16 Lean Cuisine Frozen Meals, Ranked Worst To Best

Lean Cuisine is a prevailing staple among brands of frozen meals, and it's hard to miss the array of orange boxes in the frozen aisle. The brand has churned out an impressive variety of meals over the years, seemingly catering to every dietary preference possible. Of course, as the name suggests, Lean Cuisine's meals are generally geared towards individuals looking for more calorie-conscious meals, with all of the brand's meals coming with less than 400 calories and 10 grams of fat.

As someone who has enjoyed plenty of frozen meals — including Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice frozen meals, and even Gordon Ramsay's frozen meal line – I was naturally curious to see which of these meals tasted best. Since all Lean Cuisine meals are designed to be relatively low-calorie (with similar nutritional stats), I wasn't as concerned about nutritional information when ranking these meals. Instead, my main focus was on which meal tasted best.

When determining the best Lean Cuisine meal, I focused on several key factors, including how well the ingredients worked together (were they cohesive or did they clash?), the texture (did anything turn to pure mush?), and how good I ultimately found the flavors to be. Without further ado, here are 16 Lean Cuisine frozen meals ranked from worst to best.

While none of the Lean Cuisine frozen meals I taste-tested were outrageously awful, one of them had to rank last — and that one is the lemon garlic shrimp stir fry. Something about this meal just didn't work, which is a shame, since it looked inviting enough after heating it up.

The biggest issue with the lemon garlic shrimp stir fry is that it was super watery. After heating it per the package instructions, letting it sit, then mixing it up, I noticed a pesky amount of water remaining at the bottom of the bowl. This water never really mixed into the ingredients or went away, so every bite was a little too liquidy for my taste (not to mention somewhat watered down).

Additionally, the brown rice didn't work in this meal. The texture was super bizarre, with some pieces hard and others mushy. The shrimp itself was okay, and the overall flavor wasn't bad. The vegetable inclusions of broccoli, carrots, and peppers were alright, as well, but they were ultimately forgettable in a bowl that just didn't have much to offer. Since the bowl as a whole didn't really work together, it ranks last.

The Lean Cuisine marinara chicken & broccoli balance bowl boasts a certain simplicity that I initially thought would work well. Featuring a mixture of rigatoni pasta, grilled chicken, broccoli, and marinara sauce, I was at the very least certain that no ingredients would clash or feel out of place. To be fair, it's true that no ingredients clashed. But there was also something forgettable about this meal.

Instead of simplicity working to its advantage, the barebones nature came across as both bland and flavorless. The biggest issue was the marinara sauce, which was incredibly watery and lacking in any tomatoey flavor or seasoning. The sauce also refused to cling to the pasta, so bites of noodles were pretty sad and bland. The broccoli and chicken were texturally fine, but again — everything was just a bit too bland.

Quite frankly, with so many better frozen chicken entrees out there, I definitely don't see myself purchasing this meal again. Consequently, it ends up near the bottom of this list.

To be honest, I was concerned about a frozen sandwich ahead of time, wondering whether the bread's textural integrity would go out the door the second it was reheated (with a cheesy filling on top of it). Much to my dismay, concerns about the bread weren't unfounded, as it ended up a bit soggy and greasy after heating up the meal.

I should point out that this sandwich probably would've been better had I followed the oven heating method. However, since there was an option to heat the sandwich in the microwave, I opted for that method for the sake of fairness; that's how most frozen meals are reheated, after all.

Of course, the microwave method worked well enough, though it left the bread a little oily at the bottom, which wasn't super appealing to eat. Then again, the filling tasted pretty good in this Lean Cuisine frozen sandwich. It was a bit too heavy on the cheese and light on the BBQ flavor, perhaps, but for a from-frozen sandwich? It could have been a lot worse. Still, since I'd opt to make my own sandwich over eating this Lean Cuisine frozen sandwich any day, this meal comes near the bottom.

One Lean Cuisine meal I've enjoyed countless times in the past is the Vermont white cheddar mac & cheese ... so I was a bit shocked to discover this one ultimately ranked pretty low on this list. Unfortunately, either the quality has gone down since college-aged me was enjoying this meal, or it's just not as good as I remembered it being.

The flavor of this mac and cheese was good, and there's something about the white cheddar that sets it apart from other frozen mac and cheese brands out there. But the biggest issue was the texture. Even though I heated up the meal exactly as called for, the noodles pretty much fell apart and turned to mush (as evidenced by the photo above). Everything still tasted nice and cheesy, but the texture left much to be desired.

Ultimately, the meal is pretty plain in comparison to others on this list. So while it may have been a favorite of mine at one point, I wasn't inclined to rank it above the higher-ranked entries this time around.

Like Lean Cuisine's BBQ chicken sandwich, the supreme pizza offered instructions for oven heating. However, I once again opted for microwave heating to stay consistent with the cooking method I used for each meal — and the pizza suffered a bit as a result.

Now, I did enjoy the flavor of this pizza, though I wish the crust hadn't been as soft and doughy after heating. Then again, while the crust's texture wasn't my favorite, it somewhat reminded me of a Lunchables pizza crust (which barely counts as an actual pizza crust). On that note, I have to give this Lean Cuisine frozen meal points for not being soggy or wet.

The toppings were the real star of this meal, though. I was impressed by the quality of the pepperoni, veggies, and sausage. The sauce and cheese reminded me of Lunchables again, though, so while I didn't hate this pizza, it felt a bit too low quality to rank any higher.

Maybe you keep a chicken fettuccine Alfredo recipe in your back pocket as an easy weeknight dinner, or perhaps you have a chicken fettuccine entree in your freezer when you're in a pinch. Either way, Lean Cuisine's version of chicken fettuccine was pretty on par with what one might expect from a frozen version: Creamy and comforting, no doubt, though a bit bland and boring overall.

I appreciated the fact that the noodles were tender in this meal, and the sauce clung to them nicely. The chicken wasn't terrible, but it was fairly chewy and bland — and it definitely didn't have those grill marks like it does on the box.

Furthermore, the image on the box depicted a certain amount of seasoning on the noodles and chicken that didn't translate to the actual product. So while I certainly didn't hate Lean Cuisine's take on chicken fettuccine Alfredo, the meal as a whole left me underwhelmed, and ranks in the bottom half as a result.

Another classic comfort dish, spaghetti and meatballs is hard to beat no matter the form. A frozen spaghetti and meatballs meal features ingredients that both freeze and reheat well, after all. Plus, it's such a straightforward dish that it's hard to mess up — and Lean Cuisine's version definitely wasn't a mess up.

I enjoyed the tender pasta, tangy tomato sauce, and surprisingly juicy meatballs that this meal offered. While I've found the sauce in frozen spaghetti and meatball meals can be extremely bland and lackluster at times — almost tasting like straight tomato sauce with no added seasoning of any sort — Lean Cuisine's tomato sauce was pretty neutral overall. In fact, there was a little bit of seasoning at play, which made the meal that much more enjoyable.

The star of this meal was ultimately the meatballs, which were quite succulent and well-seasoned for being frozen. A good middle-ground meal, I wasn't necessarily blown away by any elements of this spaghetti and meatballs dish, but there was nothing wrong with it either, so it comes in tenth place.

Fish can be a bit of a polarizing entree — particularly frozen fish. But as someone who's always been a big fan of classic fish sticks, I had high hopes for Lean Cuisine's tortilla crusted fish meal. Thankfully, this frozen meal was pretty good, and the fish in question (pollock) heated up nicely without an overly fishy smell.

Of course, while the fish was the main component of this frozen meal, the real star was the rice, corn, and poblano pepper mixture. Smothered in a tangy sour cream sauce, it had a remarkably rich flavor profile and a nice, creamy texture. The only downside is that the sauce made the entire underside of the fish completely mushy — something that was unavoidable given the fact that the fish was on top of the mound of rice and sauce when frozen. Had the fish not ended up too soggy, I would've ranked this frozen meal higher, but it comes in the middle of this list as it stands.

I wasn't expecting much from the Lean Cuisine ricotta cheese & spinach ravioli frozen meal, mostly because it seemed like a pretty plain option (with no ingredients sticking out to me). Much to my surprise, it ended up being far more enjoyable than I initially expected –  and it has the sauce to thank for that.

Now, the centerpiece of this meal is obviously the ravioli, which were perfectly fine. I do think they could've had more ricotta filling, but the texture was good overall — not too mushy, yet not too firm. However, the sauce was exceptionally tasty, with notes of acid and garlic shining through nicely. If there's one element that was a miss, it was undoubtedly the spinach, which came across more like wilted specks than anything else. Though this ultimately didn't affect the flavor much overall, it did keep this frozen meal below the higher-ranked entries.

Whether they're served on their own in a savory gravy or with pasta, it's hard to beat a classic Swedish meatballs dish. Since Lean Cuisine's frozen Swedish meatballs meal comes with pasta, it's somewhat reminiscent of beef stroganoff, but with tender meatballs instead of beef slices. Now, while I found this meal to be a pretty solid one — with no real complaints overall — I did wish the sauce was a little bit thicker, and that there were a few more meatballs.

Still, this meal delivered everything you'd want from Swedish meatballs flavor-wise. It was savory, rich, hearty, and even a little bit creamy. The meatballs were tender, and the pasta was soft but not chewy. Simply put, if the gravy had been a bit thicker, this one would've ranked even higher, but it comes in seventh given the dish I taste-tested.

Lean Cuisine's rendition of chicken teriyaki featured pieces of chicken, vegetables, noodles, and teriyaki sauce (of course). Though it was a simple meal overall, I found this frozen chicken teriyaki meal to be quite impressive and fresh-tasting. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I might not have guessed that this meal was ever frozen upon eating it.

The teriyaki sauce was undoubtedly the star of this frozen meal. It had the perfect consistency (not too thick, but not too runny), and the flavor was surprisingly complex. I personally found notes of soy sauce, sweetness, and hints of ginger shining through. If I had one grievance, it's that I wish there were slightly less noodles and a little more vegetables. The noodles were tasty, but were perhaps a bit overbearing in the meal as a whole, so it can't crack the top five.

Meatloaf may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I've always found the dish to be comforting, hearty, and flavorful. Paired with a classic side like mashed potatoes, you really can't go wrong. While nothing can beat homemade meatloaf — fresh from the oven with ketchup caramelized on top — I have to give credit where its due: Lean Cuisine's meatloaf with mashed potatoes is a solid meal.

Though it's no ketchup-topped homemade meatloaf, there's still plenty of tanginess to be found in the sauce. Plus, the meat itself is pretty true to what you'd expect meatloaf to taste like — very savory with notes of Worcestershire sauce. As for the mashed potatoes, they weren't the best potatoes I've ever had, but as far as frozen ones go, they were pretty good. They were a bit gummy, but a quick dunk in the sauce helped absolve any textural issues, making this a Lean Cuisine meal that translates exceptionally well from frozen form.

Anyone who's a fan of KFC's fried chicken bowl will no doubt enjoy Lean Cuisine's fried chicken with mashed potatoes bowl as much as I did. Although this is a simple dish (featuring mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and fried chicken bites), it's a super tasty one. All of the savory flavors work well together, and the corn adds a nice burst of sweetness.

Though the fried chicken doesn't retain a crispy texture once it's heated up, it doesn't turn to mush, either. Rather, the breading sort of takes on the flavor of the mashed potatoes and gravy, with everything somewhat melding into one big, savory bite. Super comforting with just the right balance of flavor, this Lean Cuisine meal is the perfect example of a super simple option that's executed well without being boring or bland (even if it couldn't crack the top three).

I always enjoy when a savory meal comes with a sweet treat to balance it out, and that's exactly what you get with Lean Cuisine's roasted turkey breast meal. One side features the roast turkey with dressing, while the other side features cinnamon apples.

There's a lot to like about this meal, and I'd argue it's one of the most comforting options on this list — very reminiscent of something you might enjoy on a cozy Thanksgiving afternoon. This meal is such a success because, despite featuring two contrasting elements, all of the flavors work together here. You could even scoop up a bite with everything — turkey, stuffing, gravy, and apples — and it would taste pretty good. I have no notes or complaints about this meal, making it an easy choice for the third place slot on this list.

Another Lean Cuisine meal with a sour cream sauce means another winner. If you recall, the tortilla-crusted fish meal also features a sour cream sauce, which I found to be a real highlight of the meal as a whole. The brand's chicken enchilada suiza meal features a similar sauce, and I'd argue it works even better in this enchilada and rice context.

The creamy sauce is no doubt a strong point of this meal, but I was also impressed by how good the enchilada itself tasted. It somewhat tasted like masa, which is typically more of a tamale flavor point than an enchilada one, but I wasn't complaining. The rice was also seasoned well and bursting with flavor, and the sauce seeped in to add an extra creamy dimension on top of that. I found this meal to be tasty and cohesive, with only one meal that I liked slightly more.

Before heating this frozen meal, I was impressed by the sheer amount of chicken and vegetables included in the dish. And once heated, the flavors of this orange chicken dish only impressed me more. The veggies tasted fresh, the rice added a nice boost without overtaking the entire meal, and the chicken was super-saturated in orange sauce — earning this Lean Cuisine frozen meal the top spot.

Now, a typical hallmark of orange chicken is its crispy exterior, thanks to it being fried. While the chicken doesn't maintain that crispy coating in this meal, it tasted delicious nonetheless. The sauce was the perfect consistency, both clinging to the chicken breading and infusing it with a classic spicy orange flavor. I really appreciated that this meal wasn't bogged down by too much rice, either, with the chicken and vegetables acting as focal points (as they should be).

Cohesive, balanced, and super flavorful, Lean Cuisine's orange chicken made for an easy first place choice. In short, it's definitely a meal I'd keep regularly stocked in my freezer.

When ranking these Lean Cuisine meals, I mainly focused on which flavors I liked best. However, I also considered other criteria, like which meals felt cohesive, which ones retained a nice texture, and whether they featured a particularly exceptional ingredient or element.

I was less impressed by those meals that lacked cohesion or balance, had mushy or strange textures after being heated up, were simply bland, or didn't stick out in any way. Still, even if a meal did have a particular issue, I ultimately considered the meal as a whole, including any potential redeeming qualities (such as exceptional flavor) when determining the final ranking order.