Review: Lay's Global Edition Lineup Offers Unique Flavors And Takes Our Tastebuds Abroad

Lay's has been in the potato chips game since 1932, and today, the company now counts over 200 flavors on shelves worldwide. Many of those flavors are exotic to Americans and can only be had by traveling abroad. In the dog days of summer 2024, Lay's is saving everyone the travel headaches with a special Flavor Drop — Global Edition. This initial drop imports three global flavors into its home country: Korean-inspired Honey Butter, Indian-spiced Masala, and Greek-style Wavy Tzatziki.

The fine folks at Frito-Lay gave me an early taste of these three new flavors, which are here for a limited stay on our shores. So, are Lay's Honey Butter, Masala, and Wavy Tzatziki postcard-perfect, or is this a flavor vacation we'd rather forget about? This chew and review is based on taste, flavor, uniqueness, and overall lovability.

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

Starting August, 8, the three Global Flavors of Lay's will be available at nationwide retailers for a limited time, while supplies last. Each flavor is sold in both 2.6- and 7.75-ounce bags. The suggested retail prices are $2.69 and $4.99 respectively.

Based on the best by date, which may one day soon become a thing of the past, these chips should be eaten within a month.

For those with a Costco membership, in certain parts of the country, the Korean Honey Butter flavor has been available on shelves for a few months. Now, the rest of us can finally dig in. This "Global Edition" bag is a bit more ornate, with a flowery, foil-printed look featuring images of a honey dipper and pats of butter. Pulling a few chips out, they simply look like standard, regular old Lay's potato chips. As I lifted the dusted chip to my nose and took a big whiff, strong notes of butter filled my nostrils.

Examining the ingredients on the back of the bag, these potato chips are coated in sugar, skim milk, buttermilk, natural flavors, annatto extracts, turmeric extracts, and as promised, honey, and butter. Chip after chip, I just kept encountering the smooth creaminess of lightly salted butter. Any trace of sweetness apparently was in name only. While I thought I'd miss the honey from the taste equation, I loved the buttery flavor so much, it didn't really matter.

The serving size of Lay's Honey Butter is about 15 chips. That nets 160 calories, 10 grams of total fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 65 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 2 grams of total sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

Overseas, Lay's has been casting taste spells with its India's Magic Masala flavor. For its United States debut, the blue-hued bag is substituted for one that is dark green with a foil-print that looks like a fancy plate. The imagery includes a cup of dark red spice, a cloud-shaped spoon containing spice, and a dusted chip that looks like it's coming in flamin' hot.

The actual Masala chips didn't look as fiery as they did on the bag and were more akin to BBQ potato chips. My nose was having trouble trying to nail down the essence of them, as they smelled like a mish-mash of aromas emanating from a spice market. Looking at the ingredients, it surely matched that notion: salt, spices, sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, tomato powder, turmeric, paprika extracts, and natural flavors all huddled together. My first nibbles presented my taste buds with an exotic flavor sensation that had a peppy, smoky, and mustardy bent to it. It's almost like these chips are a distant Indian cousin to Utz's winning Carolina Style Barbeque and Crab Chips.

The serving size for Lay's Masala is about 15 chips. That is good for 150 calories, 10 grams of total fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 190 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 grams of dietary fiber, 1 gram of total sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

Greek-inspired Lay's chips are nothing new. In 2015, the company dropped Kettle Cooked Greektown Gyro, which sadly didn't come with a food pronunciation guide. Now, Lay's is delivering a flavor that usually tops gyro meat — Tzatziki. The bag has atypical blue and white Greek ornamentation, with an image of a bowl of tzatziki dressed with dill and slices of cucumbers.

These Wavy chips have green specks on them, making one perhaps mistake them for sour cream & onion. Smelling them offered similar thoughts, but they did have a yogurt sense to them as well. Here, the potatoes are outfitted with buttermilk, onion powder, sour cream, yogurt, spices, and garlic powder. I'm not sure why the Tzatziki chips were chosen to be outfitted with the ridged texture of Lay's Wavy, but the added crunch actually prevented the flavoring from standing out and making a name for itself. The end result is a sour cream-like chip, with a reduced amount of zest and creaminess like a good tzatziki sauce has. That's not a bad thing, but it just didn't help to make this one stand out too much.

The serving size of Tzatziki chips is about 13 chips. That results in 150 calories, 10 grams of total fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 140 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 1 gram of total sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

Lay's has spent a lot of time presenting the numerous flavors of America, so it was about time it turned its attention to flavors from abroad. Tapping into the seasonings of the Mediterranean and diverse parts of Asia were inspired choices to represent this Global Edition of its Flavor Drop.

The Honey Butter chips may be familiar to snackers from Korea, but its flavor didn't feel so out of place to this eater with a palate based in America. They were the most approachable and likable flavor of the three. Come to think of it, I wish standard Lay's potato chips tasted like these Honey Butter chips. While the Masala chips didn't exactly conjure up the taste of Indian food, I could imagine grinding some of them up and sprinkling them atop a plate of chicken tikka masala. The Wavy Tzatziki were fine, but could have used a bit more zing to earn a passport stamp. Since they are Wavy, that makes them perfect for dipping, so perhaps have a bowl of actual tzatziki sauce at the ready.

I hope this is not the end of Lay's dip into worldwide flavors, but merely a beginning. For the next trio, may I request Mango Chutney, Poulet Rôti, and Doner Kebab?