Jessica Block
Ariana Losch
The best salty snacks are the best snacks, period. See, if you’re anything like us, then you know the truth: salty snacks are superior. To what, you ask? Well, we’d say most things in life. Have you ever met a problem that a potato chip, Cheeto, or chicken strip couldn’t make better? Exactly.
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The best salty snacks are like a cup of hot tea on a cold winter’s day or an Otter Pop in the heat of the summer, EXCEPT that they are delightful in either of those situations and any situation in between. We rounded up some of the best savory snacks from our many, many tastes (in no particular order). Hopefully, you’ll find something new to try on this list of the best salty snacks.
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- Lay’s Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue
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For a chip that’s so light and crisp, the flavor is so incredibly bold. These BBQ chips taste almost like burnt ends. They’re smoky and tangy and honeyed and lightly spicy. There is not a better BBQ chip on the market, people. God bless Lay’s and their willingness to make their chips so greasy yet so thin. —Ariana Losch
Read our full ranking of the best BBQ chips
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Deep River Snacks New York Spicy Dill Pickle Kettle Cooked Potato Chips
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These spicy pickle kettle chips from Deep River have stayed our #1 best pickle chips for years. We tasted them pretty early on in our Sporked careers, and they have retained their deliciousness—to the point where our office now stocks them just to have on the regular. The kettle chips are small but crunchy and satisfying. The flavor is super dilly and nicely greasy, like a good pickle brine. Nothing says “best salty snacks” like a briny potato chip. Gosh, we just love them so much. —Ariana Losch
Read our full ranking of the best dill pickle chips
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Chex Mix Traditional
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Chex Mix is one of the best salty snacks out there. It is varied, savory, and absolutely loaded with seasoning. And it turns out the shapes of the little mix components themselves really make or break a snack mix depending on how well the flavoring is able to stick to them. A chex piece full of little tiny holes is the perfect seasoning catcher. If you haven’t revisited Chex Mix in a while, give it another go. The flavor is just so deliciously iconic. People might not use checks anymore, but I believe Chex will be around forever. —Jessica Block
Read our full ranking of the best Chex Mix flavors
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Cheddar Goldfish
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OG Goldfish are the perfect snack. You’ve had them. You know it to be true. The only real question is whether you buy the regular cheddar or the flavor-blasted cheddar. We love both, so we really had to frame it as: What version of Goldfish could we not live without? And it’s the OG, y’all. It’s always the OG. —Ariana Losch
Read our full ranking of the best Goldfish flavors
- Chicas Lime Tortilla Chips
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I am a sucker for a nice, aggressively salty, significantly sour chip that actually tastes like limes. What can I say? Tostitos Hint of Lime made me who I am today. But we aren’t here to talk about Tostitos, we are here to talk about the lime-y, salty, greasy glory that is Chicas Lime Corn Tortilla chips. These are oily and flaky and taste like they were just homemade in the fryer. They literally taste like homemade chips with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lime. They are ideal and definitely one of the best salty snacks to buy if you are looking for a sour, salty, greasy good time. —Jessica Block
Read our full ranking of the best lime tortilla chips
Credit: Merc / Kroger
- Cheetos Crunchy Cheddar Jalapeño
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At the risk of putting the nerdiest sentence ever out here on the internet, I first tried these Cheetos on a road trip with my college a cappella group. I was pleasantly surprised. They are not as spicy as Flamin’ Hot, but they do still have a kick, PLUS they have a huge cheesy flavor and a hint of jalapeño flavor. So if you are a cheesy gal but also a spicy gal, maybe give these a go the next time your salty snack cravings kick in. —Jessica Block
Read our full ranking of the best Cheetos flavors
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Honey Dijon Kettle Chips
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Hey, sometimes the best savory snacks have a little bit of sweetness to make you really appreciate the beauty of salt. Honey Dijon Kettle Cheps are sweet, tangy, aggressively mustardy, and almost caramelized in their richness. The signature Kettle crunch holds all that intensity beautifully, letting the savory-sweet notes linger with every bite. It’s the perfect amount of flavor dust. We’re just so happy these exist. —Ariana Losch
Read our full review of the best Kettle chips
Credit: Paula Kunatee / Instacart
- Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels Original Seasoned Pretzel Twists
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“Ugh, pretzels? Why would I ever buy pretzels when I’m craving a salty snack when chips exist?” Listen, kids: Dot’s Pretzels are their own thing. They’re some of the most flavorful, buttery, savory-seasoned salty snacks out there, with ingredients like buttermilk and garlic and onion that combine to light up the dopamine center of your brain with every little braided twist. Ugh. Marry me, Dot’s. —Ariana Losch
Read our full review of the best Dots pretzel flavors
Credit: Liv Averett / Hersheyland
- Snyders of Hanover Snaps
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Sorry, but it feels wrong to include our favorite flavored pretzel and not our favorite plain pretzel on this list. Snyders, the king of pretzels, puts out a lot of great products, but the grid-like shape of their Snaps is just so satisfying to bite into. And it’s the type of crunchy that isn’t dry, like many pretzels fail to get right. These might not have Dot’s levels of butter, but they’re definitely still buttery, with a perfect, even distribution of salt with every piece. If you’re putting a snack mix together and want people to actually get excited about the pretzels, these are the way to go. —Ariana Losch
Read our full ranking of the best pretzels
Credit: Ryan Martin / Target
- Sprouts Organic Popcorn Lightly Buttered
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This is not movie theater popcorn, okay—you’ll have to check out our microwave popcorn ranking for recs on that. But Sprouts Organic Popcorn is some of the best in the bagged popcorn biz. It’s salty in a light, bright, satisfying way, and the butter tastes fresh instead of artificial. The kernels have a sturdy, pleasant crunch. This is really for anyone who wants a light snack without feeling the need to lie down afterward. —Ariana Losch
Read our full ranking of the best bagged popcorn
Credit: Ryan Martin / Instacart
- Gimme Teriyaki Roasted Seaweed Snacks
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The only truly stupid thing about seaweed snacks is how it only takes 90 seconds to finish a whole tray. Still, as a salt freak, I love ‘em. And the teriyaki’s smoky-sweetness on these Gimme Seaweed Snacks adds a whole extra layer of umami. I mean, the flavor is still subtle, but that’s kind of the point. Please gimme bigger portion sizes, Gimme! I’m begging you. —Ariana Losch
Read our full ranking of the best seaweed snacks
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
Best BBQ Chips
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Dill Pickle Chips
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Salty Snack Mix
Rating:
10/10
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Best Goldfish
Rating:
10/10
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Best Lime Tortilla Chips
Rating:
10/10
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Best Cheetos Flavor
Rating:
10/10
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Best Salty-Sweet Chips
Rating:
10/10
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Best Flavored Pretzels
Rating:
10/10
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Best Plain Pretzels
Rating:
10/10
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Best Bagged Popcorn
Rating:
9/10
Sporks
Best Seaweed Sanck
Rating:
9/10
Sporks
Sporked Staff
Jordan Myrick
Gwynedd Stuart
