The Best Spicy Chips Set Our Taste Buds Ablaze!

As a snack category, spicy chips have more of a cult following than John Waters films, the music of the Grateful Dead, and Scientology combined. People are obsessed with spicy, crunchy snacks, and almost every single chip company has its own hot chips to keep up with the craze. 

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We’ve revisited our ranking of the best hot chips a few times, and each time, we find new and exciting products to set our tongues ablaze. But simply being spicy isn’t enough to make this list. No, no. We have other criteria:

• Good flavor. Some spicy chips just taste like capsaicin and it’s not great. Also, maybe some hot honey chips will come along in the future and wow us, but in the meantime, we have decided that hot honey-flavored potato chips do not taste good. Sorry, Mike’s!
• Good chips. The chip itself needs to be nice. We don’t cotton to chips that aren’t crispy-crunchy or chips that taste like old oil. A good base is half the battle!
• Heat. It should go without saying that spicy chips should be spicy, but we tasted way too many “spicy” chips that hardly made our lips and tongues burn—and I’m pretty sensitive to heat! 

Here’s how the ranking shook out after our most recent tear-inducing taste test.

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Best Takis

Takis Fuego

Target

Could you trust a list of hot chips that didn’t rank Takis Fuego? To be honest, I don’t think I could. Takis are the hot chip. The undeniable citrus twang, the perfect level of heat, and the ideal amount of crunch—what’s not to love? They’re perfect on their own or dipped into queso or stuffed into a cream cheese-filled jalapeño pepper (thank you, TikTok). Almost every chip company has attempted a knock-off version of Takis and nothing can compare to the original. —Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Lightly Flavored

Ruffles Simply Hot & Spicy

Instacart

We tried these during our taste test of every Ruffles flavor and weren’t wowed, but in the context of this taste test, we came around to them! The chips in Lay’s Simply line are made without artificial colors or flavors. Which, sure, great. Frankly, the Hot & Spicy flavor isn’t terrifically flavorful, but we kind of like how neutral they are—there’s heat and just a touch of something adjacent to BBQ seasoning. We decided these are the best spicy chips to eat with a nice, creamy french onion dip, just to spice things up a little. —Gwynedd Stuart

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Cheesy

Ruffles Flamin’ Hot Sour Cream & Cheddar

Instacart

The sour cream and cheddar part of these chips is more prominent than the Flamin’ Hot part of these chips, and we think that’s a good thing. They’re spicy, but the creamy, cheesy flavor really mellows out the sharp citric acid tang of the Flamin’ Hot seasoning. These aren’t as good as Ruffles Flamin’ Hot BBQ, but they’re close—and definitely better than most straight-up Flamin’ Hot chips. —Gwynedd Stuart

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Tangy

Herr’s Hot Sauce Chips

Walmart

Herr’s Hot Sauce Chips are among the best spicy chips we tried because they taste like actual vinegar-based, Louisiana-style hot sauce. They’re not just generic spicy potato chips. They are incredible. The heat is so zingy. I could eat an entire bag of these. If you’re not in an area where you can buy these regional chips at a grocery store or gas station, dish out the dough to get them online. They’re worth it! —Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Best Flamin’ Hot

Ruffles Flamin’ Hot BBQ

Walmart

These are the only Flamin’ Hot chips I’ve ever really liked. They’re genuinely hot and have a great BBQ flavor. There’s no weird chemically taste like you get with many spicy potato chips. We dipped these in ranch and it was a perfect snack, 10/10. The next time you’re having a party, grab a bag of these and a jar of our favorite ranch dressing, and your guests will love you for it. —Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Spicy Corn Chip

Doritos Tapatio

Walmart

I expected Tapatio Doritos to be a slightly spicier version of the classic nacho cheese Doritos. I thought, at best, these would have a generic hot sauce flavor. Boy, was I wrong! These Doritos aren’t just flavorful, they taste exactly like Tapatio. Not Cholula, not Tabasco— Tapatio. Much like their namesake hot sauce, they have a gentle heat, strong spice, and zippy twang. Not only were these some of the best spicy chips we tried, these were one of my personal favorite hot chips we tried and I plan to add these to my weekly grocery list. —Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Best Spicy Pringles

Pringles Habaneras

Instacart

In the past, we’ve really loved how spicy, peppery seasoning tastes on a nice, greasy potato chip—but I gotta say, these Pringles Habaneras (aka Las Meras Meras Habaneras) make a pretty strong case for spicy “potato crisps.” They have a really bright and fruity pepper flavor with a little bit of tang, too, and the seasoning really shines on the dry, neutral tasting crisps. These spicy chips might be a little dull for some people, but we really like how peppery they taste. —Gwynedd Stuart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Spicy Zapp’s

Zapp’s Hotter ‘N Hot Jalapeno

Instacart

These may not be the hottest Zapp’s chips (Spicy Cajun Craw Taters take that title), but they sure are tasty. These really taste like jalapenos and cheddar. There’s a nice, salty, rich backbone to the seasoning, so it’s more than just jalapeno fruitiness and heat. The chips themselves are super high quality and tasty, too. And even though they’re not take-me-to-a-hospital spicy, they still have a nice level of heat. These might be my favorite jalapeno chips. Sorry, Miss Vickie! —Gwynedd Stuart

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Savory Flavor

 Buldak Habanero Lime Spicy Chicken

Instacart

We’ve been dying to try these Buldak potato chips, and they did not disappoint! They taste like delicious, savory ramen noodles seasoning on potato chips. They rule. They’re not as spicy as we wish they were and the chips could be a little greasier and snappier, but all in all we didn’t mind because with less heat and less grease, we could eat a lot of them. You’re gonna want to, too—that MSG really sings! —Gwynedd Stuart

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Kettle Brand Krinkle Cut Habanero Lime

Amazon

If you know anything about potato chips, you know that Kettle Brand chips are unparalleled when it comes to crunch. And an additional advantage these chips have is that they are crinkle cut so flavor dust gets trapped in each and every ridge. Those factors already rank it high in my book. This specific flavor brought not only a warm heat and citrusy zip, but also had the light fruity sweetness of a fresh habanero pepper. They’re the best spicy chips in terms of overall quality, overall flavor, and heat. —Jordan Myrick

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Other spicy chips we tried

Takis Fuego Kettlez, Sabritas Turbos Flamas, Chester’s Hot Fries, Cheetos Crunchy Flamin’ Hot, Doritos Flamas, Funyuns Flamin’ Hot, Ruffles Flamin’ Hot, Garden Veggie Straws Screamin’ Hot, Pop Chips Crazy Hot, Andy Capp’s Hot Fries, Spudlove Jalapeño, The Good Crisp Company Spicy Jalapeño