11 Weird Flavors of Chips and Snacks from the Past
From pickle pops to cheeseburger chips, these strange snack flavors had us raising eyebrows and sometimes gagging.
- Chris Graciano
- 3 min read
Snack companies have never been shy about pushing the flavor envelope. Over the years, some experimental tastes made it to shelves that now feel more like dares than snacks. Here are 11 bizarre chip and snack flavors from the past that left a lasting (and sometimes confusing) impression.
1. Lay’s Cappuccino Chips
Nan Fry on Flickr
Yes, this was a real thing—coffee-flavored potato chips. It confused taste buds with its oddly sweet, savory, and salty combo.
2. Doritos X-13D (All-American Cheeseburger)
wsh1266 on Flickr
Marketed as a mystery flavor, the reveal of “cheeseburger” left some cheering and others grossed out. It somehow nailed the taste of ketchup, pickles, and charbroiled beef.
3. Pringles White Chocolate Peppermint
Mike Mozart on Flickr
Holiday-themed and wildly mismatched, this flavor blended dessert with chips in a strange union. Imagine mint chocolate coating on a salty crisp.
4. Lay’s Wasabi Ginger
Mike Mozart on Flickr
This flavor tried to bring sushi bar vibes to your snack bag. The wasabi punch combined with ginger sweetness was bold and polarizing.
5. Cheetos Sweetos (Cinnamon Sugar Puffs)
Mike Mozart on Flickr
Cheetos without cheese? These cinnamon-sugar puffs ditched the iconic orange dust for a sweet twist. Fans of savory snacks were stunned—and mostly disappointed.
6. Herr’s Baby Back Ribs Chips
Rusty Blazenhoff on Flickr
Smoky, meaty, and oddly tangy, these chips aimed to recreate barbecue in a bag. Some praised the spot-on seasoning, while others couldn’t get past the “liquid smoke” aftertaste.
7. Doritos Mountain Dew
Bobby Mc Leod on Unsplash
A one-time stunt flavor in Australia, this neon chip combined citrus soda tang with corn chip crunch. It looked radioactive and tasted like a sugar accident.
8. Lay’s Do Us a Flavor: Chicken & Waffles
Dana McMahan on Flickr
Salty-sweet was the goal, but this mashup left people scratching their heads. The syrup notes clashed with a weirdly savory chicken essence. Novel? Yes. Delicious? Debatable.
9. Pringles Pecan Pie
Mike Mozart on Flickr
Thanksgiving in a can took a strange turn with this sugary, nutty experiment. It smelled like dessert but crunched like a chip.
10. Walker’s Prawn Cocktail Chips (UK)
Sarah Grice on Flickr
Popular across the pond but baffling to many Americans, these chips delivered a tangy, tomato-shrimp flavor combo. Think ketchup with a hint of seafood. It was definitely not your everyday snack.
11. Lay’s Garlic Soft-Shell Crab (Asia)
Gary Tamin on Unsplash
With a name as bold as the flavor, this seafood snack was rich, garlicky, and briny. The scent alone could clear a room. Adventurous eaters only need apply.