Canstar Blue’s chips review compares brands such as ALDI (Sprinters & Blackstone), Cheezels, Twisties, Red Rock Deli, Smith’s, Kettle, Pringles, Doritos, Grainwaves, and more on taste, texture, packaging, variety, value for money and overall satisfaction.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Aussie shoppers have ranked ALDI’s Sprinters chips best in Canstar Blue’s ratings for the second year running, scoring the supermarket five stars for packaging, value for money and overall satisfaction.
What type of chips do you eat with your BFFs? Friend-chips! Luckily, chips (or ‘crisps’ for the Brits) come in all shapes, sizes, and flavours. So, whether you prefer cheese curls, corn chips, thin or crinkle potato chips – there’s always something to nibble on out there for everyone. Naturally, almost a third of our survey respondents (28%) said chips are their go-to snack, while 38% said they always buy some during their grocery shop. But which chips are the best? That’s the debate of the ages.
To finally put it to rest, we asked more than 2,000 Aussie consumers for their feedback on the packets of chips or crisps they’ve purchased and enjoyed in the last three months. Respondents rated brands on taste, texture, variety, packaging design, value for money and overall satisfaction. Brands that met the minimum required survey sample size (30 responses) are included in the results.
Our latest chips review featured a whopping 17 brands, but only one was rated best – ALDI’s Sprinters! The supermarket label rated best for overall customer satisfaction for the second year in a row!
Here are the best chips in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s latest review:
ALDI’s Sprinters popped off with five stars for packaging, value for money and overall satisfaction. Red Rock Deli and Kettle got the edge when judged on taste, with Red Rock Deli also getting full marks for variety (as did Smith’s) and packaging design (alongside Twisties). Smith’s, Twisties and Red Rock Deli also got the same result for texture.
Sprinters is one of ALDI’s own brand of chips, snacks and crackers, available exclusively from the discount supermarket. The Sprinters snack range includes crinkle and thin-cut potato chips, with classic flavours such as original and sour cream & onion available. The homebrand favourite also offers corn chips and other snack foods like nuts and baked crackers.
Chips aren’t considered healthy as they tend to have very little nutrients and a lot more calories than you would expect, in addition to containing usually high amounts of saturated fat and added sugars or salt.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some salt and vinegar chips every now and then. The Australian National Health and Medical Health Council recommends eating ‘mindfully’ and limiting portion sizes to one serve, which is equivalent to 600kJ per day (this includes any alcohol, honey, butter and other foods not included as part of the five food groups).
You can also find a variety of products that are low calorie and that contain less salt or sugar, and come in pre-portioned packets.
ALDI’s Sprinters chips seem to be the way to go, especially if you’re looking for an affordable treat that’s reasonably tasty. But if you’re looking to impress guests, Red Rock Deli and Kettle proved to be standout performers on taste.
Our recent survey found almost one in four consumers (24%) buy whichever brand is cheapest or on special, while 14% prefer to try limited edition or newly released flavours. Our research also revealed 39% of respondents usually buy the same brand of chips, with 45% having tried multiple brands.
In terms of flavour choice, this will depend on what you’re in the mood for. If you’re snacking on chips while binge-watching your favourite Netflix series, then anything goes right? However, if you’re pairing your chips with dips or spreads then it’s important to choose a flavour that will complement your condiments. Here are the most popular chips flavours, according to those surveyed:
As always, you can use our guide as a starting point to see how Aussies rated different brands in these categories. And enjoy!
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s home & lifestyle journalist, Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito. She’s an expert on household appliances, grooming products and all things grocery and shopping. In addition to translating our expert research into consumer-friendly ratings reports, Tahnee spends her time helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services, while highlighting the best deals and anything you need to be aware of.
Canstar Blue surveyed more than 3,000 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased (from a supermarket or grocer) and consumed a packet of potato chips/crisps in the last three months — in this case, 2,059 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
Here are the past winners of Canstar Blue’s chips ratings:
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