Sour Cream And Onion Chips, Ranked Worst To Best

If I may, I would like to put one name in the running as the best potato chip flavor: sour cream and onion. This seasoning is a perfect match for potato chips because it has the tangy complexity of the sour cream and a bold hint of green onion that's not too in-your-face but still assertive enough to carry the allium flavor through. It's a wonderfully designed food product, through and through.

While many companies have nailed the flavor nuance of this iconic profile, others fall flat in more ways than one. As a chip lover, it's something I've experienced firsthand. You know the scenario — you walk into a convenience store and grab the first chip bag you see, only to be wholly disappointed by the taste of whatever you bought. In order to prevent misfortune from happening to you (when it comes to sour cream and onion chips, at least), I decided to rank several popular brands of chips from worst to best based on factors like flavor balance, texture, and how satisfying each one was. In short, the ideal chip should clearly say, "Nice to meet you, I'm sour cream and onion!" 

You might wonder why I would include a black sheep — From the Ground Up cauliflower chips — in my taste test. Well, this brand deserves a little credit; it makes its chips with a blend of potato (the primary ingredient), cauliflower, carrot, beet, spinach, and other veggie flours — and it's entirely gluten-free and vegan. That's not something you can say about the other brands on this list. 

However, just because you're gluten-free and vegan doesn't mean that you should add a bag of these crisps to your cart. I don't think I can entirely call them "chips" because they have a mealiness to them. They taste more like veggie straws than the satisfying, greasy accompaniment you'd shove inside your sandwich to add a bit of crunch. Moreover, the blend of vegetables in these chips makes them lean oddly sweet. There is a little bit of acidity peeking out from under all that sweetness, but it isn't enough to carry this chip's flavor through to the finish line. These chips fundamentally blur the lines between "veggie chips" and "potato chips" and thus deserved a last-place spot in the ranking. 

I should start by saying this: When brands advertise themselves with buzzwords like "good," "amazing," or "spectacular" in their product name, take it with a grain of salt. 

These chips tout a label that says, "All taste, no guilt." But I have to ask, then, where exactly is the taste? I don't detect anything salty, tangy, or herbaceous from these saddle-shaped potato chips. I actually don't get any flavor from these chips at all, even if they are speckled with tiny pieces of onion. Most of the chips arrived broken and crumbled inside the can, which defeats the entire purpose of buying a saddle-shaped chip in the first place. 

I was tempted to rank this brand slightly above Pringles (since I will admit that they are slightly crispier), but then I remembered how expensive it was compared to its competitor, so I placed it in second-to-last place instead.

If there was a competition for the most convenient sour cream and onion chip, Pringles would win by a landslide. You can tuck a can into your backpack or purse or enjoy them while on the road. However, "enjoy" might not be the right word to describe my experience with Pringles.

Pringles taste mealy — there's no other way to say it. While most potato chips have that satisfying crunch, Pringles are like a communion wafer that's left to melt on your tongue. The flavor of these chips, too, was distinctly sour and musty. I didn't pick up on any bright, allium notes from the onion. 

Moreover, these chips look identical to plain Pringles; there are no specks of herbs to make their visual appeal interesting. They don't really satisfy any of my cravings, especially since "smells like an old fryolator" wasn't on my must-have list for this review. All of this leads me to wonder why Pringles has a cult-like following. These chips would probably taste better with a couple of glugs of Mtn Dew than on their own. 

Great Value is also apparently in the business of making knock-off Pringles. These cans were noticeably cheaper than the premium Pringles (which didn't score very favorably in this ranking). Like the Pringles, the Great Value chips lacked any sort of color or visual indication of herbs. They smelled like baked potato chips, which is to be expected. But the flavor of these chips really took me by surprise. 

Rather than tasting like sour cream and onion, these chips tasted weirdly sweet and kind of like fish sauce. The ingredient label claims that this product does contain MSG, which makes me suspect that it was the root cause of the unbalanced umami flavor. But, besides that, these chips lack anything close to either sour cream or onion. While they have more flavor than the Pringles, I really wanted a flavor that was more akin to ... you know ... sour cream and onion chips. But if I'm looking for chips that taste like fish, this is the first place I'll stop. 

I'm an Aldi girl through and through. So it's no surprise that Clancy's, the grocer's private label brand, would make its way onto this list. Its sour cream and onion chips are packaged in a rather inconspicuous plastic yellow bag. There are no frills here, and the price for the quantity of chips you get is rather impressive. 

The moment I took a bite of these chips, I was hit with a bright, acidic tang that sent my tongue twisting to the side and my eyes bulging out of my head. It's almost too acidic — and resembles more of a vinegar chip than one that's supposed to contain something dairy-based. I think a little more salt and some herbs could balance this tang, but even that doesn't solve the other fundamental issue with these chips: They're too mealy. The texture of Clancy's selection mimicked that of the Pringles — it melted in my mouth and squished against my molars with an unpleasant pulpiness. The only reason this chip scored slightly above the rest is because it has flavor — just not the right one. 

Miss Vickie's is another brand of kettle potato chips that rival big names like Cape Cod. I knew a good kettle chip could offer something really sharp and crispy, which is what I needed by the time I had to sample these chips. Miss Vickie's seemed like just what the doctor ordered ... until it wasn't. 

My main qualm with Miss Vickie's sour cream and onion kettle chips is their distinctive oiliness. This oiliness wasn't present on my fingers but in the aftertaste. Unfortunately, these chips tasted like old frying oil — and it ruined almost the whole bite. While this flavor was slightly subdued when I got my hands on one of the prized folded-over chips, I still could taste that rancid flavor in the back of my mouth, and I was too distracted by it to pay attention to the flavor of the chip itself. Moreover, I couldn't pick up on any "herb," as promised by the label on the bag. While the crunch was better than the lower-ranked brands, I would have liked to see a less oil-forward flavor from Miss Vickie's. 

One of the biggest competitions in grocery stores (or at least, in Southern New England) is between Utz and Lay's. My dad always bought Utz as a kid because they were cheaper than Lay's (though I found little difference in price between the two at the time of this review). 

I never thought I would be able to describe a sour cream and onion chip as "sweet," but here I am. I pick up more on a Vidalia onion taste than anything remotely green onion-like. Moreover, this overwhelming sweetness cancels out the savoriness of the sour cream. So, the chips end up tasting more like a sugary, deep-fried potato. Also, the chips in this bag are rather small compared to other brands. So, despite having ridges, I think it would put your fingers too close to comfort with a caramelized onion dip. 

Popchips skate a thin line between being a popcorn crisp and a potato chip. But, since these chips are made with mostly potatoes, I had to include them in this ranking. I also felt compelled to include them because they're vegan — no real sour cream or buttermilk is used in this product.

I was glad to see that popchips have a little inkling of green onion on the outside. However, the predominant flavor I got from these chips wasn't anything tangy or herbaceous — it was the taste of russet potatoes. They tasted kind of like the homemade potato chips you'd get from a decent deli. While this flavor alone isn't a bad thing, it becomes a bad thing when it has to compete with the otherwise dainty flavor of these supposed sour cream and onion chips. Besides this, the lightness of these chips really doesn't satisfy my craving for something oily and just plain tasty. These would be the kind of "chips" I would be offered at my friend's house as a kid, and politely nod "thanks, but no thanks" to. 

Cape Cod has been one of my go-to brands when craving something crunchy. Its kettle-cooked chips come in a ton of different flavors, but I was after only one flavor for this taste test: sour cream and onion.

While Cape Cod's chips were leaps and bounds above some of the underperforming brands, including its kettle competitor, Miss Vickie's, the brand still left something to be desired when it came to its flavor. The bite itself was satisfying and crisp with no lingering oiliness — which is all too common with kettle chips. The chip itself is well constructed — there's no doubt about that — but the flavor is rather light. It kind of tastes like sour cream, and maybe there's something herby there, but Cape Cod doesn't delve feet-first into this flavor. I will say that this is the best chip I tasted in the ranking (at least in terms of function and structure), but it was far from the best sour cream and onion variety of the bunch. 

Great Value's sour cream and onion chips were by far the cheapest of all the brands I sampled, but sometimes, price is directly correlated with product quality. I can't say that this is entirely true with this brand, though, as its chips are not all that bad — at least at first. 

When I opened the bag, I got the impression that these chips were just normal potato chips; they didn't give off an odor that made me suspect that they were anything other than plain. On the first bite, I could see the flecks of green, and I could pick up a little brightness and some identifiable herb. Regardless, that flavor didn't stick around long enough for it to make an indelible impact on me. By the time I got a second bite in, I couldn't really taste much besides potato and oil — and it felt a bit odd that I was actually craving more salt from a potato chip. I think that Great Value has a solid chip here, as there is both the flavor of the onion and a hint of sour cream. But, it will need to flesh out the flavors more to create a successful product. 

The brand that comes out on top of the saddle-shaped potato chips is no surprise, considering its prevalence in the world of potato chip brands. These Lay's Stax chips deliver more on the promise of sour cream and onion essence than any of the chips in its class. Each one had a subtle sour cream and onion flavor, which was coupled by a mealy chip. While the flavor is on the right track, the texture is not something that I enjoyed with these chips — though I will admit that they were certainly crisp — even more crisp than the regular chips in this ranking. 

However, I'm at a crossroads with this brand. It already offers this flavor in bag form, but this can of Stax has an awkward, pulpy consistency that needs to be crisper and less potato-forward in flavor. I don't think there's anything that it can do to improve its flavor and overall position in this ranking because it would have to morph into something fundamentally different. Some might say the Stax chips were doomed to fail from the beginning, but I like to think that's all part of the game. 

Generic brands can offer more affordable products that are the same (if not better) quality as name brands. Although Stop & Shop has been a brand that has been a letdown on multiple occasions, including in a review of the best garlic bread brands, its sour cream and onion chips scored surprisingly higher than I thought it would in this ranking of sour cream and onion chips. 

These chips had a solid balance of slightly tangy sour cream and something herbaceous. Though it was almost like the herb used wasn't onions, it was something in the garlic powder family. The taste comes off as rather muted rather than fresh. Not to mention, these chips don't really have a signature crackle and snap — but they're also not as mealy as brands like Clancy's or even the daintier Lay's chips. I wouldn't necessarily buy them again, but I also wouldn't say no to a handful of these chips stuffed into a sandwich. 

Ruffles, as a member of the wavy chip family, have some structural benefits that other chips on this list don't offer. The waves can easily pick up dips and spreads better than a flimsy, flat chip. But, since I doubt most people are dipping an already-seasoned potato chip into a dip, this design perk is a moot point in this ranking. 

Immediately, I noticed that these chips had a far more generous size and wave depth than the Utz chips, which would make them ideal for snacking and dipping. They're also quite crisp despite not being kettle-cooked. The flavor of the Ruffles was far bolder than the other brands I sampled. Though the green onion wasn't prevalent enough, there was some sour cream flavor present to help bolster this chip and set it apart from the other brands. It's a truly valiant effort from this brand, but it doesn't hit the same satisfying note as my top pick.  

If there is a brand you are familiar with when it comes to potato chips, it's likely Lay's. These highly-salty and highly-addicting chips are found nearly everywhere — and they've earned quite the reputation for being the best. Prior to this ranking, Lay's sour cream and onion chips were my top vending machine choice, so it was interesting to see if this impression would still hold firm after sampling a smattering of other brands.

Without a doubt, Lay's knocked it out of the park with its sour cream and onion chips. Right when you open the bag, you get a sour cream and onion aroma that hits your nostrils. On the first bite, I found an overwhelming hug of sour cream and the bright, but not overwhelming, hint of onion to accompany it. There isn't a rancid aftertaste nor a quelling of that flavor over time. It's completely wholesome and sends you crawling back to the bag for more. 

While I will applaud Lay's for its chips, I will say that I wish that there was a little bit more crunch to them, like Ruffles offered, to really make for a complete and more satisfying bite. But as far as sour cream and onion chip brands go, I can't complain, nor could I pledge my heart and loyalty to any other brand. 

I sampled a very wide range of products for this ranking in order to get a better sense of the landscape of sour cream and onion chip options. This taste test includes traditional, wavy, saddle-shaped, and even alternative chips (so long as they have potato as a primary ingredient). Since these styles vary so much, I tried to focus my methodology and ranking on the flavor of the chip itself. First and foremost, there should be both a tangy, sour cream-adjacent flavor and a herbaceous, bright, and light green onion element to every bite. Since these are sour cream and onion chips, I wanted to see that balance of flavor and assertiveness.

That being said, I also had to consider the consistency and texture of each chip in this ranking. I wanted a chip that made me want more and more and one that would satisfy my craving for something salty and indulgent.