I Tried 6 Jars of Salsa and These Are the Top 2 I'd Buy Again

The late 80s and early 90s were a time for scrunchies, flannel shirts, and “Saved by the Bell,” but also, salsa. No, not the dance, the food. I was just a tween then, but I remember when a jar of salsa was the “it” food that made any party “cooler.” Simply opening a jar of prepared salsa made your house (and mom) the raddest.  

Salsa had obviously been around before the 1980s and 90s, but the only place we could enjoy it was the local Mexican restaurant. The classic, fresh Mexican versions served there were delicious, but weren’t readily available at stores. So when the jarred varieties showed up at the supermarket, my mom and everyone else’s mom filled their carts with it. That was fine with me, because I loved salsa, just as much as everyone else.

Because of this great history and love affair with this dip, I feel like I’m a great judge of salsa character. I’ve sampled my share, and while I prefer the traditional Mexican salsas, I know the jarred versions can be pretty great too.

Below is a recap of how we tested the salsas and the results. And to keep things fair, I only purchased salsas that I could readily find at big chain grocery stores. For this reason, you won’t see any of the higher-end or smaller-batch salsas here. We’ll save that for another test!

Here’s How We Tested

Presentation: In order to fully examine the salsa and to keep bias at bay, each salsa was served in similar white bowls.

Preparation: All of the salsas were served at room temperature so that tasters could have a full-flavor experience.

Tasting: Each salsa was tasted plain on a spoon and then again with the same brand of corn tortilla chip.

Our Salsa Taste Test Results, Ranked

6th Place: Desert Pepper Trading Company Cantina, Medium Salsa

With a name like Cantina, I felt like there was a solid chance this would be a good salsa. But, no, that was not the case. We unanimously ranked this one as our least favorite. It was overly salty, but somehow lacked flavor. One tester even said it was, “one note.” And I agree. Even though this one wasn’t a winner, I know the brand carries other varieties, and I’m willing to try one of them before completely counting them out.

5th Place: Newman’s Own Chunky Medium Salsa

Right off we all loved the big pieces of tomato in this salsa. It was nice to see texture and evidence of the ingredients. Upon tasting, however, I found the flavor a bit too sweet and the heat level (even though it was labeled “medium”) very mild. Even though this one looked appealing, it weirdly didn’t taste much like salsa at all. Because of that, I don’t think I’d buy it again.

4th Place: Pace Chunky Medium Salsa

When I bought this one, I had high hopes. I remember buying it often during my college days. But maybe the memories of eating it were a bit jaded by the other fun that was happening at the time. Don’t get me wrong, this one isn’t bad, it’s just “meh.” No big flavor to set it apart from any of the others and it felt bland. Ironically, my other testers didn’t seem to mind it. My littlest tester actually felt like it had “nice spice.” But she meant flavor, not heat. So for those who like a milder salsa or aren’t interested in big, bold flavors, this could be a good option.

3rd Place: On the Border Salsa, Medium

If you’re looking for thick, stick-to-your-chip salsa, then you’ll love this one. “It has a nice smoky, roasted flavor,” said one of my tasters. I appreciated the smoky flavor too, but it felt a bit like someone was too heavy-handed with the chili powder at the production facility. Overall, it was good. If I were to buy it again, I might buy a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes to soften some of that chili powder. Or I’d consider adding this one to a pot of chili.

2nd Place: Tostitos Restaurant Style Salsa, Medium

This classic brand of salsa surprised us all! My littlest tester said that it tasted “very yummy with chips” and others liked its balanced heat and texture. This salsa is perfectly scoopable and reminds me of my early salsa days. While there are no complicated or interesting flavors going on here, it’s an easy-to-eat variety that’s perfect for the veggie platter at your next party.

1st Place: Frontera Roasted Tomato Salsa

This salsa was the overall winner, just beating out the 2nd place salsa, but only because of flavor. We all loved the rich, tomato taste and that it was uniquely different, in a fabulous way, from the others on the list. The only issue we had was with how wet it was. This salsa is more liquidy than chunky, so scooping it onto a chip proved a bit challenging. I’ll definitely buy this salsa again but may try using it as a topping for enchiladas or for tacos, taco salads, burritos, or bowls.