We Tasted And Ranked 10 Fritos Flavors

In 1932, C.E. Doolin walked into a San Antonio café, purchased a bag of corn chips, and walked away with the recipe for $100. Doolin and his family cooked them up in their kitchen, and Fritos, as we know them, were born. A mere 15 years later, The Daily Times wrote, "The populace has been consuming them with such enthusiasm that they appear likely to become one of the nation's most favored edibles." That prophetic statement turned out to be very true, and by 1955, the company began to branch out with new flavors. The hits have kept on coming ever since.

While some Fritos flavors have been discontinued and probably aren't ever coming back — rest in peace, Non-Stop Nacho and Texas Grill – many remain on the roster to this day. There are enough, in fact, to make comparing one Fritos flavor to another a worthwhile pursuit. I accepted this corny challenge, dug into each bag, crunched a bunch, and am here to declare once and for all which Fritos are truly the cream of the crop — and which are best skipped. These are the Fritos flavors, ranked from worst to best. Grab a glass of water, as things may get a bit salty from here on out.

Some recommendations are based on first-hand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer/distributor/etc.

The Flamin' Hot Fritos bag boasts a diagonal line of flames, inviting the eater to play with fire. Take a look at the chips themselves, and you quickly realize their fiery orange-red hue picks up where the bag leaves off. The artificial vibrancy of the color is a little unnerving to the eye; a closer look reveals it's the result of a sandy red seasoning that looks kind of like sunburned Cheetos dust.

These Fritos do indeed pack heat. The strong kick of spice slowly releases as your teeth break the chips up into tiny bits. Even if you're a fan of super hot chips, it may be hard to fully embrace and enjoy these. They have a sharp peppery tinge that almost numbs the mouth and leaves a bitter aftertaste. It reminded me of the one time I ate Chinese food laden with Sichuan pepper; my mouth wished it could un-experience that meal and didn't love revisiting it. The actual ingredients include corn, cheddar cheese, salt, buttermilk, tomato powder, Romano cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, and sugar. Guess that's the secret recipe for a version of Fritos I won't be adding to my grocery list.

According to the FDA, Americans consume close to 50% more sodium in a day than the daily recommended limit in one's diet. A lot of that salt comes from packaged goods. Perhaps that's why Fritos introduced a Lightly Salted version of its famous corn chip in 2010.

The bottom half of the Lightly Salted bag has a light blue background. It's a striking contrast to the typical Fritos hue, perhaps to assure eaters that this bag of Fritos isn't a typical one. On the back of the bag, there's an infographic touting that the chips have half the sodium, but 100% of the taste. The actual ingredients are the same: corn, vegetable oil and salt. A single serving of about 34 chips nets only 75 milligrams of sodium.

I applaud Fritos for creating this option for those who need to cut down on their sodium intake. However, we're here to compare one Fritos flavor to another, and this one frankly has no flavor. Every bite feels like it's missing that beloved Fritos saltiness. It makes one want to either add the missing milligrams of sodium, or seek out a savory dip to set the flavor right again. The fact that plenty of chip brands offer low-sodium options nowadays makes this even worse — the average consumer knows that blandness isn't an inevitability with such an approach.

Every flavor of Fritos from here on up are winners, and worthy of seeking out. That makes Fritos Chile y Limón the least best flavor — a blessing and a curse. While there was once a Lime & Chile Fritos flavor produced in America, this variety is produced by PepsiCo México. Widely available in that country, Fritos Chile y Limón can easily be found in America at specialty grocery stores and bodegas.

Fritos Chile y Limón are housed in a red-orange bag, roughly the color of a creamy French dressing. The chips themselves look like a more restrained version of Flamin' Hot Fritos. They're made from nixtamalized corn, and are seasoned with chili peppers, iodized salt, citric acid, lime juice, paprika seasoning, and annatto. While "chile" is the first word in the flavor's name and a cartoon chili pepper is prominently highlighted on the bag, they aren't actually very spicy. The main flavor is definitely that of the tart lime (or "limón"). This intense dash of citrus flavor makes for quite a unique Fritos eating experience many will enjoy. However, these limón-y Fritos suffer from comparison, as you'll learn if you keep reading — there's a version without the "chile" that's the cream of the Fritos crop.

After a brief disappearance from the shelves, Bar-B-Q Fritos made a triumphant comeback in 2022. This flavor shows no signs of slowing down, continuously satisfying snack lovers with its classic taste. Utilizing shades of orange synonymous with the American west, the bag looks ready to accompany a dinner of actual barbecue, perhaps by a comfy campfire.

A lot of barbecue potato chips are almost too loaded with sweet and smoky flavors. This is not the case with Fritos. These corn chips' barbecue taste is defined by distinct and well-balanced onion powder, tomato powder, paprika, garlic powder, turmeric, and other natural and artificial flavors. That all added up to a nice, lean, mesquite taste in my mouth.

The only real issue with these chips is that the flavoring is no longer as unique an alternative to original Fritos as it once was. As more flavors have been added to the brand's line-up, the less unique Bar-B-Q Fritos have become. It's almost made Bar-B-Q Fritos feel like an aging relative — still beloved, but perhaps outshone. But hey, while they may not be the first bag you grab, you should always respect the elderly (chips, in this case).

Fritos Honey BBQ Flavor Twists' muted gray bag doesn't do justice to the fun found within. Perhaps a splash of golden honey yellow could sell it better on shelves — it would certainly represent the vibrancy of this flavor. The orange-dusted chips borrow a pinch of the original Bar-B-Q Frito's seasoning, and mix it up with honey, brown sugar, and molasses. The result is a sweeter take on a familiar flavor that creates a balanced, next generation winner.

A comely flavor upgrade is one thing, but Fritos takes things a step further with the Flavor Twists' physical shape. There's actually a double meaning at work here: The flavor itself is twisted, combining barbecue and honey, but the chips also come in a coily, corkscrew shape. While they wouldn't look out of place in a tool box, they're much more at home in one's mouth. These Twists are tasty, crunchy, and overall fun to eat. The 2001 advertising campaign for this snack wasn't lying when it claimed Flavor Twists allow an eater to "taste more flavor around every turn." I genuinely found that to be true.

Fritos' corn chips are fantastic vessels for smoky seasoning. The best of the bunch is Fritos Chili Cheese. When they were initially advertised in 1986, these chips were shown in the hands of a cool "Risky Business" Tom Cruise-like guy's hands; TV ads sung their praises in a honky-tonk country way. Appealing to all walks of life caught the public's interest, while excellent taste ensured many years of success.

These Fritos look kind of like Bar-B-Q Fritos, but with even more specks of browned seasoning. The seasoning list runs pretty long, and its highlights include salt, spices, cheddar cheese, tomato powder, onion powder, Romano cheese, sugar, buttermilk, and garlic powder. It all adds up to a chip that smells a lot like nachos, and impressively replicates the sensation of eating a Frito Pie in a single chip. That divine dish tops Fritos with beef chili and cheddar cheese, among other accoutrements. In chip form, it's 99% less of a mess to munch. 

Chili Cheese Fritos are still a bit of an acquired taste, though. With its super strong seasoning, it may be a bit too dusty to the touch and intense to the tongue for some to handle. However, some things are worth the hassle. I highly recommend mixing in some Bar-B-Q chips to create an awesome DIY  Fritos Flavor Twist, sadly minus the twisted shape.

One of the greatest things about Fritos is how well they work with dips. One of the best and most popular chip dips is ranch dressing. The coolness of that classic dip fusing with the saltiness of Fritos is an undeniable and unbeatable taste sensation. Now imagine enjoying that taste, but not having to bother with making sure you have the dip on the side. That's the achievement Fritos Ranch pulls off.

Many of the other flavors on this list lean too heavily into their savory seasonings. Ranch Fritos, in contrast, use just the right amount of spice, and temper it with dairy-based elements. Here, buttermilk, salt, tomato powder, onion powder, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, skim milk, sugar, and turmeric extracts, among other ingredients, come together and form an all-star team. No one elements outshines the others.

Unfortunately, this all-star team isn't always guaranteed to play. Fritos initially released a Wild n' Mild Ranch flavor in the late 1980s, which staged a limited comeback in 2012. Four years later, it was retooled and relaunched as Classic Ranch. That disappeared too, until simple "Ranch" came back for summer 2024, fittingly branded with the "Yellowstone" series name. We're not sure the public can handle many more limited runs of Fritos Ranch. On behalf of the world, Frito-Lay, please make Fritos Ranch a permanent flavor. We even promise to dip it in one of your fine dips.

Ranking food and drink takes one on a rollercoaster of flavors. For many of the rankings I've embarked on, less is more. There's something to be said for simplicity, and that's why, after much debate, the original version of a product often rises to the top. That proved to be the case when I ranked Kit Kat bars, and even after guzzling down all the versions of Canada Dry Ginger Ale. I fully expected that to be the case with the original flavor of Fritos corn chips, which has been around for almost a century. Without this origin point, all these other versions that followed wouldn't exist. It makes sense, then, to think of it as an especially strong contender.

I was right — and wrong. What more does anyone really need in their corn chip outside of corn, corn oil, and salt? Original Fritos makes a strong case for the answer being "nothing." In fact, it's that final ingredient that gives Fritos its signature taste — pure, clear, delicious salt. It's hard to beat, especially when mixed with the earthy flavor of corn, and it's one of the reasons that these classic Fritos are one of the best snack foods ever; the saltiness keeps making the mouth water for more. How, then, does this iteration only land at number three on our rankings? Essentially, the top two flavors are just that good. But let it be known that the original take is still among the best.

Fritos Original are the standard bearer for this famous corn chip line. While their simplicity is the reason for their greatness, one of the only ways to improve upon the original is to go bigger — much bigger. As far back as the 1960s, larger Fritos have helped eaters get more with each dip. In 1994, Frito-Lay changed the dipping game forever when it introduced the large, curved Fritos Scoops. Their name implies their utilitarian use: They're a superb way to scoop up even more dip than a standard, comparatively thin Frito can, or even the flat King Size ones of the 1960s could.

Fritos Scoops' thickness makes them fantastically robust. They don't easily break when going in for a dip, no matter how chunky. The same cannot be said of most tortilla chips, thick potato chips, or even other Fritos. However, the Scoops' girth actually does something else besides make each one an awesomely yellowish-brown stemless spoon. It somehow makes each chip even more flavorful. They contain the same three ingredients as normal Fritos, but the size of Fritos Scoops amplifies their taste. The irresistible saltiness of Original Fritos somehow tastes 10 times better in Scoops form. Once you give into Fritos Scoops, it's hard to return to what seems, in comparison, like a punier version. Go big, or go home. That's the scoop on Scoops.

Fritos Limón y Sal are made up of nixtamalized corn, vegetable oil, salt, citric acid, annatto, and, most importantly, lime juice. As I covered in the Fritos Chile y Limón section of this ranking, Fritos knows what it's doing when it comes to lime. But here, the chile is gone — and lime unto itself proves to be the best Fritos accompaniment. Each chip offers a delectably pungent punch of flavor that also manages to be refreshing. That isn't a word commonly used for snack foods, which speaks to this flavor's uniqueness.

This is another product that originates from Mexico. Like Fritos Chile y Limón, Fritos Limón y Sal aren't sold everywhere in America, but they can easily be found by those seeking them out. If you don't have a specialty market nearby, turn to online retailers. These chips are such a thing of beauty, you should stop reading this article and seek them out immediately. Original Fritos and its bigger brother Fritos Scoops are titans of the snack industry; if Frito-Lay adapted the Limón y Sal flavor for the American market, it would probably become just as popular. Congrats, Fritos Limón y Sal, you are the greatest y finest Fritos of all the Americas. Long may you pucker our mouths.

For this taste test, I tackled all flavors of Fritos currently sold by Frito-Lay, as well as two flavors from Frito-Lay Mexico. All flavors were supplied by the manufacturer, while the two Mexican ones were procured from my in-laws who brought them back to America after a trip to Cancun.

I assembled a team of 18 taste testers, who ranged from 4 to 76 years in age. The chips were tasted as a group, in a random order. The testers supplied feedback on each flavor, and eventually revealed their favorites, followed by their least favorites. I took all of these opinions into consideration, but ultimately picked the final rankings based on my own criteria and further testing following the initial group taste test. That criteria included taste, palatability, uniqueness, Frito-ness, and overall lovability.