From the Ground Up Cauliflower Tortilla Chips
From the Ground Up‘s nacho-flavored cauliflower chips taste nothing like Doritos, and make me wonder: Do off-brand Doritos need to exist in this space? Does there have to be a cauliflower-based Doritos knock-off?
Bottom line: I’m sure cauliflower could make great chips, but not with nacho flavoring.
Sprouts Nacho Tortilla Chips
These Dorito-inspired chips are grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and, unfortunately, flavor-free. Made of coconut and cassava flour, Sprouts chips have a texture and rigidity I respect. But there is nothing reminiscent of nacho cheese here. If I had eaten these chips without knowing they were supposed to be cheese-flavored, though, I might have liked them.
Bottom line:Â Sprouts makes a sturdy tortilla chip, but it lacks nacho cheese flavor.
Beanitos Nacho Nation Chips
Though Beanitos are good, I could barely taste any sort of cheese-inspired anything over the overwhelming bean flavor. The bag says I’m supposed to get hints of tomato, cheese and jalapeno, but I didn’t taste any evidence of those flavors. What I did taste was well-seasoned beans!
Bottom line: I didn’t mind these salty bean-based triangles.
Siete Nacho Grain-Free Tortilla Chips
This isn’t close to being a Doritos knock-off. It’s not bad, but it’s not cheese flavored. It’s tart? If you don’t think about Doritos at all, they’re delicious. If you do, you’ll be disappointed, so try watching TV or exercising while eating these chips to divert your thoughts from anything nacho cheese-related.
Bottom line: Siete chips are a 7/10; but as off-brand Doritos, a 3/10.
Beanfields Nacho Bean Chips
This chips are great, with a toothsome texture and strong nacho flavor. But I implore you: Do not forget about the fiber. One serving of 16 chips has four grams of insoluble fiber, and I ate a lot more than 16 chips. Doritos are made for mindless eating; beanfield chips are better for eating in moderation. Or better yet, use them in recipes made with Doritos.
Bottom line: This healthy chip is surprisingly delicious.
Clancy’s Nacho Tortilla Chips
These taste like cheese-inspired chemicals, and that’s OK! That’s exactly what Doritos taste like, and that’s precisely what I was hoping these chips would deliver. They’re near-perfect off-brand Doritos at a bargain price. That’s all I really wanted, and it’s precisely what I got. While you’re at it, make sure you know about these off-brand foods.
Bottom line: Kudos to you, Clancy’s, for understanding—and nailing—the assignment.
Zack’s Mighty Tortilla Chips
Now this is a good chip. You know the nachos they serve at bowling alley snack bars that are smothered in electric-orange “cheese?” Zack’s Mighty chips taste just like those, but without the gloopiness. These are outstanding when paired with a jar of pickled jalapenos and Mountain Dew.
Bottom line: There’s a reason Zack’s are often out of stock—they’re ridiculously good.
Late July Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips
Late July’s entire business model revolves around taking things that are spectacularly unhealthy and making them “better.” Listen—it doesn’t matter if these chips are made with whole-ground organic yellow corn. It doesn’t matter if their orange dust contains real cheese or authentic nacho spices. The chips are meant to be “consumed in moderation,” but the problem is that these chips are so good, nothing will stop you from eating all of them.
Bottom line: Late July off-brand Doritos are 10/10.
Pacqui Mucho Nacho Cheese Chips
Going into this taste test, I assumed that Doritos were the apex of the nacho cheese chip world and everything else would be a pale imitation. Little did I know that Pacqui has invented a chip that not only rivals classic nacho cheese Doritos, but absolutely blows them out of the water. These are thick and sturdy enough to act as a base for nachos, and to retain their shape in the bag without being pulverized into chip-bits in transit.
Bottom line: They’re crunchy, they’re cheesy, they’re perfect.