Every Trader Joe's Jarred Salsa, Ranked

There's nothing quite like dipping a tortilla chip in homemade salsa, but for those times when homemade anything just isn't in the cards, there are plenty of tasty store-bought salsas to ensure that your chips don't get lonely. While most grocery stores likely carry some sort of jarred salsa, Trader Joe's takes things a step further. It boasts a hefty lineup of salsas — some red, some green, some chunky, and some tomato-less — to ensure that all taste buds and preferences are satisfied. 

Now, as with most Trader Joe's lineups, there are some salsas that are winners, and there are others that simply miss the mark. The beauty of Trader Joe's selection is that you can keep things nice and simple by opting for the tomatoey, chunky salsa, or you can be more adventurous and try something like pepita salsa or cowboy caviar. Before you buy, however, it's important to know which salsas are worth the price and which ones leave something to be desired, which is where this ranking comes into play.

To determine which is the best of the best in Trader Joe's jarred salsa lineup, I've purchased each one and put them to the taste test. To taste the salsas, I simply paired them with plain tortilla chips and based my ranking on their flavor, complexity, heat balance, and overall just how much I enjoyed the dip and if I would be inclined to purchase it again.

While many — and perhaps even most — salsas out there have some sort of red color to them thanks to the tomatoes, salsa verde switches things up by boasting a vibrant green color. Unlike tomato-based red salsas, salsa verdes are made with tomatillos, along with green chiles like jalapeños. This results in a naturally green salsa that still tastes similar to a red one. Trader Joe's salsa verde is no different, with tomatillos and jalapeños making up the bulk of the sauce. Unfortunately, unlike so many delicious salsa verdes out there, TJ's version lacks in flavor.

If there was one flavor profile that was abundantly apparent with this salsa verde, it was saltiness. This isn't always a bad thing, but it is when there aren't really any other flavors at play to balance it out. And, when paired with a salty tortilla chip, I found this salsa verde to be just a sodium overload all around. Otherwise, the flavor of this salsa isn't bad per se; it's just incredibly lacking. There's no real flavor definition from the tomatillos, no real spice from the jalapeños, and no notable touches of garlic or onion either. I could maybe see this salsa being a good option for those who are making enchiladas and want the filling to be the real star of the show, but otherwise, there's just no reason I'd purchase this salsa again, considering that there are so many better options readily available.

Despite the fact that tomatoes are technically fruit, it's safe to say that fruity salsas — as in those that incorporate sweeter fruits like mango or pineapple — are a bit polarizing in the salsa community. Some folks love the sweet, acidic balance that fruit brings to the table, whereas others believe that salsa should be a salty or savory sauce through and through. For what it's worth, I fall into the former category, and some of my favorite salsas have involved fruit in some capacity. That said, I can recognize when a fruit salsa just doesn't work, and Trader Joe's pineapple salsa is a good example of one that misses the mark entirely.

The biggest issue with TJ's pineapple salsa is that it relies way too heavily on the pineapple, and it simply loses any sense of balance with the other savory or salty ingredients in the mix. Instead of tasting like a tomato-based salsa with chunks of pineapple, this salsa just tastes like a pineapple-based salsa with indiscernible chunks of other ingredients in the mix. Also, the pineapple flavor is more like pineapple juice than fresh pineapple — which makes it just overly sweet and all around unappealing in the context of salsa. There was potential with this pineapple salsa, but it's just too sweet and not balanced enough to rank any higher on this list.

Trader Joe's organic thick and chunky salsa may be a good option for those folks who absolutely love tomatoes, can't get enough of them, and could eat them in any way, shape, or form. This salsa has that very classic tomato salsa feel to it. It boasts hearty chunks of tomatoes in — you guessed it — tomato sauce, making for a salsa that is perfect for tomato lovers. But, it's a bit one-dimensional for those more neutral on the fruit. I enjoy tomatoes and don't take any issue with very tomato-forward salsas, but I definitely look for a little more complexity — be it a spicy or sweet element — to balance it out, and this salsa just doesn't have that balance. 

The good news about this salsa is that it is indeed very thick and very chunky. It's great for piling high onto a chip and for snacking. I could see this salsa being a good option to put out at a party or potluck since it's not too spicy and doesn't have any oddball ingredients. To me, however, this thick and chunky salsa just wasn't flavorful enough to rank any higher on the list; there should have been more spice present or some other distinct flavor aside from tomato. While I recognize this salsa's importance in an overall lineup, it's definitely just a middle-ground salsa (at best) to me.

If you were to ask me what the difference is between Trader Joe's organic thick and chunky salsa and its chunky salsa ... well, to be honest, I wouldn't be able to give you a very good answer. The two salsas are incredibly similar in both texture and taste, with the most obvious difference being that one features organic ingredients and the other doesn't (but this doesn't seem to affect the taste at all). Looking at the respective ingredient lists, they're quite similar, with diced tomatoes, tomato juice, peppers, vinegar, and garlic mentioned. These ingredients made up the bulk of the flavor profile of both jars. 

So, why does the chunky salsa get a slightly higher ranking than the organic thick and chunky version? From what I could discern taste-wise, the chunky salsa was just a little more salty (and it tracks with the sodium level being slightly higher in the chunky version than the organic thick and chunky version), which is something that worked to its advantage. Don't get me wrong, the salsas taste incredibly similar, but that slightly salty edge made Trader Joe's chunky salsa just a bit more enjoyable overall. But, if you like to eat organic foods, then you won't really be missing out by opting for thick and chunky over this one — the two salsas are essentially interchangeable and neither of them blew me away in terms of flavor. The chunky salsa yet another middle-ground option, just like its thick counterpart.

Hatch chiles are unique because, unlike so many types of chiles grown in various places across the world, Hatch chiles specifically grow in New Mexico's Hatch Valley. Now, Hatch chiles can refer to various peppers or those at different stages of ripeness, and as such, the spice level can vary when it comes to these chiles (or salsa made from them). Trader Joe's Hatch Valley salsa features fire-roasted hot green chiles, which should result in a salsa that tastes fresh, smoky, and a little bit spicy.

For what it's worth, this Hatch Valley salsa does touch on those flavor profiles a little bit, but I found myself wanting way more flavor from this salsa. One notable thing is that the heat creeps up on you with this salsa, in a good way. So while it may not seem spicy at first, your tongue will definitely be tingling after a few bites. Otherwise, the salsa itself is a bit bland, and if it weren't for that heat that eventually makes an appearance, I probably wouldn't have given this option a second thought. Trader Joe's Hatch Valley salsa certainly isn't the best salsa in the chain's lineup, but if you really want a green salsa, this is the one to opt for over the super lackluster salsa verde.

For all of those tomato haters out there, I'm happy to report that Trader Joe's distinctly tomato-less corn and chile salsa is a hit. It's sweet, somewhat juicy, and very corn-forward — obviously it's not the salsa for those who don't care for corn — as that is, without a doubt, the most abundant flavor in this dip. The salsa also boasts a mild heat. It's nothing too intense, but it's enough to contrast nicely with the corn's sweetness.

When I mention the sweetness of this salsa, I really do mean it — there's more sugar in this salsa than there is in the pineapple salsa, the latter of which I found to be too sweet. However, this corn and chile salsa somehow manages to balance the sweetness much better than the pineapple one — largely thanks to the hints of chile, onion, and earthy coriander seeds that help ground it. My only real complaint is that it almost feels like a stretch to call this a salsa, since it's more of a general dip and it lacks those ever-important tomatoes. But I can get past semantics due to the sheer fact that this stuff is really tasty all around, and I appreciate that TJ's offers a tomato-less salsa for those who simply don't like the fruit.

If you've ever gone to a Mexican restaurant and have enjoyed the complimentary chips and salsa, there's a good chance you can already imagine what Trader Joe's salsa autentica tastes like. Now, obviously, this doesn't apply to those restaurants that serve salsa verdes or super chunky salsas, but rather those that serve super simple, bare-bones red salsa that's not too spicy and not too thick. It's a perfectly dippable salsa that coats chips perfectly, making for a cohesive and tasty bite despite its inherent simplicity.

Something I really appreciated about Trader Joe's salsa autentica, aside from how much it reminded me of my favorite Mexican restaurant, is that it had a nice balance of tomato flavor and spice. I also found this salsa to have a bit more of an acidic punch than many of the others on the list, which made the flavor a little complex without veering too far from a tried-and-true tomato-forward flavor profile. Sometimes, the simplest salsas are the tastiest ones, and while there were a couple of salsas on this list that I found to be a bit better than salsa autentica, you really can't go wrong with this classic option. 

Pepitas, a type of pumpkin seed, don't actually taste much like pumpkin or gourds at all. Instead, pepitas have a more nutty flavor profile, making them pretty tasty to snack on or to incorporate into various foods like salsa. Trader Joe's did just that with its pepita salsa; it added the seeds into a chunky, fall-forward salsa that I found to be nothing short of delicious. 

Before I get into the positives about this salsa, I will highlight my one gripe, which is that it is a bit of a stretch to call this a pepita salsa. It's realistically just a tomato salsa with pepitas in the mix, as tomatoes are the first thing listed in the ingredients, and that is the main flavor profile overall. Fortunately, there are plenty of positives to make up for my one complaint, the biggest one being that this salsa is just downright tasty. It's tomatoey, it's earthy, it's chunky, it's a little spicy, and it does have a slight nuttiness from the pepitas. I really enjoyed the complexity that this salsa brought to the table, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a chunky, tomatoey salsa but wants something a little different.

Cowboy caviar is not something unique to Trader Joe's salsa section — in fact, you could even make a homemade version. It's a type of chunky salsa that can vary slightly when it comes to its ingredients. Typically, however, a cowboy caviar will have beans, corn, and peppers, which is exactly the main trio that TJ's version boasts. And, unsurprisingly, these three ingredients work quite well together, as they each contribute a distinct flavor profile that really sets this salsa apart from the rest.

Something I really like about Trader Joe's cowboy caviar is that it really is packed with lots of flavor. At first, I picked up on the savory black beans, then I got a hit of sweetness from the corn, followed by a little crunch from the peppers. All of these chunky ingredients meld together in a tomatoey sauce, though I definitely didn't find this cowboy caviar to be tomato-forward by any means. This salsa really managed to strike a beautiful balance in flavor, and though I think there actually could have been a little more heat, the spiciness that was present was quite nice and not at all overbearing. Chunky, hearty, and simply delicious, Trader Joe's cowboy caviar is one salsa that I would keep stocked at all times, whether it be for snacking or for topping off a taco. 

Naturally, flavor was the most important factor for me when it came to ranking Trader Joe's jarred salsas, but I also paid attention to more than just how much I enjoyed each salsa. Balance was a huge factor, as I found that some salsas were lacking flavor harmony (like the thick and chunky salsa, which was very tomatoey — but didn't offer much else), whereas others, like the pepita salsa and the cowboy caviar, really managed to bring a handful of flavors together in a cohesive way.

Certain salsas were also just really bland, which was a drawback. Others also just had one flavor that was a little too overwhelming, like the pineapple salsa with its sweetness, which I heavily considered when I assembled my final ranking. The salsas that I ranked highly were those that were flavorful and balanced — they're not even necessarily super complex, as proven by salsa autentica's high ranking — whereas those that I didn't like as much were either too bland, too one-dimensional, or too unbalanced in terms of their flavor.