10 Great Value Canned Soups, Ranked

There's no shortage of canned goods in Walmart's vast aisles, and canned soup is no exception. While the grocery giant stocks plenty of popular, name-brand canned soups, in true Walmart form, it also stocks plenty of store-brand soups, namely Great Value ones. From hearty clam chowder to classic tomato soup, there's a little something for everyone on Walmart's soup shelf — but the real question remains: Are the Great Value canned soups any good?

As someone who is very familiar with Walmart's product lineup and has purchased and tried countless Great Value-brand items specifically, I put 10 of Walmart's Great Value canned soups to the taste test. I've also conducted my fair share of soup samplings and rankings in the past, having ranked Whole Foods prepared soups, determined the best store-bought spicy soups, and even put Potbelly's soup lineup to the taste test; needless to say, I know what to look out for in a good (or bad) soup.

Some soups on this list are ready-to-heat-and-eat variations, while others are condensed, meaning you're supposed to add a can's worth of water to the soup to dilute the otherwise very concentrated mix. I paid close attention to both the broth of a given soup and any inclusions, specifically noting whether a broth leaned more watery, salty, savory, and so forth. I also considered whether the inclusions added heartiness to the soup or erred on the skimpier side, and generally how tasty I found the soup and how likely I'd be to purchase it again.

Kicking off our list is an absolute abomination of a canned soup that I sincerely hope never crosses my plate or palate ever again: French Onion Soup. I am a French onion soup lover when it comes to restaurant or store-bought versions, so I already somewhat suspected that this Great Value canned version, which I purchased for $.76, might be weaker compared to others on the list by nature. After all, it doesn't come dressed up with all the fixings that make French onion soup so delicious, like the melty Gruyère cheese or toasty bread on top. But truly nothing could have prepared me for how awful this soup would taste all on its own.

The best word I can think of to describe Great Value's French Onion Soup is acrid. Horribly sour and pungent also come to mind, in case you need an even clearer picture. The broth tasted nothing like that typical rich, savory, beefy broth you might expect; instead, it was incredibly sour and completely off-putting. The onions reminded me of those rehydrated onions you might get on a McDouble, but somehow not fully rehydrated (despite sitting suspended in liquid for their entire shelf life). I considered giving French Onion Soup some slack under the premise of using the soup in a recipe, sort of like how one might incorporate cream of mushroom soup into green bean casserole. But then the thought of eating a meal infused with this soup sent a shiver down my spine, so needless to say, this Great Value soup is best left on the shelf.

There are all types of bean soup variations out there, but I have to admit that Walmart's Great Value Bean Soup with Bacon struck me as ... a bit odd, to say the least, straight from the can. Seeing as this is one of the condensed soups, I mixed the incredibly thick, baked bean-like mixture with an equal part water, but was still met with an impossibly thick concoction that I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy.

Even though it looked like I was diving into a bowl of baked beans once this soup was heated up and ready to eat, the taste didn't meet the visual expectation. This soup had a baked bean-style texture to it, but it was so strangely devoid of any savoriness or even sweetness, instead leaning into an almost bitter territory. I didn't mind the texture of the beans or the thickness of the broth per se, but after a couple of bites, the mush does creep up on you. Also, the bacon bits tasted a bit odd, and somehow not like actual bacon, but instead what I'd imagine a bacon-flavored dog treat might taste like. Overall, I could at least tolerate the flavor going on in this soup, so I immediately clocked it as a step up from the French Onion. But would I ever re-purchase this can of Bean Soup (which retails for $.92, by the way) again or recommend it to anyone? Not a chance.

Chicken and rice soup is typically a safe bet, whether you're making a batch at home or buying a canned version. In fact, I sometimes prefer that chewy rice bite over the ever-popular chicken noodle soup, so I had high hopes for Walmart's Great Value Chicken & Rice Soup, which retails for $.92 per can. While this soup is definitely a step up from the two lower-ranked ones on this list, unfortunately, it still ultimately did not impress.

To start with the positives, I found the broth in this soup pleasantly rich and not overly salty, which is a common issue you might run into in canned soup. But the inclusions — namely white rice, chunks of chicken, and carrots — were so incredibly devoid of any real flavor that it was pretty hard to ignore. I understand that you can only expect so much robustness from a canned soup, but the white rice struck me as particularly bland, so almost every bite was just a spoonful of plain, flavorless white rice with a hint of that savory broth. I wish the rice absorbed some more of the actual broth flavor, which may have made this soup an overall more flavorful success. But as-is, Chicken & Rice left me feeling a bit tepid, hence the relatively low ranking.

When broccoli cheddar soup is good, it's really good — but when it's mediocre, it's sort of hard to forgive all of the shortcomings. It's such a simple formula, broccoli and cheese, yet so many canned variations get it wrong, going way too heavy on the cheesiness and too light on the broccoli. This conundrum is exactly what transpired in Great Value's Broccoli & Cheese Soup, a product that cost a mere $1.86 but still left me feeling a bit short-changed in the long run. 

My biggest gripe with this canned soup is that it went heavy on that fake cheese flavor (note how the soup isn't cheddar but simply "cheese") and not at all heavy on the broccoli. In fact, I don't think I got a single bite with a legitimate piece or even chunk of broccoli in it; instead, the soup was randomly scattered with little wisps of floret tips. As such, there wasn't much broccoli flavor at play here, so that Velveeta-esque cheesiness took control of the whole thing. There were also potatoes in the mix, which I didn't mind, but they felt quite random and tacked-on (and the veggie I really wanted at play was broccoli, not potato). 

Overall, I can't say that I absolutely hated the flavor of this soup. I don't love that Velveeta-style cheese flavor, but I can get past it. I wish there were better balance going on here, and even just a little more broccoli influence could have helped this canned soup fare much better in this ranking.

When a soup self-describes itself as "loaded," then I think it's only fair to assume that it will be chunkier than your average bowlful. In the case of the $1.86 can of Great Value's Loaded Potato Soup, I'm not so sure it truly deserves to bear that "loaded" adjective, but it was at least a pretty tasty flavor overall.

While the potatoes may have felt a bit out of place in Broccoli & Cheese, they were right at home here. Those potato chunks were no doubt the star of the show, clinging to the super thick, creamy broth and making each bite feel hearty at the very least. I also liked the general creaminess of the broth, though I do wish the bacon flavor was a bit tempered down throughout. Much like in the Bean Soup, the bacon almost didn't taste like actual bacon, so it overwhelmed the palate and became quite difficult to ignore after a few bites. Ultimately, though, I found this soup to be relatively enjoyable and most inoffensive, so a middle-ground ranking felt about right for it.

At this point in the ranking, you may have noticed an obvious trend: The condensed soups in the lineup haven't fared super well. Great Value's Tomato Soup (which costs $.86 per can) is the one exception, or at least a semi-exception, enough to at least make it into the top five. 

What stood out the most to me about this soup was the tangy, sharp, and acidic flavor of the tomatoey broth. Unlike the French Onion Soup, which was sour to the point of being acrid, Tomato Soup managed to nicely balance any particularly sharp notes, which kept it from teetering into undesirable territory. I also found the texture of the soup to be just right — not too thin, not too thick, and surprisingly not at all watery, even though I did indeed add water to the mix. My only complaint here is that, compared to the higher-ranking options on this list, Tomato Soup is a little bare-bones in contrast. While this one impressed me more than the other condensed options, I only felt it could realistically rank so high since it is very, very simple overall. 

Even though chicken noodle soup may get most of the attention in the world of chicken-based soups, chicken and dumpling soup definitely deserves its flowers. There's something about that creamy-brothy base contrasted with soft dumplings and savory bites of chicken that feels inherently cozy and comforting. The $1.86 can of Great Value's Chicken & Dumplings Soup does not reinvent the wheel when it comes to such a soup. Still, it fared pretty well and impressed me, considering it ultimately came from a can and not a Southern grandma's kitchen. 

My absolute favorite bites of this soup contained a healthy amount of broth with a dumpling (the chicken was more of an afterthought). While I appreciated those heartier bites that had chicken, the dumplings stood out and brought a unique, doughy texture to the mix. I can't say they're the most flavorful dumplings I've ever tasted, but they definitely paired well with that rich and creamy soup base. My only complaint here is that I wish the other inclusions, like the chicken or veggies, stood out in any meaningful way. But honestly, even just a bowlful of this soup with only the creamy broth and dumplings would still be pretty tasty.

I know, I know — I just got done singing praises to chicken and dumpling soup, and even suggested that it tends to hide in the shadow of chicken noodle. All that said, though, Great Value's Chicken Noodle Soup outranks Chicken & Dumplings, if only by a hair and by a single slot on the list. While I can appreciate the classic quality of old-fashioned chicken noodle soup, I'm not necessarily one who seeks it out, but Walmart's canned version may have changed that for me.

The most notable thing about this soup (and in my opinion, its strongest point) is the noodles themselves. There were no flimsy, stringy noodles to be found here. Instead, this can was packed with hearty, thick noodles that maintained their shape well and didn't taste mushy. I personally think these noodles fare far better in chicken noodle soup than thinner, stringier ones, as they made each bite taste that much heartier, and they sopped up the broth that much better. 

Speaking of broth, I found this one quite tasty, with a distinct savory, chicken-forward flavor profile that wasn't too salty. The chicken chunks were also a little more apparent throughout this soup, offering up additional heartiness without being overbearing. Overall, Great Value's Chicken Noodle Soup impressed me quite a bit, and I'd be inclined to reach for a can of this stuff (at $1.86 per can) over something like Campbell's any day. 

As someone who was shocked to grow up and learn that pot roast is something of a polarizing dinner main, it's safe to say that the comfort classic is up there in my book, if not one of my absolute favorite meals. Naturally, Great Value's $1.86 can of Beef Pot Roast Soup intrigued me, but I was admittedly skeptical that it might taste like pot roast (as opposed to a plain old beef stew). 

Considering that Beef Pot Roast takes the second-place spot in this list, it's safe to say that not only did I enjoy this soup, but it tasted like actual pot roast. Right off the bat, I was very pleased with the amount of goodies mixed into the broth. We're talking carrots, potatoes, peas, green beans, and chunks of beef, all packed into a surprisingly very savory, smoky broth. I'm not sure what Walmart did to this soup to infuse such a strong pot roast flavor into the mix, but it certainly worked. I also have to highlight the beef chunks here, which were quite tender and a big highlight of the soup overall. Hearty, savory, rich, and perfectly cozy, Great Value's Beef Pot Roast Soup was a strong contender for first place, but one contestant managed to outrank it, if only by a smidge. 

I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a bona fide clam chowder lover, and I'm even less afraid to admit that I love a good canned clam chowder. Of course, it's not always easy to find a decent canned version of such a soup, and it's all too easy for canned renditions to lean a little too heavily into stinky, fishy territory rather than a rich, creamy one. Much to my delight (and slight surprise), Great Value's Clam Chowder Soup falls squarely into that rich, creamy territory.

What immediately stood out to me about this chowder is just how thick and luscious it was — exactly the consistency I want to see in a chowder. The next thing that stood out was how impressively balanced the flavor of the chowder was, from that creamy base to the hearty potato chunks to the bits of clam littered throughout. I genuinely did not think this soup tasted fishy at all, and if anything, those clam chunks provided a nice level of umami depth with maybe a hint of brininess. The clam bits were also chopped up small, which meant that you'd get a little bit of clam with nearly every bite, but it wouldn't overwhelm the whole bite. It's safe to say that Walmart's $1.86 can of Clam Chowder is a new favorite of mine, and all of its strong suits made it a very obvious choice for first place in this ranking.

There wasn't much preparation that went into trying these Great Value soup flavors. For the bigger cans with the "hearty" label (which were ready to heat and eat without water), I poured the soup into a bowl and heated each one just until warm. For the condensed ones, I prepared them as instructed, meaning I added a can's worth of water to the mix. Then, I heated a portion of the soup in a similar way (just until warm) before proceeding with sampling them.

In terms of ranking the soups, some immediately stood out to me as being particularly bad, while others stood out as stronger contenders. The bad ones, and namely the French Onion Soup, had off-putting flavors or certain notes of sourness that I simply couldn't ignore. The higher-ranked ones, like the Clam Chowder or Beef Pot Roast, really lived up to their namesakes, were chock-full of goodies, and generally tasted pleasant and how one might expect those soups to taste. Finally, the middle-ground ones didn't necessarily have outright bad or offensive flavors; rather, they had certain shortcomings or simply didn't stand out enough to rank any higher.