Tested: these are the tastiest own-brand paprika crisps
They crunch, the orange dust sticks to your fingers and you assume your mouth is going to stink, but goodness, how we love paprika crisps. Even after six bowls (for tasting!) we’re nowhere near done with those red little rascals. And the result: this is where you can buy the very best paprika crisps, for less than one euro per bag.
We bought bags of own-brand paprika crisps at Dirk, Dekamarkt, Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Lidl and Aldi. One bag can stay sealed: Dirk and Dekamarkt have the same own-brand products, so that one is going straight back home with the biggest crisp lovers on this tasting panel.
We shook the crisps into bowls and the difference is surprising: they actually all look different. Albert Heijn’s crisps look a little more artisanal, Lidl’s seem to have much less colour and Jumbo’s paprika crisps burst out of the bowl, there’s so much orange powder on them.
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- Aldi KRAAX (250 gram), € 0,95. Steviger. ‘Hier proef ik voor het eerst echt de aardappel.’
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- Lidl (250 gram), € 0,95. Minder paprikasmaak, maar lekker krokante krak. ‘Deze breekt zo.’
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- Albert Heijn (250 gram), € 0,95. Favoriet! Zoet, licht pittig, fijne dikte. ‘Dit zijn echt chips waar je de hele zak van leegeet.’
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- Dirk (225 gram), € 0,87 (ook Dekamarkt). Iets zoeter, minder krachtig. Rare nasmaak, ‘maar daar proef je met een slok cola niks van.’
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- Jumbo (250 gram), € 0,95. Scherpe paprikasmaak, veel gruis.
Spicy powder
That also becomes clear during the tasting: Lidl and Albert Heijn’s crisps leave quite a lot of that spicy powder on your fingers. The Jumbo crisps have a strong paprika flavour, which you taste especially well when you eat the crisps in stacks, as Robbert always does. ‘A bit chemical,’ says Rick, while Bo finds them too sharp.
Lidl’s crisps stand out because they’re deliciously crunchy. They seem to be sliced a little thinner, which makes them crackle like crazy. ‘Less orange powder, less artificial,’ says Bo. And Robbert is happy with the mouthfeel of these crisps. The Dirk crisps have a sweeter aftertaste, Aldi has not only a pronounced paprika flavour but also a genuine potato taste, and Albert Heijn’s crisps sound lovely when you bite into them.
Bowl gets emptied
So the different brands are all very close, and any of the bowls would be emptied effortlessly, says Robbert. ‘You also have to remember: normally you eat those crisps with a glass of cola or something. Then they taste different again. Now we’re paying close attention to the aftertaste, but normally the next bite is already in your mouth.’
Pleasing crunch
The conclusion: the Albert Heijn crisps come out on top. Deliciously crunchy, a perfectly good paprika flavour and ‘crisps you can keep eating,’ according to Bo. Closely followed by Dirk’s crisps, because they also have a pleasing crunch and exactly the right amount of paprika powder.
Friday afternoon drinks
There isn’t really a loser; they’re all delicious. It also just depends on your taste, as the test shows. ‘Dirk has a slightly sour aftertaste, but it’s not unpleasant. And Albert Heijn is actually a little sweeter.’ In short, everyone should compare these own-brand crisps with one another sometime—a great activity for a dull Friday afternoon drinks get-together. With cola or a beer, of course, because that is and remains the paprika crisp’s original habitat.
