Trader Joe's Queso Cheese Dip

The pros:  Trader Joe's Queso Cheese Dip is a low-calorie dip that will partially satisfy your spicy cheese dip cravings.

The cons: While low in calories, this makes sacrifices in other areas like thickness. This is a thin dip that is in no danger of breaking any chip that is placed into it.

The verdict:  I remember when I was a kid, my cousin first introduced me to Velveeta and salsa. When those two items melt together they make some form of liquid gold for my palate. Now, I fully understand that the use of Velveeta is a far cry from a real cheese fondue, but hey, when I was a kid that was life altering queso dip that I did not need go to the movie theatre to enjoy.

Fast forward to adulthood and I've had variations of queso fundido at restaurants that would make me question why I ever thought adding velveeta was ever a good idea. But there is something completely magical about melty cheese. Except when they come in a jar.

For some reason, jarred quesos can't live up to the ones I had as a kid (forget even the queso fundidos). This queso is no exception.

For $2.49 this is priced right. It's inexpensive, but it shows. As a dip, it lacks the thickness of most other dips. It's thin enough that no chip could ever be threatened by its viscosity. When I read through the ingredients it became clear why this is such a thin dip. While the words cheese blend would make me have high expectations, the first ingredient in parenthesis gives me every reason for concern: water.

Beyond the thinness of this dip is a sorta cheese, kinda mild to medium heat, with the occasional chunk of veggie be it tomato or perhaps onion or pepper. In any case it seems the use of heat is there to cover up the lack of thickness to this dip.

This is an absolute bare basics queso dip. It's not restaurant quality, but I would consider grabbing American cheese slices or velveeta and reaching for some salsa before reaching for this dip again. It's just too thin and trying to cover up its flaws.

On the upside, it's not inedible. I wasn't grossed out by it; I just wasn't impressed by it. Actually, the only thing that is impressive is the calorie count. You can snack freely on this jar of sorta spicy cheese as polishing off this entire jar is only 165 calories. So perhaps with veggies, you are getting a paired down healthy snack.

But if you are hoping for inexpensive cheesy dip goodness in a jar, you might find yourself disappointed.

Here is the visual run down of what you get if you buy this product:

The jar of Trader Joe's Queso Cheese Dip:

The nutritional information:

The ingredients:

Out of the package you get:

Would I buy this again? No, I would not buy Trader Joe's Queso Cheese Dip again.

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!