vegan #cheese #pasta #macandcheese #yum #delish #dairyfree #nom #yes #love #easy #comfortfoods #comfortfood #easymeals #traderjoesfans #groceryshopping #traderjoesobsessed #traderjoeslove #traderjoesfinds #traderjoesrocks #traderjoes #traderjoesdoesitagain #traderjoeshaul #traderjoesinsider #traderjoesmusthaves #traderjoesfan #traderjoes

A post shared by TRADER JOES OBSESSED & MORE ❤️ (@traderjoesobsessed) on Feb 25, 2020 at 2:26pm PST

Coming from the similarly-minded folks over at traderjoesobsessed on Instagram, it seems that Trader Joe’s Vegan Mac is available in stores now. It costs $4.49 for one 20 oz container, and it’s located in the refrigerated section with the other read-to-eat entrees.

According to online reviews, the Trader Joe’s Vegan Mac has a creamy, Velveeta-like sauce and decent, mild flavor, though the pasta is cooked beyond al dente. Then again, that’s been our experience with most heat-and-eat pastas, so we won’t count that against this new dish too much. You can heat the vegan mac in the microwave or on the stove top.

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Let’s talk about mac and cheese. Most vegan mac and cheese sucks unless you’re getting it from @cookingwithjoya or making it yourself. I got this today from Trader Joe’s and it’s pretty good but needs a little work. The sauce is really thick and creamy like Velveeta but it’s slightly lacking in flavor. I added some pepper, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, and a splash of almond milk to thin out the sauce a tad. Now it’s fantastic. My favorite instant mac and cheese is Amy’s shell pasta and creamy sauce. Every other boxed kind has that barfy vegan cheese taste. It’s a little steep at $4.49 but I suggest you give it a try.

A post shared by @ queencityveganeats on Feb 25, 2020 at 3:36pm PST

Another perk of the new Trader Joe’s Mac and Cheese is that, unlike a lot of other vegan macs, it doesn’t contain cashews or almonds. Instead, it relies on coconut milk. Those with coconut allergies won’t be able to indulge, but for vegans that can’t seem to escape cashews and almonds, this is a welcome alternative.

We can’t wait to get our hands on teh new Trader Joe’s vegan mac and cheese. It’s always nice to have a quick dairy-free meal on hand for busy nights, and we have a feeling that a sprinkle of Everything but the Elote seasoning would be just the finishing touch this meal needs.

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