Last Updated on April 13, 2026 by Brian Kay
Feature Photo by Brian Kachejian
Let’s get something straight right off the top. This is not a dietary consultation. Nobody here is wearing a white coat or reciting nutritional guidelines. This is a taste test, pure and simple, the kind that matters most when you’re reaching into a bag and hoping what comes out makes you want to reach in again. Consider me your consumer-in-chief, and today’s subject is Sun Chips.
Sun Chips, for the uninitiated, have a surprisingly long road behind them. The multigrain chip brand is produced by Frito-Lay and owned by PepsiCo. Frito-Lay actually first attempted a multigrain snack chip back in 1974 under the name Prontos, but that product struggled in manufacturing and sales and was discontinued by 1978.
The concept was revived in 1981 under the internal codename “Harvest,” with the goal of creating a healthier alternative to potato and corn chips aimed at the growing baby boomer market. After years of testing and refinement, Sun Chips were first introduced to consumers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area on October 9, 1989, and received a nationwide release in March 1991 after demand during the market test outpaced the limited supply Frito-Lay was producing.
That’s a lot of history riding on a chip. So how do they hold up today? I grabbed four of the current flavors and put them through their paces. Here’s how it went.
Original
Every lineup has to start somewhere, and Sun Chips starts with the basics. The Original flavor is exactly what it sounds like: no frills, no fireworks, just the taste of whole grain doing its thing. It didn’t blow me away, but it didn’t disappoint me either. This is a solid, respectable chip that works perfectly well as an alternative to your standard potato chip. Nothing great, nothing bad. The bag touts no artificial colors and a heart-healthy claim, and the flavor is clean and straightforward. I gave it a 5 out of 10.
French Onion
Now we’re talking. The French Onion flavor was a genuine surprise. Coming in with low expectations after the modest Original, this one knocked me sideways in the best possible way. The onion flavor comes through clearly and confidently, not quite a French onion soup in a bag, but close enough to give you that same satisfying savory sensation. If you’ve ever loved a good onion-flavored potato chip, you already know this combination works, and Sun Chips proves it works on multigrain just as well. This one scored a 9 out of 10, and it earned every point.
Harvest Cheddar
The Harvest Cheddar kept the momentum going strong. The cheddar flavor is bold and generous, delivering exactly what you hope for when you see that word on the bag. It didn’t quite reach the heights of the French Onion, but it came awfully close. There’s something about a real cheddar flavor on a hearty multigrain chip that just clicks, the nuttiness of the grain complementing the sharpness of the cheese in a way that makes each handful better than the last. Harvest Cheddar scores an 8 out of 10, a worthy competitor in any chip lineup.
Garden Salsa
And here is where this little taste test found its champion. The Garden Salsa flavor is something else entirely. The moment it hits your tongue, the flavor announces itself with authority, a bold, full-flavored salsa punch with a vegetable undertone that gives it depth and dimension. This is not a timid chip. It’s the one at the party who walks in and owns the room. The garden element keeps it from being one-dimensional, and the overall result is a chip that made me stop and pay attention. Garden Salsa scores a 10 out of 10, the clear winner of this taste test and the flavor I’ll be reaching for first from here on out.
The Verdict
Sun Chips currently come in Original, Harvest Cheddar, French Onion, Garden Salsa, and Honey BBQ flavors, and based on what I tasted, the line delivers a wide range of experiences worth exploring. The scores break down like this: Original earns a 5 out of 10, Harvest Cheddar an 8 out of 10, French Onion a 9 out of 10, and Garden Salsa a perfect 10 out of 10. If you haven’t tried the Garden Salsa yet, stop what you’re doing and fix that. Your snack game will thank you.
If you want to see the full Sun Chips taste test in action, check out the video below. Watch as I work my way through all four flavors and deliver my verdicts in real time. It’s the next best thing to ripping open the bags yourself.
