The Absolute Best Store-Bought Queso Is A Brand You Probably Haven't Tried Yet

Queso is a condiment that's hard not to love. Enjoy it with a side of sturdy tortilla chips for dipping or schmear it on a homemade burrito bowl for an extra decadent touch. In order to find out what brands of this melted, spiced cheese sauce were worth buying, Tasting Table purchased several different brands of store-bought queso and tried each one, both straight from the jar and warmed up in a bowl alongside tortilla chips. While many of the cheese sauces, mostly from cheaper brands like Taco Bell, Tostitos, and Pace, fell to the bottom of the ranking due to their lackluster flavor and gelatinous texture, one brand took the title of "big cheese": Desert Pepper Trading Company's medium queso blanco dip.

We found that this was one of few dips across the entire ranking that was true to its label. In short, this queso blanco is one of the best because it truly represents the "medium" label. At first bite, the queso coated our tongue with heat that wasn't too overwhelming but could still stand its ground. While the consistency of this queso may not have been the most appetizing of the bunch, the flavor of this dip made it more than worth purchasing.

Luckily, you won't have to travel to the desert to pick up a jar of Desert Pepper Trading Company's queso blanco. Besides queso blanco, this brand offers many other Mexican-inspired dips and sauces on Amazon and at Walmart. Although its chile con queso placed a respectable third in our ranking, it still may be an option to look for if you want something with a little more tomato-backing to it. Though, don't expect the same level of heat as the queso blanco.

The ingredient list for the queso blanco includes Monterey Jack cheese, green bell peppers, and jalapeños. This slightly textured combination, which stood in stark contrast to the other, one-dimensional quesos we sampled, is perfect for spooning onto nachos. The textured pieces are easily visible when you run a tortilla chip through the jar; they add a pop of color and a slight bite to this otherwise creamy and rich concoction.