13 Trader Joe's Chips, Ranked Worst To Best

Trader Joe's is a bustling epicenter of snacks and that's just the truth. In the produce area, there is an abundance of fruits and vegetables for healthy options. There's a row and multiple tables with sweet treats and baked goods if you are on the hunt for a more indulgent snack. If you prefer nuts and dried fruits, it's a playground of snackable options. Then, there are the chips. The sheer variety of chips and crisps is a haven of savory, sweet, spicy, and beyond. Obviously as a Trader Joe's regular, I am familiar with the chip aisle. It's one of my favorite parts of the store.

One thing about TJ's is that it's not afraid to think outside the snack box and continues to offer new and exciting flavors on the regular. If plain chips are your thing, there are even multiple varieties of those. However, if you are willing to live on the wild side, TJ's has the goods. I narrowed my Trader Joe's chip review down to 13 items and that was harder than it sounds. My cart overflowed with crispy and crunchy delights ranging from Latin to Irish flavor inspo. Others could easily satisfy pickle or deli cravings. Some put a new and welcome spin on classic flavors, like salt and vinegar and BBQ. The diversity is simply next level. I ranked them from worst to best and there were some shining stars as well as some dark clouds.

These TJ's tortilla chips have all the makings of a fantastic salsa vehicle without the guilt. They are infused with red quinoa and black beans which made it seem like they would also be packed with flavor. I don't want to trash talk Trader Joe's Quinoa and Black Bean Infused Tortilla Chips, but they are not good. Instead of a deep earthy flavor, they taste like nothing. This is not an exaggeration. It's like the flavor called in sick and left the tortilla chip out to dry. I'd take a bland bag of Tostitos over these and that's not a compliment.

Speaking of dry, these chips taste staler than stale. It's a weird crunchy texture, but the kind you would get if you left a bag of chips open on the counter for a few days ... or weeks. We also need to discuss the appearance. Upon opening the bag and taking out the first tortilla chip, I couldn't help but notice the color. I've seen many shades of tortilla chips, but never gray. Is it the lighting? Did I pull a weird chip? Nope. I can confirm they have a grayish hue, likely from the black bean inclusion. If the flavor delivered I could let it go. However, an ashen looking chip that eats stale and lacks any semblance of real flavor is a no-go all around.

Trader Joe's Patio Potato Chips are quite literally a recipe for disaster. They confused me honestly. The outside of the bag has a group of splashy cartoon style potatoes depicting each flavor profile included in the chips. Maybe I took it too literally, but I expected to see a variety of chips co-mingling each of their respective flavors to create an edible fiesta. Instead, it's a bag of chips with ALL the seasonings in one place. While Trader Joe's ambition is to be commended, this is a case of fantasy being better than reality.

There is way too much going on with these chips and it's clear from the get-go. I'm surprised the chips don't crumble from the weight of seasoning. It's a shame because they might actually be tasty if Trader Joe's toned it down a notch. A more moderate dusting of seasoning could be the trick to turning these around. The ridges and the crispiness are there, but these deserve better. Plus, they are gluten free, which is not always an easy task for a good snack to achieve and may have been part of the reason these didn't hit the mark. 

Corn chips are not my thing. In elementary school when people would trade lunch items, I was immediately out if Fritos were on the table. If ever my mom brought home one of the variety bags of chips and snacks, the Fritos were always the last ones standing and that is very telling if you ask me. However, I do like elote. It is powerhouse street food that can be added to so many different recipes to elevate them, and that is enough to make me give these chips from TJ's a chance. 

My husband loves these and asks for them every time I visit Trader Joe's, but I have never tasted them ... until now. The short story is, they're ok. At the end of the day, it's still a corn chip. The Elote Corn Chip Dippers are basically an elevated Frito. This is another TJ's snack item that needs to calm down with the seasoning. The elote flavor is there and it's fine, but the amount is egregious. Also, at the end of the these, there is a powerful kick. It comes at you fast and fierce, but it isn't necessary and even feels a little awkward.

Here's the good news about the Garlic Butter Irish Potato Chips. The crinkle cut-style is top notch and packs a superb crunch. Also, the garlic butter flavor is unmistakable. There is definitely no lie detected based on the description of the chips in that respect. I love butter so much in any form. Give it to me by the stick, salted or unsalted, whipped, infused with fun ingredients — all of it. Pair that with a starch that has bragging rights among the Irish, and I'm even more interested.

Then, things go off the rails. In all fairness, Trader Joe's does use the word "heavy" when describing the flavor profile of the Garlic Butter Irish Potato Chips. Heavy is an understatement and descriptors like aggressive or even oppressive seem more appropriate. It's not just rich. TJ's Garlic Butter Potato Chips make it rain butter, torrentially. Never did I think I would ever be upset about something being overly buttery, but they are the most pungent chips of the group. I could drink the garlic butter dipping sauce from Papa John's, and these were still too much.

Not to be confused with banana chips, good plantain chips are a delectable treat. Plantains require a different touch and knowledge on when to use them if you are going to churn out acceptable chips. Growing up in Miami with Latin food culture oozing in the air, it's not unheard of to see them in the wild. We had many family meals at our favorite Cuban restaurant deep in the heart of Miami, and the star of the show was always a freshly made order of plantain chips, or mariquitas. The way everyone dug in immediately the second the server dropped them on the table was pretty solid proof of how delicious and craveable they are. Move over, bread basket, let plantain chips have the spotlight sometimes.

Admittedly, my plantain chip bar is set pretty high from having access to deliciously authentic Cuban fare. The Plaintain Crisps from Trader Joe's don't provide the same experience. They are fine and I'd eat them if someone put them in front of me without being mad about it. The flavor could be better though. They need more seasoning, especially salt. TJ's Plaintain Crisps are almost too thin and come off greasier because of it.

I never knew that shrimp chips existed until my TikTok algorithm delivered me content featuring Chinese food across the pond. Apparently, folks around the U.K. use the puffy chips to scoop up bites of their fried rice and other parts of the meal. Well, you know what happens when you view one TikTok video. It opens the floodgates, and the next thing you know, your feed is overflowing with everyone in the U.K. doing a mukbang highlighting their Chinese food orders. When they appeared in Trader Joe's there was no question they were coming home with me.

Did I enjoy them? Yes. However, the flavor makes them extremely polarizing. If you have an aversion to seafood (and specifically shrimp), you should skip Trader Joe's Shrimp Chips (Garlic). That said, the shrimp flavor is much less bold than I anticipated. The puff of the shrimp chips is lovely and slightly melts in your mouth, which is a nice textural moment. There's a mild shrimpy scent, but nothing over the top. The garlic flavor is rough to pinpoint and they could use just a kiss of savoriness. Trader Joe's Shrimp Chips (Garlic) are not a total loss, but they could be better.

Trader Joe's has a variety of fruit forward chips. It's actually a nice little departure from a standard, savory chip. The apple-flavored chips are crunchy, sweet, and tart. I like to call them dessert chips if you will. If you like to have healthy-ish snacks on hand, Trader Joe's Apple Chip Duo offers a tasty reprieve without eating a bag of donuts to satiate a sweet craving. There's nothing outstanding about them, and TJ's apple chips are the kind of snack I need to specifically be in the mood for, otherwise I think they'd leave too much to be desired.

The texture is somewhere inbetween crunchy and freeze-dried. Some people make their own apple chips at home and use them on top of salads for a sweet and crunchy surprise. If you are into the whole freeze-dried candy movement, apple chips do give off a similar type of energy. The apple chips are something I would probably toss in my bag when traveling, or in my kid's lunch box. It's a 50/50 shot whether she would eat the apple chips, but it's worth a shot.

My relationship with salt & vinegar chips is a complicated one. Typically, opening a bag releases a distinguishable and sharp odor. It crawls up into your nostrils like it owns them and lingers with no clear sign of when it will let up. The thing is that salt & vinegar chips are delicious. Strong, but tasty. I rarely grab them because the whole experience is too much, and sometimes I just want to eat my chips without questioning my choices.

Trader Joe's Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips have a significantly milder taste, but a relentless vinegar scent. In terms of the chip itself, a kettle chip will always win. The sturdiness and crunch makes for an elite result and you will not change my mind on that. I'd take the Trader Joe's version over its competition, but I'd love just once for someone to quell the vinegary fumes that accompany a salt & vinegar potato chip. Part of me wants to dabble with these salt & vinegar chips tossed on top of mashed potatoes, and I know I am not alone.

You can always rely on the people behind Trader Joe's innovative products to come up with cute and campy names. Case in point — Chips in a Pickle. If you are wondering how well this Trader Joe's chip embodies the briny goodness of a pickle, it's not bad. In a stark contrast to the sea salt & vinegar chips, the pickle-flavored snack somehow manages to harness a robust zest without overwhelming your palate.

The biggest gripe I have with TJ's Chips in a Pickle is the overall texture and construction of the chip itself. The flavor is good. The chip, on the other hand, is too thin. There is a light crisp, but a chip with such a colossal taste needs something sturdier. The Chips in a Pickle are decent, but I think I know where they could really make a splash. Take a handful, crush them up, and sprinkle the pieces on top of your favorite sandwich. That's definitely my next move if I decide to buy another bag of these. 

Imagine all the makings of a proper deli sandwich reimagined into a potato chip. Thinly sliced ham, topped with a sharp piece of cheese, tangy mustard, and, of course, the best supporting actor a deli sando could ask for — a juicy, zesty pickle. Trader Joe's tapped into some sorcery to squeeze all of those bold flavors into a bag of potato chips. It's almost like the famous scene from Willy Wonka when Violet snags the not-quite-ready-for-public-consumption gum. It takes her on a whole journey of a multi-course meal from soup to dessert, and she narrates every single note for the group.

Trader Joe's Deli Sandwich Style Chips feel similar to that moment, and they are not bad. All of the flavors work in harmony to produce the aura of cold cuts and all of the typical condiments without a load of bread in sight. TJ's knew exactly what it was doing when it chose a kettle chip to represent the creative spin on a classic. The salt content is what drags it down a notch. There are so many flavors brimming with savoriness that the salt is not necessary.

Trader Joe's Norwegian Sourdough Rye Chips are totally my speed. I love a snack that is not a potato chip and this is one of my go-tos. Imagine a bagel chip and sourdough met online, got married, and had a baby. That's the best way to describe the texture of this TJ's snack item. Rye can be a tough sell, but I will buy it all day. Put sourdough and rye in the same sentence and take my money.

The first bite of these chips eats a touch too salty. I'm not sure who's in charge of the salt situation at Trader Joe's but they might need to be reigned in. Thankfully, once you get through the acrid beginning, it's easier to take in the earthy flavor of the chips. The texture is another bright spot that shows up and hands over a top tier crunch you can't get from any type of potato chip. It's rugged and grainy in all of the right ways. I urge you to not only top the sourdough rye chips with anything you love, but please make sure you try them with a hefty schmear of cream cheese.

There is a lot to say about the Ketchup Flavored Lattice Potato Chips from Trader Joe's. I'm extremely smitten with them, which is weird to say because I actually dislike ketchup. The smell of it is offputting and makes me dry heave. I have no business liking these this much, but everyone loves an underdog moment, right?

First of all, the lattice style is like a cross between a waffle chip and one with deep ridges that collect bits of flavor and hold on to them tight. Despite my disdain for the gloopy red condiment, the Trader Joe's chips manage to deliver an exciting explosion of ketchup flavor without the putrid aroma. There are salty notes as well as sweet ones, and these would be even better if TJ's toned down the latter. This ketchup hater could polish off an entire bag of the Ketchup Flavored Lattice Potato Chips if they leaned more into the savory notes and let the sweet ones hang out in the background.

There's no bad time to enjoy crispy potato chips covered in speckles of BBQ flavors. It's nice to switch things up with potato chip options and BBQ is a fun flavor. I'm not a diehard BBQ fan, but I am married to one. He's legit, and I can prove it by telling you that he once waited in line on a trip to a famous haunt in Austin, TX for more than five hours. I definitely don't enjoy all the traditional meats found at a BBQ, but I love Trader Joe's Carolina Gold Style BBQ Flavored Ridge Cut Potato Chips.

These chips have ridges that serve as beautiful avenues for the Carolina gold BBQ essence. If your taste buds are looking for a good time, this Trader Joe's snack is worth exploring. I don't know if I can go back to the standard BBQ chips after experiencing these. They are tangy with a tiny whisper of sweetness, and it's a winning combo and an easy first choice in this ranking.

I purchased 13 different types of chips available at my local Trader Joe's store. My haul contained a diverse mix of flavors and textures. I tasted a couple of chips from each bag to determine where each ranks. There were no additions or toppings used to augment any of the chips for this ranking. All Trader Joe's chips in this article are judged on elements like flavor profile, texture, crunchiness/  crispiness, and overall quality, and are based on my personal preferences.