As soon as summer arrives, my chip intake goes way up. Whether it’s a classic Lay’s with a scoop of French onion dip or nacho cheese Doritos on the side of my BLT, something about chips just hits different in the heat.
Anyone who feels the same will be delighted to know that brand-new flavors of Doritos, Fritos, and Ruffles are dropping just in time for America’s 250th birthday. Toss your go-to chips to the side — this summer, you’ll only have eyes for Doritos Ultimate Garlic Parm, Ruffles Buffalo Wings, and Fritos Flavor Twists Spicy Dill Pickle.
Pepsico launched these flavors for this milestone summer, and they’re already starting to appear on shelves. Doritos Ultimate Garlic Parm have been available for a few weeks now, but Ruffles Buffalo Wings just hit shelves on May 31, and Fritos Flavor Twists Spicy Dill Pickle became available on June 1. Here’s what I thought of them after trying all three flavors.
Doritos Ultimate Garlic Parm
I’ve tried a couple of garlic-flavored chips recently, and I love how the garlic flavor in this chip wasn’t so harsh. With other versions I have tried, they taste like raw garlic. The Parm flavor helps to balance out the garlic flavor, so it’s not as strong. In the ingredients list, there is actually Parmesan cheese and Romano cheese listed to help cut through the pungent garlic and bring that Parmesan flavor to life.
This flavor is overall a little more subdued and not as “in your face” as the other two new chips, which I actually liked. If I absolutely had to crown a favorite, I would pick this one simply for the fact that I think I could eat the entire bag in one sitting without getting tired of the flavor. However, some other testers in the office said that it was their least favorite because it didn’t pack as much flavor. To them, it tasted like a slightly jazzed-up Cool Ranch Doritos.
I actually agree with that comparison. You get that same zesty flavoring dusted on the chip, and the color is very similar to the Cool Ranch Doritos (which I happen to love, so I’m very into the fact that they seem similar).
Anyone who loves Buffalo wings is going to be obsessed with this new Ruffles flavor. One taste tester in the office, Alexa Casanova, said that these were so delicious, but you really need to love Buffalo sauce to like these. I agree; I felt like I was eating a Ruffle chip dipped in Frank’s RedHot Buffalo sauce. The flavor was spot-on!
I was surprised to see the name of these chips include “wings” instead of just being Buffalo-flavored, so I peeked at the ingredients list to see if there were any chicken wing-esque ingredients. I actually spotted chicken broth, chicken fat, and chicken powder, which I thought was so interesting (so these are definitely not suitable for vegetarians!). Alexa and I both agreed that you don’t taste chicken, though.
These also had a good level of spice to them. As someone who likes spicy food but can’t take extreme levels of it, I thought these were a little hot, but it didn’t prevent me from going back for another chip. Alex Lepe, who regularly proclaims his love for really spicy food, said these chips weren’t too spicy at all and actually wished they had a bit more of a kick to them. So, take all that as you will.
Fritos Flavor Twists Spicy Dill Pickle
The Fritos Flavor Twists Spicy Dill Pickle was the flavor I was most excited to try because I love the Honey BBQ version. What seemed to be everyone’s favorite part about these chips was their extreme crunch. The spiral shape is so fun; it locks in all the flavor and stays super-crunchy for every bite.
To me, these chips almost tasted like a spicy fried pickle. The corn chip itself mirrored breading for frying, and the acidic pickle flavoring really captured the taste of a real pickle slice. This chip also had some great vinegar levels, which Alex said made them taste a little spicier than the Ruffles Buffalo Wings to him.
Sofia Rivera said these would go great with a spicy margarita during a happy hour (whereas the other two new flavors kind of need to be eaten alone). I agree; I’m not sure what drink would pair well with the Ruffles Buffalo Wings flavor (besides, of course, an ice-cold beer).
