10 Ruffles Chips Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

Potato chips are a classic American snack. They go great with a sandwich, aside a tasty dip at a party, or just munched right out of the bag. The origin of the popular snack is murky, but the the history of potato chips did not start with a disgruntled customer as you may have heard. However, the humble potato chip started, it is certainly here to stay, as evidenced by the numerous brands available. You can make chips yourself in a microwave, but there are plenty that you can buy. One of the best-known brands is Ruffles, which launched in 1948. If you are as old as I am, you may remember the commercials with the signature tagline, "Ruffles have ridges."

Indeed they do. They also have many flavors. From creamy to spicy, to smoky, and just plain old salted chips, Ruffles has got them. We already provided you with the ultimate ranking of plain potato chips, and feel that you need one for the many flavors of Ruffles. I've done the legwork for you and now present them, ranked from the worst to the best. Check out where your favorite flavor ranks in our hierarchy.

It's nice when a brand offers baked options. Some people, such as my wife, have issues with fried foods, and baked chips can fill that void. I have no such issues, and although I did enjoy Ruffles Baked Cheddar & Sour cream, the texture cannot hold up to a standard fried potato chip. The chips are crunchy, but not as crisp as regular ones. It's too bad because the cheddar flavor is actually pretty good. The sour cream is not as strong as I normally like, and there is only a bit of tang. But the cheese does have a pretty nice cheddar flavor, and the saltiness is pretty solid.

If it weren't for the texture, I would rank these higher. But sadly, flavor is not the whole story, and the baked chips just don't do it for me. They don't feel like potato chips in my mouth, and that just ruins the experience. I don't think a dip would help, either. I'll let my wife finish these while I indulge in my favorites.

Cheese-flavored chips are, of course, a classic, and every brand seems to make several varieties. Ruffles makes a Cheddar & Sour Cream blended chip that is pretty good, but I don't love it. They are crisp, but somehow seem a bit softer than some of the other chips. It may be just me, but I found it noticeable, and it diminished the experience. As for the flavor, I love cheddar cheese, especially extra sharp, but these chips don't taste anywhere near the real thing. The salt level is average, and I think it works well here.

The tanginess of the sour cream is a little too subtle for my taste, just like the baked ones. They have more flavor than plain chips, but can't match some of the others. They could be paired with a dip, maybe a cheese one for more flavor. However, I feel a flavored chip should be able to stand on its own. If I craved potato chips, and these were all I had, I would eat some. But it's not a flavor I could see myself getting carried away with and demolishing half a bag in one sitting.

Sour cream and onion is one of the true classic potato chip flavors that every brand carries. Naturally, Ruffles is one of them. Ruffles Sour Cream & Onion have a very nice crispy texture — kind of perfect in my book. They seemed heavy on the salt and made me thirsty very quickly. Salt is vital to a good chip, but this seemed excessive.

The flavor is not too strong. In fact, I could not taste any onion, which was disappointing because that is one of my favorite flavors. There is a very slight onion aftertaste, but not enough to suit my palate. There isn't much sour cream flavor, either; I like to enjoy the tanginess. You could make a sour cream and onion dip, but you shouldn't need to if that is supposed to be the flavor of the chip. These aren't bad, but I would not choose them if I had other options available.

I truly enjoy spicy foods and snacks, and all of the flamin' hot Ruffles chips have that same level of heat that I love. The Flamin' Hot Cheddar & Sour Cream are crunchy and salty, but have the same issue I found with the regular cheddar and sour cream. The cheese flavor just doesn't do it for me, and the sour cream is largely absent. It would be hard for any taste to stand up to the heat, but the sour cream just doesn't makes its presence felt enough and the cheddar flavor is a bit off. That was all it took to downgrade the Flamin' Hot Cheddar & Sour Cream to near the bottom of the list.

If these were all I had and I wanted some chips, I would eat them. I find them to be a better taste experience than either the Sour Cream & Onion or Cheddar & Sour Cream, but they lag well behind the Queso (my favorite of the cheese chips), even with the extra spice.

The original of anything is usually the best, right? Not exactly in this case, but the OG Ruffles chips are still pretty darn good. The texture has a very nice crunch to it, with a good mouthfeel, as well as standing up to being dipped in your favorite chip sidekick. They are quite salty, not to an unpleasant degree, but you should have a beverage handy when eating them. Flavor-wise, they do have the classic potato chip taste, which is fairly tame. I find plain chips to be somewhat on the bland side, and usually like to have a dip.

Ruffles Originals are one of the best of the plain chip brands. I do prefer flavored chips, so these would not be my first choice, but I like them. Alongside a bowl of classic French onion dip, they would be a great party snack that could appeal to many guests. You could also pair them with assorted snack dips that can be an entire meal. I would also enjoy them as a side dish to a tasty sandwich or burger.

Time to be upfront. Barbecue is my favorite flavor of potato chips. I was pretty excited to try Ruffles Smokehouse BBQ chips because the name brought thoughts to mind of smoky meats like brisket. Gotta be a tasty chip. Truth be told, I didn't love them. They were just okay. Nice and crunchy, with a good mouthfeel. It was hard to determine the saltiness because the barbecue flavor's very strong. It was pretty good, not overpowering, but the chips had a strange tangy flavor that seemed out of place.

These chips did have some nice heat, which I always enjoy. The aftertaste had that good spiciness, but also the offbeat tanginess. I did like them better than plain original chips, and put them above most of the cheese flavors, except for the Queso. For an overall potato chip ranking, they would place high, but when compared to other barbecue chips, they drop to the midfield. The Smokehouse BBQ did, however, top our list of 15 popular BBQ potato chip brands, so you should give them a try. They might suit your taste better than mine.

The Ruffles Simply Sea Salted potato chips are so named for the simple recipe. They contain no artificial colors or flavors, are made from U.S.-grown potatoes, cooked in sunflower oil,and naturally, are seasoned with sea salt. Now, let's get into the eating experience. Texturally, they have the typical potato chip crunch. Very nice, but nothing unusual or special. As far as flavor, you can definitely taste potato — much more so than the original. Many people would probably like that, but I find it a bit off-putting. I love potatoes, but most chips don't have a strong flavor of spuds, so I guess I'm not used to it.

The sea salt is a great choice for seasoning. It's more subtle than the salt on the Original variety and complements the flavor, which is a big plus if you enjoy it. I don't think I would choose these as my standard snack or sandwich accompaniment, but I would serve them at a party. I'm sure there would be guests who would enjoy them. Very good, but they're just not my cup of tea. Or, I guess, bag of chips.

The Ruffles Queso flavor is a cheese chip I can really get behind. I found the texture to be the perfect crunch. The salt level was also on point and really enhanced the flavor. And what a flavor it is. You don't have to search for the cheese taste — it's there as soon as it hits your tongue. It is strong but not overpowering, and has a nice burst of heat. You are left with that spicy feeling on your tongue that only happens with well-balanced hot cheese.

I would not dip these in anything; I wouldn't want to dilute the flavor. Not only would I have this with a sandwich, but I would also put them on a sandwich. I think they would be a great complement to an Italian combo with spicy meats like salami, pepperoni, and capicola. I could easily see myself on a beach with a Corona and a bowl of Ruffles Queso chips. Top notch.

The regular Flamin' Hot were pretty fantastic. The only thing they lacked and the reason they placed second, was the barbecue flavor. They had the same great crunch and good seasoning of the Flamin' Hot BBQ, as well as the heat that I like. It's essentially the plain chip taken up several flavor levels. I love the warm feeling in my mouth after I eat one, and it makes me want to go back for more. I may have to hide the bag.

These would make a nice side dish for a more bland sandwich, like turkey and cheese. The heat would be quite a welcome addition to the meal. If I were looking in my cupboard for a snack, I would be searching for the Flamin' Hot BBQ, but I would not be disappointed to pull out a bag of this Ruffles flavor. A well-deserved number two, lost by the narrowest of margins. It's a great chip.

Now this is a chip that I would come back to again and again. They are crunchy and nicely seasoned and have a genuine barbecue flavor without the strange tanginess of the smokehouse chips. Flamin' Hot BBQ is the proper name because they are spicy — in the best way, if you like hot foods like I do. The typical nice crunch of a ridged Ruffles chip packed with bold flavor. What's not to love?

The spicy taste blends perfectly with the barbecue flavor and leaves a burn in your mouth that I absolutely love. Kind of what you get from a good chili or chicken wing. You could dip these in salsa, but they don't need it. I would eat the Flamin' Hot BBQ alone, or as a sandwich accompaniment. I would eat them here or there and I would eat them anywhere. The Flamin' Hot BBQ chips take the prize, with bold flavors that combine to make a chip I can't eat just one of. Yeah, I know. Wrong brand. But they're really good chips.

Taste testing potato chips seems like a simple endeavor. Pick one up, bite it, rate it. I tried to be a bit more scientific than that. Granted, I wasn't sampling caviar or fine wine; however, I did note the scent of each chip before tasting, as the sense of smell is closely connected to the sense of taste. In between each flavor, I cleansed my palate with water, as is good practice when performing a taste test on anything. I should mention that I do tend to lean toward BBQ flavor, and I enjoy spicy snacks. This certainly skewed my opinions, so bear that in mind.

I rated the chips on three important factors: the crunchiness of the texture, the saltiness, and, of course, the flavor. Given that these chips come in a variety of tastes, my personal preferences certainly played a role. For example, you may not enjoy spicy snacks as much as I do. Nevertheless, I hope I have provided a guideline for your own use in deciding which Ruffles flavors to try. If you are a true potato chip connoisseur, you may also want to check out our ranking of 22 Lay's potato chip flavors for comparison.