Best BBQ Potato Chips: Our Taste Test Results

The Best BBQ Potato Chips

Category: Plain BBQ

Overall Winner: Kettle Backyard Barbeque
Chip thickness: This chip was extremely thick, which made for extremely crunchy chip that supported all of the seasonings.
Coating of spices: Not too much and not too little, there was just enough to make you go "yum." For once, we weren't left grabbing for the water bottle because of the sodium levels.
Our panel says: "Crunchy, thick and sweet -- it almost had a buttery-potato flavor." "A great blend of spices mixed with the BBQ flavor -- if you love pepper, this is the chip for you."

The Best BBQ Potato Chips

Category: Plain BBQ

Overall Loser: Wise BBQ

Editors comments: This was the thinnest chip we encountered out all of them. As we poured the chips out of the bag and onto the plate, we had to do a double take -- the chip was almost completely white, lacking seasonings of any kind. Since there was hardly any seasoning on the chip, it wasn't salty at all. Even if these chips were on sale, I would pass them up. If I'm going to eat a potato chip, it needs to at least taste like one.

The Best BBQ Potato Chips

Category: Mesquite BBQ

Overall Winner: Deep River Snacks Mesquite BBQ
Chip thickness: While the chip wasn't as thick as the Kettle brands, it provided a great crunch.
Coating of spices: You knew immediately that you were eating a mesquite flavored chip. It wasn't heavily spiced and had just the right amount of salt on it to keep you craving more.
Our panel says: "Loved the crunch and strong BBQ flavor -- I couldn't stop eating them." "Loved the mix of spicy and sweet -- just the way a mesquite chip should be."

The Best BBQ Potato Chips

Category: Mesquite BBQ

Overall Loser: Zapp's Mesquite Bar B Que

Editors comments: These chips had an extremely off putting flavor -- I actually checked the "use-by" date.

The Best BBQ Potato Chips

Category: Hickory BBQ

Overall Winner: Trader Joe's Hickory Barbeque
Chip thickness: Possibly the most popular chip in the taste test, these chips are super thick and crunchy.
Coating of spices: At first glance you might think these are over-spiced, but with your first bite, you'll fall in BBQ love. It was like Trader Joe's roasted these chips over a hickory smoked fire and packaged them up. However, these chips are for salt lovers -- have a bottle of water handy!
Our panel says: "Delicious coating of spices -- both sweet and spicy." "In-your-face BBQ flavor." "Chip has the perfect density to support all those spices."

The Best BBQ Potato Chips

Category: Hickory BBQ

Overall Loser: Boulder Canyon Hickory Barbeque

Editors comments: Potato chips shouldn't have such a bad aftertaste that you want to reach for a stronger chip to get ride of it. It's hard to screw up a kettle cooked potato chip -- somehow they managed to do it.

The Best BBQ Potato Chips

Category: Baked BBQ

Overall Winner: Kettle Baked Hickory Honey Barbeque
Chip thickness: Closely resembles their normal chip, thick and crunchy.
Coating of spices: Due to their healthier nature, baked chips tend to have less seasoning on them, but unlike it's competitors, Kettle decided to treat this chip like any other and coat it with just the right amount of spices.
Our panel says: "While these crumbled more easily, these chips didn't resemble a tortilla chip like most baked chips do -- it still had a crunch." "The chip takes you on a trip -- from the first crunch to the appealing aftertaste." "Had an impressive BBQ flavor for being baked."

The Best BBQ Potato Chips

Category: Baked BBQ

Overall Loser: utz Baked B-B-Q

Editors comments: It tasted more like ketchup rather than BBQ -- and not in a good way. I'd never see so many people not like one chip -- people actually spit it out.

The Best BBQ Potato Chips

Editors Choice: Lay's Tangy Carolina BBQ

Chip thickness: Compared to all the other chips, these are more on the thin side, but if they were any thicker, they'd lose their "tangy" appeal.
Coating of spices: Light, but plenty to fulfill your BBQ craving. There's no doubt these chips are for salt lovers.
Editors comments:It's a very addictive chip that has more vinegar and salt than hearty molasses and pepper BBQ flavor. It was a reprieve from all the others, this flavor truly stood out of the pack.

The Best BBQ Potato Chips

Best Alternative (not potato): Riceworks Tangy BBQ

Chip thickness: Similar to a Dorito, these rice crisps were just as crispy as their starchy counterparts.
Coating of spices: BBQ flavor? Not to be missed, these chips screamed molasses and brown sugar without all the extra salt.
Our panel says: "Out of all the alternatives, this chip provided the best BBQ flavor, however, it did seem to taste more like a corn chip than a potato chip." "If for some reason I couldn't eat a potato chip, these should be my go-to for a snack."

The Best BBQ Potato Chips