How do you salsa?

Salsa falls into a category of its own—it can be a condiment, a dip, and so much more (if you feel otherwise, let us know in the comments!).

Here at IN Food, when we love something we put it to the test. A brand test, that is. Continue reading to find out our pick for the best medium salsa between four brands.

The Brands:

• Amy’s
• Pace
• Renfro’s
• Frontera

The Breakdown:

Amy’s ($5.99)

This salsa tasted sweeter than the others. Once Betsy said it tasted like pizza sauce it was hard to not taste pizza, ya know? This salsa rose to the top of Sam and Alyssa’s palates for its thick, chunky, tomato-y texture that tasted as though was made with real vegetables. Sam claims it’s “a great alternative for when I don’t want a spicy salsa.”

Packaging:

Amy’s salsa is standard, simple and doesn’t stand out on shelf. Granted, Amy’s carries a variety of food products and has to meet specific brand guidelines. We appreciate the spice indicator, regardless of how mild this medium salsa was (although none of the salsas we tasted were particularly spicy).

Pace ($2.99)

Pace pleasantly surprised us (although it is technically not a salsa). It reportedly tastes better than it looks and is smooth with a good balance of veggie bits. It’s the most bang for your buck salsa we tried and won the majority vote as a favorite.

Packaging:

“Crappy but classic.” – Emily

Emily’s words sum it up, Pace’s packaging is just what you’d expect from an inexpensive salsa.

Mrs. Renfro’s ($4.49)

Mrs. Renfro’s salsa is the smoothest of them all. If you enjoy chunk-less salsa, this pureed blend might be the one for you. It has a mild spice and flavor that’s comparable to hot sauce or taco sauce. Overall, we weren’t too thrilled with this one.

Packaging:

Dustin said “It looks like the 1950s called and they want their salsa back.” Perhaps Mrs. Renfro was trying to go retro? Their packaging is simple and basic. We are not big fans of the solo tomato here, given the many other ingredients that are necessary to make salsa delicious.

Frontera ($5)

This smoky salsa had the best chunkiness. It stood out among the rest for its strong chipotle flavor and little kick of spice. This complex flavor might not be for everyone, but our chipotle-style fans loved it.

Packaging:

Frontera needs to indicate that this salsa is smoky or chipotle-style on its packaging. It can be a hit or miss flavor for people, so it would help manage consumer expectations. Other than that, we think the blue stands out on a shelf.

Agency Recommendation:

Pace is our new go-to at the office. It’s simple with a satisfying taste and texture. Matched with its low price point, this salsa can’t be beat.