All the Best Salsa at the Grocery Store

You won’t find the vast majority of the best store bought salsa in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Too many “freshly made” tubs of salsa have a chemical aftertaste and citric acid tang that lingers. Also important to note: Occasionally, we’re huge hypocrites here at Sporked. I mean, yes, you’re way better off buying a good jarred salsa…except in the case of our #1. According to our taste testers, the best salsa from the grocery store is, in fact, a refrigerated tub. But it’s a rare exception, we promise.

How we sourced the salsa brands

We’ve ranked everything from hot salsa to the best fruit salsa, salsa verde, canned salsa, avocado salsa, and more. To compile our absolute favorites here, we retried all of our top contenders from those lists, found some new, never-before-tried additions, and taste tested them all side-by-side. We even filmed the whole thing for your viewing pleasure. Watch it below! 

What we looked for in the best store bought salsa 

• Full flavor: The best salsa can be smoky and fire-roasted, tangy and tomatillo-forward, extra hot, fresh and mild… the list goes on. But whatever genre of salsa it is, it needs to commit to a full, fresh flavor with real depth. The acid, sweetness, salt, and heat should all work together in harmony. 
• Convincing freshness: Salsa textures should vary. We don’t care if it’s rustic and chunky or loose and thin. If you pour it in a bowl and convince us it came from the ingredients in your fridge (easier than you think—we’re gullible), it ranks highly on this list. 

Even if you’re the kind of salsa snob who exclusively buys their salsa by the pint at your local Mexican restaurant or farmers’ market, we promise there’s a salsa on this list for you. If you can have good jarred marinara sauce or tomato chutney, why can’t you have good salsa from the store? Skeptics: There’s only one way to prove us wrong. Try them for yourself.  Here’s all the best salsa at the grocery store in one convenient list.

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Best Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Sprouts Organic Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Sprouts

When I was taste testing a bunch black bean and corn salsas, it was stunning to me how many have almost zero corn or black beans. Of the options we tried, Sprouts was the best salsa by a mile. Besides, you know, actually containing corn and beans, this seems to contain pureed black beans to give it some starchy thickness, too. If black bean salsa is your style, seek this out. —Gwynedd Stuart

Credit: Liv Averett / Sprouts

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Salsa in a Can

Herdez Medium Salsa Ranchera

Amazon

Who knew that you could get such tasty and affordable salsa from a can? I didn’t, but I do now! Herdez makes great salsa (this is only the first time they appear on this list). This canned Herdez medium salsa ranchera is perfectly salty, lightly spicy, and has a robust tomato flavor. The only downside is that it doesn’t come in its own resealable container. But, in reality, you probably won’t have any leftovers when you crack this can open anyway. It’s the best salsa for your apocalypse hoard, for sure. —Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Fruit Salsa

Simple Truth Organic Pineapple Habanero Salsa

Instacart

This Kroger brand salsa is easily the best fruit salsa you can buy at the grocery store. It’s actually hot. The habanero kick pairs perfectly with the sweet pineapple. It’s not overly fruity or sweet. It is so perfectly balanced. This stuff would be incredible on fish tacos or in an al pastor burrito. Good job, Simple Truth! You made a good salsa. —Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Jarred Salsa Verde

Mrs. Renfros Green Jalapeno Salsa

Walmart

I might be the biggest salsa verde fan of the group. It goes on my breakfast tortillas every time I have it in the fridge; I just love that zingy tomatillo tang, which really stands out in Mrs. Renfros.  It has a loose, restaurant-style texture and incredibly fresh flavor, especially for something out of a jar. (Though, surprisingly, most refrigerated salsas from the grocery store taste way over-processed.) This leans really sour and spicy thanks to the bold tomatillo and jalapenos—so if that sounds like the salsa for you, definitely pick it up. —Ariana Losch

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Chunky Salsa

On the Border Medium Chunky Salsa

Walmart

Chunky salsas have to work extra hard to win me over because I’m not a fan of big, wet pieces of tomato. Luckily, On the Border Medium Chunky Salsa brought its A-game to the taste test and made a fan out of me. The first thing I noticed when I dipped my chip is that this salsa is super aromatic. I was warmly greeted by the scent of onion, garlic, and chiles. Another plus is that, unlike most jarred salsas, it doesn’t have a weird citric acid flavor. It tastes like there’s actually lime in it! This is the best salsa for folks who like it chunky—and it just so happens to pair perfectly with our favorite tortilla chips. —Jordan Myrick

Credit: Ryan Martin / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Salty

Siete Mild Salsa

Walmart

Siete’s Mild Salsa was a revelatory new salsa for me in our most recent taste test. It has this smoky, umami quality that you don’t get with any of the other brands we tried, and I’m completely obsessed with it. We tried the medium and mild versions, and while both are good, the mild really brings out the fresh bite of the jalapenos and onions. It’s so zesty and roasty. It’s salty as hell, too—a pro for me, the resident salt queen at Sporked, but perhaps a con for others. —Ariana Losch

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Smoky

Somos Medium Cuatro Chiles Taqueria Salsa

Walmart

Somos has topped multiple best lists on Sporked. It’s one of our favorite Mexican-owned brands and this salsa was one of the best things we ate the week we tasted it (and we try, like, hundreds of foods each week). This salsa has a wonderful complexity from the four different chiles, some of which are smoked and add an incredible smoky flavor to this salsa. It’s spicy, but not super spicy. It’s the best salsa if you like it smoky. —Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Hatch Chile Salsa

El Pinto Medium Fire Roasted Green Chile Salsa

Walmart

Okay, this is making the list as the best hatch chile salsa we tried, but tomato is definitely the dominant flavor profile in El Pinto’s salsa. I know that sounds obvious to say about salsa, but I can’t stress enough how deeply tomatoey this salsa is. El Pinto is a restaurant in New Mexico, and this is definitely a restaurant-style salsa. It’s thin and beautifully pureed. And the flavors are just so bold and fresh. And, yes, you can still taste the chiles in there—and feel the gentle simmering heat, too. In terms of spice, it’s a perfect medium. —Gwynedd Stuart

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Salsa Verde

Casa Sanchez Medium Roasted Salsa Verde

Walmart

Casa Sanchez makes the best store bought salsa verde. If you like chunky, rustic salsa verde, grab a container of Casa Sanchez Roasted Salsa Verde from the refrigerated aisle. The big pieces of garlic, springs of cilantro, and whole pepper and tomatillo seeds will definitely impress you. It’s the best salsa verde for dipping, but this would also be great drizzled over enchiladas or dumped into a crockpot with some pork for an easy dinner over rice. —Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Avocado Salsa

Herdez Guacamole Salsa Medium & Herdez Guacamole Salsa Mild

Amazon

Herdez Guacamole Salsa in mild and medium is the best avocado salsa we tried in our avocado salsa taste test. It’s true perfection. It’s creamy, acidic, salty, and a tad spicy. There’s tons of cilantro. I regularly buy this salsa and consume it at home. They sell two-packs of it at Costco and it’s quite the deal. I am positive that you will love this Herdez guacamole salsa. It’s incredible. —Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Jarred Mild Salsa

Mateo’s Gourmet Mild Salsa

Walmart

I can’t believe I’m putting a mild salsa so high on the list, but Mateo’s Mild Gourmet Salsa definitely earned its spot. In my opinion, this salsa has the perfect texture. It’s not completely liquified, but there aren’t any big chunks of cooked tomato either. It’s not listed in the ingredients, but all of Mateo’s salsas (their hot salsa made our list, too) taste powerfully of cumin, a good thing if you like that smoky backbone minus the heat of chipotle peppers. It’s the best store bought salsa for those who want mild heat but a lot of flavor. —Jordan Myrick

Credit: Ryan Martin / Target

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Jarred Hot Salsa

Mateo’s Hot Gourmet Salsa

Walmart

Mateo’s rules. We love their products. And this is still one of the best store bought salsas we’ve hadd across multiple taste tests. It’s fresh and acidic. Tomatoes and jalapeños are the stars in this salsa, but you get notes of garlic, cilantro, and habanero. The ingredient list is short and there are no weird additives or preservatives. I could eat a whole jar of this stuff in one sitting (but I wouldn’t recommend it). You have to love cumin to like this, but it definitely has mass appeal. —Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best Jarred Salsa

Pace Restaurant Style Salsa

Walmart

You’ve probably had regular Pace salsa and think it’s good. You’re right. It is good. But what you need to try, however, is Pace Restaurant Style Salsa. It is incredible. The texture is perfectly pureed and the flavor is surprisingly fresh. It’s garlicky and a little spicy. I had a clear picture in my mind (or should I say taste in my mouth) of what Pace salsa tasted like, but this totally defied my expectations. It’s Gwynedd’s personal favorite! —Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Casa Sanchez Foods Hot Salsa Roja

Walmart

Casa Sanchez knows salsa. Each item on this minimal ingredient list—tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, and cilantro—really shines, while also seamlessly melding together to create the perfect restaurant-style salsa. The fact that this salsa comes from the refrigerator section amazes us, since most of the refrigerated tubs we tried couldn’t deliver a fresh, cohesive flavor to save their lives. This has a slow-growing heat that doesn’t outright burn but definitely earns its “hot” title. Next to every other incredible salsa on this list, Casa Sanchez still stands out for its depth and genuine homemade appeal. —Ariana Losch

Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Other salsas we tried

Sprouts Hot Salsa, Lucky Habanero Hot, Desert Pepper Hot, Casa Sanchez Hot, Patricia Quintana Authentic Mexican Roasted Tomato & Jalapeño Salsa, Green Mountain Gringo, O Organics, 365, La Mexicana Hot, Casa Martinez Habanero, Sprouts Medium, Sprouts Mild, Sprouts Hot, Private Reserve, Desert Pepper, Target Restaurant Style, Pace Hot, Target Medium, Target Mild, Walmart Medium, Mateo’s Medium, On the Border Mild, On the Border Cantina, Casa Sanchez Mild, Casa Sanchez Medium, Del Real, Tacodeli Salsa Roja, Chi-Chi’s Thick & Chunky Salsa Medium, Chi-Chi’s Restaurant Style Salsa Mild, Marketside Sweet Heat Mango Peach Medium Salsa