We Put 8 Potato Chip Brands To The Test—Only 1 Came Out On Top
The winner was shockingly simple.
Whether you like to eat potato chips with your favorite dip, like to put them on a sandwich, or simply enjoy their crunch on their own, we did the work for you to find the best bag on grocery store shelves.
We gathered the most popular plain potato chips from grocery store shelves around our headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, and tasked our editors with the delicious quest of choosing the best store-bought potato chip.
How We Tested
To conduct this taste test, we put the potato chips on plates so editors could taste them without seeing the bags. Testers tasted the chips by themselves to form their opinion on the taste.
Each potato chip was ranked on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. Once they had tried each chip, testers were then tasked with choosing their overall favorite.
The Contenders
- Lay's Classic Potato Chips
- Great Value Original Flavor Potato Chips
- Golden Flake Original Thin & Crispy Potato Chips
- Utz Original Potato Chips
- Market Pantry Classic Potato Chips
- Boulder Canyon Thin & Crispy Potato Chips
- Trader Joe's Classic Potato Chips
- Clancy's Original Potato Chips
How Each Brand Scored
Lay's Classic Potato Chips
Testers had a lot of good things to say about Lay’s potato chips. “Perfect for munching!”, “very classic!”, and “big fan!” were all phrases used to describe this chip. While most editors loved the salt level of this potato chip, there were a couple who said it was too salty for their taste.
Great Value Original Flavor Potato Chips
Almost every editor who participated in our taste test noted how much thicker this chip from Walmart’s Great Value line was compared to every other chip. Because of its thickness, a couple testers noted it would be good for pairing with dips.
Golden Flake Original Thin & Crispy Potato Chips
While some testers felt this chip could use a little bit more salt, one tester liked the less-salty taste noting that it allowed the flavor of the potato to shine. No editors chose this as their overall favorite chip, but one said it felt like something you would eat with a sandwich.
Utz Original Potato Chips
Editors were quick to notice that this potato chip was more crumbly in texture, lacking a major crunch factor. While a few said the chip would not be great for dipping, one editor noted this would be a good chip to use as a coating when baking or frying.
Market Pantry Classic Potato Chips
This chip from Target’s store brand Market Pantry was another chip that was not chosen by any editors as their favorite, with many noting it lacked both flavor and salt. However, several editors commented that they liked the amount of texture the chip had. “Nice crunch,” noted one, while another shared that it was “very crunchy.”
Boulder Canyon Thin & Crispy Potato Chips
The most common remarks on Boulder Canyon’s potato chips were how much larger in size the chips were than the others we tested. Because of the size, several editors said they would be good for dipping, but overall thought they lacked flavor.
Trader Joe's Classic Potato Chips
Testers were immediately impressed with the potato chip from Trader Joe’s, especially the potato-forward flavor. Editors loved these store-brand chips so much, they were already planning how they’d best enjoy them in the future. “I want to eat these with a hot dog or turkey sandwich,” said one editor. Another shared, “These taste like a chip you’d eat on the beach!”
Clancy's Original Potato Chips
ALDI’s store brand potato chips ranked near the top of the list, and were chosen by a few editors as their favorite of the bunch. Testers loved the salt level, but did note that it was a thinner chip. Three editors even said they thought this was Lay’s because of its classic flavor. One summed it up by saying, “Perfect crispiness, nice salt level, feels like a Lay’s!”
The Winner
Lay's Classic Potato Chips
When it comes to potato chips, it’s clear our editors are partial to the classic taste of a Lay’s. “The most classic, thin, and crispy,” said one editor. “Good level of salt without being too much, so the potato flavor still shines through.”
The Runner-Up
Trader Joe's Classic Potato Chips
Ranked closely behind Lay's in our taste test with just one fewer first place vote, the runner-up in this very close race was Trader Joe's. One editor who selected this chip as their favorite said, "Texture is thick enough. The potato flavor is strong enough and the salt is perfectly balanced."
