The Worst Cape Cod Potato Chips Are A Super Popular Flavor

Made with high-quality potatoes, oil, salt, and a dash of relaxing coastal vibes, Cape Cod kettle-cooked potato chips are flavorful, salty, and oh-so-crunchy. We couldn't agree more — in fact we'll go so far as to say Cape Cod kettle chips are the best kettle chips in the world. The company also offers the best salt and vinegar chips, but not all flavors of Cape Cod chips are created equal. While we'll wholeheartedly endorse Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper and Low-Fat Original as among the best Cape Cod flavors, Sour Cream and Onion leaves a lot to be desired and we ranked it as Cape Cod's worst.

Cape Cod is among the biggest U.S. chip brands, with more than $400 million in sales in 2024, and with more than a dozen varieties, the sour cream and onion flavor helps contribute to that number. For its part, Cape Cod markets its sour cream and onion chips as crunchy chips with a "satisfying balance of smooth, creamy, and bright," after blending the flavors of onion and sour cream.

But we found the sour cream and onion flavor to be unimpressive — more of a suggestion rather than the immediate punch of flavor chip lovers want.

Cape Cod's Sour Cream and Green Onion chips were discontinued in 2015 and the Sour Cream and Onion option was released in 2020. Not surprisingly, rankings of sour cream and onion chips seem to confirm our opinion.  While Cape Cod's version has crunch and isn't totally terrible, popular opinion seems to indicate that the flavor is sorely lacking when compared to others.

On the flip side, we named Sour Cream and Onion the best of all Lay's flavors, lauding its texture, flavor, and sour cream tang. Similarly, Pringles Sour Cream and Onion crisps did well in the above rankings and are so popular that the brand partnered with Olipop earlier this year for arguably one of the most unique sodas you're likely to find anywhere. Meanwhile, we knocked Cape Cod for being uninspiring, despite being one of the most popular chip flavors.

So whether you like to add chips to your sandwich for a little extra crunch, eat them on the go, or sit and enjoy them with your favorite chip dip, we recommend reaching for something like Cape Cod's Low-Fat Original or Black Pepper and Sea Salt chips and staying away from the Sour Cream and Onion.