As a youngin’, the shiny green packaging of Herr’s lunch and family-size offerings burned an indelible mark in my psyche. For me, Herr’s was a case study of what sour cream and onion could be – almost milky in its sourness, the crisp peaks covered with flavor while the valleys offered a nice break from the sometimes-too-much zest of this now-classic, and ubiquitous, flavor pairing.

In ranking the entries, we went off flavor alone. And boy did we go deep. So please read every word and don’t just scroll to the end — oh wait you’re doing it, you’re scrolling, I can feeeeeeel it….. HERE WE GO!

Honorable Mentions/Latecomers

Jay’s

So there’s Joe’s, Guy’s, and Jay’s, and they all make sour cream & onion potato chips? Jay’s might as well be Ruffles, Utz, or Wise ridges, they’re essentially the same – pretty narrow ridges, thin crunchy chips, and near-perfect sour cream & onion seasoning, from salty and creamy to tangy and oniony, and potatoe-y – all in one bite. The biggest dig on Jay’s is their chips are not too huge or folded and the oil aspect in the aftertaste can overpower. Overall, still a party pleaser just like the previously mentioned competitors, but not necessarily the best of the pack.

Bottom Line:

It’s unfortunate Jay’s did not make our blind taste test (timing!) to fully compete in the real meat of this dog and pony show. However, Jay’s would have fallen middle-to-low in our rankings due to taste and size quibbles. These chips can still make you a hero at plenty of hangs or parties if chips are on the menu, and you live in the Midwest.

Wachusett

Wachusett is what Jay’s wants to be – possibly better than all of the traditional ridge options. Wachusett’s version of Sour Cream & Onion is aggressively creamy, possibly the creamiest in the narrow ridge category. The onion is tangy but not overpowering to the sour cream, the chips are modestly salty and accordingly crunchy, some more lengthy than others. Wachusett may make the best traditional ridge Sour Cream & Onion, the only slight being the overly creamy seasoning could border on sweetness on the extra flavor-y / overly seasoned chips in the bag.

Wachusett’s retro packaging is the best in the business, verging on Wes Anderson level whimsy. The bold red all-lowercase letter logo and silver pinstripe recall gas stations, bowling alleys, pizza parlors, and other New England haunts, where certainly these chips were once sold if they’re not still today.

Bottom Line:

Wachusett’s ridge Sour Cream & Onion are a crowd-pleaser that would sit in the upper middle tier of these rankings had they made the submission deadline. Some of the chips can be overly creamy, but in general, their take is one of the best in providing the flavor punch that the sour cream & onion flavor is known for. And the chips aren’t too bad either.

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Mm crunchy good sour cream flavor. Not too tangy, the crunch is just right super fresh. Nice fold on some of the chips. Taste more like kettle chips than anything else, but these are good.

Taste 2

These are littler chips, a little saltier than the first one. Not as strong on the sour cream flavor. Nice and subtle. These might be a tiny little bit too salty but still pretty good. Tangy. Got a good onion flavor. Not as much of a buttermilk or sour cream. A little too salty.

Taste 3

These are a little bigger and a little sweeter than the last ones, must be the onion. Not getting a lot of sour cream notes but got a good tang. Still. A good golden crispness to the chip. Has a little bit of a kettle flavor to it. These are delicious

Taste 4

Now these are definitely more of a sour cream flavor. Less of a kettle chip and more of a traditional potato chip. Perfect amount of salt. A light onion flavor, not too heavy.

From my notes: “Yep, these are pretty delicious.”

Taste 5

These are our first ridges of the day. Super crunchy. The ridge is nice and thin. Good sour cream flavor. I can feel the powder forming in my mouth now. Good tangy onion flavor, not too strong. Good tangy onion aftertaste.

Taste 6

These chips are giant, they have a bit of a kettle feel to them. Good tanginess, not too salty. I think that sour cream is the tang. The onion flavor is pretty light. These are pretty perfect. Very tasty.

Taste 7

This is another crunchy kettlely chip. Good fold to it. Good flavor, Not really getting a lot of sour cream. Just a tiny bit. A little oniony. These are light in flavor, not overpowering. Not overly oniony. Just pretty mellow.

Taste 8

Another kettley chip. Very light in sour cream flavor. Very light flavor in general. Very light chip. I kind of want another one. Can you please pass me one? Thank you. These are almost a little too light in flavor. Not strong, but you do get the sour cream and onion.

Taste 9

Hard to tell if these are a kettle chip or a regular chip. They have a nice thickness to them, a good umami. Nice n’ crunchy. Not tasting major sour cream or major onion, a little oniony more than sour cream. But they are good just hard to kind of, they’re not overpowering. They’re light as well.

Taste 10

Another one that’s almost like a kettle chip. Not too sour creamy, not too oniony. Got a bit of a weird oil aftertaste. Other than that, really good. And got a little funky onion after, but that could just be me eating 10 different brands of chips.

Taste 11

These have a great crunch. In my opinion, a little too oniony. Have a good tang. Traditional potato crunch, definitely not a kettle or a ridge. They’re good, but nothing special.

Taste 12

Number 12 got a little overbaked, over-fried chip flavor. Actual chips have a good crunch. Getting more of an overbaked potato flavor than sour cream and onion. Not getting a lot of sour cream and onion flavor. They taste pretty plain almost. I don’t know if I’ve had too many chips but not getting sour cream and onion flavor right now.

Taste 13

Another ridge entry, this one with a very nice sour cream creaminess to it. Onion is present but not overpowering but tasty. The ridge is just how you want it, nice and crunchy. Overall pretty much what you want from a sour cream chip. Tasty.

Taste 14

These are gigantic ridges and they have a good sour cream flavor. I would say that the onion flavor is a little funky to me, like I’m eating onion grass. There’s something almost buttery to them. The actual chip has a good crunch. I’m not loving the flavor though, it’s overly onion to me.

Taste 15

15 is a thick ridge. Great crunch to it. Watch out if you have bad teeth. The actual flavor is a little mellow. Not in a bad way. It’s a little more oniony than sour cream. I’m not getting sour cream. But the crunch is really good, great texture.

Taste 16

Back with another ridge, number 16. Good sour cream, onion flavor is not too heavy. This is one of the best we’ve had so far. Potent in the flavor department.

Taste 17

This is another kettlely tasting one. This one got a good mix of cream and oniony. Really good crunch, good fold on some of the chips. Good tang. Pretty good.

Taste 18

More of a traditional but there are some giant ones here. Got good saltiness to it. good lightness. These are really good. Not too oniony, but it’s a little oniony. Not a lot of sour cream flavor but still really good.

Taste 19

Another ridge also got some tight ridges to it. Lot of good sour cream notes. Really good crunch. Got like a weird oily off-putting taste a tiny bit. Doesn’t compromise the overall flavor but the backend of the aftertaste is a little bit weird. But overall… good chip.

Taste 20

Got another ridge entry, this one with even tinier ridges. Not getting ton of onion or sour cream flavor. A little light on the onion, very light on the sour cream. Nice chip but not tons of flavor.

Taste 21

This is another ridge, this one is about the size of a small island. Probably the biggest ridge we’ll have. Saltiness as well as sour cream and onion flavor, not too oniony. Not really much sour cream. It’s got a little of a backend, not burnt potato but a more well-done potato flavor. This is okay, but doesn’t really go that well with the sour cream and onion flavor, in my opinion.

Overall good, but not great.

Taste 22

More of a traditional thin potato chip. Not super flavorful. Getting a very light flavor of both sour cream and onion, not overpowering. Easy to eat, but not getting tons of flavor.

Taste 23

Another more traditional chip, no ridges no kettle. Not a lot of flavor. These are alright, not at the top of the pack. Have some decent onion flavor, not much sour cream flavor at all.

Taste 24

These are some of the bigger traditional chips we’ve had. Again not tasting a ton of flavor, little bit of onion little bit of sour cream. Chip is really nice. These are definitely more on the lighter side of sour cream. They still have the flavor there. This is good, this is really good.

Taste 25

Last one is more of a kettle variety. Got a good crisp fold to them, nice and crunchy. Good saltiness, a good taste of sour cream. Definitely have an onion flavor. Nothing to really complain about here. Nothing overpowering, not too light. Kind of right in the middle. Right in the middle. Good stuff.

Part 2: The Ranking

25. 365

There are no new jokes or jabs to be made about 365, as a frequent patron of their brick-and-mortar, it would be hypocritical to hate in general about the brand’s products, though some are better than others. Their sour cream & onion potato chips won’t scare any Frito Lay shareholders into giving up their nest eggs, though they are a worthy replacement when it’s a matter of convenience. The sour cream flavor doesn’t have much tang, but does have the rich, creaminess you expect. The onion flavor and aftertaste is middling, it doesn’t hit too hard or linger too long, and the chip itself is a standard traditional golden, thin chip. Overall, a solid play for 365 — just not flavorful or tangy enough to contend with the real studs (or… spuds).

Packaging is signature boring 365 white with minimal but stylized graphics and real-size potato chip imagery. The back is essentially the same, and there is a “funny” line comparing these chips to a potential wedding gift, which was a bit too cutesy to even register.

Bottom Line:

365 makes solid products, these Sour Cream & Onion chips included. However, the purpose of these rankings is to decipher the best of the best, and 365 falls waaaaaay short in the flavor department.

24. Mikesell — Green Onion

What does Mikesell? Mikesell’s potato chips since 1910. Another Ohio (this time Dayton) brand, another quality Ohio potato chip. This time, the chips are “Green Onion” flavor, so there is no actual claim to involve the close bedfellow of green onion, our friend and co-star, sour cream. However, there’s still consideration here due to the green onion aspect, and upon sampling, there’s a richness that resembles the same richness that some of the other brands exemplify, without the creamy signature tang of sour cream. Here, the sweet and tang of the green onion are somewhat singular, but because there is garlic powder and sugar involved, the taste isn’t far off from “sour cream & onion”. The chips themselves are distinguishable because some are a bit more well done than others, they’re thin, crisp and nicely salted.

Overall, Mikesell’s a solid green onion chip that will relieve any hankerings for the paired duo, though the sour cream’s rich tang may be sorely missed by purists.

From a packaging standpoint, Mikesell’s a modern retro take on the chip bag, classic font with a stamp style border, abundant pile o’ chips, portrait of the green onion with a basic maroon and yellow background. One iconic badge that is first seen on this bag despite reviewing other Ohio brands, is the historic “Ohio Proud” stamp under the nutrition facts. Every Ohio brand should be proud enough to feature this.

Bottom Line:

Mikesell makes a quality chip and is potentially the first onion-flavored chip in the land, but the lack of sour cream to round out the onion flavor makes them a bit one-note and tough to compare to the rest of the more balanced and dynamic brands.

23. Wegman’s

Wegman’s sour cream & onion potato chips leave a great first impression. The chips are many sizes but some are unusually long and large, which never dampens the snacking mood. The sour cream taste is at first creamy and the onion taste is a very light tangy green onion note. On the back end, this rounds out and you get the earthiness of the chips and a sweetness in the seasoning, which is a bit off-putting like when you accidentally bite an uncooked corn kernel.

Wegman’s chip packaging has their signature slogan (that has been referenced before, and we can’t give them more free promo roasting it again), a wanting-to-be-gritty font, as well as the popular chip and sour cream portraiture (which has actually been called out as enlarged to show texture).

Bottom Line:

If Wegman’s could get their seasoning R&D in order, they could have a real banger on their hands. Until, then this play is just an okay one; mediocre in the sour cream & onion flavor department but better than average in the chip zone.

22. Utz Ripple

Another Pennsylvania entry, and the second from the Utz classic line, 3rd from Utz in general (counting Dirty), they’ve certainly weaseled their way via multiple entry points into the sour cream & onion rankings, but their Ripples, or ridged variety ranks lowest for a few reasons. First, despite covering both sour cream and onion flavors, the sour cream is too light to fully register on the palate beyond acknowledgment of the residue on the fingertips and the onion is the green-speckled variety with a nice perky tang and only a minor aftertaste.

Neither of these aspects are bad or great, they’re simply middle of the pack. Same with the ridges; the chips are good, narrowly ridged, crisp, and crunchy, but not overly large, folded, or special in any way. Another decent play from Utz, if you’re not in the mood for their kettle or traditional version of the same flavor.

Bottom Line:

Utz’s most popular seasoned chips come in at least 3 formats, the Ripples being the least alluring. Perhaps it’s the ridges absorbing too much seasoning or Utz under-compensating for the inherent flavor of the ridges, but these seem to have the least sour cream & onion potency of the three Utz options.

21. Ruffles

A favorite of the populace, some of my loved ones and favorite people included, worship at the altar of Ruffles. This extends to sour cream & onion, which the Frito Lay brand creates in many different iterations, including Lay’s and Sun Chips. Ruffles’ RRRidges set an industry standard for what a ridge can and should be; thin rivulets covered in seasoning, golden fresh crispy crunch in every bite. The only downside here is the strong green onion flavor – the sour cream is a very light tang, but the onion element is a bit reminiscent of the taste of onion grass soaked in butter and stays on the palate enough to begin thinking about mints or toothpaste for a cleanse.

Bottom Line:

If these chips didn’t have a taste that requires a drink, a toothbrush, gum, or another snack afterward, they may be ranked higher. Raw green onion can be an assertive flavor, and here it outweighs the delicious crunch of possibly the best-ridged potato chips and places Ruffles further down in the rankings.

20. Hal’s

Hal’s sour cream & onion potato chips are like a New Yorker chipified; rich in flavor and high-quality ingredients, but also a bit too aggressively seasoned and salty in some instances. Hal’s are tasty kettle chips, and they have the trademark crunch, and oil-cooked bubbliness of the best kettle chips sampled. Flavor-wise, some chips are seasoned too salty, requiring a beverage accompaniment or interlude from munching to refresh. Some chips had too much sour cream, tasting too creamy and beyond rich in the umami note. The onion seasoning can linger more than desired on the palate, asking for refreshment. Hal’s Sour Cream & Onion potato chips may just be too much to eat alone but could be balanced out by something else flavorful and savory like a soup or sandwich to match their aggression.

Hal’s packaging resembles something made by a New York deli or bagel place, the design is clean and bold, but also incredibly mundane.

Bottom Line:

Hal is a character and he makes pretty good sour cream & onion crackers. Despite the great chips, these were not a favorite in the rankings.

19. Better Made

Detroit’s own Better Made make a product that is like its namesake, better tasting than a lot of brands out there. Their sour cream and onion have a great taste, a rich earthy potato flavor, a salty light yellow oniony flavor, and an overall rich MSG, soy umami style flavor. Better Made’s crisp thin traditional chips have a great flavor themselves and although these chips are delicious and have great flavor, they lack tang and any sort of sour creaminess.

Better Made’s been making better things since 1930, as their bag says so, and if you don’t believe it there is a dutch milkmaid looking young woman giving the choice hand sign to back it all up, no paperwork.

Bottom Line:

Though these chips would go great without a lot of things and are by no means to be ignored, Better Made’s version of sour cream and onion potato chips are not in the top of the Midwest’s stiff potato chip competition.

18. Wise

Wise has been in the game since any Millenial growing up in the Philly area can remember, another PA entry here and a solid ridge entry. Wise is typically known more for their basic and plain snacks than flavored, but the fact that they only make a ridge version of Sour Cream & Onion shows Wise’s commitment