The Best Great Value Canned Soup To Buy On Repeat This Fall

Soup season is officially here and it's time to stock up on all your canned favorites. Whether you're a fan of creamy clam chowder, comforting chicken noodle, or simple tomato soup, most grocery stores have a wide variety to choose from. Clam chowder may be more of a summer soup, but this hearty dish is perfect to warm you up in the colder months. Chowhound took the time to taste and rank seven canned clam chowder brands, and there was one that we would buy over and over again. Great Value clam chowder received the No. 1 spot in our book. Walmart's store brand soup was flavorful, creamy, and each ingredient was perfectly cooked and delicious. 

For a generic brand, Great Value's clam chowder outshone other options in all categories. For starters, one 8-ounce can of the soup costs $1.50, which makes it a pretty great bang for your buck. A good clam chowder should have a blend of ingredients that offer a flavorful and rich taste, and we were surprised to find Great Value's did just that. We even found that the ingredients list wasn't too long, meaning it's not packed with artificial flavors. While it may not be a fresh bowl of New England clam chowder (which is distinct from Manhattan's version), Great Value has hit the mark on this creamy soup perfect for the cold seasons. 

Great Value's canned clam chowder may have blown us away, but not all of the brands we tried were as good. Campbell's chunky clam chowder was the worst version we tried, with a horribly thick consistency and bland taste. For a soup with a cream base, it was hard to find the perfect balance of not too runny and not too thick in the brands we tasted, but the Walmart brand stood out in this category. Great Value's soup also had a solid ratio of ingredients, whereas some brands were lacking certain star components like clams or potatoes. We aren't the only ones who are fans of this product, though; many Walmart shoppers have also claimed this chowder is a winner for a canned product. 

Of course, it may be hard to compare Great Value's clam chowder to homemade soup, although you'll want to keep these tips in mind if you ever make clam chowder from scratch, but it's perfect for a filling, tasty, and affordable meal on the fly. Some of the other brands we tried were still decent, and you could always doctor them up yourself if you have them in your pantry. But for a reliable taste every time, Great Value clam chowder is the way to go this soup season.