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I Tasted Every Doritos Flavor (Almost) & This Is The Best

The best of the best of these chips dusted in flavor.

Did you know that Doritos, the iconic corn chips that are covered in nacho cheese dust, actually come in 14 different flavors? I for sure didn't, and when I found out this fun fact I decided to conduct the ultimate Doritos taste test to see which is the best. Flavors range from the classic Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch to Chili Limon and Flamas.

After scouring my local grocery stores, delivery services, and convenience stores I was able to round up 10 out of the 14 varieties to try for myself. The flavors I was unsuccessful in acquiring were Doritos Salsa Verde, Doritos Taco Flavor, Doritos Flamin' Hot Nacho, and Doritos Tapatio. Due to supply chain issues, some of these flavors didn't even have a SKU at my neighborhood grocery stores.

Here's what I tried:

  • Doritos 3D Crunch Spicy Ranch
  • Doritos 3D Crunch Chili Cheese Nacho
  • Doritos Cool Ranch
  • Doritos Dinamita Chili Limon
  • Doritos Flamas
  • Doritos Flamin' Hot Cool Ranch
  • Doritos Flamin' Hot Limon
  • Doritos Nacho Cheese
  • Doritos Spicy Nacho
  • Doritos Sweet Spicy Chili

While some Doritos flavors were major hits that I didn't know I was missing out on, others were duds that I wish I hadn't put into my mouth. Here's what I discovered after trying 10 different Doritos chips.

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10

Worst: Doritos Flamas

doritos flamas
Walmart

Doritos Flamas was by far my least favorite. When I opened the bag I noticed the chips were covered in bright red flavor dust that was supposed to taste like lime and chiles. Once I put these in my mouth I had major regret. These were nothing but a spice bomb, with no real distinguishable flavor. As someone who loves spicy foods, I was looking forward to these, but in the future, I'll pass these up in lieu of almost any other flavor.

9

Doritos Flamin' Hot Limon

doritos flamin hot limon
Walmart

The Doritos Flamin' Hot Limon is what I think I was expecting the Doritos Flamas to taste like. The chips were exceptionally spicy but also had a pretty aggressive lime flavor. The lime was almost too much and after a few chips, it felt more like vinegar in my mouth than a bright lime flavor. Overall these aren't the worst Doritos I've ever had, but they also aren't the best.

8

Doritos Spicy Nacho

doritos spicy nacho
Walmart

When a package says something is going to be spicy I definitely want it to have a kick, so when I tasted the Doritos Spicy Nacho chips and there wasn't a punch of spice I was disappointed. These chips taste super similar to the regular Doritos Nacho Cheese chips that if you put them both in front of me without a label I wouldn't be able to tell which one is which. If you want to test out your friend's palette to see if they can distinguish the difference in chips these would be perfect, otherwise if you're looking for a spicy chip pick another flavor.

RELATED: 17 Discontinued Chip Flavors We Want Back

7

Doritos Flamin' Hot Cool Ranch

Doritos Flamin' Hot Cool Ranch
Courtesy of Doritos

Doritos Flamin' Hot Cool Ranch was one of the chips I didn't know I needed to keep stocked in my pantry until this taste test. The chips had a really nice balance of spice to ranch flavor, without one overpowering another. The ranch flavor was distinct with plenty of herbs and a cooling flavor of sour cream. The spice didn't have a discernible note, but I'm not too concerned with that since these chips were pretty good.

6

Doritos Nacho Cheese

doritos
Walmart

The classic flavor that most of us know is Doritos Nacho Cheese. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the classic, but it's pretty much just a standard chip now. Each chip did have a nice coating of nacho cheese dust, that I inevitably licked off my fingers when I was done munching on these. This variation of Doritos is perfect for a kid's lunches, or for a sense of child-like nostalgia, but let me just say there are better, more flavorful options out there.

5

Doritos Cool Ranch

Cool ranch doritos
Walmart

Another classic flavor is Doritos Cool Ranch. These have been around for a while, and if you like Doritos it's likely that you've tasted these yourself. The chips are everything you would expect from a ranch-flavored chip, with an herb-forward taste that's rounded out by cool sour cream. I really like these crunched up in the middle of a sandwich. The chips also make a great coating for chicken fingers.

RELATED: We Tasted 9 Popular Crackers and These Are the Best

4

Doritos 3D Crunch Spicy Ranch

Doritos spicy ranch
Walmart

One of the more unique Doritos flavors is the Doritos 3D Crunch Spicy Ranch. These puffy triangles have a texture that was more akin to the cone-shaped chips that you might have put over the tops of your fingers and pretended you were a witch as a kid. The ranch flavor was not as strong as the Flamin' Hot Cool Ranch or regular Cool Ranch, and was overpowered a bit by the corn taste of the chip. I did like these for how light and poppable the actual chip was, leading to an almost empty bag by the end of the day because I kept going back for more.

3

Doritos 3D Crunch Chili Cheese Nacho

doritos 3d crunch chili cheese nacho
Walmart

Another 3D Crunch variety is meant to taste like chili cheese nachos. There was a distinct smoky taste that reminded me of a roasted pepper and spices that would be put in a great cup of chili. The cheese flavor wasn't super distinguishable among the chili flavor, but that wasn't a big concern for me. These chips are fun to eat too because of the unique puffed triangle shape.

2

Doritos Sweet Spicy Chili

doritos spicy sweet chili
Walmart

Just missing the top spot is Doritos Sweet Spicy Chili chips. This flavor was easily one of the most unique of the ones I was able to secure. It tasted exactly like sweet chili sauce you might have in your refrigerator or that you get from your local take-out restaurant. It had a nice balance of sweet and spice that didn't lean overwhelmingly to either side. If you're looking for something new and different these are it.

1

Best: Doritos Dinamita Chili Limon

doritos dinamita chile limon
Walmart

The number one Dorito flavor is the Doritos Dinamita Chili Limon. These rolled chips were super crunchy thanks to the multiple layers that are created by rolling. The chips are bright red, indicating they are going to be spicy, but the spice is leveled out by a bright burst of lime that cuts through the intense spice. These are worth adding to your shopping cart every time you see them at the grocery store.

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Megan duBois
Megan duBois is a travel and lifestyle journalist with bylines across the internet and in print at Delish, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Yahoo Lifestyle, and more. Read more about Megan
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