19 Must-Try Items Your First Time At H-E-B

Sometimes, you need to shop at a few grocery stores to find everything on your list, but you likely have a go-to spot every time you need to grab a few things. Fans of H-E-B, a popular supermarket with locations in the South, have plenty of staple foods they always fill their carts with during a visit.

H-E-B has roots in Texas and is still its most popular grocery store. It got its start there in 1905 under the name Mrs. C. C. Butt's Staple and Fancy Grocery. Florence Thornton Butt, the store's founder, eventually transferred ownership to her son, Howard Edward Butt (hence the name "H-E-B"). Now, with more than 400 stores between the United States and Mexico, H-E-B has developed a bit of a cult following. Whether you're looking for the best baked beans, the best grocery store sushi, or to-die-for chocolate chip cookies, here are all the items you need to try for yourself as a first-time H-E-B shopper.

Canned beans are worth going out of your way to purchase, and if you like borracho- or charro-style beans, you can save yourself a lot of prep time by buying the H-E-B versions. The H-E-B Borracho Beans with Shiner Bock are simmered in a famous Texas beer while the H‑E‑B Texas Style Charro Beans are flavored with ingredients such as onions, jalapeños, and vinegar.

This might be my personal favorite H-E-B item, but almost every ice cream-loving H-E-B shopper would agree. Whether you buy the H‑E‑B Creamy Creations 1905 Vanilla Ice Cream or the H‑E‑B Creamy Creations Chocolate Ice Cream, you get a creamy texture and sweet taste that, honestly, tastes better than most higher-end ice cream brands — and costs much less. One Reddit user said it best in an r/HEB thread: "This is about as good of a vanilla ice cream as it gets." If you've never been to H-E-B, start by picking up a container of vanilla ice cream.

If you want something that pairs well with that 1905 vanilla, try the H‑E‑B Mi Tienda De Leche De Cabra Cajeta Quemada Caramel Sauce. It's made with goat's milk, giving it a uniquely sweet flavor. H-E-B's Mi Tienda brand makes plenty of other worthy sauces and Mexican-inspired products, too, and most customers agree they're worth the purchase.

Depending on your taste buds, you might prefer the H‑E‑B Bakery Flour Tortillas or the H‑E‑B Bakery Butter Flour Tortillas; the latter are brushed in butter, giving them a richer flavor. While some customers love the butter tortillas, others think they taste a little bit like fake butter (I fall into the latter category). The plain tortillas are certainly worth buying, too.

H-E-B's quesos are must-try items for first-timers. Pick whichever flavor jumps out at you: There are a few different meat quesos, including H‑E‑B Pork Chorizo Queso, H‑E‑B Queso with Smoked Brisket, plus an H‑E‑B Chile Con Queso. You can also pick up a container of H‑E‑B Queso Blanco, or just go with the H‑E‑B Classic Queso. A 12-ounce container costs less than $5, so these are great if you want a ready-to-eat party dip.

Cafe Olé by H‑E‑B comes in plenty of varieties, so grab the kind you find most appealing. If you need help deciding, Reddit users are big fans of the Cafe Olé by H‑E‑B Texas Pecan Medium Roast Coffee. One Reddit user said a friend called it "probably the best coffee she's ever had ... anywhere." Other notable flavors include Cafe Olé by H‑E‑B Taste of San Antonio Medium Roast Coffee and Cafe Olé by H‑E‑B Commemorative Collection Medium Roast Coconut Caramel Coffee.

Make sure you head to the bakery section to make the most of H-E-B. The H‑E‑B Bakery Glazed Croissant Donuts are one of many tasty items, and they went viral in 2025. One alleged H-E-B employee on Reddit recommends getting there early if you want to get your hands on one: "People are on the TikTok trend ... Even the warehouse ran out at one point because they weren't ready for the increase needed." I couldn't find them when I visited the South in late 2025.

Store-brand potato chips are almost always cheaper than name-brand, and customers think H-E-B's are even better than the rest. While the chips come in plenty of flavors, people recommend the H‑E‑B Wavy Potato Chips, which have just the right amount of seasoning and the perfect crunch. It's worth trying limited edition versions, too. Customers often say they're super flavorful.

Central Market, an H-E-B brand with its own stores (and one of Chowhound's favorite meat departments), makes a number of sweet treats sold at H-E-B. If you're just picking one, make it the Central Market Maple Creme Sandwich Cookies. These are made with shortbread-style, leaf-shaped cookies with maple syrup-flavored cream squished between them. The one caveat is they're not always available. If you can't find them at your local store, they might be out of stock for the season, but they should eventually make their way back.

Shoppers rave about both the H‑E‑B Fresh Guacamole – Mild and the H‑E‑B Fresh Guacamole - Spicy, which are made with fresh ingredients including serrano peppers mixed into the spicy version. Fans call the spicy guacamole an "all-time favorite" in an r/Texas Reddit thread about the dips.

Do not skip the cheese puffs. I went back for seconds after I ran out of my first bag, and not living near an H-E-B year-round has me sad when a craving hits. I personally suggest the H‑E‑B Cheese Puffs – Cheddar, the H‑E‑B Cheese Puffs – Sweet Jalapeño for a hint of heat, or the H‑E‑B Cheese Puffs – Carolina Reaper Pepper if you love to feel the burn. There are at least half a dozen flavors, and they're all worth trying.

If you want a sweet treat in liquid form, it's worth grabbing just about any flavor of H‑E‑B Pure Cane Sugar Soda, but start with H‑E‑B Original Cola. Customers take notice that this bubbly drink is sweetened with cane sugar as opposed to the artificial sweeteners other store brands might use — H-E-B even advertises that it doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup on the cola's label. You're truly getting a high-quality sweet drink that doesn't break the bank.

Grocery store sushi isn't at the top of anyone's must-try list, but, as a grocery store sushi lover myself, I can attest that H-E-B Sushiya sushi is the best I've had from a Southern grocery chain (sorry, Publix). Customers agree H-E-B serves high-quality sushi, and it's made fresh every day, so you're not getting an old spicy tuna roll. While prices vary depending on the roll, they're reasonable; a 15-piece sushi combo, such as the H‑E‑B Sushiya Texas Trio Sushi Combo Pack, costs about $14.

Pimiento cheese is an iconic spread in the South, so it makes sense that H-E-B does it justice. You can stick with the H‑E‑B Pimiento Cheese Spread, but I recommend the H‑E‑B Jalapeño Pimiento Cheese Spread for a little more kick. It has just the right amount of diced jalapeños to feel the heat without being overpowering. One of my favorite uses for this spread is on a toasted Asiago bagel (grab one in the bakery section) in place of cream cheese.

You go to the grocery store with the intention of cooking that week, but, for busy nights when you don't feel like it, pick up Meal Simple by H‑E‑B ready-to-eat trays. Meal Simple by H‑E‑B has a ton of variety, from a Meal Simple by H‑E‑B Poblano Chicken Enchiladas Bowl to a Meal Simple by H‑E‑B Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Bowl or even Meal Simple by H‑E‑B Crab-Stuffed Atlantic Salmon Fillets. The meals range in price, but are generally enough to feed one or two people without spending much. The crab-stuffed salmon, for example, is only $11 and feeds two.

H-E-B's frozen lasagnas are more ready-to-eat meals worth the purchase. There are a number of varieties, from H‑E‑B Frozen Homestyle Meat Lasagna to H‑E‑B Uncured Pepperoni Lasagna. Customers think these lasagnas are tasty enough to avoid having to make a homemade version, calling it "the best frozen lasagna I've ever had" on Reddit.

H-E-B shoppers love H‑E‑B The Big Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies, which are made with chunky chocolate chips that take up 40% of the cookie (chocolate lovers, rejoice). When asked about the best chocolate chip cookies at H-E-B on Reddit, users had the same thoughts, with comments such as "I always end up eating more than I should" and "I could eat a whole pack in one sitting."

If you're on the hunt for filling snacks, don't skip H-E-B's trail mixes. They get rave reviews, and are definitely worth trying as a first-time shopper. Flavors such as H‑E‑B Sweet & Sassy Trail Mix, H‑E‑B Texas Heat Trail Mix, and H‑E‑B Hit the Tropics Trail Mix offer various levels of sweet and spicy, with customers picking favorites in a Reddit thread all about the trail mixes. Whichever one you go with, you shouldn't be disappointed.

H-E-B's bakery section does justice for bread and bagels, but there's something about the Asiago choices that make them worth trying first. "Bakery Asiago bread loaf, Asiago rolls, and Asiago bagels," one person wrote on Reddit. As an Asiago lover, I approve this message.