Gwynedd Stuart
The best Trader Joe’s dips are good enough to make people hover over the snack table at a party. Is there any greater joy than being the person who brought the good thing that everyone devours? I don’t think there is. If you’re addicted to that high, we feel you. And that’s why we put on our best elastic waistband eatin’ pants and tasted all the Trader Joe’s dips.
I think Trader Joe’s is a great place to shop when you’re hosting or attending a potluck-style party. They have good frozen apps, great cheeses, a chip aisle that spilleth over with interesting things people probably haven’t tried before, and a dip selection that’s nothing to sneeze at (seriously, don’t sneeze on the dips).
What we were looking for in the best Trader Joe’s dips
There are a lot of Trader Joe’s dips and they’re all VERY different. In three separate taste tests, we tried everything from Trader Joe’s spinach dip, to Trader Joe’s cannoli dip, to the classic Trader Joe’s Buffalo chicken dip. Yes, we’re comparing dip apples to dip oranges here, but we judged everything by the same criteria:
- Overall flavor and texture. It should be a treat to eat and easy to scoop up with a chip.
- Accuracy and ingredients. Spinach dip should have a sufficient amount of spinach, queso should taste genuinely cheesy—and so on and so forth.
- Party propriety. Which dips are people going to hover over all night and talk about after they leave? Yeah, those are the dips we included here.
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- Trader Joe’s Chicken Uncured Bacon Ranch Dip
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Okay, I’ll admit that this chicken-bacon-ranch dip is WEIRD. Chicken is the main ingredient, but there’s very little discernible chicken. It’s just kind of like mushy chicken paste. There’s LOTS of shredded cheese in the mix—it reminds me of pimiento cheese in that way. And maybe the weirdest part? There are heating instructions on the container!! Nothing about this ultra creamy, dairy-rich ranch dip makes it seem like something that should be heated! Well, I’ll be honest, I didn’t heat it—I have tummy troubles and I’m not trying to exacerbate them for a Trader Joe’s dip taste test. But eaten cold with a sturdy potato chip, this stuff still tastes great. It’s also VERY chicken salad adjacent (in fact, I found it next to the chicken salad rather than the dips at our TJ’s). If there are leftovers after the party, you can make yourself a stellar little sandwich with a few dollops of this Trader Joe’s dip and some crunchy iceberg lettuce.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Trader Joe’s Mediterranean Style Hummus
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This isn’t the best Trader Joe’s hummus, but it’s a very good Trader Joe’s hummus. My colleague Jordan Myrick hates the ubiquity of pine nuts on hummus—like, why did this become a thing?—but I actually like that their flavor complements the tahini in the hummus and adds a little bit of texture. This hummus’s biggest strength is that it’s super creamy. I also like that it comes in a big tub. It’s made for a party.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Spinach & Kale Greek Yogurt Dip
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I like this stuff. Jordan does not. And I totally understand why. It doesn’t just taste like spinach and kale; it tastes like dried spinach and kale. The flavor of the greens is so bold and concentrated. As a person who loves foods I can pretend are healthy, I like that aspect. Plus, this is healthy, at least relative to regular spinach dip—it’s made with Greek yogurt instead of mayo or cream cheese or sour cream, but it still feels fun and indulgent.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Caramelized Onion Dip
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This Trader Joe’s dip is nice and thick and has a lot of onion flavor, but I tasted it alongside the vegan caramelized onion dip and decided that the vegan option is a better version of onion dip than this one. When it comes to French onion dip, this wouldn’t be my first choice. In fact, it didn’t make our list of the best French onion dips. It’s not bad, but it isn’t a showstopper either.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Vegan Caramelized Onion Dip
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This is an outstanding vegan dip. It doesn’t have as much onion flavor as the regular Caramelized Onion dip, but it tastes strongly of thyme, which I love. Be forewarned: It does lean a little sweet because the base is coconut cream cheese. But caramelized onions are a little sweet, so I think it works. Plus, there’s no weird vegan dairy product aftertaste. I think this is a crowd pleaser, especially if the crowd includes people who don’t eat dairy. It would also make a really good sandwich spread if you wind up with leftovers.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Garlic Dip Spread Dip
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I love Trader Joe’s take on toum. It’s super luscious and so packed with garlic it’s almost spicy. But is it a dip? I mean, if you’re looking for a dip for kabobs, sure, but I don’t think this works great with chips at a party, especially if people will be in close proximity to one another at said party. Still, I think it’s delicious and you should buy it.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Sweet Cannoli Dip
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Ooh baby, this stuff is good. I literally never buy sweet dips. I don’t really know what they are for. That said, I think you could come up with a lot of fun stuff to do with this Trader Joe’s dip if you put your mind to it. It tastes sort of like cream cheese frosting. In fact, the first ingredient is cream cheese, along with ricotta and sugar. It’s the consistency of frosting, but it definitely has a nice mascarpone sort of savoriness behind the sweetness. If you dream of eating frosting by the spoonful, this is the Trader Joe’s dip for you.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Three Layer Hummus
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This Trader Joe’s hummus is one of those products I would never, ever think to buy. A mix of traditional, cilantro jalapeno, and spicy hummus? When it’s done well, hummus is so good on its own! Why would you do all these things to it? Well, Trader Joe’s did those things and they all taste great. The cilantro jalapeno layer is especially delicious—bright and herbaceous—but I sort of wish the spicy layer had more heat. I truly think this dip is ugly as hell, but if you can get past that, it’s one of the best Trader Joe’s dips—and definitely the best Trader Joe’s hummus.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Ranch Cottage Cheese Dip
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This is a GREAT low cal, low fat dip. It’s made with a cottage cheese base but it isn’t chunky at all. It’s majorly thick and creamy but it does have the tang of cottage cheese—it’s nice that you can still appreciate the flavor of the base even if its source material isn’t totally recognizable. There’s A LOT of ranch flavor in this dip. Like, ranch seasoning straight to the dome, but as you eat you kind of get used to it. My first bite I was like, is this too spice rack-y? But you get used to it and the flavor is welcome. This is a great lower-cal dip to swap in for crudites.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Trader Joe’s Tzatziki Creamy Garlic Cucumber Dip
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When Trader Joe’s called this tzatziki a “cucumber dip” they weren’t kidding. There are whole-ass cucumber slices in this yogurt dip. Luckily they retain some crunch even though they look all limp and weird. Cucumbers aside, the dip has lots of nice mint and garlic flavor. I would devour this with pita chips.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s White Queso Dip
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Trader Joe’s queso, which we tried for the very first time in our third taste test, is great. It’s creamy and packed with good, peppery flavor. And it really nails that “white queso” flavor—there’s a nuttiness and saltiness to it that’s really nice. It’s definitely thicker than our favorite white queso (Queso Mama), but it also stays creamy after it cools, which is nice. This is a great addition to their game day snack lineup—no one is going to say no to this. I also think it would be really good drizzled on a hot dog. Do that in my honor!
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Trader Joe’s Pimento Cheese Dip
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Honestly, Trader Joe’s pimento cheese ranks so high by virtue of what it is. This isn’t the best pimento cheese, but it’s still pimento cheese—and pimento cheese is good as hell. It has plenty of shredded cheddar cheese and some nice, mellow pepper flavor behind the creaminess of the cheese. I also think it’s a stretch to call this a dip. It’s thick—a spread if I’ve ever seen one. Still, put out a tub of this with some sturdy crackers and people won’t leave its side. And that earns it a spot among the best dips at Trader Joe’s.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Vegan Tzatziki Dip
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You’re probably noticing a lil’ bit of a trend, and it’s that at least two vegan Trader Joe’s dips are better than their non-vegan counterparts. What a win for people who don’t eat dairy. This vegan tzatziki is so tangy and cool and bursting with dill and cucumber flavor. Yes, you can use it as a dip, but you can also put this on a vegan burger with cucumber slices and raw red onion—sprinkle it with some Cavender’s and you’re in business! Again, this dip doesn’t have that dreaded off-putting fake dairy aftertaste. Jordan loves it so much, they already had a tub in their fridge when we did this taste test.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Buffalo Style Chicken Dip
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I love this stuff and so do my colleagues; half the tub was already gone when I sat down for this taste test. It so perfectly balances creaminess with the spice and tang of Buffalo sauce. For being so creamy it still has so much bite! I will say, it could use more meat. It sort of leaves you searching around for pieces of chicken, but the flavor is so good, I don’t think you’ll mind. This was one of the best Buffalo chicken dips we tried and it’s one of the best dips at Trader Joe’s, too.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Everything and the Elote Greek Style Yogurt Dip
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And the best Trader Joe’s dip is…Everything and the Elote Greek Style Yogurt Dip. Still, even after three taste tests. This is the dip people will huddle around at the party. The one where you’ll be chit-chatting about the final season of American democracy and you’ll overhear someone nearby be like, “Did you try that corn dip?” First of all, it’s super creamy and tasty for being made with yogurt rather than mayo—it still feels super rich and fatty. But smokiness is really its predominant flavor profile. It has an excellent roasty flavor and a little kick of heat from the chili powder. The kernels of corn are a little sweet and burst in your mouth. I wouldn’t be mad if it had more corn, but that would also change the consistency and I think this is pretty perfect as is.
Credit: Liv Averett
Trader Joe’s Dips!
Trader Joe’s Dips!
Trader Joe’s Dips!
Trader Joe’s Dips!
Trader Joe’s Dips!
Trader Joe’s Dips!
Trader Joe’s Dips!
Trader Joe’s Dips!
Trader Joe’s Dips
Trader Joe’s Dips!
Trader Joe’s Dips!
Trader Joe’s Dips!
Trader Joe’s Dips!
Trader Joe’s Dips!
Best Trader Joe’s Dip!
Other Trader Joe’s Dips we tried
Trader Joe’s Vegan Buffalo Dip, Trader Joe’s Crunchy Chili Onion Hummus, Trader Joe’s Hummus Dip, Trader Joe’s Homestyle Especial Salsa Mild, Trader Joe’s Pico de Gallo Salsa Mild, Trader Joe’s Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Greek Yogurt Dip, Trader Joe’s Truffle Dip, Trader Joe’s Spinach Dip, Trader Joe’s Chunky Artichoke & Jalapeno Dip.
Luke Field
Matt Crowley
I must say, the vegan buffalo dip tastes quite good.
You didn’t try the salmon dip. That, by far is the best one trader Joe’s has! Please try it and let me know what you think