Zapp’s chips have been a Louisiana institution since 1985, when a Texan named Ron Zappe started frying up vats of thick-cut potato chips in a former Chevy dealership outside of New Orleans. The brand launched with its Spicy Cajun Crawtators—a flavor that’s still available today—and over the years has experimented with everything from Sour Cream and Creole Onion (no longer available—boo) to the now-iconic Voodoo flavor you might find hanging behind the bar at your favorite watering hole. (I always think of Zapp’s Voodoo as bar chips.)
Zapp’s is now owned by Utz, and while it may have left its Louisiana roots in the rearview, the brand is still putting out damn good chips. We recently sat down to taste every flavor of Zapp’s potato chips currently on the market and I can tell you this: Every flavor of Zapp’s potato chips is excellent because the quality of the chips is so, so good. Like, even if the seasoning doesn’t make a huge impression, you’re guaranteed a crunchy, peanut-oily, potato-rich chip experience. I know Voodoo fans are gonna yell at me for this one, but here’s our ranking of every flavor of Zapp’s potato chips, from least best to best best.
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- Salt & Vinegar
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Aaaaaaand speaking of flavors that don’t make a huge impression, Zapp’s Salt & Vinegar landed in last place. The chips themselves taste great and are super high quality, but they just don’t pack all that much salt and vinegar flavor. By the time I’d chewed and swallowed a chip, the vinegar flavor was totally gone. If you want a salt and vinegar chip that’s not going to totally fry your taste buds, Zapp’s is a good option. But if you eat salt and vinegar chips for major mouth-puckering tang, you will probably be a little let down by these. Instead, try one of the brands from our best salt and vinegar chips taste test.
Credit: Merc / Utz
- Evil Eye
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As a horror fan, the branding of these chips is right up my alley, but, flavor-wise, I wanted to like them more than I did. They look great. They’re coated in a deep red powder that screams flavor and spice, but they aren’t really spicy. The heat is very mild; they’re mostly tomatoey (i.e., a little bit sweet like tomato paste) and a little peppery at best. Other tasters got garlic, but I didn’t really get garlic. If you like tomato- and ketchup-flavored potato chips, give these a shot, but the tomato-pastey profile just wasn’t for me.
Credit: Merc / Utz
- Spicy Cajun Crawtators
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Zapp’s claims that their Cajun Crawtators are the first ever spicy potato chips to hit the market. If that’s true, I think the rather tame nature of the spice makes sense—if people just didn’t eat spicy potato chips in 1985, you wouldn’t want to murder them with heat the way people today like to be murdered. Basically, I think if you’re a fan of super spicy chips in 2023, these might be a little bit of a let down. But, they still taste really good. The heat is peppery and definitely settles in your chest, but doesn’t set your mouth ablaze (that’s some people’s thing; it’s not mine). The flavor is sort of like a less smoky BBQ, but mostly just chili pepper and paprika. An excellent spicy chip for people who are just starting to explore the world of spicy chips.
Credit: Merc / Utz
- Regular
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I tasted Regular Zapp’s first, and I was totally astonished by how good they are. This is an excellent plain kettle chip. They remind me of Cape Cod chips, but the kind of Cape Cod chips we bought in a bucket from their factory on Cape Cod when I was a kid. They’re fried in a mix of vegetable oils, but peanut oil really comes through for me. They have a deep, rich, warm flavor and an unbelievable crunch. Every bite is super satisfying. Zapp’s makes superb plain potato chip, and one that would hold up well to dip if you demand flavor with your potato products.
Credit: Merc / Utz
- Hotter ‘N Hot Jalapeno
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Hotter ‘N Hot Jalapeno and Cajun Dill Gator-Tators are tied for third place. They’re both so good. These jalapeno chips have a slow-building heat—nothing that’s going to ruin your life the next day, just a nice tingle in the back of your throat. I think my favorite thing about these is that they taste cheesy. They don’t call the flavor jalapeno popper, but that’s what I get from these (but the kind of jalapeno poppers that are stuffed with yellow cheese rather than cream cheese). The seasoning just really sings with the flavor of the potatoes themselves—it really brings out the fresh, fruity jalapeno pepper flavor. An excellent chip, especially if you’re looking to upgrade from Miss Vickie’s.
Credit: Merc / Utz
- Cajun Dill Gator-Tators
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In my notes I referred to these as “so damned dilly,” and meant it in a very, very good way. There’s a mix of pickle flavor and dried dill flavor, along with just a whisper of heat. Mostly, you just get dill and it tastes so good. When my colleague Jordan Myrick did their dill pickle chips taste test, Sporked editor-in-chief Justine Sterling chimed in that these would be good on a tuna salad sandwich, and that is a hell yes from me. In fact, after this taste test, the team ordered sandwiches from Jersey Mike’s so we could pile them with Zapp’s chips. We have fun.
Credit: Merc / Utz
- Voodoo
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Voodoo is without a doubt the most popular flavor of Zapp’s potato chips. It has the most compelling backstory too: Apparently, an employee dropped a pallet of spices they were moving. Another person dunked their finger into the accidental mixture of about five different flavors, decided it ruled, and Voodoo was born. It reminds me of a really vinegary BBQ sauce. There’s some sweetness, some tang, a little bit of smokiness—every single chip is like eating an entire meal. This is an excellent chip flavor and it’s fun that it’s totally unique to Zapp’s, but for my money, you just can’t do better than Mesquite BBQ. Hear me out …
Credit: Merc / Utz
- Mesquite BBQ
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I know, I know. We all grew up on BBQ potato chips. It’s a flavor we know like the backs of our hands. But, I’m telling you, this BBQ is special—so special, in fact, it’s the best flavor of Zapp’s chips we tasted. They have such a deep smoky flavor you could be convinced the potatoes themselves were smoked before they were sliced and deep fried. These taste like campfires and backyard BBQs and everything that’s good about living in the South in the summertime (everything besides the humidity and the mosquitos). They don’t contain MSG, which is stunning because they’re just so savory and flavorful and MSG is a great shortcut to deep, savory flavor. Some chips in the bag have more seasoning than others, so you really get a different experience with every chip (in a good way). I didn’t expect to fall in love with a BBQ chip during this taste test, but here we are!
Credit: Merc / Utz
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I kept waiting for Voodoo Heat to show up, but I guess it wasn’t available. A shame, it gives Voodoo that little extra kick it needs. But a good list that mirrored many of my own thoughts when I once bought a colossal variety bag of Utz brand chips (GRANDMA UTZ).
I learned something today! I lived in NOLA for a few years and fell in LOVE with Voodoo chips. I flew to the bottom of this article to see if you got it right or not, and my face visually contorted when I read #1. BUT I’m not a big bbq flavor person, so I’d never tried them and likely never would have had it not been for you! So thx! 👍🏼