Until I finally purchase my own personal tandoor oven – this Trader Joe’s product will remain a year around staple of my freezer. On pretty much every point, this is a hands down winner. This is as close to the real deal as you’ll get without installing a huge clay oven in your kitchen. In fact it beats pretty much every grocery store “fresh” naan I’ve tried. It really is quite excellent, let’s look at the reasons why…
- The naan is relatively thin which means it cooks quite quickly and can develop a nice exterior crisp while retaining a soft interior. Too thin and you’ll get a crisp cracker, too thick and a doughy mush. This is almost spot on.
- The price is ear to ear grinningly low – see below.
- The flavor/texture are remarkably close to the real deal. O.k. it’s not perfect, but its right from the freezer and ready in mere minutes – again see below.
- It’s studded with enough garlic to lay Dracula flat out cold.
- I’ve not found any other mass produced naan, fresh or frozen, that comes close to the TJ brand.
- I’ve had naan from sit down Indian restaurants that aren’t this good – more times than I care to count.
- I’ve made my own naan by hand quite a few times, and have never been happy with the results.
Really the only minor points are that the individual breads are slightly on the small side, maybe I’d also prefer a tad more thickness in a perfect world too – but this is just nit picking; I use these regularly for everything from a side dish to flatbread/wrap solution.
Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan – what’s in the bag?
Inside the plastic packaging – which is resealable – there are four naan breads. More often than not you’ll find them frozen together per the picture below. If that’s the case I find you can easily pry them off one by one by gently sliding a butter knife between breads and nudging them apart; gently mind, as they can easily shatter in their frozen state.
Are Trader Joe's Garlic Naan any good?
Also-defo-lutely. Well, if you like Indian flat bread, I am certain you’ll love these. Affordable, convenient and flavorful. Heck these are downright better than many Indian restaurants I’ve visited down through the years.
Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan cooking instructions, nutrition and ingredients
The cooking instructions for these naan are quite simple, but curiously I never find them sufficient. The packaging recommends just a minute or two in a preheated 450F degree oven but I never find that completely does the job. I always find they need a few more minutes, so do plan accordingly. Keep a close eye on them, too long and they’ll dry out.
How much are Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan?
I paid $1.99 for this pack of garlic naan in December 2018. That’s an absolute bargain in my book, just 50 cents a naan. Sure, a restaurant’s version might be bigger and (if you’re lucky) better quality, but they’ll also usually set you back something in the region of $2-$5 per piece.
Other Trader Joe’s products
- Trader Joe’s Chickenless Crispy Tenders
- Trader Joe’s Taiwanese Green Onion Pancakes review
- Lingcod over chana masala
- Trader Joe’s Thai Sweet Chili Veggie Burger
- Trader Joe’s Chicken Fried Rice – one to skip
- Trader Joe’s Kibbeh review
- Trader Joe’s Vegan Tikka Masala review
- Thai yellow curry with salmon and cashews
- Trader Joe’s Thai Lime And Chili Cashews review
- Trader Joe’s Vegetable Spring Rolls review
- Trader Joe’s Pastrami Style Smoked Atlantic Salmon
- Trader Joe’s Traditional Latkes
- Trader Joe’s Chicken Taquitos
- Trader Joe’s Aloo Chaat Kati Pockets
- Review: Trader Joe’s Julienned Root Vegetables
- Review: Trader Joe’s Channa Masala
- Review: Trader Joe’s Shrimp Stir Fry
- Review: Trader Joe’s Vegetable Fried Rice
- Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan brings the restaurant to your home
- Review: Trader Joe’s Lamb Vindaloo
- Review: Trader Joe’s Pork Shu Mai
- Review: Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Cookie Thins
- Review: Trader Joe’s Zucchini Spirals
- Review: Trader Joe’s Gyro Slices
Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC – Utah’s biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows.
I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have covered the Utah dining scene for the better part of fifteen years. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. I started Shop Smart to catalogue my adventures in the grocery store and kitchen. Follow along on Instagram too!
Totally agree Stuart- this is Naan bread is pheonomenal. I enjoyed reading your review. Have a great day.
If you ever see the Deep/Tandoor Chef brand I am convinced they’re the guys who white label it for TJs. The naan are almost identical in taste and appearance. Obviously TJ has other brands make their in house labels, and everything I’ve tried from Deep/Tandoor is excellent too.