Trader Joe’s Vegan Onion Flowers: A Frozen Aisle First (and My Honest Review)

Trader Joe’s just dropped something I genuinely never thought I’d see in the freezer section: vegan onion flowers. As far as I can tell, these are the first frozen, fully vegan blooming-onion–style product widely available in U.S. grocery stores and yes, that alone makes them worth talking about.

They’re brand new and rolling into stores this week, retailing for $5.49 for two onion flowers. Availability can vary by location, so if you don’t see them right away, ask a crew member as they’ll always have the most accurate info on what’s arriving soon.

“What’s Not Vegan About an Onion?”

This is a question I’ve already seen a lot in my comments.

While onions themselves are obviously vegan, traditional blooming onions are not. The issue is the batter, which is usually made with eggs and/or dairy. That’s what makes this product notable: Trader Joe’s version skips those animal-based ingredients entirely, making it accessible to vegans without modification or guesswork.

Taste, Texture & Cooking Notes

Let’s get into the real-life prep, because this matters.

Air Fryer Tips

• These needed more cooking time than the package suggests in my Breville oven on the air fryer setting at 325°.
• I had to extend the time (a full 7 minutes!) and upped the temp to 350° to get them fully cooked through and properly crisp.
• If you pull them out too early, the inside might be soft, cold and underdone.

👉 My recommendation: check early, but expect to add extra minutes. If baking in a regular oven (there’s instructions on the box) I would imagine you might have to increase cooking time and/or temp as well.

Seasoning

• Sodium was lower than I personally expected for an item like this.
• A sprinkle of salt after cooking made a big difference for me.

Lower sodium isn’t a bad thing obviously, just something to know so you’re not underwhelmed on the first bite. You might feel they’re adequately seasoned as everyone has a different tolerance and expectation. They are after all a restaurant-style appetizer so expecting them to be “healthy” is a bit unrealistic.

• They come individually packaged so you can make just one and are nestled in a paper tray so you need to remove both before baking.

The Sauce Situation

These do not come with a dipping sauce, which feels like a missed opportunity to me, but also an excuse to customize. I initially thought they might come with a vegan sauce but then noticed “serving suggestion” in the top left corner of the box.

I dipped mine in Bitchin Chipotle sauce and it was a great match but any creamy, spicy, or smoky sauce will work here, think vegan ranch, chipotle mayo, or even a barbecue sauce.

Get my ranch, special sauce or vegan honee mustard recipes here!

So is it really an Outback Bloomin’ Onion dupe?

They’re clearly inspired by the Bloomin’ Onion from Outback Steakhouse, but with a few differences I can see.

I’ve never actually eaten the original (for obvious reasons), but from what longtime fans say:

• The restaurant version is larger.
• Heavier, thicker batter.
• More indulgent overall.

Trader Joe’s version feels like a lighter, freezer-friendly take, which honestly makes more sense for home cooking. It’s a novelty item so I don’t think I would buy this that often but with a little longer bake, hit of salt and a nice sauce, they were tasty to me.

Pros

• Truly vegan (no eggs, no dairy) and labeled as such right on the box.
• Unique! Nothing else like this in freezers right now that I know of.
• Fun, nostalgic appetizer energy.

Cons

• Needs extra cook time.
• No sauce included.
• Benefits from added seasoning.
• Most likely seasonal so best to grab it while you can.

If you’ve ever wanted a blooming-onion–style snack without the animal products or just enjoy trying new vegan grocery items, this is absolutely worth picking up.