I tried all 17 Trader Joe’s salsas. Along the way, I discovered some new favorites, and tried others that won’t make their way into my cart again.
You know how the cashiers at Trader Joe’s like to ask, “Trying anything new today?”
Well, in the future, when I’m buying salsa, I won’t be able to say yes.
For the sake of science and my insatiable craving for anything that can be eaten via tortilla chip, I tried and ranked every salsa they have. Results are based on flavor, texture, craveability, and whether I’d buy them again.
Ranked from worst to first, here are the 17 salsa options at Trader Joe’s.
Obviously, taste is subjective. There might be a salsa that flopped with me but that you’d adore. Let me know in the comments which Trader Joe’s salsa reigns supreme for you.
In this post:
Jump to:
17. Extra hot habanero ghost pepper
Coming in at “worst place” is extra hot habanero ghost pepper salsa. It earns this dubious title, because it’s the only salsa of the bunch that I couldn’t finish.
Not only did I not want to eat my way through the whole container, I couldn’t find a way to repurpose it either.
The texture is full-bodied, and it lives up to its name. It’s extra hot. However, it isn’t inedibly spicy. It just limited how much of it I wanted to eat.
My main issue wasn’t with the spice level. It was the habanero flavor itself, which is not my favorite pepper.
It also has a “dried spices” taste, which could be from the smoked ghost pepper powder in the ingredient list.
16. Corn & chile tomato-less
I can safely say I will never buy corn and chile tomato-less salsa again. There’s no reason why sugar should be the second ingredient in a salsa, but that’s the case here.
Unsurprisingly, it’s way too sweet – inedibly so.
While eating it as a dip, I couldn’t push past more than a couple of bites. However, like I mentioned, I’m loathe to waste food. So I repurposed it.
I used it in cornbread, and then again in chili (along with salsa especial medium). The corn and chile salsa worked well in both dishes.
A little sweetness is welcome in cornbread, and in the chili, there was a lot of spice to balance the sweetness. I finished the chili with a sprinkling of non-dairy parmesan (from my Trader Joe’s vegan cheese guide).
15. Salsa especial medium
The full-bodied texture of salsa especial medium was nice, but it couldn’t make up for the strong taste of canned tomato and tomato juice.
With an abundance of oregano flavor, this is spicy hot marinara masquerading as a salsa. (I’d say calling it “medium” is a misnomer.)
After this salsa flopped with a soy chorizo taco dinner one night, I even tried to use it like a marinara dipping sauce with garlic bread the next. However, it was too spicy for that to taste right.
As mentioned above, instead I used it in chili (in place of canned tomatoes), and it was actually delicious? So if you’re stuck with it too, that’s one way to go.
14. Hatch Valley salsa
The name isn’t lying. This is very hatch chile pepper forward. It has a slightly burnt flavor from the roasted chiles that’s a bit acrid.
It has a back note of heat, plus zing from the tomatillos and lime. The tomatillos give it a silky texture that helps it to cling to tortilla chips.
This isn’t my top pick, but I have friends who swear by it. They say it’s a mainstay in their kitchen, and a must for breakfast tacos.
13. Pineapple salsa
This jarred pineapple salsa is chutney-like in its consistency. It generally reads more “fruity” than specifically pineapple in taste. While the flavor is somewhat smoky, it would benefit from more spice.
Of course, it’s true for every salsa, but this one really can’t compare with the robust flavor and crisp texture of fresh pineapple salsa, which would be my preference every time.
12. Cowboy caviar
The chipotle flavor in this cowboy caviar is pleasant, but it suffers from overt sweetness, which affects some of these low to mid-tier salsas.
That said, I added some to my tofu scramble while warming it in a pan, and it added extra protein, fiber, and bite, plus smoky flavor. A tasty addition to a breakfast burrito!
On its own, it’s also better if you add quick pickled jalapenos for spice to balance some of that sweetness.
11. Salsa especial mild
I was wary about salsa especial mild after my run-in with its cousin, the “medium” variety. However, this is much more what I’d expect from a fresh salsa.
While it does have the odd inclusion of oregano and cooked tomato flavor, which I don’t expect for a fresh salsa, it reads more neutral than the medium one.
I wouldn’t buy it again, but if a friend served it at a party, I’d eat some.
10. Mango pineapple pico de gallo salsa
With two fruits in the name, this salsa had more tomatoes and onions than I was expecting. The onion seemed to be driving the bus, and the fruit was underripe, so it wasn’t super fruit forward.
The main flavors were sour, tangy, and oniony with a lack of heat.
This scoopable pico de gallo isn’t watery at all, and my husband and I easily finished it in one meal.
9. Salsa taquera
Salsa taquera is very thin and watery, which makes it difficult to get much on a chip. It almost feels like it’s a restaurant salsa, which they’ve thinned out with water to make it stretch.
However, with a combination of tomatillos, tomato puree, and mango puree concentrate, it has an interesting layer of flavors, which grew on me.
8. Salsa autentica
Salsa autentica has a good flavor and nice mild heat. It’s vinegary and tangy, but thinner than I’d prefer.
With just 6 ingredients, it shines in its simplicity.
7. Mild pico de gallo
This used to be the fresh salsa I reached for at Trader Joe’s, but after this experiment, it’s been replaced (by #1 on this list).
This fresh salsa has bright, crisp flavor, and crunch. It’s easy to just keep noshing, and all of a sudden you’ve finished it within a day or two.
However, it can be a bit watery, which mutes the tomato flavor, and helps the garlic to override the taste.
6. Guacasalsa
If you like tomatillos and guacamole, try guacasalsa. It has a tangy, lime-forward flavor, which I really enjoyed.
The tomatillos give it strong acidity, which helps the dip not to brown, even after multiple days in the fridge.
This one is especially good with potato tacos (featured in my easy Trader Joe’s vegan meals).
The only negative is that it is quite runny. It doesn’t have the scoopability of guacamole. So while there’s no chance of it replacing guacamole, it’s a good occasional dip.
5. Chunky salsa
This tastes almost exactly the same as organic thick and chunky salsa (which appears below). The only obvious difference is that this one isn’t organic.
It’s a good everyday salsa with a full body and mild flavor that doesn’t overwhelm.
4. Salsa verde
This salsa verde in no way reaches the heights of homemade salsa verde with the deep flavors of roasted tomatillos, onions, and garlic.
However, while it is on the runny side and lacks in smoke and depth, it gets the job done when you’re craving a green salsa.
As Krusty the Clown would say, “It’s not just good. It’s good enough.”
3. Pepita salsa
Although I’d had this once before many years ago, I was taken by surprise by the level of deliciousness in this pepita salsa. It quickly became a new favorite with its slightly creamy and thick texture.
It has a good spice level and smoky chipotle taste.
It could land the top spot, except it’s such a specific flavor, I fatigue on it. It’s best as more of an occasional buy.
2. Organic thick and chunky
I struggled with whether organic thick and chunky salsa should go in the first or second slot of this list. It’s my go-to pantry salsa (especially since Trader Joe’s discontinued my previous jarred salsa fave).
It’s a solid, all-purpose option that reminds me of the Pace and Chi-Chi’s style salsas I grew up eating, but chunkier and more flavorful. Plus, it’s organic, so that’s a win.
It could be a little spicier, but I don’t mind having an excuse to add a drizzle of bird’s eye chile hot sauce (one of my Trader Joe’s favorites) for extra heat when needed.
Prefer to make your own cooked tomato salsa? My homemade roasted tomato salsa has rich, deep flavors from oven roasting.
1. Hot pico de gallo salsa
Coming in at number one is hot pico de gallo. This fresh salsa adds zing and brightness. It has a well-rounded, balanced flavor and scoopability that makes it almost too easy to polish off in a dinner or two.
The main thing that makes this edge out its competitors is that it’s hard to stop eating it. The craveability is higher.
The only negative is that it’s a little more watery than I prefer, but that’s not surprising when it’s a pre-made product and fresh tomatoes are involved.
Have a favorite Trader Joe’s salsa that you’d rank higher (or lower)? Let me know in the comments.
Leave a Reply