The best store bought queso is creamy, spicy, and cheesy. If you’ve ever had queso, then you know it is one of the most delicious foods in the entire world. This cheese-based dip is salty, zesty, and all around scrumptious. When I arrive at a party, I want to see a crockpot of queso and a big bowl of chips in the center of the table. If not, I’m making an Irish exit ASAP.
Mythical production assistant and fellow queso lover Karolyna “KG” Garza joined us for this taste test to find the #1 dip you should be using for dunking. So gather your friends, turn on the game, and put out one (or more) of these five great quesos.
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- On the Border Salsa Con Queso
Everything we’ve had from On the Border has been a true 10/10. Their chips and salsas are both all stars, and now I’m happy to add queso to the list of exceptional products from this brand. This queso is so creamy and smooth. My favorite aspect is how the fruitiness from the jalapeno really shines. On the Border Salsa Con Queso would be great for chip dipping, burrito dunking, or taco salad drizzling. Surprisingly, this queso can be eaten hot or cold. I never thought I’d enjoy a queso cold, but On the Border’s is so good that I’d take it any way I could get it.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Queso Mama White Queso with Diced Green Chilies
So many of the mild quesos we tried weren’t just mild in spice—they were mild in flavor. Queso Mama manages to keep the heat low while bringing tons of good, cheesy flavor. Notes of cumin and green chili fill your mouth when you bite into a chip drenched in Queso Mama’s queso, making it the best store-bought queso blanco we tried. I am now addicted to it and took the entire 32-ounce container to enjoy in the privacy of my own home.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Great Value Salsa Con Queso Cheese Dip
Surprise, surprise! Walmart makes a very delicious, very affordable queso. It has big chunks of peppers in it which give it a nice kick. It’s super creamy and thick. It has that nostalgic bright orange queso color. I would happily serve this at a party to guests I like and respect. I would also pour this over a burrito and eat it with a knife and fork. I feel like you could even mix a box of cooked elbow noodles with a jar of this queso for an easy and spicy mac and cheese. It’s so cheap that, if it’s bad, it’s no big loss. Take risks!
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Gordo’s Mild Cheese Dip
Gordo’s has a diehard fan base—lots of people think it’s the best store-bought queso blanco and I understand why. It’s delicious. It’s unbelievably buttery, but the texture is what keeps it from ranking higher for me. Gordo’s queso is extremely thin, much thinner than any queso I’ve ever had at a restaurant. Additionally, the flavor is very mild. I think this is better suited to being used as a sauce than as a dip. It’s so liquidy that it will coat a burrito or a plate of nachos like a dream, and the mildness won’t overpower other flavors.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Tostitos Queso Blanco Dip
If you’re having an event or party, Tostitos Queso Blanco is a great option. It scored points for durability: As it sat out during our taste test, it remained melty and perfectly creamy while some of the others started to congeal or form a less-than-pleasant film. You could enjoy this queso over the course of a football game or movie marathon. It’s a little spicy, but won’t blow out your taste buds if you’re trying to enjoy other appetizers. That being said, you might not even want to eat any other apps when Tostitos Queso Blanco is on the table. It’s just too good. I could eat chip after chip dipped in this and never get tired of it.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Herdez Queso Con Salsa
Herdez Queso Con Salsa delivers what it promises: cheese first, and salsa second. It’s a great option if you want something that’s cheesy and dippable without a big punch of heat. This one would please even your annoying friend who always trepidatiously asks “Is it spicy?” before they taste any food. But don’t worry, it’s still zesty enough to please a spice lover’s palate. It may not be rich in heat, but it’s rich in flavor.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Fritos Jalapeno Cheddar Flavored Cheese Dip
The nostalgia factor is through the roof with this one. Frito’s Jalapeno Cheddar Flavored Cheese Dip tastes like movie theater nacho cheese. The kind that comes out of a big pump and is served with pickled jalapenos and slightly stale chips and is delicious for some reason. This cheese “flavored” dip tastes like it has jalapeno pickling juice mixed directly into it, setting it apart from all the other fresh pepper-based dips we tried. It certainly doesn’t taste homemade and that’s what I like about it. It has that made-in-a-factory flavor that you’re in the mood for sometimes!
Credit: Merc / Instacart
Best of the Best
Best Queso Blanco
Best Budget
Best Cheese Sauce
Best for a Party
Best Mild
Most Nostalgic
Other Products We Tried: Happy Farms Queso Blanco, Happy Farms Salsa Con Queso, 365 White Queso, Stonewall Kitchen Bacon Queso, Sprouts Queso Blanco, Good & Gather Queso Blanco, Desert Pepper Chili Con Queso, Trader Joe’s Queso, Taco Bell Salsa Con Queso, Fritos Mild Cheddar, Tostitos Salsa con Queso, Rico’s, Queso-Melt Jalapeno Cheese Dip, Gordo’s Original Cheese Dip, Great Value Queso Blanco
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Should have had Gordo’s in the mix
Gordon’s is the best for sure!
I can also agree Gordos for sure!
I buy a lot of quesos, and gordos is the best imo. Taste like restaurant quality. The ones in the glass jars taste fake in comparison.
yes Gordos for sure they got to try that one it’s the one I used in many restaurants that I worked in.
Never had In the Border. Will try it now. . Which one is less chunky? Not a fan of biting peppers and onions in queso.
Hi Bonnie! If you’re looking for a perfectly smooth queso, the Fritos one has no chunks of anything at all.
Always went with the Tostitos, will definitely try the on the border
I love the Fritos one, not as a chip dip, sometimes for nachos, but it is great on a hot dog instead of traditional condiments!
i bet if y’all tried gordo’s it would have made the top 5! it’s so good!
Tried On the Border last night and it was great. I’ve been specifically not getting queso when I’m at the store because I knew I would be eating it cold. But you are right, On the Border was great even that way. Will definitely get again. Thanks!
Gordos should have been tested no doubt. It’s a travesty it’s been left off this list as it is leagues above any of these. Each one of the dips listed tastes like processed cheese while gordos is real cheese.
I was hoping you’d tried every queso out there so apart from the top 5 i could see where my Herr’s Queso ranked. its the only one you can buy in stores here in the UK.
That one is awful, sorry. My opinion.
Using this list at the store right now. Gonna try the cacique!
It’s a little weird, but good! I hope you enjoy it!
There’s a brand at target called “queso mama” and it’s the closest queso to a Mexican restaurant I’ve ever had and it’s incredible! I would definitely try it if you find it!
Sorry to say, but you are wrong on this one BIG TIME. Leigh Oliver’s is far and away the best best best store-bought queso. Please try it Jordan, because you will be blown away. It’s almost embarrassing for all these other brands how much better Leigh Oliver’s is.
Shocked! I’ve lately been begrudgingly buying Tostitos ScQ (the yellow one that didn’t make the top 5) because On the Border, which is cheaper, tasted worse to me. I agree that Trader Joe’s version is nasty though.
Love that you all update these, update notes and a header indicating so would be even better.
Not one mention of Cacique. Tsk-tsk.
Just tried Leal’s Queso Blanco with hatch chilis. It’s mild and delicious! You should try it!!
Had to come back here after having Taco Bell’s. You mention in the notes you tried it, but the absolute TEXTURE of the stuff is so unlike everything else I feel like it’s worth a mention. It feels like a shortcut to the Velveeta+Ro-Tel dip you make for the Super Bowl or company potluck.