8 Best And 4 Worst Potato Chips To Buy At Aldi

By bagging up less and charging more, potato chip producers embracing the devious concept of shrinkflation have put a nasty twist on some of the world's favorite snack food options. Whether you prefer flat or grooved, plain or flavored, fried or baked, best of luck finding a package that doesn't feel minimized with a maximized price tag attached. Thankfully, low-price grocer Aldi comes to the rescue with potato chips that stand in the gap for satisfying crisps that don't wring you dry. If there are any affordable snacks you should be buying at Aldi to make your money go further, potato chips are a biggie.

Though a few Aldi potato chip selections take the format into intriguing new territory, most of the possibilities are better known brands and familiar flavors. Having never dug into the chip section here, I thought it was high time that I sort through the deep shelf and find out which Aldi potato chips are as good as or better than the original versions and which aren't sufficient for putting the crunch on my selective snacking habits. With such an imaginative array, I chose a few from every category and set the table for a chip-stravaganza. While I hoped I would enjoy all of them equally, there were some clear winners and a few definite losers in the bunch.

It's unlikely that you'll ever find another rippled chip that captures the elegant ridges of a certified Ruffles, but a chip like Clancy's Wavy should make you happy with a similar design at a much better price. These rustic ripplers are solid enough to hold your dip without cracking, yet tender enough to break when you chew without damaging your upper palate. With no additional flavorings to clutter the experience, they also offer a purer chip moment than many other Clancy's offerings.

All potential damage to your physiology aside, these chips are a mighty fine way to spend your snack money. The fresh potato chip taste abounds, and the airy texture makes it easy to scoop up a handful and snack away without injury. If you're the daring snacker, you might consider making a mix of these and Clancy's Original flat chips to give yourself a grab bag of shapes to enjoy. Imagine the surprise and delight of getting a few wavies with a few flatties every time you reach into the bowl. We snack enthusiasts are an intrepid bunch.

It seems to me like baked chips have never quite understood the assignment. While trying to be a healthier version of a potato chip, they come off as some sort of molded cracker, made from a past that's pressed into funny shapes. Granted, they're not as fun or familiar as the classic fried potato chip, but they offer a similar snacking experience with a little less compromised to your nutritional steadiness. But there has to be a little flavor to get the party started — it's non-negotiable in my code of snacking ethics.

Which is why Clancy's Original Baked Potato Crispsare a bad idea all around. The flavor is flat, the texture is blah, and there's not even enough salt to make your lips hurt a little. Having no other non-greasy version of potato chips to gravitate towards, maybe healthy snackers would still be game. Anyone else will be displeased with their purchase. The one pro to this chip con: Baked chips are usually priced much higher than regular chips too, so it's nice to see these baked chips are under the $3 mark. But if you don't like what's in the bag, no price will ever be low enough.

There are at least a dozen ways to do a barbecue potato chip, ranging from sweet and smoky to salty and spicy. It's a nearly never ending matrix of elements that can render a potato chip delicious or dastardly, depending on how skillfully the recipe is executed. With this sizzling selection as my go-to flavor for chips of any kind, I had high hopes for Clancy's Barbecue chips to come through in the crunch.

Luckily for me, those hopes weren't dashed on the crags of a poorly-flavored version of a favorite. There's plenty to love in Clancy's Barbecue chips, from the full-sized planks of crispy potato surface to the just-right distribution of a very thoughtful take on barbecue chip seasoning. If there's any difference between these and Lay's, I couldn't detect it. Anyone new to shopping at the discount shop with the rental buggies would do well to make this sweet snack one of their must-have items for a first Aldi trip. And of course, once you start, you'll be back for more. With quality like this at prices that cooperate with your checking account, it would be silly not to.

Keeping things simple with its flavors, Clancy's Salt and Vinegar Kettle Chips should add just the right amount of tingle and zest to these extra crispy potato slices. If done properly, it's like a crackling wake-up call for your mouth, engaging more of your senses than the average potato chip can. But what happens when the composition is off and the pendulum swings too far to one side of the taste spectrum? All kinds of face-puckering things.

The crunchiness is undeniable here, of course. I had no idea there could be too much vinegar on a kettle chip, but this pucker-inducing crunch opened my eyes. Every chip I sampled zapped my tongue with an electrifying tingle that started out fun but ended up sizzling my throat on the way down. After a small handful, my taste buds were totally overwhelmed by the tang. I hate to be a buzzkill for what I thought would be a considerable crisp, but this chip chokes on heavy-handed execution. Surprisingly, even leaning into a salty personality, they're not the unhealthiest snacks you can buy at Aldi. But they're also not the potato chip you'll enjoy the most.

There's no need to get all fancy with your chips when Clancy's Original Potato Chips are on the scene to keep things nice and recognizable. The bag contains nothing but generously sized slices of potato fried until golden, the perfect inclusion for your potato chip sandwich or make it one of your preferred Aldi Super Bowl snacks. The secret here is that if you can't eat just one Lay's, you probably won't be able to lay off Clancy's Original chips either.

Sometimes the contents of a lesser-known brand bag can be dicey, filled with broken bits or overcooked chips that present a problem. I was impressed with the resemblance of Clancy's plain-old potato chips to every other bag I've ever encountered, especially of the larger food producer's famous products. You'd be hard-pressed to present Clancy's and any other name brand in a blind taste test and have snackers be able to discern the difference. So if straight-up potato chips are a vice you can't kick, save yourself some dough and grab these instead of the pricier packages. At around $2 a bag, you can double up your order.

A baked chip that has practically no personality could gain a lot from a sprinkle of flavored dust. When that dust is barbecue in nature, with its sweet-and-smoky notes singing in perfect snacking harmony, the result is something subtler than a fried potato chip of the same flavor, yet worlds apart from the unadorned baked chip it shares a name with. I was excited to give Clancy's Baked Barbecue chips a try, considering how little flavor the original baked version provided. Suffice to say, that excitement didn't last.

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a flavored chip to actually have flavor — or for a flavoring to genuinely increase the flavor of a plain chip, especially when it's a baked chip that doesn't carry too much inherent flavor in the first place. You can imagine my disappointment when I found out that these chips sport a modicum of barbecue powder in a form that tends more toward sweet than smoky, not a bad gambit if it works. Which it doesn't. I kept grabbing for more chips, thinking every next selection would be the motherlode of flavoring powder, but it seems they all receive the same modest dusting. I ended up with flat, bland chips that may have less fat but also have less flavor and are barely a step above the plain version. In the end, these chips aren't worth the crunch.

What's the difference between wavy chips and ridged chips, you ask? The tension in the wave, apparently. I've never given it much thought, but having so many chips at my disposal forced me to make a more attentive observation. For instance, Clancy's Wavy chips are like wrinkled jeans, whereas Clancy's Ridged Cheddar and Sour Cream chips are like corduroys. Whether that makes one preferable over the other depends on your pickiness regarding texture. But, just so you know, these flavored crisps would succeed in fine fashion no matter how compressed their surface.

What a powerful pop of flavor these chips hold. There's a definite difference between ridges and wavy chips, with ridges presenting a much more refined corrugation. This results in a denser texture to hold the robust powder, which tends more toward the sour cream than the cheddar upon first sampling but balances out nicely after the second and third chip. The effect is similar to cheddar cheese potatoes au gratin, which puts these in a higher class of potato chip. This is one snack that Clancy's really gets right.

It's a tasty surprise to find an alternative potato among the chip standards in the Aldi snack aisle. Sweet potatoes invaded the world of french fries long ago to great acclaim but have yet to assert their place in the chip hierarchy. It's not impossible to believe that this coveted tuber has a part to play in the lives of curious snackers. Which was why I was stoked to find Simply Nature Sweet Potato chips listed as a premium item on the Aldi website. I've seen more precious brands with soaring prices at bigger chains, but I've never given them a try, which meant this would be a completely new flavor for me to savor.

It's safe to say I was highly impressed with these tasty taters turned into crispy chips. The gentle sweetness that comes through isn't flashy or off-putting; it asserts itself between the roasted goodness of the fried essence and the highly impactful crunch. These chips are far smaller than their everyday potato partners and seem to curl up into more tightly-wound shapes. All of that gives them their own personality that sets them apart from regular chips in a most unexpected and enjoyable way.

Since Flamin' Hot everything rules the hotter end of the chip flavor scope, it's encouraging to find a less-flashy attempt at bringing a little blaze to the snack world. Clancy's Jalapeño Kettle potato chips stick to the straight and narrow with just a single flavor for customers to focus on, though it's a tricky tasting note to pull off properly. Fire up the heat a little too much and you could be asking for something crisp and icy to cool down your tongue. It would be a real shame if there was just too much jalapeño spirit present in the bag, right?

Well, that's just what's happening with these ambitious chippers. I expected peppery fun from this bag as soon as I opened it and smelled the super green jalapeño essence popping out of the seam. Still, I didn't expect my mouth to be on fire after the first chip and to continue blazing through the next two. The exciting kettle crunch is present and accounted for, but there's just too much jalapeño powder to keep from overwhelming your taste buds. After a few chips, all you can really taste is the bite of the peppers, which lingers for a good long while. Some people may enjoy that sort of sensation, but I call it a reason to label these some of the worst Aldi potato chips in the collection.

If the mere crunch of kettle chips isn't enough to whet your snacking appetite, maybe Clancy's Mesquite Barbecue Kettle Chips can rise to the occasion. The fact that these extra-crispy chips curl up to cuddle extra powdery flavor means there could be a bold iteration of the usual smoky-tasting favorite than usual. Maybe I have a simple life, but the thought of it was one of the highlights of my week (don't judge my happiness). If there's such a thing as snacking Christmas, this bag had the potential to be The Big Gift.

Holy smokes, is there ever a huge burst of flavor in these fantastic crunchers! The perfume wafts out of the bag as soon as you open it, with a super smoky Mesquite essence that tells you exactly what sort of good time is waiting for you. I knew a single chip wouldn't be enough for such a powerful introduction, so I grabbed a small handful and tried them one at a time. When I say I was not disappointed by what I tasted, I mean that I may have discovered my new favorite chip of all time. Whatever Clancy's does with seasonings and spices is inspired, especially for a discount priced snack. These are going at the top of my shopping list, and they should be at the top of any self-respecting chip fan's shopping list.

Sour cream and onion is a classic blend of tangy tastes to add to potato chips, a flavor that saves you the trouble of whipping up a separate dip just to have something more deluxe on the snack table. With so many popular versions of this zesty crisp on the market, it's easy to spot an imposter with just a single taste. At best, Clancy's Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips could provide a cost-friendly take on a timeless chip; at worst, it could sour Aldi shoppers on handing over their hard-earned cash for flavored chips that don't measure up. So which will it be this time?

Get your cash ready, because Clancy's has come up with a worthwhile purchase. There's a delicate layering of flavors here that I wasn't expecting. I thought the distribution of sour cream and onion would be more heavy-handed than it actually is. Though some chips in the bag are likely to have a slightly different ratio, it seems as though the recipe is more thoughtful than other store label chips might execute. These are some of the best crispy bits for your picnic and party needs, providing you a shortcut to a chips and dip experience that saves you plenty of money for more expensive sides and mains.

A touch of jalapeño pepper to spice up the ridges and a bit of ranch seasoning to cool them back down again; it sounds like the recipe for supreme chip success. Clancy's Ridged Jalapeño Ranch attempts to capture a taste combination untouched by most other chip producers, filling a niche that daring snackers love to explore. Something experimental like this could easily go either way, sliding into the twin chasms of too much or too little flavor, both of which would make for a total letdown.

Instead of taking a tumble, this bag avoided either chasm and turned out to have one of the more creative flavors I've found in potato chipdom, with a balanced presentation that gives just the right amount of each element. I could taste the smokiness of the jalapeño, but before it had a chance to scorch my tongue, the coolness of the ranch seasonings kicked in and kept things in alignment. Thinking it might be a fluke, I tried a couple more chips and was delighted to find out the magic held up. With all the hoity-toity potato chip brands out there touting their creative superiority, it's reassuring to learn that a discount brand can come up with a supremely satisfying chip at a price that makes snacking a sensible financial habit.

Years of tasting various brands of potato chips uniquely prepared me for the challenge of determining which of Aldi's replicant potato chips were the best and worst of the bunch. They're easy templates to follow, which means tasting a sour cream and onion potato chip from a less familiar brand will register instant recognition of whether or not the formula is up to par. Because I had a dozen bags to sample from, I limited myself to no more than three chips on the first round of tasting; the first was for initial impressions, and the next two were to either confirm or reevaluate what I was tasting.

Of course, texture came into play immediately as I bit into the chips, which allowed me to compare textures among the various bags within the brands as well as better known brands with similar chip formats. Once I had taken my samplings I was able to decide how closely each chip came to its national brand counterpart. From there, I determined which of these chips was a pleasure to snack on all on their own and which were pale imitations of much better products. It was like attending a potluck where everybody brought chips of a different flavor and style, and nobody complained about the menu.