Top 11 Chips

CJ Tiernan
Dec 10, 2025
5 min read

By CJ Tiernan

Since the beginning of time, bags of chips have served humanity as loyal side dishes. They've walked hand in hand with a cold sandwich inside a lunch box, presented a splash of color at picnics and barbecues, and waded through the cartoon-fueled waters of after-school snacks. They are crunchy and delightful and always welcome (except for maybe inside a library. Shhhh!). While it can be difficult to select a bag of chips in the grocery aisle due to sheer volume, have no fear! CJ is here! Below is a list of my Top 11 favorite Chips of all time.

1. Sun Chips (Garden Salsa)

Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Overall, I'm not a Sun Chips guy. Or at least, I wasn't when I was a kid (I haven't dared to try them lately). Who has the unmitigated gull to go and bring whole wheat to the chip bowl? (Hello! I'm trying to eat here). However, they simply found perfection with the Garden Salsa. Unless forced to share, I've yet to pop open a bag and not down its contents in their entirety. Garden Salsa Sun Chips are simply too good. The 11 herbs and spices or whatever that they sprinkle on those things are magical. They've made Cheeto dust and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cinnamon sugar commercially available outside of their original product. The Garden Salsa seasoning must be next. In the immortal words of Michael Scott "you have one day" (They always give an ultimatum).

2. Doritos (Cool Ranch)

There is famously a debate betwixt Cool Ranch and Nacho Cheese (or Cooler Ranch and Nacho Cheesier as I grew up knowing them). Pish posh, I say. They're both great. Enjoy whichever you please. But just understand, I favor the Cool Ranch. CJ = C = Cool = Cool Ranch. Nacho Cheese = N = Not Cool. The Math doesn't lie. I double-checked it like a list in the North Pole.

3. Cheetos (Crunchy)

Jeff Eaton, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The downside to Cheetos is the orange fingers. A residue develops that stains anything you touch and leaves evidence that you just wolfed down a bag of Cheetos (unless you deploy the veteran move of pouring them straight down the gullet like a cartoon bird). The upside, is everything else. Cheetos are a delicious splash of cheese in crunchy form. Please enjoy away from your keyboard for maximum efficiency.

4. Lays/Ruffles/Pringles (Barbecue)

I'm not a stickler for the brand here. Lays are the O.G., Ruffles have ridges, and with Pringles, we all know that once you pop, the fun don't stop. A mustachioed disembodied head on the side of a tube would never steer you wrong. Barbecue is my go to. It is very flavorful and works well alongside other barbecue fare or flying solo.

5. Doritos (Spicy Sweet Chili)

These are the real Johnny-Come-Lately on my list, at least relatively speaking, but aw man did they make an entrance. I like a little kick with my food and this one provides just the right amount of kick to allow you to enjoy the flavor without having to go one-for-one on chips and sips (of water). Plus, it's in a purple bag. What a fun wrinkle (and not at all a move to subconsciously compare it to Takis)!

6. Lays/Ruffles/Pringles (Sour Cream and Onion)

Again, the brand (and they hate when you say this) is irrelevant. The important thing is that you hit that sweet balance between the smoothness of the sour cream and the karate chop of the onion. Magical flavor crystals traverse the seven seas of your taste buds and lap upon the shores of your olfactory system. I can't describe it any better than to say it's wonderful.

7. Fritos

Trusty, delicious Fritos have been around forever. They've accompanied variety packs since the advent of the variety pack and were invented way back in 1932. We had Fritos longer than McDonald's or Ferrari or late night television. The secret? It's only 3 ingredients. That's right, Fritos are simply made with corn, vegetable oil, and salt. That's it. Those are basically the same ingredients in corn on the cob. Did we just discover that Fritos are a vegetable?

8. Cheetos (Puffy)

Mike Mozart from Funny YouTube, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

I know, I know. I'm stepping on another landmine here. Crunchy Cheetos vs. Puffy Cheetos. While I placed the crown upon the metaphorical head of Crunchy Cheetos, the Puffy ones deserve a place on the podium. I like to use my teeth to saw them down in middle almost all the way through and make it look like a tree that a beaver is about to fell. Or perhaps, an hourglass holding time hostage while I play with my food. A delicious, cheesy mess (which happens to be a great way to describe both me and the Cheetos).

9. Doritos (Nacho Cheese)

Jeangagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

I promised they were on the list and here they are. While not the best Doritos variety (is a Dorito the singular of Doritos?), I do quite enjoy these. They stain your fingers more than the Cool Ranch (and less than Cheetos) and the flavor is a little more muted, but altogether it's a great chip. In fact, I highly recommend using them as your chip-base when making nachos. It will up your game (you're welcome!).

10a. Tostitos (Bite Size Rounds)

I'm not gonna sit here and pretend to know why, but of all the tortilla chip varieties at the grocery store, this one is my fave. It's a flawless salt ratio, an exquisite crunch, and the whole thing fits cleanly in your mouth in one bite. There is no need to turn it blue, add a dash of lime, or shape it into a triangle. These actions will only mess with perfection.

10b. Tostitos (Other Varieties)

At the end of the day, a tortilla chip is a tortilla chip. While I sang the praises of the best variety above, they're all wonderful and more than deserving of being plunged into the icy depths of salsa or trudging through some guacamole. Heck, I'm no stranger to throwing some on a plate, burying them in cheese, and then nuking it in the microwave for insta-nachos.

11. Lays/Ruffles/Pringles (Cheddar and Sour Cream)

Cheddar and Sour Cream chips are great, but you have to be in the mood. You can't force them upon someone, they've got to come to you. They can be a little heavy-handed with the flavor and you've got to get the seat in the full and upright position before making the descent. However, when you're game, it hits. Aw man, what a delight. Be careful not to fall asleep on the couch right after, though, without brushing your teeth. While not as bad as the time I had Au Gratin potato chips and took a nap, it can leave your breath with the power to ward off vampires and friends alike.

Final Thoughts

I thought about throwing "poker chips" in there somewhere as a curveball answer, but that would have been disrespectful to you. You came here to know which chips are the best and we all knew what I meant. Plus, chips are facsimile for money, not the real thing, and I usually lose them at the table anyway so it's a bit of a love-hate relationship there. Anyway, chips are delicious. Eat chips (do they have a breakfast chip option, I wonder? Nope, wait, I take it back. That's dumb. It's just cereal before you put the milk in. Withdrawn... Please stop looking a me). These are my favorites that I've ever tried but there are so many different flavors I'm sure your list differs from my own. Please let me know in the comments where I dropped the ball. Thanks!