The Best Salty-Sweet Snacks from Our Taste Tests

They say it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. I’d argue this extends to snacks—why choose salty or sweet when you just might exercise your god-given right to change your mind about what you were in the mood for in the first place? That’s where the best salty-sweet (and sweet-salty) snacks come in. We’ve tried it all, from old standbys like kettle corn to newfangled creations like chips made to taste like chicken and waffles drenched in maple syrup. Here are some of the best salty-sweet snacks from our taste tests for the next time you can’t (or refuse to) make up your mind.

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Best Kettle Corn

Popcorn Indiana Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn

Walmart

Some kettle corn is simply too sweet. Worse yet, some of it is artificially sweet in a way that lingers on your tongue. Gross! Not Popcorn Indiana, though. The fictional town that is actually a popcorn brand makes kettle corn that has a perfect sweet-salty balance, not to mention big, perfectly popped kernels. It may not beat what you get at the county fair, but it comes close.

Read the full ranking of the best kettle corn

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

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Best Peanut Butter Pretzels

Kirkland Peanut Butter Pretzels

Costco

Most peanut butter pretzels are a letdown. The peanut butter is dry as hell and there’s always a huge gap between the pretzel and the peanut butter morsel inside. Kirkland peanut butter pretzels are different. No gap! Smooth and creamy peanut butter! We’d never even heard of “Valencia peanut butter,”  but turns out we love it. Plus, you’re getting these at Costco so they come in a huge tub you can enjoy for a long time.

Read the full ranking of the best peanut butter pretzels

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

10/10

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Best Granola Bars

Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Almond Granola Bars

Target

We’ve tasted and retasted granola bars, but these Nature Valley bars always wind up wowing us. These aren’t the crumbly guys you’re thinking of. These bars are soft, chewy, packed with crunchy nuts, and, best part, they’re dunked in a salt-sweet coating that’s irresistible. 

Read the full ranking of the best granola bars

Credit: Ryan Martin / Target

Rating:

10/10

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Best Chex Mix

Honey Nut Chex Mix

Walmart

There are a bunch of sweet Chex Mix flavors (including a whole Buddies line with Chex morsels that are coated with sweet stuff like the Chex morsels in Puppy Chow), but none of them are quite as good as this salty-sweet Honey Nut flavor. Sweet little vanilla cookies and breadsticks join salted pretzels and the usual Chex to create a salt-sweet snack that’s as nostalgic as it is tasty. Finally! A Chex Mix that isn’t redolent of worchestershire sauce! 

Read the full ranking of the best Chex Mix flavors

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

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Best Sweet-Salty Pretzels

Dot’s Cinnamon Sugar Seasoned Pretzel Twists

Walmart

Dot’s is known for making deeply savory, highly seasoned pretzels, so this salt-sweet flavor is an interesting departure for the brand. Like other Dot’s pretzels, these are very salted-buttery, so the cinnamon sugar coating gives them Cinnabon vibes. If you want to lean into the sweetness, pair these with a tub of cream cheese frosting and go to town. 

Read the full ranking of the best pretzels

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

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Best Trader Joe’s Popcorn

Maple Sea Salt Kettle Popcorn

Yet another Trader Joe’s seasonal item we wish was available all year long. This is sweeter than your average kettle corn thanks to the breakfast-y flavor of maple syrup, but the salt from the popcorn nicely balances things out. 

Read the full ranking of the best Trader Joe’s popcorn

Credit: Merc

Rating:

9/10

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Best Protein Chips

Wilde Protein Chips Chicken and Waffles

Instacart

Wilde protein chips are made from chicken breast and egg whites. Listen, we know that doesn’t sound good, but we liked them better than a lot of other protein chips, especially in this savory-sweet flavor profile that tastes like chicken and waffles doused in maple syrup. Seriously, something about the savory nature of the chip itself really sings with a sweet, maple-y flavor dust. Don’t knock ‘em till you’ve tried ‘em. 

Read the full ranking of the best protein chips

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

8.5/10

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Best Puffcorn

Like Air Salted Caramel

Walmart

Like Air makes what seems like a million flavors of puffcorn, but we especially love this salted caramel flavor. Instead of a slick, sugary caramel coating, the puffs are coated in a salt-sweet flavor dust that gets all up in the nooks and crannies. At 50 cals per serving, this is a nice low-cal snack, too. 

Read the full ranking of the best puffcorn

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

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Best Pringles Product

Pringles Mingles Cinnamon & Sugar

Instacart

We don’t love Pringles Mingles as a concept (they’re too dry to be cheese puffs and too dense to be puffcorn), but we made an exception for this salty-sweet flavor. Beneath the cinnamon sugar you can taste something akin to salted butter that makes these little bowtie-shaped puffs taste way more decadent than they are. If you can’t decide between a handful of chips or a cookie, try these Mingles.

Read the full ranking of the best Pringle flavors

Credit: Liv Averett / Pringles

Rating:

7.5/10

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Best Snack Mix

Beer Nuts Original Bar Mix

Instacart

A lot of snack mixes try to strike the perfect salt-sweet balance, but Beer Nuts Original is the only one that succeeded when we sat down to taste test a whole slew of snack mixes. All in all, the mix—which includes peanuts (duh), pretzels, sesame sticks, corn chip sticks, and corn nuts—is more salty than sweet, but the sugary coating on the Beer Nuts adds just a hint of sweetness for interest. You’ll still want to drink beer with this, promise.

Read the full ranking of the best snack mix

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

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