Aotearoa’s potato chip hierarchy is well-established. Salt and Vinegar sits at the top. Ready Salted should sit at the top. BBQ has a case. Chicken sucks.
In 2023, new flavours have aimed to disrupt this order and become the new choice of dip carrier for Kiwis. We’ve ranked all the new potato chip tastes that have hit Kiwi shelves this year to find out if there are any contenders, or if they’re all just pretenders.
Power ranking the new potato chip flavours of 2023
10. Bluebird Pizza
Bluebird’s brand-new pizza flavour tastes like canned spaghetti.
It is perfect on toast after playing a rugby game but it does not translate well to the crinkle-cut chip.
9. Dorito Burger
Dorito’s Burger flavour tasted almost off-puttingly similar to a cheeseburger, almost, it still slapped.
I just never found myself aching for more of it. Doritos do cheese chips right and they should stick to that.
8. Bluebird Meatball
Slightly better than its pizza counterpart, Bluebird’s meatball flavour did keep me coming back for another handful.
But only reluctantly, after enough time had passed to forget the full taste of the last handful.
7. Proper Crisps Cracked Pepper and Sea Salt
While salt is the GOAT chip flavour I’ve yet to come across too many that add in its best mate, pepper.
Proper Crisp’s pepper and sea salt flavour - which includes purple-coloured chips - is pretty flavoursome. You can really taste the pepper, however, I think it’s just a bit too much as I cannot picture myself smacking back a whole bag of these.
6. Delisio Triple Cheese Soufflé
Speaking of a bit too much flavour, Delisio’s Cheese Soufflé - part of their new restaurant range - tastes like no other chip I’ve had.
Delisio's new Triple Cheese Soufflé flavour
It really does taste like a cheesy and puffy cake but the power of the cheese flavour is too much, far better suited to the dessert it originated from.
5. Proper Crisps Dill Pickle
I’m a believer that pickles should only be eaten when in a burger. Somehow though, Proper Crisps made a pickled flavour chip that manages to hold a fine pickle taste.
When you bite into one, it’s immediately sweet before a subtle but recognisable pickle flavour slowly sets in. Quite nice but again, no bags will be smashed in one sitting.
4. Snackachangi American Hot Dog
Snackachangi’s American Diner range was only available for a limited time back in June, so I can’t chow down on one like I have the others. However, I remember the office being big fans of the American Hot Dog flavour.
Partly because I wanted to show love to Snackachangi and partly because I didn’t want to have a top four made up of just two brands, it landed at the fourth spot.
3. Delisio Jalapeño Poppers
Another restaurant range flavour, the Jalapeño Popper flavours weren’t hot spicy but nice spicy (that makes sense, don’t worry).
Delisio's new Jalapeno Poppers flavour
This Delisio range contains full flavours that don’t overwhelm. As we saw with the cheese souffle this can backfire, but that was not the case with the Jalapeño Popper flavour.
2. Proper Crisps Smoked Paprika
Proper Crisps’ Paprika flavour may not be as luscious as the Dill Pickle or Jalapeno Poppers, but their flavour is subtle enough to make your mouth feel easy and light.
Because of this simplicity, I could easily dip these chips into a variety of hummus and smash a whole bag back of them.
1. Delisio Yakitori Chicken and Shallots
If any of the chips on this list were to move into my regular rotation, it’s easily Delisio’s Yakitori Chicken flavour. They taste as if they have been marinated in the juice of the beautiful ginger, garlic and soy sauce juice of great grilled Japanese chicken.
Winner, winner, Delisio's Yakitori Chicken dinner
Grow up and leave the child's playground that is a bowl of salt and vinegar chips. Instead, push those kids out of the way and devour Delisio’s Yakitori Chicken in their faces.
Honourable Mentions
The following chip flavours entered shelves this season but failed to tantalise the tastebuds in a positive way:
Dorito's Pizza, Proper Crisps Sweet Potato, Bluebird CC's (comeback), Pringles Cajun Spice, Pringles Chipotle Sour Cream, Snackachangi Cheese and Bacon loaded fries, Snackachangi Spicy Jalapeño and Cheese
Change up the flavour dust on your fingers with one of these new flavours. Or, if you're feeling ramen-y, check out our packet ramen power rankings for just as much unqualified information.
