10 Publix Potato Chips, Ranked Worst To Best

Potato chips are an all-time favorite snack, side, and meal addition with nearly 300 million Americans munching on these mainstay spuds in 2024 alone, according to Statista. That's a lot of tastebuds to satisfy. That's why I got so excited when I saw how many varieties were available at my local Publix. 

A Southern grocery store chain that is slowly creeping up the Northeast coast, Publix is new to my area. When checking them out I found brands I'd never seen before spread throughout the store. In addition, there were many Publix brand items that drew my attention; one of those items in particular was potato chips. Publix has quite a few potato chip flavors that I've never seen another brand try to achieve. With prices being what they are, I was delighted to try the cheaper store brand.

Looking to see if, and how, Publix could pull off so many seemingly adventurous tastes and styles at a lower cost, I snagged a few bags of what I thought sounded the most interesting. How were the flavors going to be achieved? Would they be overly or under seasoned? What was the grease and salt ratio going to be? I invited a few friends over to help me answer some of these questions and enjoy the tasty treats. But buyer beware, and hosts be warned, sometimes you get exactly what you pay for.

I love a good stuffed jalapeño poppers recipe. I also enjoy a nice spicy jalapeño chip. But upon first taste of the Publix brand, I knew I wasn't going to be enjoying either one of those tastes.

The first thing that hit the mouth was a powdered cheese feel and flavor. While I didn't really taste the jalapeño on the first chip, I found it came through on the second one. The other chip tasters were also having the same experience — a hit and miss on flavors with each new chip. The only thing that consistently came through was the powdered cheese that many of us didn't like.

And where was the heat? None of us, even in the aftertaste, could find any hint of heat from the chips. Although the jalapeño pepper flavor was there, the fire was oddly absent. As far as a heated chip, or a chip that resembled a stuffed jalapeño, this one didn't hit either mark. Sadly, if you are looking for jalapeño, you'll need to look elsewhere.

The first thing I noticed about these chips was the smell that emanated from the freshly opened bag. It was alarmingly strong, and not of salt or pepper. After passing the bag around for the group to take in, we all agreed the scent was tangy and very close to a vinegar aroma. It didn't bode well for the tasting.

While it did look like one of the natural ingredients was pepper, as flakes were visible on the chip, the initial taste was sweet and tart. It tasted like something that would lean into a barbecue type profile. The group consensus was that it could be the citric acid on the ingredient list.

You have to eat quite a few before you get past the sweet taste and receive some of the pepper. The salt, however, never really made itself known. There was definitely a flavor there, just not one any of us were expecting.

This was a flavor we all had high hopes about. All of the elements seemed easy enough to achieve — butter, garlic, cheese, starch. When the strong odor of garlic filled the air as soon as the bag was opened, we all felt assured we were in for a treat. Yet again, disappointment struck as a very salty, powdery cheese flavor coated everyone's tongues.

What had happened to the garlic that filled the room? Well, just like other chips we tasted, it came in spurts. Different chips seemingly had a little garlic flavor and others none at all. It seemed like a production error.

Even sadder, the powdery texture of the flavoring covered up any hint of what the kettle cooked chip had to offer. With a salty aftertaste that was hard to shake, only a few of the chips were reminiscent of Texas toast garlic bread. In this case I would forgo the chip and just stick to the original.

There were salt and vinegar chip fans at the table, which I was pleased to have as these are not my favorite flavor. Although, I have never seen the contortion that took place at the first and second tasting of these chips. It was incredibly comical and one absolutely worth inviting friends over to experience.

Making the mouth water and the jaw lock, the first taste from these chips was a strong and stark white vinegar. And it just kept going. It actually took quite a bit of time for the vinegar to dissipate, but once it did you could definitely taste the salt.

While I have had salt and vinegar chips before, I have not had ones that struck the palate as hard as these. Although, for die-hard fans of this flavor profile, the kettle cooked chips are excellent. While some kettle cooked chips can have a chew to their crisp, these did not. They were light, airy, and just the right amount of greasy. 

The biggest question on our minds with this chip was, would we be tasting the chicken? The answer is no. However, there was a very good showing of what one would spice a chicken wing with, and that was not entirely displeasing.

At first taste, we got a barbecue flavor. After a few moments, a spiciness made its appearance on the back of the tongue and roof of the mouth. There was the sour and salty combination of a buffalo sauce that came through and also offered just a hint of sweet. The more chips we ate, the bigger the heat became.

The kettle chip is perfectly made — crispy with lovely bubbles and just the right amount of oil. Publix definitely should be applauded for its efforts here, although most of us thought the flavor could be taken up a few pegs. If it had more of the buffalo sauce flavor, or even some smoke, it would definitely put this chip over the top. But there just needs to be a bit more.

It's really difficult to go wrong with a regular potato chip, but it is possible. I have had them. But these are doing their job as a plain kettle cooked chip. Without going over the top on grease or salt, these chips come out with just the right amount of both. The kettle cooked flavor and crunch was evident and so was the slight chew beneath the crisp.

As someone at the table said, "This is the beige sweater of chips," which I found very appropriate. It's definitely a safe bet as far as potato chips go. If you're looking for a crowd pleaser, this might be a good choice. But there was no "wow" factor about it whatsoever. It would be easy to take or pass on this chip. 

If there hadn't been another plain chip tasted in the rotation, I probably would have just wondered if I was expecting too much and just ranked this higher. However, that other chip did exist and it did wow the group.

The baby back rib flavor was the first of the Publix chips to catch my eye and start me scanning the other options. and I was extremely pleased it was also the first to truly tease my palate.

A tart on the tip of the tongue tang from the vinegar hit immediately as the chip crossed the lip threshold into the mouth. The flavor was very close to a barbecue but then there was a smoky element that seemed to set it apart. Other than the crunch of chips, the group had become silent as more and more of these tasty treats were consumed. There seemed to be a complexity to the flavor profile that none of us were expecting. While it didn't taste exactly like a baby back rib, there were so many of the elements present. The smoke was lovely, the barbecue tangy and sweet. The kettle cook was salty and crisp, and for the first time at the tasting, everyone was pleased.

Potential for how these chips could be used started to be batted around. They definitely seemed like they would be at home grill-side, or on a game-day table. They may lend themselves well to a creamy dip or paired with a meaty sandwich. While none of us felt this would be a bag of chips we would sit down and just snack on alone, there seemed to be countless opportunities for a palatable partnership.

This plain potato chip is highly ridged with sharp, close peaks and valleys, making it seem like it would be ideal for a dipping chip. However, when tasting it, there seemed to be a question of structural stability. It was crisp to a dipp-able fault. We felt this chip would definitely not be sound enough for a scoop-able dip like a heavy smoky white queso dip recipe. But a straight in-and-out creamy ranch or French onion dip would be perfect.

These chips are crunchy, greasy, and salty in all the ways you want a potato chip to be. The satisfying texture definitely lends itself to a dipp-able chip and the ridges seem to offer the opportunity to hold plenty of flavor. There is also a nice taste of potato on the backend. It isn't overpowering and wouldn't take away from any dip pairing, but it was nice to taste and felt natural. Aptly named and suitably functional for the dips described, this chip got the thumbs up from the group.

This plain wavy style potato chip blew the group away with its humble offerings. There was a definite potato taste to this chip that everyone enjoyed. To the point that some, including myself, felt it was comparable to a homemade skillet fried potato. None of us had enjoyed that flavor from other plain potato chips we had tasted in the past, and we all thought it was something other plain chips had been missing.

The salt is light on this chip, making it perfect for a dip carrier. There is a very crispy, melt in the mouth aesthetic that makes it enjoyable to pop chip after chip solo. And while many times, chips of this nature will do damage to the roof of your mouth, these were incredibly delicate on the palate.

The potato flavor carries into the aftertaste and only elevates the feeling of freshness. Bonus: There was no feeling of grease on our fingers or in our mouths after consuming quite a few. Had the next chip not come along with such amazing flavors on top of delightful texture, this would have easily gotten the No. 1 spot.

Immediately upon popping one of these chips into your mouth you are going to get a wonderful blue cheese essence that will lead you straight into the flavor of buffalo dip. A gentle heat comes in and continues to grow but never becomes overwhelming. The chips also have a creamy flavor of buffalo dip that balances the heat that stays present.

The kettle chip itself was nicely salted and has the appropriate bubbles you want. It was crisp without being chewy or harsh to the mouth. The flavor profile is complex but extremely well-balanced providing the palate with all of the flavors and spice. Spot on execution.

Alone or paired with its namesake dip, possibly even being crumbled on top, these chips are something you are going to want to try. You might even want to grab two bags as they're hard to put down.

As far as consistency goes, these chips were all over the place. For one brand, this does not set any sort of stake in the ground for potato chips. However, there were some that were incredibly pleasing and that I will be trying again. The ones at the end of the list missed the mark on consistency and sometimes flavor all together. But the ones that ranked highest were on the complete other end of the spectrum. They were all delightful in seasoning, texture, consistency, and priced just right.

One thing that did disappoint me is that halfway through, I took a hard look at the back of one of the ingredients lists. With "natural flavored" touted right on the front of the bag, I was disheartened to find a disclaimer under the ingredients that read, "Contains a bioengineered food ingredient."

That's right! What you would generally think of as GMOs are now being packed into our food products, evading the GMO label law with loopholes that allow for small bioengineered disclaimers. That revelation was highly unsatisfying, and the mystery of how adventurous flavors are created was sadly solved. Again, you get what you pay for. If GMOs are a concern to you, you'll want to skip the No. 1 slot and stick to the plain chips. Either way, you are sure to be satisfied by the top rankings on the list.