Danny Palumbo
Justine Sterling
Lay’s flavors rarely miss. Lay’s chips always feel charged up with flavor; whatever taste they set out to create in their seasoning lab permeates every lovely, greasy potato chip in its entirety. Lay’s regularly mixes it up, and they have experimented with a ton of different flavors over the years—especially when you dip a toe into the wonderful world of international Lay’s flavors. And that makes ranking the best Lay’s chips difficult. There are so many to consider.
How we chose the Lay’s flavors for our taste tests
In our initial ranking we limited ourselves to the classic Lay’s flavors that you regularly find in the grocery store. In our most recent taste test, we included some new Lay’s flavors as well as some international Lay’s flavors from China and India, which we were able to source from a local Indian grocery store as well as Amazon.
What we looked for in the best Lay’s flavors
We looked for flavor above all else. We asked ourselves, what flavor feels the most pronounced? Also: What’s the most unique? And what do we keep coming back to again and again? So come along on this journey, as we present the 18 best flavors of Lay’s potato chips—now including international Lay’s potato chips.
The following article contains affiliate links that may generate a small commission to us when you make a purchase through the link. Learn more about how we work with affiliates here.
- Lay’s Wavy Ranch
-
The ranch flavor here isn’t super strong. That said, the subtle flavor and the waviness of these ranch chips is unique and makes them the perfect chip for dipping. This is the most dippable Lay’s product, and you should take advantage. Dipping a ranch chip into ranch dip? Look, you only live once. You know that, right? — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart
- Lay’s West Indies Hot n’ Sweet Chili
-
These Indian Lay’s start sweet—but that sweetness is quickly followed by some savory, BBQ-esque notes, and then comes the heat. And it keeps coming. Seriously, these are some spicy Lay’s potato chips. But that balance of sweetness and umami keeps you coming back for more. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Lay’s Salt & Vinegar
-
Lay’s Salt & Vinegar chips aren’t the best salt and vinegar chips, not by a mile. But we still find them to be pleasantly piquant, salty, and tangy. Not to mention there’s that classic Lay’s greasiness that we love. These may not be the strongest entry in the Lay’s catalog, but they’re fatty, tart, and a real joy to eat. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart
- Lay’s All Dressed
-
How did it take so long for the U.S. to come around on all dressed chips? They’re so good! While I personally preferred a ridged all dressed chip, the thin, crispy Lay’s all dressed are damn good, too. They’re tangy, sweet, and a little bit creamy—they really don’t taste like anything else. You’re not dipping these in anything, they are totally saturated with flavor already. And they’re great on a sandwich. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Lay’s Kettle Cooked Mesquite BBQ
-
The first kettle style chip on this list is also the best smoky. There’s less sweetness here than some other Lay’s BBQ chips, so you really get to savor that mesquite flavor. These would be great to bring to a cookout. Put ‘em on a plate with a hamburger, a hot dog, or, as my family does, a skewered leg of lamb. Pair these chips with meat and you won’t be disappointed. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart
- Lay’s Sweet & Spicy Honey
-
While these newish Lay’s don’t necessarily taste like honey—or spice, for that matter—they do taste like pineapple teriyaki chicken and they do taste good. Seriously, they taste like savory, fatty chicken drippings in a sweet, tropical sauce. It’s delicious! (As long as you aren’t expecting honey.) — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Lay’s Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue
-
File this under my opinion that “new flavors outshine the old ones,” because we liked the Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Chips more than the original Barbecue. The heat actively complements the sweet and smoky barbecue flavor, giving these much more depth than the regular Lay’s Barbecue, which is still a fine chip. There’s a bit of creaminess in these chips, too, and if you peep the ingredients, they do contain dairy. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart
- Lay’s Kettle Cooked Cajun
-
Another relatively new Lay’s flavor, the Kettle Cooked Cajun chips taste exactly like blackening seasoning. And, since they’re kettle cooked, they’re extremely crunchy. I thought these might just be Lay’s attempt as a Zapp’s Voodoo Chips dupe, but it’s not. This Lay’s flavor is truly its own, and it’s a keeper. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Lay’s Dill Pickle
-
These taste like fattening pickles. And that really is the problem with pickles—they should contain more fat! Where do you get off having no fat, pickles? These chips are salty, tangy, delicious, and have that classic oil-rich taste we know and love from Lay’s. They make me think of a greasy diner sandwich full of mayonnaise and pickles. By the way, put these on a sandwich if you want to have a good time (I heard that you like to have a good time). — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target
- Lay’s Sour Cream & Onion
-
One of the more classic, old-school Lay’s flavors on this list (besides Classic, of course), Lay’s Sour Cream & Onion are delightfully creamy and pungent. I honestly forgot just how much onion flavor these little guys carry. These Lay’s strike the perfect flavor balance; they cut the rich creaminess with just enough onion flavor, but not too much. Delectable, nuanced, and jam-packed with flavor, these are hard to beat. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target
- Lay’s Texas Grilled BBQ
-
This isn’t BBQ like traditional American BBQ chips. These aren’t sweet, BBQ sauce-flavored Lay’s chips. These taste like steak. Specifically, these Chinese Lay’s chips taste like fatty, juicy steak drippings. It’s absolutely wild—and tasty as all get out. If you like steak and you want to experience a steak-flavored chip that gives you a Wonkian experience, these are the best Lay’s to buy. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Yami
- Lay’s Cheddar & Sour Cream
-
Here’s the thing: I had ranked these lower on the list, but they ended up being the chips that we keep eating around the Sporked office. There’s a bag sitting on Gwynedd’s desk as we speak. Taste them and go, “Oooooh wee!” These chips fully gave us Cravings (by Chrissy Tiegen™). They’re just savory, cheesy, and delicious. The addition of cheddar and the loss of onion really amps up the umami. These win big in the flavor department. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart
- Lay’s Numb & Spicy Hot Pot
-
Ever since the first time I had hot pot, I’ve been chasing the tingly sensation and unique flavor of the mala spices. And these Chinese Lay’s chips totally capture the experience. The chips start a bit sweet, but then you are immediately hit by an aromatic wave of classic hot pot spices. And they are actually spicy. They’re my favorite spicy Lay’s chips for sure, and I’ll be seeking them out whenever I’m in an Asian grocery store. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Lay’s Mexican Chicken Tomato
-
Ignore the chicken in the name of these Chinese Lay’s chips. They aren’t chicken-y at all. But that doesn’t matter, because they are so tomatoey. They’re sweet. They’re savory. They’re so saturated with incredible tomato flavor. I saw one review that compared these chips to tomato soup, and that’s almost right. They aren’t ketchup chips, but they aren’t entirely fresh tomato chips either. They’re like concentrated tomato chips—as if someone pulverized tomato paste and sprinkled it all over thin potato crisps. We really couldn’t get enough of them. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Exotic Snacks
- Lay’s Chile Limón
-
We all agreed that these chips have a “street taco in a bag” vibe. The balance of heat and acidity is quite nice. Actually, the lime flavor in these is better than in the plain limón chips. Why? For some reason, Lay’s Chile Limón chips contain lemon and lime juice, while the regular limón chips contain neither of those things and only citric acid. Crazy! I don’t know what’s going on there, but these chile limón chips are bright, citrusy, spicy, and delicious. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Lay’s Spicy Crayfish
-
Even if they didn’t make our ranking of the best Lay’s, all of the seafood-flavored Chinese Lay’s chips we tasted were authentic representations of whatever seafood was on the bag. Maybe we didn’t love the roasted oyster-flavored Lay’s but, hey, they really did taste like roasted oysters. These Spicy Crayfish Lay’s, on the other hand, tasted exactly like crawfish and they tasted great. If you’ve ever sucked the head of a crustacean at a crawfish boil, you know what these taste like. They’re salty and spicy and there’s even this hint of sweet onion. Really great stuff. Bring these international Lay’s to America, Frito-Lay! — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Exotic Snacks
- Classic Lay’s
-
I usually don’t pay lip service to classic flavors, but man, Classic Lay’s are exceptional. It’s because, as I’ve said many times before, they’re so delightfully fatty and rich. Classic Lay’s might not taste much like actual potatoes (no Lay’s chips do, really), but they’re pleasantly greasy and salty, making them one of the more addicting chips out there. All of the other flavors on this list absolutely rip, but sometimes, simple wins. That’s what happened here. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target
- Lay’s Wavy Funyuns
-
Never has a sum been so much greater than its parts. These are so oniony—not just Funyun-y. And the wavy texture is delightful. The waves are the perfect height—not too big, but larger than ridges. Out of all the Lay’s flavors, these are the apex. This is the perfect chip flavor. It’s so good, in fact, that Wavy Funyuns Lay’s have dethroned Classic Lay’s as the best Lay’s. Please, never discontinue them, Frito-Lay. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
Best Dippable
Best Sweet & Spicy
Best Piquant
Best with a Sandwich
Best Smoky
Best Sweet Flavor
Best Barbecue Chip
Best Kettle Cooked Lay’s
Best On a Sandwich
Best Onion Flavor
Best Meaty Flavor
Best Cheese
Best Spicy Lay’s
Best Tomato Flavor
Best Citrus Flavor
Best Seafood Flavor
Best Classic Flavor
Best of the Best
Gwynedd Stuart
Will Morgan
Matt Crowley
