I’ve Tasted a Ton of Protein Chips and These Are the Ones I’d Actually Recommend

When we first put together a ranking of the best high protein chips, we framed it as the best “keto chips.” Remember when everyone was keto? Well, now everyone is on GLP-1s and looking to supplement their protein intake (I saw one survey say that 70% of Americans want to eat more protein—that’s a lot!). Anyway, snack brands are ready. There are so many more protein chips on the market than there were just a couple of years ago. 

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For this taste test, we tried everything from protein chips made with chicken and egg whites to Doritos with protein added in.

If you’re looking to supplement your protein during snack time, here are the best protein chips we’ve tried so far. (There are probably more coming out as I type!)

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Best Dairy Free Protein Chips

B-Sides Ranch (5g protein)

B-Sides

Most protein chips contain dairy because protein blends are frequently milk-based. I’m including B Sides in this ranking not because I think they’re the best snack in the world, but because they’re pretty good AND they’re vegan. And I do really like the ranch flavor on these little extruded puffs (which are kind of like a cross between Crunchy Cheetos and Cheetos Puffs). They’re made with the B sides blend, which contains upcycled corn flour, pea protein, and upcycled oat protein. It’s a little bitter and my main complaint is that these are dry, especially if you think of them as Cheetos adjacent. But hey. They’re pretty low cal and they have 5g protein per serving and they’re vegan! That’s gotta count for something!

Credit: Liv Averett / B-Sides

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best Potato Crisp-Style Protein Chips

Quest Original Style BBQ (19g protein)

Quest Nutrition

I recently taste tested every single variety of Quest chips I could get my hands on. Most of them are tortilla-style chips, which makes sense. You’ll notice a lot of these protein chips are tortilla-style chips and I think that’s because corn is more forgiving than potato when it comes to flavor and texture. But if you’re really craving potato chips—or, better yet, potato crisps like Pringles—Quest’s BBQ chips are pretty satisfying. The BBQ seasoning is smoky and salty, and the crisps themselves are crunchy and don’t totally turn to paste in your mouth as you chew, although there is some mealiness to contend with. If Wilde chips sound too weird to you (they’re made with egg whites and chicken breast), try these. 

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best High Protein Doritos Dupe

Quest Nacho Cheese (18g protein)

Quest Nutrition

These were the best Quest chips we tried in our taste test, so I’m including them here even though they have some fierce competition in the nacho cheese-flavored protein chips department (see #1). These are coated in a massive amount of cheesy flavor dust and it covers up any of the milky protein powder flavor of the chip itself. If you want protein chips with just a litttttle less fat than Protein Doritos (6g vs. 8g) and almost twice as much protein, these are a good option. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Quest Nutrition

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Protein Tortilla Chips (Citrus Edition)

Simply Protein Hint of Lime (7g protein)

Instacart

These protein tortilla chips from Simply Protein are crunchy, salty, a little oily, and they have the perfect, zesty hint of lime flavor. Okay, maybe it’s a bit more than a hint, but damn it’s good! I could not stop eating these. They’d be good with salsa, but they’re flavorful enough to eat on their own, too. If you’re looking for the best protein chips for dipping, check out the next item on this list. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Protein Tortilla Chips

Simply Protein Sea Salt (7g protein)

Instacart

My main complaint about most protein chips is that they’re SO DRY. They just turn to dust in your mouth. So despite the slightly off oil smell in this bag of Simply Protein tortilla chips, I love that they have an oiliness. They taste a little corny and the pea protein doesn’t overpower the tortilla chip flavor profile. If you’re looking for plain protein chips to eat with salsa or queso, these kind of rule! 

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Flavored Protein Chips

Wilde Protein Chips Chicken & Waffles (10g protein)

Instacart

Wilde’s Chicken and Waffles chips are some of the best protein chips at the grocery store. They’re light and crispy, and we really like the savory chicken flavor—and this chicken and waffles flavor really works. You get a lot of nice sweet maple syrup flavor up front, but as you chew you can taste the savory chicken flavor of the chips. They’re surprisingly good despite being really weird. When I first tried these, I was compelled to take them home. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Protein Chips

Protein Doritos Nacho Cheese (10g protein)

Instacart

When we first got Protein Doritos here at the office, I fed them to my colleague Jordan Myrick without telling them what was different about them. Jordan DID guess that they were protein chips, BUT it took a minute. They’re Doritos with just a little bit of something different, but they’re crunchy, pleasantly fatty, and loaded with the flavor dust you know and love. I’m sure other big-name salty snacks will be coming out with protein versions soon, but for now, these are the best. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Other protein chips and keto chips we tried

HiLo Life Ranch (discontinued), HiLo Life Nacho Cheese (discontinued), HiLo Life Spicy Salsa (discontinued), Quest Spicy Sweet Chili Protein Chips, Quest Ranch Protein Chips, Flock Chicken Skin Crisps BBQ, Flock Chicken Skin Crisps Nashville Hot Chicken, Quest Hot & Spicy, Quest Salsa Verde, Quest Cheddar & Sour Cream, B-Sides Cheddar, B-Sides Jalapeno