Ranking 8 Frozen Fish Stick Brands From Worst to Best

Sometimes, you just need a way to get dinner on the table quickly without spending a ton of time in the kitchen, and having frozen food stocked in your freezer is a great way to do just that. Fish sticks are one of my go-to entrees because they’re relatively light compared to a lot of other frozen foods, but they still have that crisp breading that makes them seem appetizing even when you’re pinched for time (plus, they’re easy to upgrade). But, unfortunately, fish sticks can be pretty hit or miss. Some fish stick brands offer super-flavorful frozen seafood, while others can only deliver crispy, flavorless mush.

I’ve tasted eight different fish stick brands to give you the details on how they stack up against each other. The first products are the ones I like the least, while the last on the list represent my favorites. I cooked all of these fish sticks in an air fryer and ranked them based on flavor, consistency, and texture, prizing the ones that had a good combo of each criterion. Keep reading to find out where your favorite fish stick brand lands on this list — and consider trying a new variety as a way to upgrade your fish stick game. These are fish stick brands, ranked.

I love a cost-effective product (and a cost-effective grocery store), but sometimes, the cheaper products are cheaper specifically because they don’t taste as good as their more expensive counterparts. That seems to be the case when it comes to Fisher Boy fish sticks. They’re more affordable than a lot of their counterparts, but I personally don’t think it’s worth the savings to snag these over the others on this list. These are the kinds of fish sticks that you would serve to a fussy kid who doesn’t like strong flavors at all. They’re incredibly bland, without even a vague fish-like texture. Most of the fish stick is made of breading, in fact. Alas, the breading does get nice and crispy in the air fryer, but that means little if it seems like they’re barely even any fish in the product to begin with — these fish sticks are incredibly thin.

The fish that you will encounter in these sticks has a mushy texture, which probably won’t appeal much to actual seafood lovers. If you’re interested in eating fish sticks that barely taste like fish at all, then this product should be your go-to. Otherwise, it’s worth it to spend a little more money to get a more delicious fish stick experience.

There seems to be a ton of variation in Whole Foods’ 365 products. Some are out-of-this-world good, offering a store brand alternative to pricier name brands. However, 365’s breaded fish sticks are not one of those products, unfortunately. Are they terrible? No. But they’re exactly what you would expect from cheap, unremarkable fish sticks. The flavor of the fish isn’t that noticeable at all. Rather, the main flavor of these sticks is just “fried.” The breading, while crispy, doesn’t add a lot in terms of flavor, and the crumb is a bit too fine to make the texture actively enjoyable.

The one redeeming quality these fish sticks possess? There’s actually a decent amount of fish in every stick, and the fish itself is quite firm. However, that doesn’t negate the fact that these fish sticks just really aren’t delicious. This is another product that may be fine for picky kids, but it’s just not a winner for anyone who actually wants to feel like they’re eating seafood when they choose to have fish sticks for dinner.

Gorton’s yellow boxes are instantly recognizable in the freezer aisle, and the brand offers a wide variety of frozen seafood options to choose from. I snagged a box of the brand’s fish sticks to see how they stacked up against the competition, and while I didn’t find them to be particularly bad, they were certainly far from my favorite. The main issue here is that these fish sticks are so incredibly thin — you’d have to eat a decent amount of them to feel full. A lot of their mass comes from breading and not actually the fish itself. That means that these fish sticks are quite crispy, but without enough fish meat in the mix, that crispiness rings hollow.

There’s not a ton of flavor going on here, either. However, their crispiness and accessibility have spared them from the lowest positions in this ranking. If you’re looking for super basic fish sticks that aren’t likely to polarize anyone at the dinner table, then these aren’t the worst option, but they definitely shouldn’t be your go-to when you’re trying to get an actually somewhat appetizing fish stick experience.

Trader Joe’s is known for offering upgraded versions of basic dishes, so I truly expected more from their breaded fish sticks. What I got, though, were fish sticks that were so painfully average that I almost forgot to include them in this ranking. There’s just nothing about these fish sticks that makes them stand out. They have a fine fish-to-breading ratio, but since the fish isn’t all that flavorful, that ratio doesn’t seem to matter much anyway. That breading doesn’t seem to contain a lot of flavor, either, so you’re left with a mass of beige food that’s easy to scarf down but hard to savor.

This is another product that’s fine to choose when you’re just searching for something basic and boring. However, I think it falls below Trader Joe’s normal standards for more-interesting takes on classic dishes, which it’s not higher on this ranking. Go ahead and pick some up for an easy weeknight dinner if you’re already shopping at Trader Joe’s anyway, but you probably shouldn’t go out of your way to get these fish sticks specifically.

If you’re like me, then you might think of fish sticks as a food primarily for children. Something about a fish filet, on the other hand, feels a bit more elevated than its stick-shaped counterpart, even if both of these products are ultimately just breaded white fish. Van de Kamp’s crunchy breaded filets are more substantial than your average fish stick, but they’re made with the same ingredients, and the result is mostly the same.

These fish sticks have a lot of actual fish in them, which makes you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth. The downside is the fact that the fish is quite soft, without the firm texture you’d probably hope for in a seafood product. It doesn’t have a lot of flavor, either, apart from the crispy breading. That breading does have a lovely texture, but these fish filets are ultimately a little too greasy for my liking. They’re definitely not bad, and you can easily elevate them with some sort of dipping sauce, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy them again.

No, Gardein F’sh filets are not made with actual fish. In fact, this is a completely vegan meat-based substitute. It also turns out that it’s one of the better fish sticks included in this ranking. Admittedly, the “fish” doesn’t have a lot of flavor — but that holds true for most of the products on this list, so that’s not a big problem. Texture-wise, this stuff was shockingly similar to actual fish. Honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to tell it wasn’t actually made of fish if I hadn’t had the packaging right in front of me. The “meat” actually flakes, providing that signature fish-like texture that most consumers look for in fish sticks. Plus, there’s an excellent “fish”-to-breading ratio — you actually get a lot of that protein-packed “meat” in every bite.

These filets are also successful in terms of breading. The breading you’ll find in this product is crispier than many of the others, with a texture that’s more battered than bread-crumbed. That light batter provides a lot of crispiness without completely overwhelming the “meat.” Because this is a specialty vegan product, it’s a bit more expensive than some of the other options on this list, but if you’re trying to avoid fish for whatever reason (or you just want to try something different), this is a really successful fish stick dupe.

Trader Joe’s may not have the best plain breaded fish sticks out there, but the chain does offer battered fish nuggets, which are definitely a marked step up. These aren’t really in stick form, as the name suggests, but are more chicken nugget-shaped, which allows for a meatier, more substantial texture than most sticks. The fish is not super flavorful itself, but since that texture is so good, that lack of flavor can be forgiven.

The breading is what really makes these fish nuggets shine, though. There’s a light battering that produces a super-crispy finish that doesn’t overpower the actual fish. Therefore, you feel like you’re actually eating seafood — not a seafood-flavored piece of fried bread. However, speaking from experience, how you prepare these nuggets can make a huge difference in how they turn out. In the air fryer, they crisp up quite nicely. If you choose to microwave them, though, you’re likely to end up with a somewhat soggy mess, so just keep that in mind when you’re deciding how to prepare them.

Most fish sticks you’ll see in the freezer aisle are made with the same kind of wheat-based breading, with varying textures depending on the size of the crumb. I never guessed, then, that cornmeal-breaded fish sticks could be so delicious. That’s just what I discovered, though, when I tried Pacific Seafood Starfish cornmeal crusted fish sticks. These fish sticks definitely had the highest-quality fish — it’s deeply flavorful, with a lovely firmness and flakiness to it that makes it a win on the texture front. You’re getting big, real pieces of fish instead of a minced mess. These crusted fish sticks don’t really taste like traditional fish sticks, but that’s exactly why they’re so easy to love.

The cornmeal crust isn’t greasy at all and provides a nice crisp without detracting from the fish. It also has a slight, corn-like flavor to it that complements the fish well. Plus, these sticks are gluten-free, so they’re a good option if you can’t eat normal fish sticks due to dietary restrictions. These aren’t the cheapest fish sticks on the market, but they’re absolutely worth the try if you’re willing to splurge a bit.

These fish sticks were chosen based on availability, with a preference for the most basic options available from each respective brand. I air-fried all of these fish sticks to maximize crispiness, and I tasted them all while they were still hot in one single sitting. I avoided sauces and condiments so I could better focus on the flavors of the fish sticks themselves. When building this ranking, I considered flavor, texture, and consistency, prizing firmer, flakier sticks with a good fish-to-breading ratio.