Where Trader Joe's Tzatziki Fell In Our Ranking

If you're a fan of Mediterranean food, then you probably know about the joy of tzatziki, the delicious dip typically made with Greek yogurt, chopped cucumber, dill, garlic, and olive oil. While you could make tzatziki at home, there are also pre-made options available for purchase at the grocery store. However, certain store-bought versions of this dip are better than others. If you're a Trader Joe's shopper, then you know that it has its own tzatziki — but how does it compare to other brands? Daily Meal tried seven tzatziki brands to find the best one — and sadly, Trader Joe's was not it. In fact, our taste testers placed Trader Joe's tzatziki last in the ranking.

The tester based the ranking of the dips mostly on taste, looking for a "balanced profile." With all that in mind, Trader Joe's tzatziki tasted primarily of garlic and mint, the latter of which is used in some recipes, but should not be the most prominent flavor. The tester noted that if you like the taste of classic tzatziki (which likely doesn't include mint), then you won't like this version sold by the popular specialty grocer.

There are a lot of social media users who agree that Trader Joe's tzatziki is overall lacking, with one Reddit commenter calling it "bland and disappointing." Meanwhile, multiple other Redditors complained that the cucumber pieces are just too big. One fan even said that they "blend it down and put it back in the container" to get the consistency that they want, which is more effort than should be required just to make your store-bought dip worth while. 

There are multiple Reddit threads full of Trader Joe's fans discussing this very topic, and the consensus is that many prefer the vegan tzatziki to the regular version. Supporting this claim, one user wrote, "I'm not a vegetarian/vegan but I am Greek and I fully agree. The vegan one is most traditional to a homemade one consistency wise." One Redditor called it "superior," while another referred to the vegan offering as "amazing." Rather than blending up the traditional tzatziki to make it edible, another user on Reddit claimed that the vegan version fixes the consistency issues, offering smaller cucumber pieces — they also reported that it "stays in the refrigerator a lot longer than regular Tzatziki." 

Notably, Trader Joe's vegan tzatziki is free of any mint, fixing the main problem that our tester had with the other version. Instead, the vegan dip consists of ingredients such as dairy-free cream cheese, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, and dill. In other words, this version will taste much more like a classic tzatziki — fresh, cool, tangy, and the right amount of garlicky — than the version that was ranked last in our taste test.

So, if you do your grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and don't want to stop at a different store just for tzatziki, then the vegan version may be just what you need. In addition to using this tasty spread for dipping carrots and peppers, you can add it to grilled chicken gyros or drizzle it over a rice bowl with a hearty baked falafel.