What We Know About the New "Naked" Frito-Lay Snacks

In a move that will shock even the most unshookable snack food fans, Frito-Lay’s newest addition to its gargantuan snack lineup is taking a “less is more” approach. In the past they have given us sriracha-flavored Doritos, street corn-flavored Cheetos, and even cappuccino-flavored Lay’s potato chips, which were aggressively strange. But now they are bringing it back to the basics and giving us the classics: Cheetos Puffs, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Cool Ranch Doritos, and Nacho Cheese Doritos. “But wait! Jessica! You sweet simple chip-ignorant so-and-so! Those flavors all already exist!” I know this. Don’t worry. These new versions are going to be part of a new line called Simply NKD, and are going to contain…drumroll…no artificial flavors or dyes.

Wait, so if not bright red and orange, what color will these Cheetos be? What does Cool Ranch look like without the Christmas flecks? Will “Cool” Ranch become “Dorky” Ranch?

Well, friends, it turns out that when you remove the bright orange and red colors from a Cheeto, you get a light orangish beige for the Cheetos Puffs (think halfway between the color of Pirate’s Booty and a slice of American cheese). The Flamin’ Hot Cheetos look to be a little darker, more like the color of seasoned curly fries. In a strange twist, the Cool Ranch Doritos look more orange than NKD Nacho Cheese Doritos, which pretty much look like plain, golden yellow corn chips. And the Cool Ranch Doritos look like plain corn chips but with a light dusting of a powder that looks reminiscent of what’s in the packet that comes with Kraft Mac & Cheese.

It’s 50 shades of “orange-ish tan” up in here, and we can’t wait to try these and find out if they taste different than the artificially flavored, artificially colored treats we know and love. The back of the bag says, “Let your taste buds be the judge,” and oh boy, do we intend to. We’re going to taste these like it’s our job. Because…well, it is. It is worth noting that while these will not be crazy expensive, they will be a tad more expensive than the normal versions. According to Allrecipes, a 9.25-oz bag of Doritos Simply NKD goes for $4.50 on Walmart’s website, while the regular bag is $3 for the original variety in the same size.

Now, if you are trying to get some of these for yourself, there are ways to do it, but none will yield immediate results. The Simply NKD chips and Cheetos are already available for preorder from Walmart, and will become available at other major retailers nationwide starting December 1.