Tested: these are the best and worst ridged paprika crisps from the supermarket
Do you also think ridged crisps are much tastier than regular crisps? Somehow, those ridges add so much more. More flavour, more texture—we love them. Our favourite? Paprika! But if we want to fill the bowls at our party with ridged paprika crisps, which supermarket bag should we get?
From experience, we know that testing ridged crisps isn’t easy. Everything looks alike; during an earlier plain ridged crisp test, we even wondered whether all the bags secretly came from the same factory. Not to mention the fact that all that salt makes you incredibly thirsty. So, respect to Snackspert, who took on the ridged paprika crisp test.
The big paprika crisp test
Nine types of ridged paprika crisps were tested. Plenty of choice, then. Most bags were supermarket own brands: Jumbo, Albert Heijn, Dirk, Lidl, Aldi, Gwoon and Plus. Two bags were branded products, namely Epixs and Lay’s. Of all nine bags, Lay’s may well be the biggest brand. At least, they’re not afraid of bizarre flavours (anyone fancy a bowl of cucumber crisps?) But, erm… How does Lay’s perform with an everyday flavour like paprika?
Well… Not very well. In the ridged crisp test by Snackspert, Lay’s finishes dead last. “What have you done this time, Lay’s?” Snackspert asks out loud. “It’s just plain crisps with a little paprika powder sprinkled over them. What a huge disappointment.” Ouch. Best leave those on the shelf, then.
The top 9, with a highly coveted winner
Naturally, we’re even more curious to find out who the big winner is. And it is… drumroll… Dirk’s ridged paprika crisps! Snackspert is pleasantly surprised. “I didn’t expect this, but I think these are the best so far. Really good paprika flavour. Great!” So, if you have drinks/a Dutch circle birthday party/a movie night/a reason to fill a bowl with crisps, Dirk’s ridged paprika crisps are the ones to get.
The complete top 9
1. Dirk
2. Epixs
3. Albert Heijn
4. Lidl
5. Aldi
6. Gwoon
7. Plus
8. Jumbo
9. Lay’s
Snackspert also points out a striking result: Jumbo’s eighth-place finish. Jumbo’s ridged paprika crisps have an incredible number of fans, but Snackspert isn’t particularly impressed. “Jumbo is a bit like Lay’s in that respect. This one also has very little flavour.” Maybe a rare dud was picked from the shelf?
The missing bag
One brand is sorely missed from the test, and that is Croky, as fans point out. “The Croky Explosions Paprika flavour, which was only recently launched in Belgium, is truly TOP—the classic Croky paprika seasoning on a ridged crisp!” “Croky Ribbelrock was also very good! Such a shame it was taken off the shelves.” And: “Jumbo’s are normally really tasty. But Croky is the best!”
So, where is Croky in this test?
Snackspert explains: it isn’t a permanent part of any supermarket’s range. If you still want to try it, you might get lucky at Action. In any case, we agree that Croky makes very tasty crisps. The Mexicano, Mexican taco and patatje speciaal flavours were also a huge hit in our opinion.
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