Ranking Frozen Meatballs from Worst to Best

Sometimes, we rely on frozen meatballs to get a tasty and filling dinner on the table during busy seasons of life. If you don’t have the time (or the interest) to whip up Ina Garten’s flavor-packed meatballs or follow one of Gordon Ramsay’s top-tier meatball tricks, you can grab a bag of the frozen kind and have a tasty appetizer or pasta accompaniment in just minutes.

We sampled some of the most readily available frozen meatball brands (plus a few specialty and store brand options) to see how well they paired with sauce, how easy they were to prepare, and which ones offered a good value. Pork, beef, and chicken were common ingredients, and many versions included a combination of two or all three meats. Italian seasonings added savory flavor that worked especially well with pastas and sauce, so we stuck with Italian-style whenever possible. Here are some of the best (and worst) frozen meatball options out there, ranked.

We didn’t see The Flying Meatballs packages at many stores, and they were pretty expensive. But because these are made with minimal processing, no artificial ingredients, and no preservatives, we had high hopes for the quality, taste, and texture. We tried the blended beef, veal, and pork version with Italian seasoning, but you can also go with beef meatballs or turkey meatballs if you prefer.

The actual meatballs were okay and pretty savory, although not any better than other brands that were much cheaper. We didn’t notice a strong flavor from the Italian seasoning, but we did like the blend of meats. These meatballs come in a tray with sauce, which makes them easy to prepare but also limits the dishes that you can put them in. The sauce is also very thin and more like soup. This made them soft overall since they cooked in the sauce. Given that they are also just under $15 for six giant meatballs, the texture is even more disappointing. Of all of the meatballs that we tried, this is the only one that we wouldn’t buy again. 

We tried a plant-based option, the Impossible homestyle meatballs, to see how they compare to beef, pork, or chicken meatballs. Each serving contains 12 grams of protein, which is actually more than some meat-based meatball options. These use soy protein as a base, but add a lot of flavor and additives to replicate the taste and texture of meat. 

These weren’t as salty as some of the others, which we actually liked. Meatballs can be heavy on the salt, especially if you pair them with certain sauces. We appreciated that we had more control over the flavor profile of our finished dish. When we put these in marinara, it was hard to discern much of a difference between the plant-based version and traditional meatballs. 

A 14-ounce bag costs over $7.50, which is quite a bit for a small package. We’d happily eat these again, but would look for sales or promotions before purchasing. For those who enjoy a plant-based diet and miss savory dishes like spaghetti and meatballs, however, this would be a fantastic alternative that tastes just like the real deal.

We tried the grande Italiano meatballs from Rosina. Each meatball is around 1.5 ounces, and they definitely live up to their “grande” name. These were some of the largest options in our test. 

They’re made with a combo blend of beef, pork, and chicken. But it’s the addition of cheese that sets them apart. They have Romano and ricotta cheeses mixed into the blend, which makes these particularly salty. Depending on the sauce that you use, this might make your dish too salty or result in a nice pairing. 

This meatball brand is a little pricey, which was our main issue and why they didn’t rank higher on our list. At $10 for a 21-ounce bag, it was hard to justify the higher per-meatball price. While the cheese was good, it wasn’t good enough to tempt us to spend more. When we tried them with marinara, that little edge in the flavor department quickly lost its luster, and we were just left with the higher price tag.

If you’re a Safeway shopper, the store brand Signature Select probably has some of the best prices on frozen meatballs, especially when you use your loyalty card discount. A 26-ounce bag costs less than $9 normally, and even less when on sale. Other brands cost as much as $10 at full price for the same size bag at Safeway.

These are made with a combo of beef and pork, giving them a different flavor compared to the all-beef varieties. We like the Italian seasoning as well, but overall, the taste and texture weren’t anything out of the ordinary.

We would buy these again if they were the cheapest option and we were already at Safeway, but probably wouldn’t go out of our way to get them. The exterior texture didn’t have a crust like some other options and nothing like what we’d make from scratch. The package said flame-broiled, but we didn’t taste that, especially compared to some other brands that had a much more savory exterior. When paired with sauce, we likely wouldn’t notice the difference. However, when push comes to shove, these had to end up a bit lower on our list. 

Cooked Perfect has a broad line of frozen meatballs, which was our favorite part about this brand. We tried the Italian-style gluten-free version to see how it compared to other brands. You can also choose from regular Italian-style, homestyle, turkey meatballs, and more. If you need something that works with specialized dietary needs, try this version or the Italian-style made with all-natural ingredients that are gluten and dairy-free. 

Each of these meatballs is approximately 1 ounce — a pretty big meatball compared to some of the others we tried. They have a good savory flavor, plus just enough Italian seasoning to give them some extra herby flavor. The texture was surprisingly good, especially for a gluten-free meatball.

The 16-ounce bag costs around $11, which is on the pricey side, and we didn’t think they were anything that we’d pay more for than others. They’re made in the USA, however, which is an important consideration for some people and means less distance for them to travel to get to the freezer case. This was an okay option for us, but nothing special. If we needed something gluten-free, however, this would be at the top of the list.

The Mama Lucia Bite Size meatballs were the smallest of the options that we tried. They have a more substantial crust, plus a moist interior. These are made with chicken, beef, and pork with a flame-broiled exterior that gives the entire meatball a savory flavor without being too heavy. They were also lighter on the grease compared to some brands.

We tried them with marinara, which was a fantastic pairing. We really like the Italian seasoning flavor in the meatballs, which worked with the warm tomato-based sauce. 

A large 38.4-ounce bag costs around $10, making this a great choice for budget-conscious shoppers who don’t want to give up great taste. They aren’t the best for show-stopping meatballs on top of a big dish of pasta, however. Because they are bite-sized, we would grab this bag when prepping appetizers for a party. The meatballs are the perfect size to put on a tray and serve with toothpicks.

We made a Target run to pick up a bag of the Good & Gather Italian-style meatballs, which ended up being great in flavor and texture. They’re made with a blend of beef, pork, and chicken, which helps give depth to the overall taste. They were medium-sized, which works for dinners like spaghetti and meatballs or as appetizers. They don’t come with any sauce, which lets you customize the preparation, but does add an item to your shopping list and a step to your dinner prep.

Good & Gather meatballs are only available at Target as the store brand, so you’ll have to make a special trip. They’re a good value, however, at less than $7 for the 26-ounce bag of meatballs. We liked them as much or more than pricier name brands. Considering how many other staples (plus a few extras that probably weren’t on our list) we can grab at Target, we’d add this to our cart as well.

The Trader Joe’s Italian-style meatballs are made with all beef and include plenty of seasoning in the blend. We tried them with marinara, which was very tasty, but these would also make great additions to Swedish meatballs. They don’t come with sauce, so you’ll need to pick something up to go with them. If you want to make an entire spread, add a Trader Joe’s frozen pizza or flatbread.

These meatballs are on the smaller side, which makes them fantastic to mix into recipes but not as impactful on top of a bowl of spaghetti. If you’re cooking for toddlers or preschoolers, these would be a top choice because of their size and tasty flavor. The 16-ounce bag isn’t huge and costs $5.49. If you only need a smaller portion, this may work for you. But for larger meals, they’re a little bit on the pricey side for what you get.

The flame-broiled aspect gives these meatballs some extra texture on the outside. It also helps with a deep, savory flavor, which was one of the best attributes of this option. They definitely brought the meaty taste to our pasta dish. Pair them with one of the frozen pastas from Trader Joe’s for a quick meal that tastes delicious and requires almost no prep.

You can pick up a large bag of frozen meatballs from Aldi’s brand, Bremer. While they don’t have a lot of flavor choices, they are some of the best value options. Because we are frequent Aldi shoppers, this has been our go-to brand by default, especially if we only need to make one meal’s worth. The meatballs are on the smaller side, but not mini by any means. We’d consider these a two-bite meatball, but we don’t typically need to get a knife and fork to enjoy them.

A 32-ounce bag costs less than $8 and is enough to feed our family of four for dinner. They aren’t anything out of the ordinary when it comes to taste or texture, but still have a good heartiness that we liked with marinara and pasta. They are made with beef and pork, which helps create a deeper flavor compared to similar options that we tried that were just made with one kind of meat. The Italian seasonings weren’t very strong, but we probably wouldn’t have noticed if we hadn’t been taste testing a bunch of meatballs all at the same time. Overall, this is a decent option and one we’d get again.

When we make homemade meatballs, we always sneak some pureed veggies in for added nutrients. So we had to give the frozen version from KidFresh a try. They’re made with chicken and a blend of celery, onions, and carrots. Known as mirepoix vegetables in French cuisine, this combination adds a lot of savory flavor to any dish. This surprised us, since we went into the sampling thinking that these would taste and feel more like kids’ food than a savory, flavor-rich meatball.

These frozen chicken meatballs come in a smaller 16-ounce bag for just over $9, which is on the expensive side. However, as parents tired of struggling to get kids to eat veggies, we’d happily pay that much or more to make the process easier. It didn’t hurt that they were also big on flavor, and the texture was just right. Our only complaint was that the meatballs are on the smaller side. But since these are made for kids, the size works well for the intended diner. We just really liked them — even as adults — and would like to see a larger full-size version as well. For now, we’ll be happy with these mini meatballs and will be returning for more.

For a bulk meatball purchase, head to Costco for the Kirkland Signature meatballs. These also happen to be some of our favorites on taste, although you will need to be able to store or use a 6-pound bag. We recommend them when serving meatballs for a crowd or if you have the freezer space to store bulk purchases. Because they are pretty sizable and come in a massive bag, they don’t work as well for us when we’re planning small bites, although Costco appetizers still have plenty of options, including other meatballs, that we love for starters.

If you’re just cooking for yourself or your small family, you can take out a few at a time. The giant bag is resealable with a very tight seal, cutting down on the possibility of freezer burn. If you plan to store them, this will be an important consideration to actually get your money’s worth. It costs around $23 for the entire bag (with a Costco membership). We’re not sure the meatballs alone justify the $65 annual cost of the membership, but since we already shop at Costco for other must-buy items, this frozen food frequently ends up in our cart.

We love the Rao’s sauce, so we had to try the meatballs and sauce as well. These were some of the largest meatballs that we tried. Two were more than enough for one person for dinner when paired with pasta. We have to give it up to Rao’s for making dinner easy since they come already doused in tasty sauce. This meant one less item for us to buy at the store.

Fortunately, it’s super thick, delicious Rao’s sauce, which also ranks high on our list of store-bought marinara sauces. That means that these don’t work great for dishes other than traditional spaghetti and meatballs, but it does keep dinner prep super simple. Just put the package right in the microwave and enjoy.

The Rao’s meatballs are a bit on the more expensive side, which would normally bump them lower on our list. But the flavor, texture, and sauce combination was just too good to give these meatballs anything but the top spot. Prices also varied at the numerous stores where we saw them in the freezer case. Some had the box of six for around $16, and others were less than $14 for the same thing. We recommend shopping around a bit, because these are worth the work and the higher cost. This was one of only a few options that we would make a special trip to get, even with the elevated price.

To see which meatballs were the best, we headed to the store looking for some of the most popular brands. We added some store brands as well and a couple of more gourmet options. Frozen meatballs typically come already cooked, so we didn’t need to actually prepare much, just heat them all up to find out which had the best taste, texture, and value. 

We stuck with classic flavors like Italian-style meatballs to get a good comparison across brands. A few had special recipes, added ingredients, or preparation to give them an extra savory flavor. We tried each meatball sans sauce and dipped in marinara. For this taste test, we kept to the same style, but you could switch things up and use some with creamy Swedish meatball sauces, in soups, or on subs. The final verdict came after we enjoyed each brand in a dish of spaghetti and meatballs. Most of these work in other meatball recipes, too, but we kept to something traditional that was easy to prepare.