12 Ruffles Chip Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

Ruffles chips are known for those signature ridges that give them a texture unlike most other chips on the market. You may be a huge fan of the brand, but when you really think about it, how many flavors of Ruffles have you really tried? If you're like me — until very recently — it probably hasn't been that many. Therefore, you may not know exactly what the brand has to offer from its various flavors lining store shelves.

That's why I did the hard work of tasting my way through several of Ruffles' flavors and ranking them from worst to best. The worst of the bunch probably aren't worth the time or the money it takes to try them unless you're really a Ruffles superfan, while the tastier options in this lineup are absolutely worth a try if you consider yourself a potato chip enthusiast. And although you may not agree with me on the placement of each and every flavor on this ranking, hopefully, it can guide you toward the flavor you should try next. Without further ado, here are a dozen Ruffles chip flavors, ranked worst to best.

How could a queso-cheese-flavored chip not be good? That was the question I asked myself as I took the first bite out of the bag of these Ruffles. To my surprise, though, I was sorely disappointed. This is by far the weirdest chip flavor I've ever tried — and not in a good way. The cheese flavor tastes super artificial, more like cheese you would squeeze out of an aerosol can, not the gooey dip you'd order at a Mexican restaurant. And even that wouldn't have been that bad if that fake cheese flavor weren't so, so pronounced. Eat one of these chips, and the flavor lingers so long you'll feel like you need to take a sip of something just to make it go away.

Queso is a beautiful thing, but it's practically ruined in chip form with this Ruffles flavor. You're better off choosing one of the many other flavors the brand has to offer and just dipping those chips into some queso on the side — or skipping a snack altogether, if it means you get to avoid these chips.

Some people are huge fans of sour cream and onion chips, and admittedly, I am not one of them. Therefore, you can take my assessment of Ruffles' Sour Cream and Onion chips with a grain of salt. But these chips just don't have quite as much flavor as I was expecting, which seems strange when it comes to a flavor that's usually so bold when you try it from other brands. The sour cream flavor is definitely there, although it feels dull and restrained. That's not necessarily a bad thing in my book, considering the fact that I find so many sour cream and onion chips to be too sour cream heavy. But these Ruffles are also missing out on a strong onion flavor, as well.

Onion flavoring is what can really make or break sour cream and onion chips, so the fact that this aspect of the flavor is so conspicuously absent here is what makes these chips taste so disappointing. They're not actively bad, per se, and you're probably not going to hate eating them, especially if this is a flavor you tend to enjoy. You may find yourself wishing you were eating chips with a bolder, more pronounced flavor, though.

When I saw these Lime and Jalapeño Ruffles on the shelf of my local grocery store, I was instantly intrigued. I'm a big fan of both spice and acidity, so it seemed like these chips would be right up my alley. What I found when I took a bite, though, was somewhat lackluster. The main issue with these chips is the fact that the lime note is so incredibly strong. That may not seem like a negative, since potato chips tend to be fatty, and a touch of acidity can really help balance their flavor and make it more dynamic. But that lime flavoring is almost overpowering in this case, obstructing the flavor of the potatoes themselves.

To make matters worse, these chips don't really have any spice to them at all. Is there a hint of that green sort of flavor you'd expect from a fresh jalapeño? Sure, and that's delicious. But when a product is jalapeño flavored, I expect it to pack at least a little bit of heat, and that seemed totally absent here. As good as this flavor may sound, I won't be going out of my way to try it again anytime soon.

If you like cheesy chips, then you should definitely check out Ruffles' Cheddar and Sour Cream. There's a lovely cheesy note here, ostensibly from the cheddar, although it may be a bit overpowered by that not-so-subtle sour cream note. There's a boldness and acidity from the sour cream that doesn't exactly allow the cheddar flavoring (which is quite tasty, if you can get past the competing flavor) to shine.

Whether you're a fan of this flavor of chip or not really depends on what you're looking for in a bag of Ruffles. Are you searching for a supremely cheesy chip that makes you feel like you're eating a block of cheese in crunchy form? In that case, there are probably better cheesy chips out there for you to choose from. But if you just want a hint of that cheesiness along with a solid dose of bright, dairy-forward acidity, then this product may just earn its spot on your list as the best Ruffles flavor around. For me, though, it ranks in the bottom half of this list.

Considering that I'm not the biggest fan of Ruffles' plain Cheddar and Sour Cream chips, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that the Flamin' Hot version of the same flavor isn't exactly my favorite of the bunch either. That being said, it is a marked step up from the original, and I wouldn't mind snacking on these every once in a while when I want a snack that tastes both cheesy and sort of spicy at the same time.

One thing about Ruffles Flamin' Hot flavors: They actually are pretty spicy, although not overwhelmingly so. That spicy note really helps balance the cheesiness and acidity in this particular flavor well, which makes it come together better as a snack. These chips still aren't my first choice, since there are so many delicious Ruffles flavors that don't need to be covered up by a layer of heat to taste their best — but if you love the original Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream flavor and find yourself craving some extra heat, these should be a hit for you, as well.

It's not every day that you'll encounter jalapeño-ranch-flavored chips, but if that's what you're craving, look no further than what Ruffles has to offer. This flavor of chip falls squarely in the middle of this ranking, since it has some definite pros but could also be a lot more flavorful than it is. On the ranch front, these chips are seriously something to be excited about. They taste exactly like ranch dressing — no dip required. They also don't have the intense, almost unpleasant tang that you might expect from a ranch-flavored chip, and that's a good thing.

At the same time, though, it seems like Ruffles kind of misses the mark when it comes to anything jalapeño flavored. Again, you can taste a slight hint of jalapeño in these chips, but it's not like they offer any semblance of heat at all. If you're the kind of person who doesn't really like jalapeños and simply wants a ridged, ranch-flavored chip, then you'll probably love this variety. But for all those who have considered buying the product specifically because of the jalapeño part of the equation, these chips are likely to be a disappointment — not because they taste bad, but because they don't exactly provide what's seemingly promised.

Ruffles' Smokehouse BBQ chips may just be one of the most intensely BBQ-flavored chips I've ever had. Open up a bag of these chips and take a whiff, and it really smells like you're standing next to a grill that's loaded up with different kinds of meat. The flavoring itself isn't too complex — it doesn't have any of the sweetness or acidity you might expect from some types of barbecue, but it definitely has that smoky quality that gives this product its name. These aren't the kind of chips you should opt for if you want something light and approachable, but it's great for those who want a flavor-packed experience out of their snack.

For BBQ lovers, this flavor is a clear winner. But for those who don't tend to like BBQ chips that much, it's absolutely not worth trying. Personally, I fall somewhere in the middle. I think these would be particularly tasty served at an actual barbecue as a side dish for some well-cooked smoked meat, but they're not exactly what I want to eat on the side of a basic sandwich for lunch.

Everything tastes better when it has a bit of extra heat, which is why Ruffles' Flamin' Hot BBQ chips come in above the smokehouse BBQ flavor. The actual BBQ flavor here isn't quite as strong as it is in its milder counterpart, so you get less of that smoky, meaty flavor. However, because there's a bit of heat in this snack, it makes for a more complex, more interesting chip overall. But don't worry — the heat here isn't overwhelming. Despite the bright red color of these chips, which seems to imply that they pack quite a bit of intensity heat-wise, that's not actually the case. You can definitely taste a slightly fiery quality in these chips, but they're not so strong that they'd turn off the less spice-inclined amongst us.

Unlike the smokehouse BBQ flavor, I can totally see eating these chips with a sandwich (or, more accurately, on a sandwich), because they pack such a flavor punch with their subtle heat. At the same time, you're not going to have that smoky flavor overpowering any other ingredient you're working with. However, these chips are delicious enough that they can easily stand on their own as a solo snack, as well.

Sometimes, it just makes sense not to mess with a good thing, which is why the original flavor of Ruffles is one of my favorites. Ruffles are all about texture, first and foremost, with those ridges playing an important role in the overall eating experience of these chips. Those ridges add some extra crunch to these chips, but they also play an important role in creating texture in your mouth before you even take a bite. Because of this, Ruffles' Original flavor is quite mild, without a lot going on. Of course, these chips are salty, but all you'll taste besides salt is potatoes. But isn't that exactly what potato chips are supposed to taste like?

When you're looking for a standard bag of chips that's a bit more interesting than the super thinly sliced variety that doesn't seem to pack much crunch at all, Original Ruffles chips are absolutely where it's at. At the same time, this flavor isn't exactly the most exciting or expressive of the bunch, which is why it doesn't take the first slot in this ranking. All that being said, although you've probably had original-flavored Ruffles before, they're worth another taste if you're craving a simple snack that'll get the job done every time.

Ruffles are some of the crunchiest chips on the market, so it seems a bit baffling that the brand would want to make its chips even crunchier than they already are. But, alas, it seems like that's exactly what the company set out to do with its double crunch line. I only encountered two Ruffles Double Crunch flavors at my local grocery store, and the honey mustard variety was my least favorite of the two. However, it still earns its place in the top three on this list, so it's still a success.

These chips are quite crunchy, of course, as the name suggests, but I wouldn't say they're actually twice as crunchy as the original. The flavor is what earns the Double Crunch Honey Mustard Ruffles their relatively high spot in this ranking. These chips really do taste exactly like honey mustard, with that acidic complexity you'd expect from mustard along with a subtle sweetness that complements that acidity well. I really liked the fact that the honey mustard flavoring isn't too sweet, which is sometimes the case when it comes to honey-mustard-flavored anything. 

The flavor of these chips is intense, so they're a bit much when you eat them all on their own. But this is a flavor that it's easy to want more of, so that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Spicy snacks are elite, so it should come as no surprise that Flamin' Hot Ruffles have earned their place as the number two chip in this ranking. The main appeal of these chips is the fact that they're not encumbered by any other disparate flavors — all you're focused on is the spice factor. With the other Flamin' Hot varieties I tried, it seemed like that heat was competing with whatever other underlying flavor the chips had going on. Here, though, you get blissful simplicity: just you with your hot chips, enjoying the simple, savory experience one bite at a time.

The photo on the front of this bag of chips implies that there's supposed to be a note of cheesiness here, but I definitely didn't taste that myself. Although some sort of cheesy quality wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing here, I like that these chips just offer a spicy simplicity without having to compete with other flavor notes. Overall, if you love hot chips, then this Ruffles variety is a must-try.

Have you ever tasted a food that tastes so much like another food that it blows you away for just an instant? Because that's the reaction I had when I took my first bite of Ruffles' Double Crunch Hot Wings chips. These chips taste exactly like hot wings in the strangest — and best — way possible. Of course, that juicy meatiness is missing from the equation, but besides that, Ruffles seems to have gotten the flavor of hot buffalo wings down to a science. There's some subtle spice there as well as some acidity, but those flavors are well-balanced and come together nicely. If you'd ever wondered if hot wings could come in a crunchy form, then these chips will have answered your prayers.

Are they really twice as crunchy as the original style of Ruffles? If you ask me, no. Sure, there may be some extra crunchiness there, but it's the flavor of these chips — not the texture — that really makes them shine.

I chose these Ruffles flavors based on availability at my local grocery store. The most important criteria for this ranking was flavor, since so many of the chips have a similar texture to one another. However, when applicable, I considered texture, as well. Chips that had a well-balanced flavor that closely matched the flavor they were intended to mimic are ranked higher than those with more poorly balanced, less closely matched flavors. I tried all of these chips at the same time with sips of water in between every flavor to ensure a clean palate.