The Best Salt And Vinegar Chips In 2023

Top 5 Best Salt And Vinegar Chips 2023:

1. Miss Vickie’s Sea Salt & Vinegar Kettle Cooked Potato Chips
2. Kettle Brand Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips
3. Deep River Snacks Sea Salt & Vinegar Kettle Cooked Potato Chips
4. Popchips Potato Chips Sea Salt and Vinegar
5. Utz Potato Chips Salt & Vinegar

Whether you’re hosting a little get-together or you decided to spend the afternoon chilling alone in front of the TV, we can pretty much guarantee that one thing’s going to be right next to you – a bag of your favorite chips. 

Yes, yes, we know all about the healthy eating trends – but we all know that potato chips are still the world’s go-to salty snack. 

Everyone can turn into an unrelenting chip glutton from time to time, and that’s fine. Who can resist the perfectly salty, vinegary chips, anyway? 

And sure, they’re not everyone’s cup of tea – it’s one of those flavors you either love or hate. But if you happen to enjoy the tanginess and acidity with just enough salt, you’ll want to stick around for the best salt and vinegar chips we picked out for you! 

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5 Best Salt And Vinegar Chips In 2023: Detailed Reviews

If you’re on the look-out for the best salt and vinegar chips on the market, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered! 

1. Miss Vickie’s Sea Salt & Vinegar Kettle Cooked Potato Chips – Best Salt And Vinegar Chips

Miss Vickie’s Sea Salt & Vinegar chips are the definition of what this flavor combination should be. No, scratch that. They’re the best salt and vinegar chips out there, period. 

There, we said it. 

The flavor is super intense – but in a good way – and you can tell that each chip comes coated in seasoning all-around. The mouth-puckering tang, which, in our humble opinion, is a must in salt and vinegar chips, is there but doesn’t feel overpowering or artificial as in some other brands. 

The balance of saltiness and vinegar is one of the best you’ll find. 

Plus – and this is a big one in our book – these are kettle-cooked, rather than deep-fried. As a result, these chips pack a big crunch. Seriously, the extreme crunchiness alone is enough to get you hooked!

Another welcome benefit of kettle-cooked potato chips is that they’re nowhere near as greasy as the alternative. So, at least you won’t feel guilty about eating them. 

Also, we get that this may be too specific, but we like the size of the chips, too. They’re perfectly bite-sized, rather than monstrously large, which means fewer crumbs to clean up once you’re done snacking.  

2. Kettle Brand Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips – Best Crunch Out Of The Bunch

How can two such simple ingredients, like salt and vinegar, end up creating so many flavor variations? We’ve taste-tested quite a few bags of chips – more than we care to admit – for this round-up, and while each had a unique twist on the classic combo, this is the one that blew us away. 

Kettle Brand’s take on the sea salt and vinegar flavor combinations are, hands down, the most balanced one of all. It’s the perfect ratio of lip-puckering vinegar and saltiness – and they’re not too greasy, either. 

Best of all, you can taste real potatoes here. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, since these are potato chips, after all. But all too many brands suffocate the flavor of potatoes with the excess seasoning. 

Harmony with each bite – it doesn’t get much better than this, folks. 

Also, if you tried Kettle Brand’s chips before, then you must know that there’s always a nice crunch to them. These, however, took it to a whole new level: 

We’re not sure if it’s the thickness of the potato slices, the freshness, or what, but these came with such a distinct, satisfying crunch. Bonus points for the crunchiness! 

3. Deep River Snacks Sea Salt & Vinegar Kettle Cooked Potato Chips – Best Mild-Flavored S&V Chips 

Deep River Snacks kettle-cooked sea salt and vinegar chips deserve a spot on our list based on the fact that they donate a portion of their profits to charity alone. When you choose their salt and vinegar chips, you’re, in a way, giving to their charity of choice. 

How amazing is that? 

They get bonus points for keeping the list of ingredients as short as possible – and gluten-free, too. 

Now, for the actual chips – that’s why you’re here, after all – the distinct smell of vinegar hits you right in the face as soon as you open up the bag. 

Surprisingly enough, this doesn’t show up as much in the flavor profile. The vinegar is much more subdued than expected, but that’s not a bad thing: 

Some people prefer moderate seasoning over smack-in-the-face vinegar and mouth-drying amounts of salt. Plus, the flavor’s nicely balanced; nothing is overpowering about it. 

They aren’t overly greasy, either. You won’t feel that bad about finishing the entire 2-ounce bag by yourself. 

The only real complaint is, like we said, that the flavor doesn’t pack as much of a punch. But what they lack in “aggressiveness” they make up for in perfect crunchiness!

4. Popchips Potato Chips Sea Salt and Vinegar – Best Healthy Alternative To Deep-Fried Chips

Yes, we get it; these look nothing like your average potato chip – but that’s not because they’re some second-class snack: 

Rather than dumping them into the deep fryer, these chips are made using heat and pressure. The result is a “popped” potato chip with just as much flavor but a fraction of the fat content and calories found in “regular” deep-fried chips. 

It’s probably the closest salt and vinegar chips can get to being considered a healthy snack. 

We like how, with every bag of Popchips, you rarely get anything but full-sized chips; there aren’t that many crumbs on the bottom, either. 

Even more so, no two chips are “popped” to the same degree. Some are on the crunchy side, and others feel “airy” – enough to keep things interesting. 

But because they’re so light, it’s incredibly easy to go through an entire bag without even blinking. We went through about five bags before we finished this review!

Also, you may assume that all that “airiness” means lack of flavor, but at no point did we found these bland or tasteless. 

The price could be lover, though – but that’s about the only complaint we have. 

5. Utz Potato Chips Salt & Vinegar – Best Aggressively-Flavored Salt And Vinegar Chips

For some of you, seeing an Utz snack – be it chips, pretzels, or what have you – is probably a massive blast from the past. We sure have some fond memories of this childhood staple! But we guess that, with so many more popular, flashier brands out there, not everyone’s familiar with Utz. 

Let’s face it, although it has a charming retro vibe the outdated Utz packaging can’t quite compete in the looks department. Then again, we’re not here to discuss looks; we’re here to discuss flavors. 

In terms of flavor, these salt and vinegar chips offer something that no other brand can – the taste of childhood. 

They’re thin and crisp, and pack an insane amount of flavor. Seriously, the seasoning on these is crazy – but we know how much some of you enjoy an intense salt-and-vinegar experience. 

At first, you think that they’re a bit on the salty side, but if you wait it out for a second or two, you can feel the acidic punch building up and coming your way. However, despite the “aggressive” seasoning, these still have a relatively balanced flavor. 

Sure, it may be too much for some – but that’s a matter of preferences. 

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Salt And Vinegar Chips: The Science Behind The Snack  

No one’s pouring salt and vinegar onto raw potatoes down at the factory before dumping them into a gigantic potato chip fryer. As cool as that sounds, that’s not how things work on an industrial scale. 

So, how do they do it, then?

Your favorite salt and vinegar chips – and factory-made potato chips in general – are made using flavored powder. 

Before they can add vinegar to the chips, manufacturers first have to turn it into a dry, powder-like substance to help it stick to potato chips better and, more importantly, prevent it from making the chips soggy. 

More often than not, this is done with a little help of a food additive known as maltodextrin. When mixed with vinegar, maltodextrin soaks up the right amount of flavor, which makes it easy to dry into a flavor-packed powder. 

Alternatively, some brands will opt for sodium diacetate – a mixture of sodium acetate and acetic acid in a one-to-one ratio – to achieve that salt and vinegar flavor.  

See Also: The Best Hard Candy

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Things To Know Before Picking The Best Salt And Vinegar Chips  

As much as we all know about the existence of brown rice crisps, veggies with hummus, and lentil crackers, none of them can replace the mouth-watering deliciousness of perfectly crispy, salty chips. It’s not the same – and you’d be lying if you said it is. 

The heart wants what the heart wants – and when it comes to salt and vinegar chips, the heart doesn’t care about nutritional values, either. 

Plus, we’re all junk food lovers here, so it’s a judgment-free zone. And to prove it, we’re going to help you find the best salt and vinegar chips out there!

1. Seasoning & Flavor 

Like we said earlier, there’s no middle ground with salt and vinegar chips. It’s one of those snack foods that you either love – and love it strong – or hate it enough that it makes you gag. 

And if you fall into the first group as a serious salt-and-vinegar chip fan, the chances are that you want the seasoning to pack a punch. The salt should sting a little, and the acidity of the vinegar should make the corners of your mouth burn. 

It sounds aggressive, but that doesn’t make it any less accurate. 

Who wants to eat salt and vinegar chips with a mild flavor that leaves you wondering where the vinegar is, anyway? 

It has to be sharp, punchy, and slightly mouth-burning. Otherwise, you’re missing out on real salt and vinegar chips. 

2. Chips’ Size & Crunchiness 

You can try and deny it, but these things matter as much as the actual flavor of the chips. The size of the chips and, more importantly, their crispiness, can ruin the entire experience – even if the taste is spot-on. 

First off, no one wants to fish around the bag for the breadcrumb-like remainders of what should be a potato chip. The overly salty crumbs are fine once you reach the end of the bag, but until then, two-bite chips should be the golden standard.

Also, it’s always lovely when their “sturdiness” reflects the crunchiness. Whether you prefer the thinner, crispier chips or the thicker, kettle-style ones, one thing’s certain: 

No one likes a stale chip – let alone a soggy one. 

3. Packaging Size 

As a junk food lover, you probably know the heart-shattering disappointment of grabbing a bag of chips, tearing it open, and finding that it’s only half-full. 

It’s not that the food company’s trying to pull a fast one of you. 

The reason why bags of chips are never filled to the brim – as much as you’d want it to be – is because the extra “air” protects your chips from getting squashed into oblivion on the way from the factory to the store shelf. 

And it’s not air, either – it’s nitrogen gas that keeps the chips fresh!

We kind of got off topic there for a second, but what we wanted to discuss was packaging size as it relates to portion sizes: 

You won’t buy a single-serve, one-ounce bag of chips if you have people coming over – and you probably shouldn’t buy a pack of 24 full-sized, eight-ounce bags for yourself, either. 

These things are easier to determine when you’re shopping in your local grocery store, but when you’re ordering online, it’s easy to mess up or get confused. What we’re saying is: 

Always double-check the packaging size before you place your order. 

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Conclusion 

The best salt and vinegar chips will get your attention. Correction: they’ll demand it. The first bite is always a kick that wakes your taste buds right up. 

And no, it’s not a flavor for the faint-hearted chips eaters. We’d advise them to stick to the plain, old tortilla chips with some guacamole on the side. 

Those of you who love that tangy, salty, flavorful kick of salt and vinegar chips should seriously consider giving Miss Vickie’s Sea Salt & Vinegar Flavored Kettle Cooked Potato Chips a try. 

The Kettle Brand Potato Chips Sea Salt and Vinegar is another option that will make you go “Hello there, crunchiness” pretty much instantly.

Then again, this is mostly a matter of preference. As long as you pick something crunchy and not overly greasy – as any good potato chip should be – we’re sure that it’ll be finger-licking delicious!