The 7 Best Plain Potato Chips Ranked From Worst to Best

Feature Photo by Brian Kachejian

Not all plain potato chips taste the same, even if the bag says original. I tested seven plain potato chip brands to see which delivered the best flavor and crunch. I purchased every bag myself and filmed the entire ranking live on video. No freebies, no sponsorships, no outside influence. Watch the full taste test below and see how each brand performed.

The lineup included national brands, store brands, and up-and-coming labels, all in their classic plain or original varieties. I also included plain kettle chips and ridged chips because, at the end of the day, they are all competing in the same original potato chip category. Thickness, cut style, and texture varied, but flavor was the ultimate deciding factor.

If you would rather skip the video, the complete ranking is detailed below. I break down how each plain potato chip performed on flavor, crunch, and overall balance.

# 7 – Good & Gather

This was the one chip that really disappointed me. But it’s really not a surprise. I’ve never really been a fan of this generic brand of products. They’re not bad, and their value is on the upside, but there are many other generic and store brands that I think far exceed this brand’s quality.

# 6 – Wegmans

I love Wegmans brands. I think the company delivers real value through its generic brands. Sometimes they’re generic brands, and I think they even taste better than the national brands. If you haven’t read my Oreos vs Wegmans O’s taste test competition, you should check that one out, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Wegmans tasted very close to the UTZ and Lays. As far as value, Wegmans wins that one. But in the overall taste test, it fell short.

# 5 – UTZ

One thing I keep learning about UTZ is how many brands they purchase and consume. This is a smart company, and they deliver quality products. I was surprised by how similar this tasted to the Lays Classic. It’s a light chip, clean, but a little less salty than the Lays, which is probably good for you, but just didn’t taste as good.

# 4 – Lays Classic

For most of my life, this has been my favorite potato chip. Yet I’m not sure if it’s my own taste buds, it just doesn’t taste as good as it used to. It’s still a great potato chip: clean, crisp, very fresh-tasting, crunchy, but maybe just a little too thin.

# 3 – Cape Cod

This is where the game began to change. This was a whole other level of potato chip. Do not taste the processed flavor that you taste with all the other brands, except for our Top Choice. This had a very strong potato chip flavor and I don’t know if it’s that Lighthouse like I’ve said before but it just feels like I’m sitting on a dock staring out of the water when I eat Cape Cod chips.

# 2 – Deep River

This is very similar to the Cape Cod chip. In fact, I had to go back and forth a couple of times between these two determine which one I liked better, and it was really close. Very rich potato taste, one of the best potato chips I’ve ever tasted.

# 1 – Wise

In the old days Wise was always a very dark chip. It’s not as dark as it used to be, and that, I think, is a plus. Because in the end, this competition was all about taste, and this potato chip tasted better than any of the others.

Wrap Up

I try not to eat too many potato chips in life. They’re not very good for you. However, anything in moderation is okay, or at least that’s what I tell myself. There’s nothing like having a few chips on a plate next to a good sandwich. So for me, this was a very important taste test competition because if I’m going to have a potato chip, I want to have the best. Competition helps me decide which to buy from now on. I hope it helps you, too.

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