15 Trader Joe's Dips, Ranked

Whether you're hosting a party or just looking for a fun condiment for chips, crackers, sandwiches, or even simple cooked protein, nothing beats a dip for adding flavor. Making your own dip can be costly and labor-intensive, but with so many delicious pre-made dips out there, you can spare yourself the effort.

The ever-trendy and eclectic grocery chain Trader Joe's has a pre-made dip for every occasion. With more than 25 options to choose from, you are bound to find something that will please your dinner crowd (or satisfy your own snacking cravings), but it is also hard not to be overwhelmed by your options. 

That's why I took home 15 dips from Trader Joe's (much to the shock of the cashier who rang me up) and sampled each one multiple times to evaluate its balance of flavor and universal appeal. Keep reading for a full ranked list of the best and worst options in the aisle.

Before trying the Everything And the Elote Greek Style Yogurt Dip, I was convinced I'd start this list by saying none of the dips I sampled were bad. Unfortunately, this one was nearly inedible to me, and frankly, I don't know how or why Trader Joe's still carries it. 

As a food reporter, I have eaten at nearly 800 restaurants, and I can count on one hand the number of times that I have had something that I'd describe as inedible. This dip joins those ranks. It had all of the makings of a good choice: a yogurt base fortified with grated cheese, elote seasoning, and kernels of corn — but eaten together, the dip bore no resemblance to its namesake dish. The sourness of the "Greek-style yogurt" stuck out like a sore thumb against the sweetness of the corn and the savory, smoky flavor of the cheese and seasonings. 

Elote, a Mexican street dish made with seasoned corn on the cob, is typically slathered with mayonnaise when finished. After trying this dip, I understand why Greek yogurt is never a good substitute.

I will give the Trader Joe's team some props here. If their goal was to make a dip that tasted exactly like a Caesar salad, complete with romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, and an anchovy-heavy dressing, then they achieved it with flying colors. That's all well and good — but my question is, why did they feel the need to do that?

Lettuce has absolutely no place in a dip. As you'd expect, it gets exceedingly soggy after sitting in a bath of Caesar dressing thickened with sour cream and mayonnaise, and it is completely incongruous with the experience of eating a chip. On the Trader Joe's website, they feature the dip as a spread for the inside of baguette sandwiches, which baffles me even further.

All in all, the Trader Joe's Caesar Salad Dip is not necessarily bad tasting. That said, I don't think it makes much sense. If you're a fan of Caesar salad, you are better off sticking to whipping it up and serving it in its original form (looking for inspiration? Try this easy kale Caesar salad recipe).

I am generally not a fan of store-bought guacamole, although there are ways to elevate it. Despite my hesitance, I still went into this taste test with an open mind. Unfortunately, the Trader Joe's Fiesta Guacamole missed the mark.

The cardinal sin with this dip was that it was just entirely under-seasoned. Although it was thick and chunky, which I can always appreciate, it still somehow tasted watered down. It felt like there wasn't even an ounce of salt or any acidic flavor to cut through the creamy avocado, even though the package lists both salt and lime juice concentrate as ingredients. The black beans and roasted corn kernels were also almost impressively dry, adding nothing but bland fibrousness to an already underwhelming bite. If you have to buy store-bought guacamole, Trader Joe's has better options.

With the Trader Joe's White Queso Dip, we have officially entered the "this dip is pretty good" territory. From here on out, none of the dips were actively bad-tasting — but some were worlds better than others, and unfortunately, this dip fell short of many of its neighbors in the aisle.

After a pop in the microwave, this dip is ready to serve. It has all of the makings of a good queso dip: a slightly sharp cheese flavor, a thick, creamy base, and the kind of warm, mouth-coating comfort that keeps you coming back for more. At the same time, it lacked a depth of flavor. 

Although I could spy chunks of the bell and jalapeño peppers promised on the White Queso Dip package, I struggled to taste them. Instead, this dip is a little too homogeneous, with no smoky, spicy, or acidic flavors to punch it up. A good queso doesn't need much, but it can get boring without seasoning.

We've arrived at another dip that is infinitely better when made from scratch, but when you want a store-bought tzatziki, Trader Joe's version is a solid option. The cooling, yogurt-based condiment is packed with cucumber and garlic and is a staple of Greek cuisine. This one is clearly for those who prefer chunkier tzatziki, with ribbons of cucumber and whole spearmint leaves that add textural variety and plenty of fresh, herbaceous flavor.

Trader Joe's Tzatziki wound up in 11th place simply because others were much better. Although lemon juice and citric acid are listed as ingredients on the package, I thought that this dip was hurting for more tang and zippy flavor. I also love my tzatziki with a drizzle of olive oil on top, and I was sad to see that the Trader Joe's version didn't even list it as an ingredient. 

Of the two Trader Joe's guacamoles that I tried for this ranked list, the Spicy Habanero Guacamole is the clear winner over the Fiesta Guacamole. It still leaves much to be desired, but it has plenty to appreciate.

Like the Fiesta Guacamole, I appreciated this dip's chunkiness. I also tasted a much stronger cilantro flavor in this one, which earned it extra points. Interestingly, this guacamole tasted almost like a dessert, with a very sweet, strong mango flavor, but without many chunks of fruit to add textural variety and extra freshness.

An extra-salty chip can help balance out some of these overwhelming sweet notes, but nothing can make up for what I feel was an absence of habanero. Nothing disappoints me more than when a food product claims to be spicy but fails to deliver on that promise. 

As far as I am concerned, no recipe can contain too much garlic, and the Trader Joe's Garlic Spread Dip is potent enough to clear the bar. The light, fluffy texture of this dip makes it akin to toum (the Arabic word for garlic), a Lebanese garlic spread based in oil, just like the Trader Joe's dip. I have had my fair share of toum, and while nothing beats the fresh version, I have to say Trader Joe's gets very close.

The reason the Garlic Spread Dip didn't rank higher on this list is that I don't think it is as much of a true dip as the other options in the aisle. While you can absolutely dip chips or crackers into it, the Garlic Spread Dip is the surprising staple that will transform a flatbread. It also shines bright alongside grilled meat or as a first layer of a sandwich. In other words, it is an excellent condiment, but if you use it in the strictest definition of the word dip, you will be missing out.

In general, store-bought hummus can be hit or miss. It often leans dry and can taste noticeably stale compared to chickpeas, oil, and tahini straight out of the food processor. Overall, though, I was impressed by Trader Joe's hummus selection. Even though this Olive Tapenade Hummus is the lowest-ranked hummus here, I still absolutely consider it a high-quality product, and I plan to buy it again.

The hummus was smooth and creamy, with none of that dryness that can sometimes plague the pre-made dip. The tapenade, however, was the star of the show, with a dominant flavor of fragrant and comforting thyme. In fact, the thyme made more of an impact on me than the olives themselves, which were delightfully salty and packed in a potent olive oil. Between these rich flavors and a hint of lemon juice, this dip is well balanced. 

Truthfully, I had a hard time determining a place for the Pimento Cheese Dip from Trader Joe's — there were aspects about it that I absolutely adored, but there were other blunders that I think are unforgivable when creating a version of this iconic Southern spread. As such, it has wound up somewhere in the middle of the list, but not without a few disclaimers.

When it comes to consistency, this is my ideal pimento cheese: it is absolutely packed with sharp cheddar, with a little mayo to make the dip cohesive without thinning it out or leaving the cheese shreds swimming. With every bite, you are getting loads of cheese, about which I will never complain.

At the same time, however, the Trader Joe's Pimento Cheese Dip was especially lacking in the pimento department. The package advertises pickled pimentos, but I get no vinegar or acid kick whatsoever from these chopped peppers. There are also so few of them — of course the ratio shouldn't be one-to-one, but especially given how mild these pimentos are, I'd appreciate more. A dash of vinegar-based hot sauce (I tried Tabasco, a favorite store-bought hot sauce among pro chefs) does wonders for kicking this dip up a notch, but on its own, it still has much to be desired.

In a sea of Trader Joe's hummus varietals, the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus is what I would call a sleeper hit. Unlike so many pre-packaged and preserved roasted ingredients, you can actually taste a subtle hint of char in the pepper spread at the center — and the dip's slightly red tinge suggests that this peppery goodness is also blended with the hummus itself. 

What immediately jumped out to me about the Trader Joe's Roasted Red Pepper Hummus was the sweetness of the red peppers alone. Chickpea-based hummus has a naturally hearty, savory flavor on its own, and the sweet center spread adds a welcome contrast that kept me coming back for more. I could especially see this dip working with pita chips, or any other dipping vessel that underscores the toasty flavors of the red pepper. 

We've all heard of seven-layer dip, but I have never come across a multi-layered hummus before setting foot in Trader Joe's. Needless to say, I had to pick this up and see how it compared to the other hummus options on this list. After trying it alongside 14 other dips, I can say confidently that it far exceeded my expectations.

Trader Joe's Three Layer Hummus is composed of Traditional, Cilantro Jalapeño, and Spicy flavors. The Traditional offers more of the creaminess and velvety texture that I enjoyed in the Olive Tapenade Hummus; the Cilantro Jalapeño tastes eerily similar to a well-seasoned guacamole, and the Spicy flavor offers a gentle heat and savoriness that is worth getting to the bottom of the tub to enjoy.

These flavors work excellently on their own, and they're also harmonious when combined. I would buy a container of any of these three hummus flavors individually, but they truly are better together.

This was my first time trying both Trader Joe's Crunchy Chili Onion (its version of chili crisp, a hot sauce originating from China) and the Trader Joe's Crunchy Chili Onion Hummus, which features the sauce over a bed of creamy hummus. After trying both the hummus and the Crunchy Chili Onion together and on its own, I am confident this dip will be a popular addition to my future snack plates.

The Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch is the perfect complement to hummus — the oil-based condiment adds moisture back into the dip, while crushed chili brings heat and toasted onions add an almost caramelized flavor. There is even a touch of brightness to this otherwise rich dip, thanks to the addition of citric acid.

Overall, this dip is an absolute winner, and the only reason it is not ranked higher is that the next three are even more delicious. Chili crisp and hummus are a match made in heaven — yet another way that the sauce can totally elevate your most popular party appetizers.

As a lover of all things dairy, I am very picky when it comes to my labneh, a strained yogurt with roots in the region now comprising Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. While I can't say that the Roasted Tomato Labneh Dip is 100% what I imagine when I think of true labneh, I can say that it is 100% delicious. 

This dip has an especially comforting bite, thanks to savory, jammy roasted tomatoes atop cooling, yogurt-based labneh. Although the labneh I am used to is typically thicker and cheesier from straining, I am willing to overlook this discrepancy because of the dip's remarkably generous seasoning. The primary flavor in this dish is dill weed, which gives off an almost citrusy sweetness that makes the dip taste luxurious. The yogurt is smooth and creamy, and when eaten with the roasted tomato topping, it creates a perfect marriage of sweet, unctuous, and tangy flavors that you'll be surprised came from a plastic tub.

You might recall that, way back at the beginning of this list, the Trader Joe's White Queso Dip ranked only 12th. Now, 10 more dips later, I am happy to share that the spicy version of this dip has redeemed the Trader Joe's Queso recipe.

Like the White Queso, the Spicy Queso Dip is packed with sharp, cheesy flavor, and it hits that elusive sweet spot between real-tasting cheddar and the nostalgic, plasticky processed-cheese taste that also has a place in queso. The game-changer in Trader Joe's Spicy Queso is the addition of chipotle peppers, which add a slight sweetness and an irresistible smokiness to the creamy, warmed-up dip. A handful of aromatic spices, including oregano, ground bay leaves, and cumin, also add a remarkable depth of flavor.

Somehow, the Trader Joe's Spicy Queso has toed the line between a complex, restaurant-quality cheese dip (far better than any chain-restaurant cheese sauce on the market) and the sentimentality of a sloppy, unrefined, plain-delicious microwavable cheese product. If the first-place dip did not exist, I would have absolutely no problem giving this one the grand prize.

We have arrived at my number-one favorite dip from Trader Joe's: the Buffalo Chicken Dip. As far as I am concerned, this dip can do no wrong: it has richness and tang from cream cheese and sour cream, zesty, acidic heat from cayenne pepper sauce, and plenty of cheesiness from Monterey Jack.

Unlike some of the other dips on this list, the Trader Joe's Buffalo Chicken Dip has no shortage of seasoning. Garlic, onion, and parsley add even more dimension, turning the tub from a two-note, creamy-spicy concoction into a true tapestry of sharp, savory flavors. Even before heating it, the dip is almost mousse-like in texture, and despite its gooey, dairy-forward ingredients, it still tastes somewhat light.

I haven't even mentioned the best part: the Buffalo Chicken Dip boasts whole chunks of white-meat chicken, which are endlessly satisfying to bite into amid all of the creaminess. If you only buy one dip from Trader Joe's, I truly hope, for the sake of your and your guests' taste buds, it's this one.

In order to create a ranked list of dips from Trader Joe's, an eligible item was defined as any item listed under the "Dip/Spread" section of the Trader Joe's website. All dips were purchased from the same Trader Joe's location in Washington, D.C. (dip availability may vary based on location). 

Trader Joe's has far more than 15 dips, and the final list was curated to showcase the chain's diverse array of ingredients and flavors. To control for freshness as much as possible, I purchased all dips on the same day. If a dip required heating, it was done so according to the microwave instructions on the back of its package.

Dips were first sampled plain on a teaspoon, and then with one of Trader Joe's Organic White Corn Tortilla Chips. We evaluated each one based on its balance of flavors, versatility, and crowd appeal.