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). For this taste test, 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, flavor accuracy, and how stoked we think people will be when you step through the door and bust this and a bag of chips out of that ol’ brown paper bag. From least good to most good, these are the best Trader Joe’s dips.
- Vegan Buffalo Dip
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Trader Joe’s makes some excellent vegan dips. Honestly, I like their vegan onion dip better than the non-vegan version and same goes for their tzatziki. Alas, Trader Joe’s vegan Buffalo dip is not an excellent vegan dip. It is bad. It has a bad aftertaste. If you need something meat and dairy free, there are much better options!
Credit: Liv Averett
- Crunchy Chili Onion Hummus
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We taste tested Trader Joe’s cult-favorite Crunchy Chili Onion condiment for our best chili crisp ranking and weren’t impressed. Perhaps unsurprisingly, we weren’t impressed with this hummus either, which is just hummus with an oily puddle in the middle. The oil actually isn’t the problematic part—it’s the lack of salt and flavor that does this one in. If you’re a fan of TJ’s chili crisp, I suppose you’d like this, but it’s just not very good.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Hummus Dip
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I really like Trader Joe’s Mediterranean hummus (see number 11), so I assumed this would be pretty much the same as that, minus the pine nuts, herbs, and whatnot. Nope. This hummus is much less creamy and tastes way too much like cumin. If you’re in the market for a Trader Joe’s hummus, you can do better.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Homestyle Salsa Especial Mild
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If you’re looking for the best dips at Trader Joe’s, salsa probably isn’t the way to go. Their mild Salsa Especial tasted almost like marinara to me and I can’t quite explain why. It isn’t bad, but the tomatoey flavor is somehow not quite right for salsa. Maybe more cilantro would have helped it taste more like salsa than fresh tomato sauce you’d put on pasta? Serve it with the right tortilla chips and I’m not going to turn it down, but it wouldn’t be my first salsa choice. (If you want to know what the team’s actual first salsa choice would be, check out our ranking of the best salsa.)
Credit: Liv Averett
- Pico De Gallo Salsa Mild
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This Trader Joe’s dip is a pretty average store bought pico. If you’ve bought fresh salsa at the grocery store, you’ve tasted this exact flavor. I actually think they would be better off calling this salsa rather than pico de gallo because it comes off as a bit watery for pico. If you really want pico de gallo for your tostadas or what have you, I don’t think this Trader Joe’s salsa will quite do the trick.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
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This red pepper hummus is slightly better than the plain hummus, but still nothing to go out of your way for. It’s actually pretty tasty upon first bite. There’s red pepper blended into the dip as well as a red pepper topping you can either mix in or dip into as you eat. But that big pepper flavor turns a little bitter as it settles on your tongue. I didn’t like the aftertaste of this dip at all.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Everything but the Bagel Greek Style Yogurt Dip
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I am aware that this is one of those Trader Joe’s dips that people really love, but it’s not very good! The base is tangy and refreshing, but the everything seasoning isn’t nearly prominent enough. If I were on a diet, I would absolutely use this as a lower cal substitute for bagel schmear, but it doesn’t make enough of an impact as a dip.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Trader Joe’s Truffle Dip
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This is one of those Trader Joe’s dips that tastes much better than it smells. I mean, I know it’s called truffle dip, but the smell of truffle oil is just so strong when you open the container. It also looks terrible—it separates a bit and ends up with a layer of liquid on top that you have to stir in. If you brought this and some crackers to a picnic, you’d be very annoyed if you didn’t also have a spoon or knife on you to give it a good stir. Anyway, smell and appearance aside, this actually tastes quite good. It’s the consistency of queso but it tastes like parmesan cheese and truffle oil. It’s sort of weird, honestly! As you eat it (I paired it with plain potato chips), the flavor of truffle really sticks around in your mouth. The description says it’s made with cream cheese, ricotta, and parm, but it is not the consistency of cream cheese. If you want a truffled spreadable cheese with a cream cheese-y consistency, get Black Truffle Boursin. This is downright loose. It’s genuinely weird, but it still tastes good! But it’s too off putting to rank any higher in my opinion.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Sour Cream Spinach Dip
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Trader Joe’s spinach dip isn’t bad, but it’s nowhere near as good as other store bought spinach dips—tellingly, it didn’t make our list of the best spinach dip. It’s creamy and I’m sure I’d eat the whole thing if anyone left me alone with a container of it, but it could use some seasoning. A little Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning would go a long way.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Chunky Artichoke & Jalapeno Dip
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I was really excited to try this Trader Joe’s dip, but I wish it had more flavor. It’s very thick and it seems to have shredded cheese in the mix, kind of like pimento cheese. You’ll also find tiny bits of artichoke and tiny bits of jalapeno, but you have to isolate them to taste their flavors. They get lost in the dip itself. My colleague Jordan Myrick appreciated its tang, but it’s definitely not a rush-out-and-buy sort of product.
Credit: Liv Averett
- 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. Jordan 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
- 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
- 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 version 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
- Vegan Caramelized Onion Dip
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On the other hand, 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
- 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
- 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
- Three Layer Hummus
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This is one of those products I would never, ever think to buy. A mix of traditional, cilantro jalapeño, 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 jalapeño 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 their best hummus.
Credit: Liv Averett
- 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
- 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 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.
Credit: Liv Averett
- 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
- Buffalo Style Chicken Dip
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I love this stuff and my colleagues do too; 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 Trader Joe’s dips, too.
Credit: Liv Averett
- 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. This is the dip people will huddle around at the party. The one where you’ll be chit-chatting with someone about the Succession finale and you’ll overhear someone nearby be like, “Did you try that corn dip?” And then you can think about that moment for the next three months! 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
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