I Tried the 9 Most Popular Doritos Flavors, This Is the One I’ll Buy Again and Again

There's a clear winner.

Doritos are the pinnacle of noshing. As an appetizer or snack, they are chips and dip in one powder-packed package; as a side dish, they are a step or two above fragile potato chips. And with a brand that matches the product’s increasingly bold flavor, Doritos has emerged as a foodstuff subculture all its own.

The triangular treat’s ascent to the top shelf of the chip aisle is made more amazing by the fact that, once you strip away the colorful packaging, ground-breaking cross-promotion (I mean, Doritos as a taco shell?!), and the broad palate of fairy-dust flavoring—they’re just corn tortilla chips.

Doritos actually sprung from trash—literally. At the dawn of Disneyland in the 1950s, the company that would become Frito-Lay opened a Mexican-themed restaurant in Frontierland called Casa de Fritos. Employees were throwing stale tortillas in the trash; a salesman suggested making them into chips, which were a huge hit with park-goers.

It took a few years for the corporate execs to catch on, but by 1966, Frito-Lay had named the product Doritos, “little golden things,” and were ready to roll out bags across the nation. The company added a Taco flavor in 1968 and Nacho Cheese in 1972, and never looked back.

Since then, Doritos have taken on all shapes, from minis to Dinamita sticks and rolls to puffed 3D Doritos (RIP) to the aforementioned Doritos Locos Taco Bell taco shell. But regardless of form, Doritos have always been about flavor—and while there’s no such thing as a bad Dorito, some flavors are better than others. So, I tried nine Doritos flavors to determine which “trash tortilla chip” should be most treasured.

The Most Popular Doritos Flavors, Ranked

9. Simply Organic Doritos White Cheddar

Look, we get it: Chips are a treat, but “organic” makes them seem "healthier." But look at the nutritional facts, and you’ll see that a bag of these packs the same number of calories and the same amount of fat as regular Cool Ranch and 89% of the sodium. What you get is a chip that’s slightly less crisp and, worse, way less flavorful, with only a hint of the white cheddar promised.

8. Sweet & Tangy BBQ

These taste amazingly just like Lay's original Barbecue chips, but that flavor doesn't pair well with the corn flavor of the chip. It’s a clashing of worlds. Leave the BBQ to Planet Lay's.

7. Spicy Nacho

Frito-Lay bills this as an example of “how you upgrade a classic.” First of all: How dare you? Nacho flavored Doritos are a classic in no need of an upgrade. Second, the bag I had was only moderately hotter than the original. So why bother?

6. Blazin’ Buffalo & Ranch

I know I’m going out on a limb here. Heck, fans even dubbed this flavor “The Best Chip Ever Created.” But from my perspective, if you’re going to mention “ranch” and “Doritos” on the same label, you better bring the cool zest of that iconic brand. And my bag was just overwhelmed with blazin’ Buffalo sauce. Granted, when it comes to Buffalo wings, I’ve always been more of a bleu cheese person anyway.

5. Taco Flavor

The first-ever flavor of Doritos is still one of the best—just the right amount of taco seasoning adds zest without overwhelming the corn crunch or covering your fingers in powder. Bonus points for the retro packaging.

4. Nacho Cheese

I had forgotten that Taco Flavor was the original Doritos because, even though Nacho Cheese technically came second, it will always be the OG to me (and almost everyone else I know). Cheesy. Salty. Zesty. And plenty of spice (thank you very much, Spicy Nacho Cheese). When someone says “Doritos,” this red bag is what immediately springs to mind.

3. Salsa Verde

I normally don’t care how closely Doritos mimics the flavors of the actual food. We’re not worried that Nacho Cheese chips don’t taste just like nacho cheese; or that Taco Flavor isn’t like eating an actual taco. These aren’t Lay's or Jelly Bellies. But eating a Salsa Verde Dorito tastes EXACTLY like dipping a great chip into a bowl of fresh salsa verde. Tangy, with just the right amount of sweet, and a medium heat.

2. Spicy Sweet Chili

A lot of Doritos flavors, especially the new ones, claim to be spicy (and we’re not even talking about the Flamin’ Hot line). A few of them proudly pronounce themselves sweet. None of them crank both to the max and then somehow seamlessly combine them on a corn chip like this. The best way to describe the flavor is that it tastes like General Tso’s chicken from a really good Chinese restaurant. There’s so much going on here—and all of it is addictively delicious.

1. Cool Ranch

Imagine a time when ranch dressing wasn’t everywhere. We’re not talking about drizzling it on pizza or dipping chicken wings or even chips in it—we mean it wasn’t even the most popular salad dressing. That was the case up until 1986. That was the year that Cool Ranch Doritos came out and took the tangy, creaminess of ranch to the moon. Beyond the historical and cultural significance of this flavor, it has also stood the test of time as the perfect snack. Each chip brings creamy, herby, slightly onion-y goodness. If someone ever asks you what “cool” tastes like, just pass them this iconic blue bag.

Read the original article on All Recipes.