Feel like a sandwich isn’t a sandwich without some chips on the side? You’re not alone: U.S. residents spent $8.8 billion on potato chips in 2024, according to the industry group Potatoes USA.
The average cost for 16 ounces of potato chips is $6.61 as of April 2025, according to government research. Fortunately, you don’t have to pay that much for a crunchy, satisfying chip.
Five of the top 12 potato chip varieties in a recent taste test by The New York Times’ Wirecutter were store brands, which often provide better value than name brands. The results were a big surprise to author Rachel Wharton:
“When it comes to clean, pure potato flavor and the very best crispy crunch, our brand-concealed tests revealed the unglamorous brands and the biggest big-box stores are where it’s at. (Yep, it shocked us, too.)”
In the taste test, chip aficionados tested more than 70 varieties in three basic categories:
- Plain chips (basic fried spuds, with no texture)
- Chips with some textured pattern (wavy, ridged, ruffled, lattice)
- Kettle-style (chips fried low and slow)
Following, we’re highlighting the top store brands to help you satisfy your potato chip cravings and save money.
Amazon Fresh Classic Potato Chips
The honor this product received from Wirecutter: Winner for best plain potato chip
The retailer behind the store brand: Amazon
Ingredients: Potatoes, salt, vegetable oil (one or a mix of corn, canola or sunflower)
These crispy chips are light, yet sturdy enough to hold up to dip. One tester praised them for “a really clean potato flavor and a nice balance of salt.”
Great Value Original Potato Chips
The honor this product received from Wirecutter: Runner-up for the best wavy chip
The retailer behind the store brand: Walmart
Ingredients: Potatoes, salt, vegetable oil (one or a mix of sunflower, corn or canola)
These are extra-brown and extra-crispy chips with a “near-perfect large, round shape,” according to testers. However, they also noted the snack is “a little on the salty side, but in a way that makes them great for snacking on their own,” according to one taste tester.
Clancy’s Original Potato Chips
The honor this product received from Wirecutter: Runner-up for the best wavy chip
The retailer behind the store brand: Aldi
Ingredients: Potatoes, vegetable oil (one or more of cottonseed or corn), salt
Testers agreed that these pale-gold chips are best enjoyed alone, lest they shatter in a dip. Clancy’s also has a “pronounced oiliness,” which most enjoyed, and a lot of salt (which divided the group).
Great Value Rippled and Wavy Original Potato Chips (tie)
The honor these products received from Wirecutter: Runner-up for best chip with ridges
The retailer behind the store brand: Walmart
Ingredients (for both varieties): Potatoes, vegetable oil (one or a mix of canola, corn or sunflower), salt
Crunchy and somehow fluffy, the rippled chips are “beautiful” golden-brown chips that hold up well to dipping. Eaten alone, they are a bit dry but impart “hints of toasty, nutty and earthy flavors” plus enough salt to satisfy but not overpower.
The wavy version has wider ridges and slightly less crunch. It, too, imparts “a pleasant baked- or cooked-potato taste.”
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