Bon Appétit Taste Test: 10 Best and Worst Dips for the Super Bowl
Last week we tasted 34 different kinds of store-bought dip. It was chip-dunking madness! We lined a long conference table with numbered cups of dip, spread potato chips on one end, tortilla chips on the other, and got to work ranking our most and our least favorite.
Most of us still feel a little sick. We didn't love any of them. Now more than ever we recommend a homemade dip for your Super Bowl Sunday.
See our Top 10 Dips Recipes
But we know there's game-day party time crunch. So we are pleased to present you the results of our blind taste test and we're eager to get your feedback on our selections. --Emily Fleischaker
Bean- and Cheese-Based Dips
Top 5
1. Trader Joe's Taco Seasoned Beef, Bean, Cheese
"most complex [of them all]," "nice balance of cilantro, cheese, onion, beef, and bean," "not as bad as I thought," "tastes like Taco Bell Mexican pizza :)," "tastes homemade."
2. Tostitos Salsa con Queso Medium
"gotta love regular cheese dip," "standard cheese dip but not too spicy or chemically."
3. Whole Foods Smoked Cheddar and Caramelized Onion "cheesy, creamy but too salty," "nice onion flavor, creamy but not to heavy," "not a fan of the consistency."
4. Whole Foods Whipped Feta
"very salty," "nice flavors and texture but a bit too salty and watery"
5. Eat Smart Jalapeno & Lime Tres Bean
"tangy, spicy," nice salsa, tomato bite," "tastes like Pace salsa with mild bean flavor"
Bottom 5
1. Kiss the Dip Kalamata Olive
"ewww," "dirt aftertaste," "berry cream cheese?"
2. Eat Smart Flame Roasted Salsa con Queso
"what was that?" "looks unappetizing," "no taste ... gluey texture."
3. Good Neighbors Black Bean
"oh man, I hate that," "too much nutmeg or spice," "beans should not look like that!"
4. Low Fat Desert Pepper White Bean Medium
"too sweet, not enough bean taste but spice is okay," "bland, chalky."
5. Kiss the Dip Jalapeno con Queso
"don't like the spice," "yuck."
Cream-Based Dips
Top 5
1. Whole Foods Spinach Dip
"chives...kind of nice...would buy," "creamy, flavorful," "good," "too salty but texture isn't terrible"
2. Whole Foods French Onion Dip
"nice oniony taste," "fine...not offensive," "oniony," "too sweet...like caramelized red onions...might be good with salty chips."
3. Whole Foods Artichoke Jalapeno Garlic Dip
"spicy," "strange afterburn," "too overwhelming with jalepeno," "tastes homemade like someone put a lot of Tabasco"
4. Whole Foods White Bean and Basil
"not bad," "too much bean," "bizarre herb flavor," "nice basil...like hummus"
5. Eva Artichoke Asiago Dip
"heavy on cheese, passable but fatty," "nice cheese flavor but too heavy," "good flavor," "gross," "has some structure"
Bottom 5
1. Kiss the Dip Dill-Chives Skinny Dip
"texture is abhorrent," "mint soup...Elmer's glue," "strange flavor and consistency," "no flavor," "vanilla bean flavor...strange,"
2. Kiss the Dip Blue Cheese Skinny Dip
"tastes like powdered mased potatoes," "too chalky," "what the hell is this?," what is that?!," "no strong flavors"
3. Tostitos Creamy Spinach Dip
"mayo...gross," "cottage cheese gone wrong," "fake tasting, weird," "too salty," "strong relish flavor"
4. Whole Foods Artichoke Spinach Four Cheese Dip
"really salty, nasty," "too chalky, processed taste," "weird aftertaste," "strange taste and look," "mayo," "potato salad"
5. Bachman Sour Cream & Onion Dip
"tastes like mayo," "too salty, chalky and one dimensional," "too salty"
A list of all dips tested:
Eat Smart Flame Roasted Salsa con Queso - $4.39
Eat Smart Jalapeno & Lime Tres Bean - $4.39
Low Fat Desert Pepper White Bean Medium - $4.99
Fritos Mild Cheddar - $3.84
Whole Foods Smoked Cheddar and Caramelized Onion -$5.99
Whole Foods Whipped Feta - $4.49
Good Neighbors Black Bean - $3.69
Kiss the Dip Spinach con Queso - $4.99 (omitted in the final scoring)
Kiss the Dip Jalapeno con Queso - $4.99
Kiss the Dip Kalamata Olive - $3.99
Tostitos Salsa con Queso Medium - $4.39
Tostitos Smooth & Creamy Mild - $3.69
Trader Joe's Taco Seasoned Beef, Bean, Cheese - $3.99
TGI Friday's $5.99
Whole Foods Artichoke Spinach Four Cheese Dip $2.99
Whole Foods French Onion Dip
Whole Foods Artichoke Jalapeno Garlic Dip $2.99
Whole Foods Caramelized Onion Dip $3.99
Whole Foods Veggie Ranch Dip $5.99
Whole Foods White Bean and Basil $3.99
Whole Foods Spinach Dip $2.99
Eva Artichoke Asiago Dip $3.99
Kiss the Dip Dill-Chives Skinny Dip $3.99
Utz Sour Cream & Onion Dip $2.99
Ciolo Spinach Artichoke Dip $5.99
Kiss the Dip Blue Cheese Skinny Dip $3.99
Trader Joe's Blue Cheese Toasted Pecan Dip $3.49
Trader Joe's Cilantro Chive Yogurt Dip $3.29
Trader Joe's Spinach Dip $3.99
Herr's Sour Cream & Onion Dip $2.99
Bachman Sour Cream & Onion Dip $2.79
Lay's French Onion Dip $3.69
Lay's Smooth Ranch $3.69
Tostitos Creamy Spinach Dip $3.69
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