6 Pickle-Flavored Potato Chips, Ranked Worst To Best

Potato chips certainly have come a long way over the years, and long gone are the days of plain potato chip flavors. Nowadays, you can find some awfully creative chip flavors out there, with those like Lay's potato chips offering mind-boggling flavors like BLT Sandwich, Sweet & Spicy Honey, or Dill Pickle. As far as that latter flavor is concerned, however, Lay's certainly isn't the only brand to have hopped onto the dill pickle trend. Just a quick trip down the chip aisle at any large grocery store will prove that pickles are more popular than ever, both in actual pickle form and in pickle-flavored potato chip form.

So, which chip brand offers the best pickle-flavored potato chip? That's what I've set out to find out. In this ranking of pickle potato chips, I've sampled six different brands to pinpoint which pickle chip tantalizes the taste buds and which ones are, unfortunately, duds. I determined my ranking based on a few factors, with a major one being how much the chip actually tastes like pickles. Other factors included the texture of the chips and how good the pickle flavor was (or, if it didn't really taste like pickles, how good the chip tasted in general).

There's no denying that Lay's is one of the most recognizable names in the potato chip game, and typically, its flavors are on point. Hence why it pains me to rank Lay's in the last place on this list, but alas, there's no getting around the fact that Lay's Dill Pickle potato chips were a disappointment. Now, I'm certainly not going to say that these were bad-tasting chips by any means, but the biggest offense here is that the chips didn't taste like pickles (or even dill for that matter), which simply felt like too big an offense to overlook.

Interestingly enough, one bite of these chips instantly reminded me of another Lay's flavor, Salt and Vinegar. And, admittedly, salt and vinegar is one of my favorite chip flavors, so I can't pretend like I wasn't enjoying my experience as I ate these chips. But I wasn't picking up on any pickle flavor, and if anything, the chips sort of just seemed like a subdued, knockoff version of salt and vinegar. The texture of the chips was fine — thin and crispy, on par with other Lay's varieties — but I couldn't get past that pickle flavor, or rather lack thereof. So, yes, Lay's Dill Pickle chips are coming in last place, and for those who are after chips that truly taste like dill pickles, these are a skip altogether. 

Pringles flavors can be hit or miss in my opinion, with certain flavors — like Pizza or good old Original — striking a consistently good chord. Then there are those flavors that don't bring a whole lot to the table, and unfortunately, I'd argue that Dill Pickle Pringles fall into that latter category. Much like with the Lay's pickle chips, I certainly wouldn't say that pickle Pringles are bad, but compared to some more complex, flavorful options on this list, they definitely paled in comparison.

One certainly wouldn't assume that these Pringles were dill pickle-flavored simply by looking at them, as there's not a speck of seasoning in sight. And, after tasting a couple of the chips, I wasn't picking up on a whole lot of pickleness. I could certainly see what they were going for, with a little bit of tanginess at play and perhaps the faintest hint of dill. Whatever dill pickle flavor was present was very subdued and surprisingly mild, however, which didn't make for a very tantalizing chip. Had these Pringles really amped up that pickle flavor, this ranking could be a different story. As-is, however, I'm not rushing to swap out my go-to Pringles flavor for this dill pickle one.

Of all the chips on this list, I'd argue that Kettle Brand's Krinkle Cut Dill Pickle chips had my least favorite texture. Of course, texture isn't the most important factor when ranking flavor-specific chips, but I figured it was worth mentioning that these chips were about as hard and crunchy as they get. I'm sure there are plenty of folks out there who enjoy an extra-crunchy chip, but to me, I found it hard to focus on the flavor of the chips because I was too distracted by sheer crunchiness.

In those moments that I could turn my focus away from the crunchiness, I wasn't particularly wowed or blown away by the dill pickle flavor that the chips had to offer, but I didn't hate it either. There was some obvious seasoning on these chips and, for what it's worth, I could certainly pick up on some distinct dill notes at times. The actual pickle flavor was a little harder to pinpoint, with the chips taking on a more general tangy flavor profile than anything else. Kettle Brand's dill pickle chips are definitely a middle-ground option in the pickle race — good, perhaps even great if you like super crunchy chips, but far from my favorite.

As if dill pickle-flavored chips weren't interesting enough, Miss Vickie's decided that spice needed to be in the mix, too. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about spicy pickle chips; while I do enjoy spicy flavors and dill pickle flavors as separate entities, I couldn't necessarily envision a world where they'd work well together. Or, if anything, I figured that one flavor profile would cancel the other out, leaving me with either a spicy chip or a pickle-flavored one, but not possibly both.

Miss Vickie's certainly proved me wrong, because these spicy dill pickle chips really did pack the best of both worlds. Though I do ultimately wish that there was even more dill pickle flavor at play in these chips, there was some distinct tanginess going on, one that worked impossibly well with a spicy counterpart. I appreciated that the spice was enough to heat the palate a little bit, but nothing too intense. Texture-wise, these kettle chips had a distinct crunchiness to them without being too hard, and though kettle chips may not be my favorite kind of chip, I enjoyed the texture nonetheless. Overall, these were solid dill pickle chips, ideal for those who like a little spice too.

Another day, another spicy pickle chip — and, sorry to Miss Vickie's, but a slightly better one in comparison. Just when I thought Miss Vickie's Spicy Dill Pickle flavor couldn't be improved upon, Ruffles proved itself to have the superior spicy pickle chip. As far as Spicy Dill Pickle goes as a flavor, I can't imagine that it gets much better than these Ruffles. A little bit spicy, very tangy and dill-forward, and perhaps even a little bit sweet, these Ruffles not only nailed the spicy pickle flavor, but just the pickle flavor in general.

Something that really stood out about these chips was just how impactful the flavor was. Every bite was absolutely laden with that spicy pickle flavor, but not in a way that felt overbearing or overly spicy. Instead, these chips simply tasted about as well-seasoned or well-coated as a chip could get, with the perfect ruffled texture that made going in for a second (and third, and fourth) chip a little too easy. Between the perfectly crispy-crunchy texture of the chips and the impeccably tasty spicy pickle flavor, these Ruffles are an obvious winner, but there was one brand that managed to outshine them.

Despite being such a potato chip lover, admittedly, I'd never tried Utz chips prior to this ranking. That said, all it took was one single Utz Fried Dill Pickle potato chip, and I think I'm converted for life. Seriously, all it took was one bite of one single potato chip, and I felt like I unlocked potato chip heaven — it's no wonder we ranked the Fried Dill Pickle flavor in the top slot in our Utz potato chip ranking, too.

These chips worked for a few important reasons. One, the texture of the chips was absolutely divine, with each chip having that perfect balance of being crispy-crunchy but not overly hard, with ridges for that special added touch. The flavor is what really sold me, though, as I don't think a pickle-flavored potato chip could get more accurate. When I tell you that these chips tasted exactly like a fried pickle, I am not lying or even exaggerating. These chips were tangy, salty, briny, rich, and even a tad bit sweet, along with being perfectly seasoned and all-around just very spot on when it comes to tasting like a pickle. It's not always easy to pinpoint a winner when ranking similar-tasting foods, but in the pickle-flavored potato chip race, Utz won by a long shot.

When ranking these pickle-flavored potato chips, perhaps the most important factor came down to whether or not the chips actually tasted like pickles. The six different chip brands certainly varied their pickle flavor strength, with the chips in last and second-to-last place (Lay's and Pringles) having the weakest pickle flavors of them all. Meanwhile, the strongest and highest-ranked contenders (Utz and Ruffles) had chips with distinct and strong pickle flavors.

Pickle-specific flavor aside, I also just generally paid attention to how good a chip tasted, and whether it had any particular complexity or special aspect that made it stand out. Again, Utz and Ruffles proved to be the strongest contenders here, having unique flavors that were not only pickle-forward but just delicious in general, and those that stood out from the rest. Finally, I did make note of certain chips' textures and whether they worked particularly well or not, but ultimately, flavor was the ruling factor when it came to ranking the chips.