I Tried 10 Old-Fashioned Plain Potato Chips & There Was One Clear Winner
Salty, crispy, and crunchy, potato chips are one of the most beloved snack foods for a reason. Not only are they satisfying on their own, but they also pair well with various foods like sandwiches, burgers, dips, and even chocolate.
Walk down your supermarket's snack aisle, and you'll likely spot several of the classics: barbecue, sour cream and onion, and salt and vinegar. You may even find some less common flavors like Flamin' Hot Dill Pickle. But if there's one chip guaranteed to make an appearance in stores it's the good old-fashioned plain kind.
With grocery stores saturated with so many different plain chip varieties, I set out to see which ones are the tastiest. I rounded up 10 bags of plain potato chips and assessed their flavor, texture, and thickness—and recruited the help of a couple of taste tasters along the way.
Since there weren't major ingredient discrepancies, this was no easy feat. Many of the differences across the chips were subtle nuances, and as we all know, some chips in the bag are just better than others. Here's how the 10 options compared, which I ranked in descending order, starting with my least favorite chip and ending with the ultimate fried potato snack.
365 Whole Foods Market Sea Salt Potato Chips
Whole Foods may be best known for its selection of natural food products, but the grocery chain still offers plenty of less-than-healthy snack options, like potato chips. Sold under the 365 Whole Foods Market brand, the Sea Salt Potato Chips are made with potatoes, expeller pressed oil—which includes sunflower seed, safflower seed, and/or pre canola—and sea salt. I picked up a 10-ounce bag for $2.99
The look: The chips were paper thin, with some being broken and others completely intact. That's nothing out of the ordinary for potato chips. Each one was the standard pale, creamy yellow color with a decent amount of translucent spots, as well as some visible potato skin around the edges.
The taste: These chips were one of the least salty options of the bunch. Although they were delightfully thin and crispy, the blandness was enough to prevent me from reaching for more. This is a chip that would be much better off with a dip. "Not awful though," one taste tester said.
Utz Original Potato Chips
The 103-year-old snack company Utz ranks as the fifth-leading potato chip vendor in the United States. The brand boasts a range of classic and innovative chip flavors, such as Carolina Style Barbeque, Fried Dill Pickle, and Mike's Hot Honey. The Original flavor is made with potatoes, vegetable oil, and salt. I purchased a 2.75-ounce bag for $2.
The look: These were a bit darker and thinner than the Whole Foods variety. They also appeared slightly greasier, with prominent air bubbles of varying sizes scattered across the surface of the chips.
The taste: After the first bite, I detected a faint saltiness, but this faded somewhat quickly, transitioning into a slightly earthy potato flavor. That being said, the first word that came to mind after trying this chip was "neutral." It wasn't bad by any means, but the flavor wasn't particularly strong. These chips were also notably thin, with one fellow taste tester saying they "disintegrate into your mouth."
Lay's Classic Potato Chips
Lay's is probably the first brand you think of when hearing the term "potato chip." It is the leading potato chip vendor in the U.S. Within its product portfolio, Lay's offers a variety of options, such as Kettle Cooked, Wavy, and Poppables, but it doesn't get more classic than, well, Lay's Classic. Packaged in its iconic yellow bag, this fried snack is made with potatoes, vegetable oil, and salt. An 8-ounce bag cost me $3.50.
The look: These were paler than the Utz variety, but they similarly had large air bubbles and brown spots and edges. The chips varied in shape and size, with some being flat and others being folded. This offered additional thickness upon biting into them.
The taste: With Lay's reigning supreme in the potato chip space, I had high expectations for this one. However, those expectations weren't met. Once I opened the bag, all I could smell was an off-putting oil scent. The chips themselves were crispy and salty, but compared to some of the other brands, they were on the less flavorful side. "It tastes like a non-chip trying to be a potato chip," one unimpressed taste tester asserted.
Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Potato Chips
Based in Hyannis, Mass., Cape Cod is known for its kettle cooked chips. As noted on the chip bag, the brand slices its potatoes thick and cooks them in custom kettles "at precisely the right temperature to a golden amber hue." I picked up an 8-ounce bag of the Original flavor, which is made with sea salt, for $5.29. This was one of the most expensive options in the taste test.
The look: The bag says "no two chips are identical," and that certainly isn't a lie. Some chips were larger than others, while others were folded to offer that bigger, more satisfying bite. This thickness, which is typical for kettle cooked varieties, also made the chips among some of the heaviest in weight.
The taste: When I opened this bag, I initially detected a notably salty smell that somewhat reminded me of Play-Doh. Neither of my taste testers agreed or took this observation seriously. Taste-wise, these chips weren't super flavorful. There was also a noticeable oil taste that was stronger in this variety than the other two kettle cooked chips I tried. However, this chip delivered when it came to the crunch factor. ASMR-worthy.
Deep River Snacks Original Sea Salt Kettle Cooked Potato Chips
Founded in 2002, Deep River Snacks currently offers 10 different flavors of kettle cooked potato chips. The Original Sea Salt variety is made with non-GMO potatoes, vegetable oil, and sea salt. I purchased a 5-ounce bag for $3.
The look: Bubbly and imperfect. Some chips had dark brown and black spots, while others had a decent amount of potato skin visible. Like Cape Cod, they were also heavier in weight when compared to most of the others.
The taste: These were similar in flavor to Cape Cod, which is unsurprising since they're both kettle cooked. However, they were not quite as oily. Though they had a satisfying crunch, I generally prefer a slightly thinner, less hard chip, and these were some of the thickest and densest of the bunch.
Herr's Crisp 'N Tasty
This family-owned and -operated brand has been around since 1946. On its website, Herr's notes, "Because the seasoning in Herr's snacks is on the surface, the salt flavor is higher than the actual salt content." Taking this into account, I expected these Crisp 'N Tasty Potato Chips to be some of the saltiest. I snagged an 8-ounce bag for $3.50.
The look: Virtually identical to several of the other chips. They were light in color with plenty of spots and air bubbles you could easily shine a light through.
The taste: Unlike some of its competitors, the potato-forward flavor was more immediate upon taking a bite. The chips were light, thin, and crispy, presenting a saltiness that wasn't overly pronounced. Though these were still on the plain side, I'd still say the chips were true to their name: crisp 'n tasty.
Wise Golden Potato Original
Within Wise's selection of Cheez Doodles, Dipsy Doodles, and flavored popcorn are multiple chip options, including the Golden Potato Original. This flavor has been available for over 100 years. I purchased a 3.25-ounce bag for $2.25.
The look: These chips were noticeably smaller than most of the other options—a quality I recalled from when I ate them as a child. Like most of the others, they also featured tiny brown speckles.
The taste: Upon biting into this chip, the first flavor I detected was salt. This quickly transitioned into a potato-forward taste that helped balance out the chip's flavor profile. Overall, this was a satisfying bite, and I would gladly reach for another.
Kettle Brand Sea Salt Potato Chips
Kettle Brand prides itself on knowing exactly where its potatoes come from and even encourages consumers to track the potatoes used in their bag of chips through its online "Tater Tracker." The brand describes its Sea Salt Potato Chips as "cut thick and dusted with just the right amount of sea salt." I bought a 7.5-ounce bag for $5.29—the same price as the 8-ounce bag of Cape Cod chips.
The look: These chips were the darkest in color—a common characteristic of kettle cooked potato chips, since they're cooked in batches for longer periods of time. Each chip was marbled with translucent spots and dotted in air bubbles.
The taste: Out of all the potato chips, these tasted the least manufactured, making me forget about my preference for thinner chips. The potato flavor shined through, delivering a natural earthiness and strong baked flavor that most of the other chips lacked. They were notably thicker in texture, as promised, presenting the most bite to them. This crunch, in conjunction with the strong potato-y flavor, made the chips taste almost homemade. Almost.
Trader Joe's Ode to the Classic Potato Chip
Trader Joe's has all sorts of unique snacks, but the cult-favorite grocery chain isn't afraid to stick to the tried and true. One of these options is the Ode to a Classic Potato Chip. I scored a 10-ounce bag for $2.99.
The look: This TJ's bag had some of the biggest chips, which were all relatively similar in shape, lacking the folds that most of the other brands showed. The colors varied ever so slightly, with certain spots being more transparent than others. The chips had the usual brown flecks, air bubbles, and potato skin around the edges, as well.
The taste: Salty without being a sodium bomb. The flavor profile was well-balanced, while the chip itself was perfectly crispy without being overly thin and fragile. Although these chips were a top contender, there was still one more variety I enjoyed more as a whole.
Ruffles Original Potato Chips
Owned by Frito-Lay, Ruffles is the second-leading potato chip vendor in the country. As highlighted on its website, Ruffles is not only known for its ridges, but also for being the official chip of the NBA. I purchased an 8.5-ounce bag of the Original potato chips for $3.99.
The look: As its name implies, Ruffles chips are, obviously, ruffled. Though they varied in size, the signature lines offered some uniformity, begging to cling onto a dip. For the most part, the potato chips lacked the prominent air bubbles and brown spots founded in the other options, and the visibility of potato skin was minimal. That being said, certain parts of the chips were a bit greasier than others.
The taste: It's no wonder these are the official chips of the NBA—they're a slam dunk. The chip was deliciously well-salted, but the standout element was the brand's signature ridges. These helped elevate the chip eating experience, making me reach for another one, and then another one. "The texture is amazing," one taste tester said, to which I wholeheartedly agreed.
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