12 Popular Tortilla Chips Ranked Worst to Best, Just in Time for Super Bowl Snacking

Tortilla Chips

Super Bowl Sunday is about so much more than football. Well, this year it's also about Travis and Taylor, but we're here to talk about Super Bowl snacks. Whether or not you know the difference between a field goal and a point after a touchdown, you can roll up to a Super Bowl party and chow down.

And one of the things you're sure to see on a Super Bowl snack spread are tortilla chips. According to Premio Foods, people consume more than 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips on the day of the Big Game, a number second only to the 11.2 million pounds of potato chips people gobble up.

Although they're a Super Bowl party must, tortilla chips are also a year-round favorite. They're the heart and soul of nachos, the perfect partner for salsa and guac and are a great sandwich side. But the competition for top billing in the chips aisle is fierce. There are tons of brands to choose from at the grocery store, plus even more when you include chains like Aldi and Trader Joe's. But which tortilla chips are the best?

To help you find the best tortilla chips, we combed through online reviews and did some personal taste testing to rank 12 grocery store tortilla chips from worst to best.

Related: 22 Easy Game Day Snacks and Apps

12 Grocery-Store Tortilla Chips, Ranked Worst to Best

12. Real Food From the Ground Up Grain-Free Cauliflower Tortilla Chips (Sea Salt)

No, I'm not putting this one here as a bad attempt at a pun about building this list from the ground up. While Cauliflower pizza crusts can be a total yay, these chips are passable at best—if you have dip. However, reach for the low-sodium kind because Real Food From the Ground Up's Grain-Free Cauliflower Tortilla Chips (Sea-Salt) are rather, well, salty. Not to sound pessimistic, but the bag also comes half empty, something Amazon raters also point out. The chips have 4.3 stars on Amazon, making them one of the lower-rated ones on his list.

11. Clancy's Restaurant-Style Tortilla Chips

Aldi shoppers love their Clancy's snacks, like the "15/10 dangerous" Clancy’s Lattice Cut Aged Cheddar and Black Pepper Flavored Kettle Chips. However, the once-venerable Clancy's Restaurant-Style Tortilla Chips have fallen out of favor with fans over the last three years, who say they taste "off," and the new taste has them "tossing their bags." Specifically, Clancy's tortilla chips lack the dense, crispy taste shoppers used to love—and even taste a bit stale.

10. Mission Tortilla Strips

Mission Tortilla's strip chip shape conceivably makes them a fun addition to your Super Bowl spread but some online reviews aren't fans. Though these chips have a 4.7-star rating on Target's website, more recent reviews bemoan a taste that's stale, bland and (at best) "just OK." Others like the price and enjoy dipping these chips, though. In this writer's opinion, Mission's Tortilla Strips definitely need a boost.

9. Santitas Tortilla Chips White Corn

Santitas tortilla chips can get rather polarizing (because the year is 2024, and even tortilla chips are polarizing). Even the Walmart reviews give mixed messages at first blush. It's a "best-seller" and "popular pick," but those who cared to leave a review put it at 3.1 stars out of five. Many people complained the bag wasn't full enough for their liking.

Honestly, I've found these pretty bland and also incredibly salty. The price (usually under $2.50 for an 11-ounce bag) is attractive, but the half-empty bag might cancel out the good deal.

8. On The Border Cafe-Style Tortilla Chips

If you feel like grocery-store chips don't live up to what you get at your local Tex-Mex watering hole, it's understandable you might reach for a bag made by the same brand behind the popular On The Border chain. Whether you're getting restaurant-style chips is debatable (sadly). I've had these—they're good, not great. I don't find them bursting with fresh flavors like some other options on this list, and the salt tries to make up for that but doesn't really. The texture isn't as crispy, either. Still, they're not a bad choice, especially if you have a homemade guacamole that shines.

7. Tostitos Original Restaurant-Style Tortilla Chips

The original isn't always the best—you'll see Tostitos again on this list. However, Tostitos Original Restauarant-Style Tortilla Chips are a winning choice for a gameday party or warm-weather picnic. Tostitos Original Restaurant-Style Tortilla Chips are light, crispy and are salty but not too salty. They're also a recognizable flavor for fans everywhere (a selling point for comfort-food classics). The basic and balanced flavors make these chips stellar for any dipping options, from salsa and guacamole to hummus.

I ranked these chips around the middle of the pack because they're just not all that creative compared to some of Tostitos' other options. Some of the other riffs on the classic are still accessible but add something a little extra special through shapes and flavors.

Related: Roll Models: The 12 Best Store-Bought Cinnamon Rolls, Ranked

6. Siete Grain-Free Sea Salt Chips

Siete's gluten-free recipe uses coconut and cassava flours, making it a safe, accessible bet if you're hosting people with dietary restrictions. A pain point is the value. At full price, a 5-ounce family-size bag of the Siete Grain-Free Sea Salt chips is $5.39—so more than $1 per ounce. At that price, the chips better be delicious.

Generally, shoppers say they hit the mark. Amazon users have given these chips a 4.6-star rating, with one raving that "craftsmanship and thoughtfulness went into their recipes." Others say these chips are their go-to when dipping is involved. There's some disagreement about the crispiness, though, with some saying they're essentially the crispiest chips ever and others disagreeing.

5. Good & Gather Tortilla Chips

Don't rule out store-brand tortilla chips. Exhibit A: Good & Gather Tortilla Chips proves that Target runs aren't just for picking up 80 throw pillows your sofa has no room for (just me?). They're made with organic, more "natural" ingredients (an aim of Target's Good & Gather since its 2019 debut), so if that's a priority for you you might want to add a bag to your cart.

That takes care of what's on the label. As we all know, it's what's inside that counts. The new-ish tortilla chip is a sturdy choice, which is good news for dipping. Fans also say the simple corn flavor is similar to more expensive options and nearly 4,000 Target reviewers have given the chips a 4.6-star rating.

4. Tostitos Hint Of Lime Tortilla Chips

It's not the first time Tostitos is on this list, and, spoiler alert, it's not the last. But if any brand was going to make it three times, it's the star of store-bought tortilla chips. Tostitos Hint of Lime Tortilla Chips is a bit of a misnomer—the lime is pronounced. However, it's such a welcome change of pace, adding more than a touch of tang that makes them great for snacking on solo. That said, these chips go especially well with guacamole and salsa and other dips where a hit of citrus is a welcome addition. Target shoppers agree that these snacks are a hit. These chips have a 4.7-star rating based on nearly 2,000 Target reviews.

After game day, consider crumbling them up and throwing them on top of a taco salad or really any salad. They're a fun and zest alternative to croutons.

3. Quinoa and Black Bean Infused Tortilla Chips

A family friend and Trader Joe's regular recently let us stay at his Catskills condo. I'm unsure if he left TJ's Quinoa and Black Bean Infused Tortilla Chips for us, but they were a side to my pizza on night one when we arrived at 8 p.m. with two hangry kids after getting lost. They were quite the Rx. Words like "quinoa" and "black bean" may turn off purists of the chip typically made with white corn, but don't judge a chip by its bag.

First, there's white corn—it's the first ingredient. However, the black beans and quinoa give these TJ's novelties a distinct, nutty taste that hits different in a good way. The crispy chips remain zesty enough to dunk into salsa or guac, but the flavor boost makes them easy to eat by the handful. Redditors call them "AMAZING" (all caps) and recommend pairing them with the Everything And the Elote dip.

2. Tostitos Multigrain Scoops! Tortilla Chips

Tostitos Multigrain Scoops are generally my go-to. I try to veer healthy, but I've written enough about nutrition since first picking these up more than a decade ago to know that "multigrain" and "whole grain" are different. Moreover, these chips are "Blended with multigrain," whatever that means. Regardless, I'm hooked. The scoops are just salty enough and totally crispy.

Plus, they come with a side perk that, unlike the health claims, I don't think can be debated: The scooped shape. I rarely wind up with salsa and guacamole on my shirt when dunking these beauties. Fans at Walmart put the shape to good use in recipes for taco and bacon-cheddar cups (or bacon-cheddar taco cups? I'm intrigued.). The chips have a 4.4-star rating at Walmart 4.8 stars at Target.

1. Late July Restaurant Style Sea Salt Thin & Crispy Tortilla Chips

Late July's Restaurant-Style Sea Salt Thin & Crispy Tortilla Chips are as close as you'll find to your local Mexican restaurant's basket of chips. They're legitimately crispy and Late July didn't pour on so much salt to hide the lack of fresh flavors. It makes the versatile chips perfect for game-day nachos—the mild flavor makes a winning combination with all the cheese, meat and jalape?o peppers your heart and tastebuds can handle.

Amazon reviewers are fellow Late July cheerleaders—these tortilla chips boast a 4.7-star rating based on more than 7,000 reviews. Some compare the chips to "restaurant style." Others struggle to find them at their local grocery store (probably because they're not the only ones who adore these chips). One online reviewer is a big fan of using the chips to build nachos. "The chips are thin, light and flavorful, but not so much that they overpower the toppings...I always look for this brand. It's the best."

Up next: Crunch Time: All 29 Utz Potato Chip Flavors Ranked, From Worst to First