Disney fans are insane (don’t check the headline, you’re reading the right article). They’ll shell out up to a grand to visit Disneyland whenever they want, they’ll embrace Kingdom Hearts at face value, they’ll drop $30 to stream a live-action remake of Mulan or watch a backstory movie about Cruella De Ville that literally no one asked for, they’ll spend close to $50 just to buy a new set of mouse ears to wear on their heads every time they visit Disneyland, and they’ll gather up in gangs with other Disney adults around the world, wear matching jackets, and cruise Main Street like they’re the fucking T-Birds.
Make fun of them all you want — clearly we’re keen to help. But know this: if it weren’t for fanatic Disney heads eager to buy anything the company throws at them, we wouldn’t have Doritos.
I know, it sounds ridiculous, but according to Business Insider, The OC Weekly, and even Disneyland themselves, Doritos were invented at Fronteirland’s Casa de Fritos in the ‘60s after an Alex Foods salesman (the company that supplied Casa de Fritos with tortillas) noticed the restaurant throwing out stale unused tortillas at the end of the day. “Why not cut them up into triangles, deep fry them, and season them like Zapotec totopos?” the salesman suggested to the chef. And just like that — Doritos were born.
Predictably, because Doritos are delicious and Disney fans will eat anything the parks gives them, they were a hit even stale tortillas, the Frito Lay company scooped them up (they should’ve gone to Mexican-owned Alex Foods but that’s another conversation) and the rest is hist— wait a second. Is Disneyland really trying to take credit for making f*cking seasoned tortilla chips? I bet they believe Marty McFly invented rock-n-roll, too. It’s a cute story, but we find it highly dubious that not a single Mexican chef thought, “Hey, maybe I should season these fried tortillas with some paprika and a touch of cumin.” Because you know Mexicans, we are notorious for hating flavor.
First to market does not mean “invented,” but okay Disney, we’ll let you have this one. What don’t you own at this point?
Origin story aside, and rant over, we’re here because we love Doritos. But even if you’re a hardcore Dorito head there is a high chance you’re only familiar with a handful of flavors. Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch are without a doubt the most popular flavors, but what about all the others? Your Salsa Verdes, your Taco Flavored Originals, whatever the heck Doritos 3D are — do they taste good?
We set out on a quest to rank every single Doritos flavor currently available on the Doritos website. This way the next time you’re at the market with room for just one bag of chips in the budget, you’ll make the right decision with no regrets. Let’s dive in!
14. Doritos Tangy Pickle
After trying every Doritos flavor currently on the market, I’ve never found a flavor to be offensive. Until I tried Tangy Pickle. I just flat out don’t like this flavor. It smells so sour that it actually makes me wince when I reach into the bag. It tastes, unsurprisingly, like fake pickle juice.
Definitely the most intense Dorito on the market. Not in a good way.
The Bottom Line:
If you like artificial pickles, you’re going to love this.
13. Doritos Tapatio
Doritos has a lot of spicy options: Flamin Hot, Spicy Sweet Chili, Flamin’ Limon, Dinamita, Flamas, Spicy Nacho, and now here we are at Tapatio. All of these flavors rely on red chili peppers for an extra kick of flavor, but the Tapatio is the least spicy of the bunch.
Tapatio Doritos features a pepper forward flavor with a lingering sour aftertaste and a vinegar hot sauce smell. Neither of those latter elements was a good idea. Or even a mediocre idea.
The Bottom Line:
Smells like you dribbled Tapatio all over your Doritos, but doesn’t hit with the same pronounced kick.
12. Doritos 3D Crunch Chili Cheese Nacho
I’ve always wondered what 3D Doritos were, ever since they first hit the scene. It turns out this is Doritos’ version of Bugles. They’re bite-sized, light and crispy but there is no way anyone was asking for these. The flavor here features the slightest hint of heat over Doritos’ famed Nacho Cheese flavor. They’re not quite as intense in flavor as a traditional Dorito and aren’t even really worth indulging your curiosity for.
The Bottom Line:
Don’t give into the novelty, these are forgettable.
11. Doritos 3D Crunch Spicy Ranch
Doritos 3D Crunch Spicy Ranch is surprisingly not just a puffy version of Doritos’ Cool Ranch. A definite improvement over the 3D Chili Cheese Nacho, the Spicy Ranch looks and tastes like your typical mozzarella stick batter with gentle notes of spice.
If you really want to try the 3D form factor, this is the flavor to do it with. But you don’t really want to try this form factor — it’s not a step up in any way.
The Bottom Line:
It’s less onion-heavy than Cool Ranch, with a subtle spicy aftertaste.
10. Doritos Flamin’ Hot Limon
As we mentioned before, there are a lot of redundant flavors in the Doritos Universe (we call it the DU for short). Flamin’ Hot Doritos are a Flamin’ Hot spicy version of Doritos Nacho Cheese, and Flamin’ Hot Limon is a lime-infused version of the Flamin’ Hot flavor, and aren’t cheesy at all. If that sounds confusing, it’s because it is, this isn’t the MCU we’re dealing with here — the DU is like the J.J. Abrams Star Wars movies, a mess of jumbled nostalgia and false points of intrigue.
That’s all a really long way of saying Doritos Flamin’ Hot Limon isn’t good.
The Bottom Line:
A blast of chemical lime flavor settles into the back of the throat, paired with esophagus-burning spice. Yes, you’re right to assume Flamin’ Hot Limon is a more flavorful version of Flamin’ Hot Doritos, but you’d be wrong to assume that means it’s better.
9. Doritos Spicy Nacho
If you love the Nacho Cheese Dorito but think it’s a bit tame, Spicy Nacho might be just what you’re looking for. It tastes, predictably, just like Doritos Nacho Cheese but with a little bit of heat. Not so much that it’s going to make you salivate and need a glass of water to wash it down, but spicy enough that it keeps that nostalgic Nacho Cheese flavor feeling a little surprising and different.
The Bottom Line:
Yes, it’s just Doritos Nacho Cheese with some spice. Not enough to qualify as Flamin’ Hot, but hot enough to taste.
8. Doritos Flamin’ Hot Nacho
Why is there a Flamin’ Hot Nacho and a Spicy Nacho? I can’t tell you, but they do indeed taste different.
The Spicy Nacho is a subtly spicy rendition of Doritos famed Nacho Cheese Flavor, but the Flamin’ Hot version is anything but subtle. You get a lot more heat here, and it burns in the back of your throat. This chip is also considerably less cheesy, taking a backseat to that distinct Flamin’ Hot flavor that tastes like it’s about to burn a hole in your stomach.
Because it is. Seriously. This is some intense chemical shit.
The Bottom Line:
Hotter than Spicy Nacho but not as cheesy.
7. Doritos Dinamita Chili Limon
This is Doritos’ response to Takis. Before I tried this I struggled to understand why we needed this flavor. You’d think we already had this one covered with Flamin’ Hot Limon but the form factor here makes all the difference. All of the flavors from the lime to the spice are more subtle here and because of the folds, you get more of that plain tortilla chip flavor.
The Bottom Line:
Perfect for dipping, Doritos Dinamita is a more subtle take on the Flamin’ Hot Limon flavor.
6. Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili
I was hoping I was going to fall head over heels in love with this flavor, but it doesn’t quite hit the way I want it to. The letdown is that this flavor isn’t all that spicy — it’s plenty sweet, but sweet is the only flavor here. The flavor hits you with a BBQ-esque burst of deep brown sugar complexity and settles into a sort of cheesy aftertaste. There is the tiniest amount of heat in the backend, but its faint.
The Bottom Line:
It’s not Doritos version of Kettle Brand’s Korean BBQ Chip like you’d hope, it’s more like a BBQ chip with fewer spices.
5. Doritos Flamas
If Darth Maul could look like a chip, he’d look like Doritos Flamas. These chips look downright threatening and are colored a menacing red. Despite the fact that it looks exactly like five other Doritos flavors, this one is different. The flavor hits you with a subtle dose of lime that quickly turns into a pronounced and burning spice. This is hands down the spiciest chip in this lineup.
The Bottom Line:
Redundant? Absolutely, but Flamas nails the perfect balance of lime and spice.
4. Doritos Taco Flavor
If you’re looking at Doritos’ Taco flavor thinking this is going to be some kind of bland throwback flavor, you couldn’t be more wrong, this stuff is intense. Taco flavor features a blend of garlic, onion, and paprika, creating a flavor that tastes like a dead ringer for Taco Bell’s ground meat seasoning.
It’s a bit strange for a chip to taste like meat, but Doritos has done it!
The Bottom Line:
Grind this up into fine dust and bread your next fried chicken with it. Your mind will be blown.
3. Doritos Nacho Cheese
Nacho Cheese is Doritos’ flagship flavor. It’s the one that instantly comes to mind when someone says the word “Doritos,” and there is a reason for that: it’s damn good. If you’re part of the rare group that has never had a Nacho Cheese Dorito, imagine a Cheeto crossed with a corn tortilla chip. It’s cheesy and has an initial sharp cheddar intensity that settles into a neutral corn tortilla chip flavor.
The Bottom Line:
Doritos most popular flavor and an excellent contender for the throne. If you’ve never had Doritos, start here.
2. Doritos Cool Ranch
If Nacho Cheese is the face of Doritos, Cool Ranch is the brains. It’s Doritos connoisseur’s choice. Just as people-pleasing and easy to love as Nacho Cheese, but with a deeper complexity of flavor. This is the most visually appealing Dorito, with an eye-catching blend of herbs dusted on the surface of each chip.
Cool Ranch will greet you with an intense sour smell with strong notes of onion, garlic, and buttermilk.
The Bottom Line:
If Nacho Cheese tastes a little juvenile and one-note to you, give Cool Ranch a try. Each chip packs an intense flavor reminiscent of sour cream and onion chips.
1. Doritos Salsa Verde
I get that everyone loves Doritos Nacho Cheese, but if I had to choose a favorite, it’s going to be the Salsa Verde, hands down. This flavor is strong and lingering, with notes of salt and spices that somehow mimic, in taste, the way a roasted green chili pepper smells.
On the back end, a pleasing sour flavor lingers that makes the whole experience mimic dipping a tortilla chip in green salsa. At the end of the day, isn’t that what Doritos is trying to achieve? A chip that captures the complex and inviting flavors of Mexican food? If so, these are a major win.
The Bottom Line:
Powerfully flavorful, Doritos Salsa Verde tastes as close to a tortilla chip dipped in fresh green salsa as any chip has ever gotten.
