12 Walmart Marketside Soups, Ranked Worst To Best

Budget shoppers are all too familiar with stores' private-label, low-cost brands. At Target, that equates to the Good & Gather label. At Kroger, Smart Way is the name to find for major savings. And if you're a Walmart loyalist, the first brand that likely comes to mind is Great Value. But Walmart's private label dealings don't stop there. There's another brand quietly holding court in the deli section, known as Marketside. It's a one-stop shop for fresh, prepared foods like bakery items, produce, salads, and sandwiches. There's undoubtedly a lot to love, but it's the soup selection that truly deserves a closer look.

The Marketside brand is flush with a wide variety of soups. They run the gamut from stews and chowders to gumbo and bisques, and sit like a comfort food rainbow on the chilled shelves. Compared to the competition (namely, Panera Bread at-home soups), they're more affordable and offer a more diverse range of ingredients and flavors. They lure you in with their ready-to-eat ease, but are they any good? I recently scooped up a slew of 12 Marketside soups to find out.

Once I got them home, I heated them according to instructions and tried out each soup individually. I judged them on their thickness and texture, freshness, ingredients, and the range of flavors that they offer. Then, I ranked them from my least favorite to my top-rated bowlfuls. Here's how each Marketside soup measured up.

Walmart offers a taste of Italy in its Marketside soup line. But instead of sticking to something a bit more common, like minestrone or an Italian wedding soup, it whips up a creamy Zuppa Toscana (bold of the brand to compete with Olive Garden, which popularized the dish). The soup throws in spiced pork sausage, potato chunks, kale, and bacon. Chunky and promising plenty of smoky and bold flavors, it lured me in but didn't deliver in the ways I was expecting.

The taste is surprisingly muted, except for the licorice-like taste of fennel coming from the sweet Italian sausage. What was more concerning, though, was the lack of cohesion between any of the included ingredients. The kale only became soggy and stringy sitting in the diluted veggie-based broth. The potatoes weren't quite tender enough, and despite their abundance, the sausage's gristle threw every bite out of whack. As for the bacon, I didn't come across any actual bits in my spoonfuls. So that left a natural smoke flavor to do all the heavy lifting on that front. Spoiler: It didn't hold up its end of the bargain. This could have been a flavorful meat-and-potato kind of soup, but a few missteps in the execution landed it at the bottom of the rankings.

By definition, chowder is meant to be thick and packed to the brim with hearty ingredients. But this one with shrimp and corn is thick to the point that it could function as a dip. With this texture and a pinkish-yellow hue, I couldn't help but compare it to the paste that's used to make chicken nuggets. Luckily, the taste doesn't follow suit. However, it does have its own set of flaws.

For starters, the shrimp are dry and flavorless. They come in a size that's a small step up from teeny salad shrimp and don't add anything of value to the soup, just a rubbery bite. I actually would have preferred them to be left out of the recipe altogether. Even though the rest was an improvement compared to the crustaceans, it still boiled down to just an okay chowder. Sweet corn paired up with bits of Yukon gold potatoes and green bell peppers, all swimming in a cream base laced with tomato paste, garlic, and Cajun seasonings. While the veggies showed up with their own natural and bright flavors, the taste of spices was minimal. I only detected a light whiff of smoked paprika on my palate. As such, the chowder only manages to outplay the disjointed Zuppa Toscana, though not by much.

I think my taste buds have been spoiled by broccoli cheddar soups from establishments like Panera Bread and Jason's Deli. They spin such a simple blend of cheese and veggie into bowls full of liquid gold, and compared to that, this Marketside Broccoli & Cheddar Cheese soup simply can't compete.

It's not necessarily bad (I mean, how bad could a spoonful of creamy cheese really be?). So, it does surpass a few of the less appealing soups in the taste test. But it could use some work, primarily on the ingredient side of things. Thanks to the inclusion of a pasteurized process cheddar cheese, on top of standard cheddar cheese, the pale-colored goop carries a distinct Cheez Whiz-like flavor. It replaces the sharpness of cheddar cheese with artificiality and a touch of sourness, which doesn't bode well for the soup. On top of that, broccoli florets and bits are few and far between. We're missing half the equation here and missing out on those earthy notes and that beloved tender texture that makes broccoli cheddar soup broccoli cheddar soup. I wanted to like this one, but unfortunately, it let me down.

When it comes to clam chowder, you can't judge a book by its cover. It's never the most handsome cup of soup in the room, and that continues to hold true in this variation from Marketside. As a New England-style clam chowder, it starts with an exceptionally thick, grayish base of cream and fish stock. Then, it's loaded up with potatoes, real sea clams, and clam meat. It ends up tasting much better than it looks, but it's still not a chowder that seafood lovers would rejoice over.

While creaminess is a factor, it's not rich or buttery, and the briny flavor is all but imperceptible. I also found myself wishing there was more black pepper thrown in for a little bit of a kick and more balance. For the most part, it's a creamy potato soup with a hint of added savoriness, presumably from the Worcestershire sauce. As for the bits of clam meat, I could take or leave them. Although they aren't aggressively fishy or gritty (as clams can sometimes get), they are extra chewy. All in all, it's a mediocre clam chowder and a soup that defaults to a little fish in a big pond on the Marketside lineup.

When lobster bisque is good, it's absolutely delicious, and when it's bad, it's utterly inedible (like the lobster bisque my sister decided to order from an amusement park restaurant of all places). After experiencing both ends of this seafood spectrum, I can tell you that Walmart's take on the recipe lands smack dab in the middle. I didn't love it, yet I didn't dislike it either — despite some quirks.

The soup comes in an orange sherbet color, and something about that first bite even reminded me of melted strawberry ice cream. Then, it settled into a more familiar bisque flavor. It straddles the line between thick and thin, but offers the perfect level of creaminess. Light cream, sherry wine, chicken stock, and tomato paste combine to create lightly sweet, savory, and buttery spoonfuls. My largest complaint is that I wanted more lobster and more lobster flavor. That sweet oceanic taste is buried under the rest, and most of the bits of meat were microscopic. I found only one larger chunk of lobster in the entire tub of soup, and it was dry and stiff, much like imitation lobster. Fix this blatant problem, and it could have been a respectable grocery store bisque.

A chicken and dumplings soup is markedly different from a plateful of chicken and dumplings. It essentially comes down to a thinner broth in the soup, which replaces a thicker, gravy-like substance in the standard dish. This product from Marketside, however, borrows a bit from both, delivering a soup that's stew-like and almost gelatinous when it's still cold.

Dunked in the thick base, you'll find both dark and white meat chicken. So there's plenty to go around, and each contributes a different flavor profile to the medley. On top of being tender and juicy, the dark meat offers a more savory taste, and the white meat adds a clean, natural taste. I was more interested in the dumplings, though. They are dime-sized with a soft, light chew — the best part of the soup by far.

Where the bowl lacks is in the seasonings. It's oversalted, but that's just about where the flavorings end, and it's missing that rich butteriness in the broth. As a result, it doesn't fully give you that comfort food goodness, though I found it more palatable than the previous two fishy picks.

The chicken and corn chowder is a significant step up from the shrimp and corn chowder. It's amazing what a simple protein swap can do for a recipe (well, a protein swap and a few other ingredient add-ins that make a big difference). This poultry-based chowder is made with a broth of light cream and chicken stock, but it's the Monterey Jack cheese thrown in that carries the flavor. Does it also give it a taste and feel that's similar to a thinned-out queso? Yes. But I didn't mind, and I don't think many others would either. 

You also get a generous amount of corn, cubed red potatoes, green peppers, red bell peppers, celery, and scallions, so every bite feels full and wholesome. Based on the spice tally, I was also expecting more heat. But out of the chili powder, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, and paprika, I only felt the presence of chili powder in the mix.

Aside from a lighter seasoning load, my only other note is that I would have liked to see more of the chicken (which the package specifies is raised without the use of antibiotics, but doesn't specify if it's white meat). I only scooped out a few thin shreds of meat, so it seems like more of an afterthought than the soup's namesake. This disconnect put the chowder a step behind other picks that actually lived up to their names.

Even though it's actually more similar to a chicken pot pie-chicken noodle soup hybrid, thanks to the inclusion of thick egg noodles, this soup pulls it off. It's more soul-warming than the earlier chicken and dumpling soup and outdoes the chicken corn chowder with a higher volume of chicken chunks.

It has all the makings of a true chicken pot pie filling. You have your white and dark meat chicken, which stand alongside the filling and chewy egg noodles. Vegetables include carrots, celery, peas, and onions, and a full-flavored chicken stock is combined with heavy cream, butter, and corn starch to get that thick, gravy-like creaminess. It's not terribly salty, and it benefits from the inclusion of herbs like thyme, marjoram, and bay leaves. As a whole, the soup is surprisingly fresh and satisfying. Even without the crust — which is admittedly my favorite part of any chicken pot pie — it's still a good soup. That said, there were just a few other Marketside options that edge it out, offering more flavor and more unique flavors, at that.

Much of the beauty of chicken tortilla soup can be found in the garnishes. From crunchy tortilla strips to avocado slices to dollops of sour cream, they make the dish, in my opinion. So the fact that Marketside's recipe managed to impress me without all these bells and whistles is a true accomplishment.

As you settle into your first spoonful, the taste of lime, chili powder, and chipotle in adobo hits your palate first. All three permeate the broth and surrounding ingredients, and don't let up as you continue to eat. Tortilla chips are also mixed right into the recipe, so you get that distinct corn flavor throughout. Juicy pieces of dark meat chicken anchor the soup, joined by black beans, corn, and green peppers that add texture. In many ways, it flirts with chicken chili territory, though it's not as chunky, and the presence of corn tortilla helps to further set it apart. Even though it's not particularly spicy, there's just enough heat to give it a subtle edge. As a whole, the soup feels well-balanced, and when it comes down to it, it simply offers more flair than the chicken pot pie one.

I've never had a soup quite like this one, and let me tell you, it looks nothing like its pictures online (it's something of a soup catfish). Photos show a creamy orange substance in the tub, but in reality, it's much more gray. To me, that was a hint that I was in for a strong mushroom-based flavor, and I was absolutely correct.

The taste of the fungi is front and center thanks to the additions of mushroom broth concentrate, porcini mushroom powder, and, of course, real meaty mushroom slices. I like how the rich, earthy taste of mushrooms combines with the Madeira wine, butter, and cream to create a umami-filled foundation, and then you get the herbaceous taste of thyme and a bit of pepper to top it off. It's the kind of gourmet-coded soup that I would have expected to find at a French restaurant, not in a grocery store deli department. My one minor complaint is that I wish it were a teensy bit thicker and creamier. It becomes rather thin once it's heated up. But overall, it's a tasty soup and one of my favorites from Walmart.

I was intrigued by this soup amalgamation of cauliflower and Parmesan. Cauliflower is not a veggie you see all that often in grocery store soups, and teaming it up with Parmesan cheese is a move I hadn't seen in the past either (I've seen American cheese blanketed over cauliflower florets, of course, but not Parmesan). It contains ingredients such as light cream and butter, resulting in one of the thickest and tastiest bowls you'll find bearing the Marketside name.

It's not all that different from the taste of a velvety Alfredo sauce (and it's no wonder, given the many overlapping ingredients). I was almost tempted to spoon it over a bed of pappardelle pasta. But then, the cauliflower gives it an extra layer that helps to differentiate it. You get that subtly sweet flavor of the veggie blended into the base, making it even smoother. It works wonderfully alongside the rich nuttiness of the Parmesan. Then, there are also small, tender bits of cauliflower floating around for some added texture. Honestly, this is the kind of soup I was hoping the broccoli and cheddar tub would produce. It seamlessly marries both veggie and cheese, but in a new and creative way. It's a win in my book, and there was only one Marketside soup I liked better for its flavor diversity.

The chicken and sausage Marketside stew isn't cooked to a deep chocolatey color, and it doesn't come served over rice like the gumbo you'll find in the heart of New Orleans. But it follows a fairly traditional Cajun-inspired recipe, and it's bursting with flavor.

You can tell it was slow-simmered in a roux because all of those rich flavors and bold spices immediately cling to your taste buds. Spices like smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and oregano come together to create one of the most full-bodied soups Marketside has to offer. Slices of andouille pork sausage add to the spice level, while plenty of shredded white meat chicken offers some solace amidst all the flavor intensity. Okra and white rice are thrown right into the center of it all. Instead of combining the rice with the gumbo at serving time, Marketside adds it into the recipe, making it even more filling and complex.

This feels like a truly quality gumbo — one that almost tastes homemade. There's a lot going on in each bite, but each spoonful rewards you with a rush of smoky umami and the perfect level of spice. It's one Marketside soup you don't want to miss.

I was genuinely impressed by Walmart's affordable Marketside soup lineup, with plenty of quality across the board. Because of that, ranking them proved to be more challenging than I initially anticipated. I microwaved each soup tub for just a few minutes. From there, I sampled each one and looked for a few main things in the recipe. The consistency of the broth can make or break a soup, so that was certainly a main focus as I evaluated each spoonful. I looked for creaminess in soups like bisque and chunkiness in stews and chowders. The broth sets the tone for the entire dish, so it had to be well-made and full of its own unique flavors, without falling into the saltiness trap.

Then, I took a look at the other incorporated ingredients. The quality of various meat add-ins was important, as well as the tenderness and freshness of the veggies. Everything needed to work well together and not feel as though it was haphazardly thrown together. The soups that ended up impressing me the most were those that took a risk with out-of-the-box ingredient combinations and bold seasonings and flavors. They hit the mark and proved that store-brand soup doesn't have to be boring or predictable.