Whether it’s a game day spread or a night out at a festive restaurant, tortilla chips have made their way to our plates one way or another. The crispy crackle as they break into a million tiny pieces makes them as additive as a potato chip. Yet at the same time, tortilla chips are also sturdy enough to transport our favorite creamy dips, hearty beans, zippy salsas, and creamy quesos. When it comes to replicating that same restaurant experience or having the right chip for our dip, it’s hard to wade through all of the brands out there. We did the heavy lifting this time and taste-tested some of the most common brands off supermarket shelves.
There is a dizzying variety of tortilla chips on the shelves these days. For this test, we wanted to stick to classic tortilla chips (easier said than done, in all honesty). While some had hints of lime, we aimed for simple salt-flavored tortilla chips that were preferably restaurant style (unfortunately not all brands had a restaurant-style chip but got a close equivalent). When it comes to tortilla chips, we were looking for a few specific qualities. A nice thinness that wouldn’t be too heavy to eat but also hold up to dipping was a main factor. Other qualities, such as a crispy texture, a crunchy feel, and a balanced but satisfying level of saltiness, were also key factors as we tried out all of the brands.
Simple Truth Organic Taqueria Style Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips Thin & Crispy
They do deliver on the thin and crispy texture as advertised in their name. Luckily, they weren’t super salty and definitely had the same qualities of a tortilla chip that’d be served to us in a Mexican restaurant. 4/5
Tostitos Simply Organic Yellow Corn Tortillas with Sea Salt
These were quite similar to the Simple Truth chips, having that same thin and crispy texture. The salt level was right, and they had the same amount of satisfying crunch. 4/5
Kroger’s Original White Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips
They’re a little on the thicker size in terms of tortilla chips. These chips had a decent salt level, but they didn’t have the same crunch factor that we had had with the previous two chips. 3/5
Late July Organic Sea Salt Tortilla Chips Thin and Crispy
Advertised as being melt-in-your-mouth thin, they didn’t meet such claims. The salt level was quite high, making them dry and leading them to stick to our mouths. They didn’t have that same restaurant quality due to intense saltiness. 2/5
Trader Joe’s Organic White Corn Tortilla Chips
These were supposed to have a trace of lime, yet we didn’t find that lime flavor. Luckily, the salt level was at a good level. While they were thin and crispy, the chips were quite broken in the bag, making it hard to find a good chip to use for dips and salsas. 3/5
Calidad Mexican Restaurant Style Corn Tortilla Chips
These had a melt-in-your-mouth quality to the chips, but they definitely had a little bit of a greasiness to them. While they had a great level of saltiness, they had a smallish chip size that was different from what you’d find at a restaurant. 3/5
Juantonio’s Tortilla Chips
These chips probably aren’t on all supermarket shelves as these are a bit more regional, hailing from Oregon, and have a die-hard following. They had that perfect corn chip color with a balance of light crispiness and thinness. With minimal greasiness, they had that level of crunchiness and levity we’re always looking for in a chip. 4/5
Tostitos Original Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips
We loved the big size of these chips, making them perfect for carrying loads of dips and salsas. While they had a bit of saltiness, it wasn’t too much. The saltiness worked in tandem with the crispiness, and lightness, landing them high rankings in our taste test. 5/5
La Cocina de Josefina Mexican Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips
These had a local-ish sort of branding and packaging rivaling the famous Pacific Northwest Juantonio’s chips, but they are actually distributed by Frito-Lay, one of the big chip companies. Similar to their mainstream Tostitos brand, they definitely delivered on the restaurant-style taste, and texture. They had that great crunch that wouldn’t get soggy and had a touch of saltiness that made us go for another chip. 5/5
Mission Tortilla Strips
The chips were a little bit too thick, making them far from the restaurant-style chips we’re used to. This thickness made them a bit too heavy, becoming a dense paste in our mouths after a few bites. 2/5
Trader Joe’s Organic Unsalted White Corn Tortilla Chips
Similar to the previous Trader Joe’s chips, these were a bit too small for dipping. The lack of salt was a serious ding to these chips, and the hint of lime again was hard to discern. 1/5
Siete Grain Free Tortilla Chips
The pale color of the chips was in stark contrast to all of the chips we had tried up until that point, and the size of the chips was quite small. These chips had less of a chip texture and more of a thick, dry cracker texture that dried further with each bite. We figured that the addition of cassava in the tortilla chip created that cracker-like texture. 1/5
Santitas White Corn Tortilla Chips
These were definitely some of the thinnest and crispiest of the chips we tried that day, showing us that the big brand Frito-Lay definitely knew how to hit the snacking sweet spot in terms of taste and texture. 5/5
Trader Joe’s Truly Tortilla Chips
These were the first chips to deliver on their lime flavor, as it was the first and most prominent flavor we recognized upon the first bite. The lime was quite intense, almost outweighing any salty flavor. What dinged these chips was the texture. They had a brittle texture that tasted like they were stale even when they were fresh. 3/5
Tostitos Scoops Original
These are far from restaurant-style tortilla chips, but like their other Frito-Lay companions they had that balance of levity, crunch, and salt. Even though they are far from authentic, they are easy to eat and easy to dip into salsas. 4/5
The Verdict
As much as we want to shop and buy local brands, the big brand behind Santita, Tostitos, and La Cocina de Josefina delivered on the taste and texture we were after in a chip. Salt was there without being overwhelming. The crunch had a crackle-like crispness to it, making them hold up against the quesos, salsas, and dips we’d partner them up with. Finally, the levity of these three chip brands’ chips made them super easy to eat. We didn’t have tortilla chips sticking to the roofs of our mouths and didn’t have a stiff, stale, brittle quality.