The best potato chips are the kings of the snack world, and also our hearts. They are shatteringly crisp, oily as all get out, and salty as a carefully crafted tweet. But which potato chips deserve your love (and hard-earned grocery budget)? Well, my friend, we’ve taste tested a lot of varieties of potato chips and found the best of the best of each one. The best BBQ chips? Check. The best sour cream and onion chips? You bet. The best dill pickle-flavored chips? Buckle up, baby—we’re ready to take you to tang town. Basically, no matter what type of chips you think are the best chips, we’re here to steer you toward the most killer version. Make some room in the pantry and ready your sandwich fixin’s, because these are all the best potato chips we’ve tried in our taste tests.
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- Trader Joe’s Ode to the Classic Potato Chip
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I hadn’t had these Trader Joe’s potato chips until recently and, no lie, I actually said “wow” out loud when I tried them. They have all the thin, oily shatter of original Lay’s, but somehow retain a certain je ne sais potato that reminds you that these were once a part of a root vegetable. The “earthy, fresh, potato-skin flavor” really “sent these over the top” for the Sporked team. If you love the simplicity of plain potato chips, these are the best potato chips you can buy. —Jessica Block
Read the full ranking of the best plain potato chips
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Sporked
- Lay’s Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue
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When we updated our ranking of the best BBQ potato chips, a new chip took the number one spot: Lay’s Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue. You could call it a barbecue coup (I have; a lot)! Here’s why they topped the list and joined the pantheon of the best potato chips at the grocery store: They’re sweet, hot, and have a distinct Southern BBQ twang. In general, most everyone on the Sporked team prefers kettle chips to thin-and-crispy chips, but in terms of BBQ flavor, you just can’t do better than these. —Gwynedd Stuart
Read the full ranking of the best BBQ potato chips
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Deep River Snacks New York Spicy Dill Pickle
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In my opinion, pickle chips are the best chips. I recognize that not every gal is a pickle chip gal—I also recognize that most gals under 70 don’t refer to themselves as “gals,” but what can I say? I’m an original. And so are these Deep River potato chips, the best potato chips you can buy if you’re also a pickle chip gal. These chips are so “crunchy, greasy and dilly” that Sporked’s Jordan Myrick has made them part of their daily routine. Have you ever done that with a chip? I would guess not. As Jordan wrote, they’re great on their own, but they’re also “hearty enough to stay crunchy when placed on a sub and they definitely wouldn’t break when dunked into dip.” These things are truly special. Not to mention that they are New York style. Does that mean anything? No. But think how cool it will be to eat chips that have the subway map memorized. —Jessica Block
Read the full ranking of the best dill pickle potato chips
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Spudlove Sea Salt & Vinegar Thick-Cut Potato Chips
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As a kid, I didn’t like salt and vinegar chips. Then I realized if you actually taste them and don’t just take one whiff and tap out, they can be really good! And these Spudlove chips are the best potato chips if you’re down with the tang of salt and vinegar chips. Why? Because they are “thick-cut, crunchy potato chips with a vinegar-forward flavor and salty taste.” According to one taste tester, these are like chips that came out of a fryer at a restaurant (and said taste tester actually worked in restaurants that deep fried their own chips). Now, if that isn’t a testament to these chips’ deliciousness, I don’t know what is. The Sporked crew is feelin’ the Spudlove and you can too! —Jessica Block
Read the full ranking of the best salt and vinegar potato chips
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Herr’s Hot Sauce Chips
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Not to get existential, but what does it really mean to be a “spicy chip?” Herr’s tackles that question with specificity and nuance—bringing us a delicious, zingy potato chip flavor that tastes exactly like a real vinegar-based, Louisiana-style hot sauce. These are truly unforgettable. And yes, it’s worth noting that Herr’s Hot Sauce Chips are actually #3 on our best spicy chips ranking. Our #1 isn’t currently available, and our runner-up is a spicy cheese curl! But Herr’s Hot Sauce Chips still earned 10/10 Sporks, which is nothing to sneeze at. Though you might sneeze when you eat them. They’re pretty spicy, y’all. —Ariana Losch
Read our full ranking of the best spicy chips
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Kettle Brand Honey Dijon
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Honey mustard is an underrated flavor in most contexts. There, I said it. This is especially true when it comes to potato chips. When we taste tested all the Kettle Brand flavors, we discovered that the best potato chip in their lineup is—you guessed it—the Honey Dijon flavor. The Sporked team called these “sweet, tangy, and mustardy,” adding that the flavor is “powerfully rich and deliciously savory.” If that doesn’t get your taste buds a tinglin’ then I’m not sure we can be friends. If you like sour, salty, and sweet mixed together, these are the best chips to add to your snack rotation. —Jessica Block
Read the full ranking of the best Kettle Brand chip flavors
Credit: Paula Kunatee / Instacart
- Classic Lay’s
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Here in the U.S., Lay’s is the undisputed king of potato chips. They make the chips you’ll find at every cookout and the chips you grew up eating with every bologna sandwich you ever consumed. Over the years, they’ve released a lot of flavors, but when we did a taste test of all the Lay’s potato chips we could get our hands on, we were surprised to discover that plain ol’ Lay’s are the best potato chips in their lineup. They’re salty and oily and classic in every way. When it comes to plain potato chips, they might not have the sheer potato power of Trader Joe’s plain potato chips, but they’re still one of the best chips when you need an addictive, all-purpose sort of snack. —Gwynedd Stuart
Read the full ranking of the best Lay’s flavors
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target
- Clancy’s Sour Cream & Onion Flavored Potato Chips
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If you’re not familiar with Clancy’s chips, you clearly aren’t spending enough time shopping at Aldi. Clancy’s is one of their proprietary brands that makes cheap reliable snacks, and that includes potato chips, naturally. We tried every flavor of Clancy’s potato chips and decided that sour cream and onion are the best chips they’re making. They’re fresh, crunchy, salty, and have a distinct creaminess we loved. They taste oniony without tasting like cheap onion powder like so many other sour cream and onion chips. The next time you’re at Aldi, be sure to give these a shot. —Gwynedd Stuart
Read the full ranking of the best Aldi chips
Credit: Merc / Aldi
- Kettle Brand Unsalted
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When we set out to find the best low sodium potato chips, we didn’t expect that totally unsalted chips would be the best ones we tried. But Kettle Unsalted chips are truly something special. They’re ultra crunchy and satisfying, and taste like fresh oil and potatoes—they don’t even need salt to enhance their flavor. They’re flavorful enough as it is. These are the best potato chips to eat with a salty dip or to pile on a sandwich made with a salty meat like pastrami—they’ll add crunch without overloading you with salt. —Gwynedd Stuart
Read the full ranking of the best low sodium potato chips
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Lay’s Cool Ranch Doritos Flavored Potato Chips
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If you love Cool Ranch Doritos, you’re really going to love Cool Ranch Lay’s. These are the best potato chips for ranch fiends by a mile. They have all of that wonderful tang, but on a more neutral canvas. Don’t get us wrong. Cool Ranch Doritos absolutely slap, but the corn chip flavor can distract from the flavor of the ranch seasoning. These chips were initially a limited offering, but Lay’s has kept them in stores for a while now. We are eternally grateful, Lay’s, because these are some of the best chips we’ve ever had. —Gwynedd Stuart
Read the full ranking of the best ranch chips
Credit: Merc / Ralphs
- Zapp’s Mesquite BBQ
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I know everyone thinks that the best Zapp’s potato chips are Zapp’s Voodoo, but we need you to give their Mesquite BBQ a shot. These are so deeply smoky and flavorful (and they don’t even contain MSG, which genuinely surprised us). As I put it in my Zapp’s ranking, “These taste like campfires and backyard BBQs and everything that’s good about living in the South in the summertime (everything besides the humidity and the mosquitos).” And none of this is to mention the excellent quality and crunch of the chips themselves. If you’re a Zapp’s fiend, these are the best chips to toss in your cart. —Gwynedd Stuart
Read the full ranking of the best Zapp’s potato chips
Credit: Merc / Utz
- Ruffles Baked Cheddar & Sour Cream
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Baked chips can be kind of a letdown when it comes to the best potato chips—give us grease, dammit!—so flavor is highly important in this arena. That’s why Cheddar & Sour Cream Baked Ruffles topped our list of the best baked chips. They’re bold and cheesy and tangy, plus the ridges give them even more texture and crunch. If you insist on eating reduced fat chips, these are the best potato chips we found. —Gwynedd Stuart
Read the full ranking of the best baked chips
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Whole Foods 365 Sour Cream & Onion Chips
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When you think of Whole Foods, you probably think of bulk grains and health food, but they also happen to sell the best potato chips for sour cream and onion fans. Believe me, we were as surprised as you are. As one taste tester noted, “These are superb, quintessential, and, quite honestly, what a Lay’s Sour Cream & Onion chip should be.” They’re creamy, have actual sour cream tang, and taste oniony in a genuine way. They’re tangy, salty, and delightfully pungent. Add these chips to your Whole Foods shopping list! —Gwynedd Stuart
Read the full ranking of the best sour cream and onion potato chips
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Pringles Cheddar & Sour Cream
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Are Pringles potato chips? Maybe not technically, but when it comes to the best potato chips, we’re willing to let potato crisps get in on the action. There’s a time and a place for Pringles (personally, I love these for a road trip since they’re easy to reseal), and when that time comes, be sure to buy Cheddar & Sour Cream, the best chips in the Pringles lineup. They’re saturated with cheesy, creamy flavor. They taste full fat and luscious, kind of like whipping cream. They may not be the best potato chips, but they’re in the running for best potato crisps, for sure. —Gwynedd Stuart
Read the full ranking of the best Pringles flavors
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Straws Zesty Ranch
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Sorry to shatter any illusions you may have about veggie straws, but for the most part, their main ingredient is, in fact, potato starch! So like it or not, I consider them to be potato chips. These Zesty Ranch veggie straws from Sensible Portions truly understand how raw veggies and creamy ranch go hand in hand. The salt and herbs really come together, and you sort of feel like you’re eating the snack version of carrots and celery dipped in ranch. Are they healthy? Who knows. Are they delicious and addictive? You bet. —Ariana Losch
Read our full ranking of the best veggie straws
Credit: Merc / Walmart
Best Plain Potato Chips
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best BBQ Potato Chips
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Dill Pickle Potato Chips
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Spicy Potato Chips
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Kettle Brand Potato Chips
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Lay’s Flavor
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Aldi Potato Chips
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Low Sodium Potato Chips
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Ranch Potato Chips
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Zapp’s Potato Chips
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Baked Potato Chips
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Sour Cream & Onion Potato Chips
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Pringles
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Veggie Chips
Rating:
9/10
Sporks
