Salsa is a staple in many homes, whether it's there waiting to be served as an appetizer to guests at a party or it's on tap as an after-school snack.

Overwhelming Options in the Grocery Store

From classic tomato to tomatillo-based dips and from thick and hearty bean salsas to sweet, fruity mixtures, the world of jarred salsas is vast and varied. Anyone who has shopped for salsa in the grocery store knows how overwhelming the options can be.

Finding the Best-Tasting Salsa

Not everyone has the time or inclination to personally work their way through the salsa aisle to find the best dip—but I do. To find the best-tasting salsa, I sampled six dips from the most popular and easy-to-find brands.

Assessing Flavor, Texture, and Spice Level

I tried each salsa on its own and with a tortilla chip to assess flavor, texture, spice level, and how well the dip adheres to a chip. The best salsa is not too salty and has staying power after a dip. The salsa shouldn't be so watery as to slide right off the chip, nor should it be so chunky that a tortilla chip cracks under the load.

Ranked in Descending Order

Here's how these six grocery store jarred salsas stacked up, ranked in descending order:

Tostitos Restaurant Style Medium Salsa

365 By Whole [TAG8] Market Thick & Chunky Medium Salsa

Fronterra Tomatillo Salsa

Siete Mild Salsa Roja

Green Mountain Gringo Medium Salsa

Late July Medium Salsa