Lay's Kicks Off Football Season With Three Tailgate-Ready Flavors

We're entering the season my family calls The Best Time of the Year. Some may be psyched for pumpkin spice lattes and apple cider donuts, but over here, everyone's excited about chicken wings, nachos, and waiver wires. From fantasy to college to NFL, fall football is back — and so are the good eats. 

This year, Lay's hopes to get fans out of kitchen prep mode and onto the couch with three new varieties inspired by favorite game-day flavors: Lay's Hot Sauce, Lay's Wavy Loaded Nachos, and Lay's Kettle Cooked Cheesy Buffalo Dip. This isn't the first time the brand has ventured into gridiron territory. In 2022, Lay's created a limited edition line of Golden Grounds chips packaged to celebrate 29 different NFL teams. While these chips had the same taste as classic Lay's, the potatoes were grown in soil pulled straight from the hallowed grounds of NFL stadiums across the country. 

If you're a Bears (or Bills or Browns or Jets) fan like me, comfort food will be required to weather the next few months of triumph, awe, tension, and despair. To properly fill your bowl and tailgate spreads, I went ahead and put Lay's latest rollouts to the test. Which bold chip belongs on your active roster? One was absolutely undroppable. 

If you're hankering to get your hands on Lay's newest flavors, they've already been spotted in some snack aisles. At the time of writing, these limited-time-only chips were still tough to track down in my area, but they should be widely available beginning the week of September 9. Grab them at Target, Walmart, and Albertson's stores, or online at Snacks.com and TikTok Shop. 

You can expect to find the Hot Sauce, Wavy Loaded Nachos, and Kettle Cooked Cheesy Buffalo Dip varieties in club (2.25 ounces) and regular (7.75 to 8 ounces) sized bags for around $2.69 and $4.99 a pop, respectively. To celebrate the competitive spirit of the season, Frito-Lay has also launched an NFL Experience Sweepstakes, putting fans in the running for an epic experience with their favorite teams. 

Scan the special QR code on the back of your bag for a chance to win field and tunnel passes, autographed NFL gear, Super Bowl LX tickets, meet-and-greets with players and legends, and other cool stuff. The winner of the Denver Broncos Epic Experience gets an expense-paid trip to the New York Jets game in London, England, on October 10. Be sure to pack some of your favorite crunchy snack chips — British chips are something different.

If you're a fan of salt and vinegar chips, consider Lay's Hot Sauce chips a zippy upgrade. Created in collaboration with Frank's RedHot (America's #1 hot sauce), these chips offer that same acidic tang, while also packing some heat. I wouldn't say the spice level is overwhelming, but it definitely builds with every bite. A lingering tingle on the tongue confirms the presence of aged cayenne pepper. I chased it away with a cold beer (Spotted Cow from Wisconsin) and happily pretended it was game day.

Other ingredients listed on the back of the bag include potatoes, vegetable oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika extract (for color). In fact, all three limited-edition varieties are made without artificial colors or flavorings — Lay's response to new federal regulations and growing consumer demand for more natural options. Overall, Lay's limited edition Hot Sauce chips are bold and exciting, without going to extremes. The only thing lacking is crunch. These are thin and delicate like your standard Lay's, and tailgates call for sturdier chips that won't get crushed.

You know those little cups of orange cheese sauce you get with nachos at the stadium? These chips taste just like that — in the very best way. One bite and I was instantly transported to the stands. The creamy cheese, the hint of jalapeño, the spice that sneaks up, it's all there. Thankfully, you don't have to worry about spilling these onto your lap when Derrick Henry scores another touchdown.

Loaded Nachos is a fitting handle for this Lay's limited edition that goes all-out on flavor, chip size, and texture. Without looking at the ingredients list, I started a running list of everything I could taste: cheddar cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo, maybe a pinch of chili powder? It's everything you love about nachos, delivered in a super-convenient, super-crunchy, single bag of chips. And I'll let my bias show a little: Lay's Original Wavy cut has always been my #1 hearty go-to for dips. The wide ridges are sturdy and satisfying, and here, they hold onto the zesty nacho seasonings with a stiff arm. 

In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, dips become serious contenders for lunch, dinner, and snacking on the sofa in between. While everyone has their favorite recipe (sometimes that "recipe" is a tub of Dean's French onion), 2025 Google Trends reveal Buffalo chicken dip remains the most popular choice across America. At a minimum, this crowd-pleasing concoction calls for cream cheese, hot sauce, ranch dressing, shredded cheese, more cheese (hopefully blue), and some chopped scallions or chives on top. And then there's extra time in the oven or crock pot. 

If you need a faster, easier, but just as tasty fix, try The Takeout's dip recipe made with rotisserie chicken and Boursin. An even better option: Open up a bag of Lay's Cheesy Buffalo Dip chips and call it a game-day. Lay's makes no promise of chicken flavor here, and I didn't miss that angle at all. These chips deliver a cheesy-rich eating experience, along with the perfect hit of tangy vinegar and spice. Similar to Lay's Original Kettle Cooked chips, they're extra crispy and crunchy — but not aggressively so. While they do fall on the slightly oilier (and smaller) side, these limited edition snacks outperformed my expectations on every other level.

I went into this taste test predicting the Hot Sauce chips would be my favorite pick. There's something to be said for simplicity and that iconic RedHot flavor. Surprise ... while fun to eat, these frail, acetic chips would not be my top choice for game-day guests or parties. I do have plans to crumble them over a bowl of New England clam chowder though.

The more heated contest came down to the Lay's Wavy Loaded Nachos and the Kettle Cooked Cheesy Buffalo Dip flavor. There's no denying the Loaded Nachos boast impressive stats. These hefty chips are at once familiar, yet boldly nuanced with layers of flavor. Do they deserve a spot on your tailgate table? Without a doubt, yes. Especially if you're hosting a squad of kids. 

Diving deeper into overall munchability, Lay's Kettle Cooked Cheesy Buffalo Dip chips get my vote for this year's Most Valuable Chip. These craveable snacks are amply robust and still perfectly portable and poppable. Late in the fourth quarter, the irresistible balance of kettle crunch and creamy tang proved to be unstoppable. This is the bag of chips that disappeared from my counter the fastest. Get yours now, for a limited time only.