Popular Grocery Store Tortilla Chip Brands Ranked Worst To Best

When you stand before a mind-boggling array of chips at the grocery store, it can be difficult to know which tortilla chips are best and which are worst. Or is there any difference at all? We've found that there are certainly some superior chips out there. To determine which popular grocery store tortilla chips are the best, and worst, we looked at various styles for each brand. We analyzed the brand's average star rating and how many of its reviews are four or five stars out of five. After turning both these statistics into percentages, we came up with a composite percentage that serves as an overall score.

We will also tell you what you can expect to pay for each chip brand. The cheapest chip isn't necessarily the worst, and the most expensive chip isn't necessarily the best. So, you can often grab inexpensive chips without feeling like you're going to be too disappointed. However, some of the more expensive chips have qualities like unique flavors and textures that make them worth trying even if you usually look for cheaper chips. 

Three of our top-five brands are store brands, which may be surprising for those who stick to name-brand products. You may need to try a few brands to find your personal favorite, but this list will give you a good idea of what consumers think about various grocery store tortilla chip brands.

Sanitas is Frito Lay's tortilla chip brand. As far as unflavored chips go, you can find a yellow corn and white corn variety. Customers seem to like the yellow corn version slightly better than the white corn type. They're medium-weight chips, so they don't break when you try to use them for dipping, and they hold up well for baked nachos. However, some customers complain that the company has made some negative changes to the flavor. For one thing, the yellow corn version changed to what the package calls "blended corn."

We've bought Sanitas several times, and they're not horrible. However, they're also nothing special. Customers tend to rate them around 3.1 stars, which sounds fair. Only half of the ratings for this chip brand are four or five stars because it's just okay. We've found these at Walmart for $2.48 per bag, which ties for the fourth cheapest chip brand on our list since it's an 11-ounce package. So, unless there's a sale for Sanitas, you might as well try a different chip brand.

Gruma makes Mission tortilla chips, as well as another better-ranking chip brand on our list — Calidad. The Mission brand has been around since 1997 and also includes other products like tortillas and flatbreads. Customers seem to like Mission tortilla strips better than Mission tortilla rounds. Because this brand is thick and gets crispy in the oven, it can handle weighty nacho toppings. One nice thing about Mission is it isn't as salty as some brands. So, that's another positive when it comes to using Mission brand tortilla chips for making multi-ingredient nachos.

Mission is another chip brand that tastes okay but doesn't have a big wow factor. We usually wish we'd bought something better when we end up with Mission. They're on the thicker side of the tortilla chip spectrum. Grocery store customers tend to give Mission chips an average rating of 3.45 stars, with about 63% of the ratings being four- or five-star ratings. Our local Walmart carries these for $2.84 per 11-ounce bag, so they fall close to the mid-range for cost per ounce.

Great Value is Walmart's store brand of chips, so you'll only find them at Walmart. However, based on past recall information, it seems that Shearer's makes Great Value tortilla chips for Walmart. Great Value has a wide variety of styles available, including lightly seasoned cantina-style, white corn restaurant-style, lightly salted white corn restaurant-style, bite-sized rounds, and bowlz. 

Customers rate the bite-sized rounds and the bowlz the highest of these five varieties. The bowlz are fun for adding extra ingredients inside, while the bite-sized rounds are easier to eat because of their size and shape. People compare the cantina-style chips favorably to the thin and crispy type you can get in a restaurant, saying they're even better than name-brand versions.

We've been pleasantly surprised when we've tried Great Value brand chips. They're actually pretty decent, especially considering the price. Great Value tortilla chips are probably the cheapest ones you can find without going to a buyer's club like Sam's Club. We've found them priced between $1.98 and $2.67, with bags ranging from 10 to 18 ounces. Thus, they're the second-lowest-priced chips on our list per ounce. Great Value tortilla chips average around 3.9 stars, with about 72% of the ratings being four or five stars. So, if you're not super picky, they're a cheap choice you'll probably like just as well as name-brand chips.

On the Border tortilla chips grew out of the popularity of the chips and salsa at the On the Border restaurant chain. You can buy both On the Border salsa and queso to complete the experience. So, that's often a selling point as long as you like cumin-heavy salsa. Some varieties you can find include On the Border Cantina Thins, Fiesta Dippin' Chips, homestyle thick and crispy chips, and Café Style chips. The Café Style chips have the highest reviews, but we like the texture of the Cantina Thins better even though they're not as sturdy for power dipping.

On the Border used to be our go-to chips, but they seem to be saltier and have a less-enticing texture than they once did. Consumers tend to rate On the Border tortilla chips around 3.9 stars, with about 74% of people giving them 4-star or 5-star reviews. All the varieties at our local Walmart are $3.78 per bag, and they range from 12 to 16.5 ounces, placing them in the mid-range for tortilla chips per ounce.

Xochitl tortilla chips come from a company in Dallas, Texas, called Xochitl, Inc., which got its start with an old family recipe for chipotle salsa in 1995. Xochitl (say "SHO-chitl," swallowing the "l") is the word for flower in the Nahuatl language and is also a common (mainly feminine) name in Mexico. Some of the varieties of Xochitl chips you can find include thin and crispy ones without salt, thin and crispy ones with sea salt, and premium white corn chips with sea salt. The flavor of these is nice, even the unsalted ones. However, they're so thin and crispy that they break easily, which can be disappointing if you find more broken than whole pieces in a package.

The average consumer rates Xochitl about 4.4 stars. However, only 70% of the raters give them four or five stars. The one 16-ounce bag of Xochitl chips we found at our local Walmart cost $4.48, placing them at the high end of the mid-range-priced chips per ounce.

If you have a Sam's Club membership and have been getting On the Border or some other brand, it's worthwhile to look for a box of Shearer's tortilla chips. It's easy to overlook them because they don't have a brand name on the front. Instead, they're in a large red box simply labeled "tortilla chips traditional rounds." Inside the box, you will find two clear bags of chips. Shearer's produces a variety of chips and salty snacks, including Walmart's Great Value brand. So, if you like Great Value brand tortilla chips, you're likely to like these.

We found these at our local Sam's Club for $12.56, which sounds expensive until you realize they come in a 6-pound box and are actually the best deal on our list per ounce. They have much better ratings than you'd expect for a cheap tortilla chip. The average buyer gives them 4.1 stars, and over 75% of the ratings are either four or five stars. Fans of these chips like their flavor, size, freshness, and dipability. However, they're best to buy in the store rather than shipped because they often arrive broken. These are one of Sam's Club's best-kept secrets since they're an excellent chip for such a low price.

It's not uncommon to see a whole shelf full of Tostitos tortilla chips, salsas, and dips at the grocery store. Tostitos has definitely found a way to corner the market in the tortilla chip industry. While half of Americans call Tostitos their go-to brand, they're still only number nine on our list. You're likely to find several varieties in your local grocery store, like crispy rounds, bite-size rounds, Cantina thin and crispy, Cantina with traditional yellow corn, original restaurant style, Scoops!, and lightly salted. 

The lightly-salted ones have the highest ratings, which makes sense since our main qualm with Tostitos has been that most varieties tend to be far too salty. In general, they're thick, sturdy chips you can trust to stand up to all the nacho fixings you want to add to them.

Something we've noticed about Tostitos is that all the varieties may cost the same ($4.38 each at our local Walmart), but the bags range between 10 and 13 ounces, so you'll want to pay attention. The average cost for Tostitos is the third highest on our list per ounce. The truth is that the average star rating for Tostitos is only around 3.9, and only about 79% of people who rate Tostitos rate them with four or five stars. So, they're nothing exceptional.

When Julio Garcia kept getting calls to his catering business for extra chips and salsa several days after a catering job, he knew he was onto something. The chips eventually made their way to his burrito restaurants in Texas and later to grocery store shelves like Walmart and H-E-B. You may even be able to find Julio's salsa and queso if you're lucky. Along with salt and pepper, Julio's tortilla chips come with a slight seasoning of paprika and cumin. The unique flavor makes them something different without moving over into the Doritos spectrum of chips.

The average rating for Julio's is 4.4 stars, with about 82% of buyers giving them four or five stars. We found Julio's chips available at our neighborhood Walmart for $3.98, which is a mid-range price considering it comes in a 14-ounce package. They're definitely something slightly different than your run-of-the-mill tortilla chip and have a price and satisfaction rating that make them worth a try. However, you may have difficulty finding them on the shelves because fans like to snatch them when they see them.

Cazo de Oro (Pot of Gold) tortilla chips have a different texture than most brands because they are kettle-style tortilla chips. The first time you try them, you'll notice just how different they look and taste, but you'll likely end up liking them as long as you don't mind a chip with a strong corn flavor. They look like homemade tortilla chips. As such, they're thicker than usual, making them a great choice for nachos. They're also only lightly salted, which can be a plus for those who prefer less salt on their chips. Other than at Walmart, you'll mainly find these in grocery stores in California.

Fans of Cazo de Oro give it a solid 4.4 rating, with an impressive 87% of raters giving them four to five stars. Cazo de Oro chips cost $3.48 at the Walmart nearest us. With only 11 ounces in the package, they're on the expensive side. However, since they're very different than other tortilla chips, you'll want to splurge sometime to give them a try.

A few years back, we only saw Late July's healthy chip brand in specialty grocery stores like Sprouts and Wholefoods because its products are organic and don't contain GMO ingredients. However, you're likely to find them at your local grocery store these days. Customers seem to like the blue corn variety slightly more than the thin and crispy ones with sea salt. If you prefer lightly-salted, medium-weight chips like you'd find in a Mexican restaurant, you'll appreciate them. Even though they're not super-thick, they're not too thin to hold up well to dipping.

When people give Late July tortilla chips a try, they rate them around 4.5 stars, with around 87% liking them enough to rate them four or five stars. Being organic and non-GMO, you can expect to pay more for this brand than most others. Late July chips only weigh in at 10.1 ounces and cost $4.58 at our local Walmart, making them one of the pricier grocery store tortilla chip brands on our list. 

Market Pantry has been one of Target's store brands since 2001. If you've only been getting name-brand tortilla chips at Target, you've been missing out on chips that customers often like better. Customers say that Market Pantry's bite-size white corn tortilla rounds compare favorably to name-brand chips at a lower price. Plus, they're not so heavy on salt and have a nice, crunchy and crisp texture. Since they're bite-sized, they're perfect for dipping and giving to kids as a snack.

Market Pantry tortilla chips have an impressive 4.5-star rating, and 87% of customers feel they're worth a four- or five-star rating. With 13 ounces of chips crammed into a $2.99 bag, these tie for the fourth-cheapest chips on our list per ounce. That's actually a pretty decent deal considering the price of chips these days. So, it makes sense to try them next time you're shopping for snacks at Target.

Signature Select is another store brand that has surprisingly made its way to the top of our list. As such, you'll only find Signature Select tortilla chips at Albertsons grocery stores. Varieties you'll encounter may include restaurant style, white corn, and yellow corn (the store favorite). Customers find these to taste just as good and maybe even better than name-brand chips but at a lower price point. They're not overly salty, have a great flavor, and are the right texture for dipping. Customers also like that the chips have only four ingredients: corn, water, vegetable oil, and salt.

Albertsons shoppers rate the store's tortilla chip brand an average of 4.6 stars, with 91% of those ratings ranging between four and five stars. You'll find all three varieties for just $2.49 per package. Even though the restaurant-style ones come in a 9.5-ounce bag rather than an 11-ounce bag like the others, the average cost is still fairly low per ounce. So, if you have an Albertson's in your city, don't sleep on trying the store-brand tortilla chips.

The word "calidad" means "quality" in Spanish, which is exactly what you can expect from Calidad tortilla chips. Like Mission brand, Calidad comes from the Gruma company. However, they rank far better even though they're a lesser-known brand. You can choose from white corn or yellow corn chips, with fans liking both equally well. They're thick enough to stand up to dipping without breaking. The low price point and good flavor make them a go-to chip for many people, but we've found them too salty for our tastes.

The average person who gives Calidad tortilla chips a try ends up giving them a 4.6-star rating. About 90% of all the ratings for this snack end up being four or five stars. We are able to pick those up from our local Walmart for only $2.29 for an 11-ounce bag. This price makes Calidad the cheapest chip per ounce among our top-five-rated tortilla chips and the third cheapest chip per ounce on our whole list. So, not only is Calidad a highly-rated, great-tasting chip, but you can get them for cheap without having to resort to store-brand chips.

Good & Gather is one of Target's newest store brands, first appearing in 2019 with more natural and healthier ingredients. All Good & Gather's tortilla chips are organic, gluten-free, and contain no preservatives except salt. They come in blue, white, and yellow corn varieties. We find them to have a stronger and more distinctive corn flavor than any other brands we've tried. While the strong corn flavor isn't our favorite, some customers went as far as to call the white ones "addictive." In fact, we've often found the white-corn ones completely plundered at Target. They're also strong enough to stand up to thick dips and salsas without breaking.

Good and Gather tortilla chips are popular enough that their average star rating is an impressive 4.7 stars. A full 91% of people who have rated these chips end up giving them a four- or five-star review.  All of these chips are on the expensive side per ounce. Locally, we found 12-ounce bags of both the white and yellow ones for $3.99. The blue ones cost a whopping $5.39, but they come in an 18-ounce bag. However, they're worth the extra cost if you're looking for an organic, full-flavor corn tortilla chip.

Siete (Seven) is a specialty chip brand that caters to people looking for grain-free snacks. You wouldn't expect to see a grain-free tortilla chip at the top of the list, but even the creator's Mexican grandma gave her seal of approval on the brand, saying the tortillas used were better than her homemade ones. So, you're not just getting a grain substitution that's merely passable. Rather than using corn, Siete uses a tuber called cassava. Some common varieties include ones with sea salt and ones with lime.

We've noticed that people on gluten-free and paleo diets tend to give high praise to these chips. What starts out as buying a chip for health purposes can end up as a new favorite. 

The average consumer gives Siete tortilla chips about a 4.8-star rating, with an impressive 94% giving them a four- or five-star rating — higher than any other chip on our list. These ratings come from over 2,500 reviews. So, if you're intrigued by the idea of a grain-free, cassava tortilla chip, there's a good chance you'll like these. There is one downside, though. The packets of sea salt ones we found in our local Target cost $5.19 each. They come in a 5-ounce bag, making them the most expensive tortilla chip on our list, per ounce.