Once You Pop, You Can't Stop: 19 Pringles Flavors, Ranked

Believe it or not, Pringles have been around since 1968. The saddle-shaped crisps, iconic can, and cookie-cutter-like manufacturing process were all created to combat the problem of broken potato chips in bags. The crisps (which aren't technically chips, according to the FDA) were considered a bit of a flop until the 1980s when they surged in popularity. 

It felt like decades since I last had Pringles, so I decided to explore this nostalgic brand once again. I loaded all 19 varieties I could find at my grocery store into my cart and ignored curious stares as I checked out. Here are my thoughts on all of them, from the best of the bunch to the worst.

Pringles recently debuted two new Mexican-inspired flavors and this one is so good that it beat out all the others. It's not for the faint of heart, though, because the habañero heat is pretty strong. If you're spice adverse, this one's not going to be tops for you. However, if you love hot sauce like I do, then the roasted chile flavor and light citrus kick will remind you of your favorite sauces. The flavors are balanced, bright, and interesting.

Like all of Pringles' spicy chips, this variety has a slow, lingering heat that you feel on your tongue and lips the most. It takes a few chips to build, and then it sticks around for a while. It's not easy to eat the whole can because of it, but you'll definitely wish you could.

Harvest Blends are Pringles that are multigrain instead of just dried potato. Corn is the main ingredient, giving them a flavor that's a cross between a tortilla chip and a potato chip, plus a slightly more substantial crunch. That works to the advantage of some chip seasonings, including this Farmhouse Cheddar variety. Besides corn, black beans give it an earthy depth, which plays nicely off the tangy, sharp cheddar flavor. These remind me of my favorite Sun Chips.

A Harvest Blends flavor takes the third spot, too. The Homestyle Ranch seasoning on these is complemented by the grain flavors of the corn and, in this case, whole wheat as well. I mean think about it, who doesn't love a ranch-flavored tortilla chip like Doritos? Plus, these have more ranch flavor than the regular ranch Pringles.

Barbecue is not a chip flavor I normally reach for, but Pringles BBQ is a solid chip. It's a little tangy and smoky upfront, and a little sweet at the end. The only thing I wish for in this chip — and this is a problem across almost all Pringles flavors — is that there was more seasoning. (The "BURSTING with FLAVOR" on the can is a blatant lie, Pringles man.)

We're back to the hot stuff with the first of the Scorchin' varieties. Like the Habaneras, these are pretty dang hot for a potato chip, and it builds as you eat them. The buffalo seasoning is solid, and it tastes like you dipped your chip in Frank's Red Hot. It's not too vinegary either, which can be a real problem when it comes to buffalo-style seasonings.

As I have 19 flavors of Pringles open on my coffee table, I find myself going back for more of these Ranch ones most often. They are incredibly easy to eat mindlessly, unlike the super spicy varieties. The ranch flavor is heavy on the onion and sour cream, but as usual, I wish there was more seasoning on each chip. It's a safe option with no surprises.

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Scorchin' BBQ are not nearly as hot as the Buffalo version. The heat that is there complements the barbecue flavor (which tastes just about the same as the regular BBQ flavor) really well. The chips are bright red with seasoning, but that's a little misleading since overall, they need more of a barbecue burst.

Related: Taste Test: Which Store-Bought BBQ Sauce Is the Best?

These Cheddar Cheese Pringles will somehow take you right back to your grade school cafeteria. It's a classic flavor that everyone likes, and it's impossible to go wrong. Considering all the fancy new flavors on the Pringles menu, though, it's just not as exciting as it was when you were seven.

Like Cheddar Cheese flavor, but hot. I feel like Pringles really missed an opportunity to go the route of pepperjack for a spicy cheese option, but they're pretty solid anyway. The cheese flavor hits you at first, then is replaced by heat. 

Sour Cream and Onion is not a flavor I'd normally want to spice up, but I like spicy food so much that this one works for me. I don't think I'd guess that this was a sour cream and onion chip if I ate this blindfolded, but hey, it's better than the non-spicy version.

This is the other Mexican-inspired new flavor, but as you can see by its 11th ranking, it's much less exciting than the Habaneras. It's got a disappointing kind of generic Tex-Mex flavor that you really can't put your finger on. It's definitely not bad; it's just confusing and not great, either. 

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This is normally one of my favorite potato chip flavors, but Pringles' version only barely tastes like cheddar, and only kind of smells like sour cream. It's like these cans traveled through a factory where they were making a better version of these chips. Stick with the various Cheddar versions if you want cheese flavor.

This Harvest Blends Smoky BBQ includes sweet potatoes, which sounds amazing. But weirdly, the sweet potato only exists in a weird, unpleasant aftertaste that lingers after the very tasty barbecue seasoning disappears in your mouth. 

If you've had Takis or similar chili and lime chips before, you've had this seasoning. The lime is a little more prevalent in this one though, and of course there's that Scorchin' heat on the back end. Whenever I find myself eating a potato chip with chili and lime seasoning, I always wish it was on a tortilla chip instead, and this time is no different.

Related: Is the Trader Joe’s Takis Dupe Better Than the Original?

Unlike the Harvest Blends Smoky BBQ, this plain chip doesn't have any strange aftertaste. It also doesn't really have much flavor of any kind, unfortunately, besides being slightly sweet and tasting vaguely "healthy" thanks to the whole grains. At least the other ones tasted like barbecue for a few seconds. 

Pizza Pringles probably have a large cult-like fanbase that I don't know about, but I am definitely not in it. They taste (and smell!) like dusty old oregano and spices, the kind that flavors bad frozen pizzas. At least there's a lot of seasoning on these, I'll give them that much. Maybe if Totino's party pizzas are your jam, then these will be too.

Related: We Tasted 13 Frozen Pizzas and This Is the Best

Where have you gone, flavor? This should be a great chip, but there's just no seasoning on these things. The can doesn't even smell like sour cream and onion. I hope I just got a bad batch and this isn't normal.

Look, if you want to munch on plain potato chips or dip some into french onion dip, you're not going to get a can of Original Pringles. They don't really taste like potatoes; They taste like those dehydrated potato slices in boxed scalloped potatoes if you ate them without cooking. No one wants to waste calories on these. 

Related: We Sampled 16 Kinds of Potato Chips — These Are the Best (and Worst)

Whereas the plain Pringles are a huge whatever, these Salt and Vinegar chips are harsh and unpleasant. There's way better versions of this chip flavor out there, so try any of those before this one. 

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