The Best Salsa Brands
Tasting and Ranking 11 Supermarket Salsas
Photos courtesy of Hormel Foods
Salsa has come a long way since its rapid popularization in the 1980s. In fact, this spicy condiment has ancient roots dating back to Aztec, Mayan and Incan civilizations, where variations were made from ground tomatoes, chiles, beans and seeds. It wasn’t until the 16th century that the Spaniards gave it the name “salsa”, which stuck throughout the centuries until it had its big break stateside just a few decades ago. The complimentary bowls of chips and salsa that we’ve come to love at our local Mexican restaurant were introduced here in the States, which then helped catapult these sauces to staple food status.
Taquerías and restaurants today still make most of their delicious salsas from scratch, but the majority of us still find ourselves wandering the condiment aisle at the grocery store for our favorite jar. If you’re a fan of salsa and enjoy treating yourself to a bowl every once in a while, there’s a good chance you’ve tried a few different brands. You’ll likely have tons of options to choose from at the grocery store, many of which range in flavor profiles, spice level, price range, and organic status. But when it comes to salsa, your favorite really depends on your spice tolerance and several other factors that ultimately make it your preferred dip. Nevertheless, we’ve created a ranking based on versatility, authenticity, and price to ensure that your fridge is stocked with the right jar for you.
11. Chi-Chi’s Medium Thick and Chunky Salsa – $4.79We’ll be upfront when it comes to Chi-Chi’s Medium Thick and Chunky Salsa: there’s not much going on. This sauce is very watery and doesn’t really do much for us as a dip or condiment. There isn’t much heat either, whether at first or in the aftertaste. There’s genuinely nothing special about this relatively expensive salsa, leaving us to label it as forgettable at best.
10. Frontera Red Tomato Salsa Mexicana Medium – $4.19Frontera’s Red Tomato Salsa Mexicana (medium heat) is on the chunky side and luckily not overly mushy. The most noticeable flavor in the sauce is its recipe’s cilantro, with the tomatoes and onions failing to make a major impact. Overall it’s just okay, and we like the subtle heat that lingers. We choose not to rank this salsas higher because it’s on the pricier side at $4.19, but fails to excite us like some of its more affordable competitors.
9. La Mexicana Hot Salsa – $2.79If you’re not much of a cilantro fan, La Mexicana’s Hot Salsa is probably not your cup of tea. While this chunky salsa isn’t technically a pico de gallo, it does carry a similar taste because of the recipe’s cilantro-forward notes. But our main issue with La Mexicana is its tartness that tastes more like citric acid rather than natural lime juice. This gives the salsa that artificial jarred sauce taste that we’re not fans of, but it’s not a huge deal-breaker. This is an acceptable dip for a chip and salsa situation, but it’s not a condiment we would use in our cooking. In fact, there are probably better salsas out there for dips too. La Mexicana’s biggest pro is honestly its price point.
8. Trader Joe’s Salsa Autentica – $1.99Does this Trader Joe’s salsa live up to its name? We’d argue not really, but it’s still a tasty option. This ultra-thin salsa doesn’t pack much of a kick, but rather a smoky burn that we find addicting. It’s also very affordable at just $1.99, so we tend to pick up a bottle every time we make a Trader Joe’s run. This salsa autentica is good with salty corn chips but also sunnyside eggs, hash browns, and a cheesy quesadilla that calls for a subtle drop of heat.