We Tried 6 Store-Bought Queso Dips and the Top Pick Surprised Everyone

My high school was conveniently located a few blocks away from a great Mexican restaurant. After school, my friends and I would go there and order food like we didn’t just eat lunch a few hours beforehand. Our favorite menu item was the bottomless tortilla chips with housemade queso. It always came out scorching hot, like lava, and was so spicy we’d have to ask for a pitcher of water. That’s how my love affair with queso began.

I’ve had some pretty good quesos in my day. The best versions have come from kitchens at the local taquerias here in Chicago, where a tasty cheese dip is easy to find. Because of that, my standards for store-bought queso are pretty high. It should be as good, if not better, than what I can get down the street.

How We Tested:

These are the criteria I used for judging:

1. Heat: As far as I’m concerned, queso should have a kick. Otherwise, you’re just eating some weird melted cheese concoction that’s better off coating pasta, not tortilla chips. It’s a fine balance though, a balanced queso makes me reach for my glass of water, but doesn’t enrage my taste buds. 
2. Flavor: I don’t eat this dip because it looks pretty. I eat it because it tastes good. If I can’t taste any peppers or cheese, then what’s the point?
3. Viscosity: Since queso is a dip, it needs to have a bit of viscosity. Runny queso slides right off your tortilla chip and super-thick queso is cringe-worthy. The best kind clings to your chip, but not in an aggressive way.

All of the dips were labeled “medium” heat and were taste-tested using the same brand of corn tortilla chips. Each queso was warmed to the same temperature and was placed in an unlabeled container to keep judging fair. Here are the results.

Best Store-Bought Queso Dip Taste Test Results

6th Place: Desert Pepper Trading Company

Color was not on my list of criteria, but there was something odd about the color of this queso that didn’t sit well with my testers. One said it was “salmon-colored” and another said it looked too much like Thousand Island dressing. Unfortunately, the reviews didn’t get better once we tasted it. It was thick, too thick for all of us and one tester said it felt like “curdled milk” when he tried it. We did like the spice, but it came with a funky flavor that none of us could pinpoint. Sorry Dessert Pepper, no fans here.

5th Place: Chi-Chi’s

This queso came in 5th mostly because it ranked “fine” in all judging categories. The heat was there, but nothing exciting. The flavor was cheesy and even a bit salty, but nothing that had my testers “oohing or ahhing.” The viscosity was also fine. It wasn’t runny and it wasn’t thick. It’s the kind of dip you buy for people who don’t mind average.

4th Place: On The Border

My testers liked the flavor of this one but didn’t love how liquidy it was. Several of them commented on how it looked like “cheese water.” I didn’t think it was quite that bad, but it was definitely the runniest of the bunch. It had decent flavor with decent spice, which kept it out of 5th place. I’d buy it again, but use it for tacos instead of dipping.

3rd Place: Herdez

This brand beat out On The Border only because of consistency. It was a little thicker, which was important to my testers. Otherwise, the flavor and heat level were pretty similar to On The Border.

2nd Place: Pace

Unlike several of the other quesos, this one had more visible chile pieces, which my testers liked. Apparently seeing the chiles made it more aesthetically pleasing to them. They thought the viscosity was good and commented that there was good “cheese flavor” in this queso dip. The heat level was also decent, but almost all of my testers agreed that a bit of extra spice would’ve been nice. 

1st Place Winner: Tostitos

The hands-down winner of the bunch! And an old classic at that. All of my testers agreed that this was their favorite. It ranked the highest in all categories, with testers declaring that it satisfied their desire for a great-tasting dip with good consistency and heat. Luckily Tostitos brand products are easy to find and aren’t incredibly expensive. I’ll definitely be serving this queso at my next tailgate.