Unique Potato Chip Flavors From Around The World

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The United States is a melting pot of cultures, thanks to a population that blends Indigenous Americans with people from every continent. Each immigration wave has brought new flavors or ways of cooking to the country, creating an incredibly rich and diverse culinary landscape that extends from fine dining down to the humblest of snacks.

Bearing all that in mind, it might come as a surprise to discover that the country's best-selling potato chip flavor isn't anything fancy: Just regular ol' plain salted. Special editions or spicier tastes accounted for 17% of sales in 2024, according to evidnt.

It's a strange statistic, considering there are sundry chip flavors sold across America — though many have disappeared before our eyes — while globally, some definitely sound more appetizing than others. So what are snack fans in the U.S. potentially missing out on? Here are unique potato chip flavors from around the world.

In 1981, Welsh pub landlord Phillip Lewis launched arguably the most unique potato chips ever: Hedgehog flavour. Inspired by folk tales of Travellers eating these spiny creatures, Lewis created them as a joke, little realizing they would take off in the United Kingdom in a big way.

Although the packs insisted that no hedgehogs were used to make them (they tasted vaguely of beef) regulators took Lewis to court in 1982 because they didn't contain hedgehog. After the name was tweaked to comply with the rules, hedgehog flavor crisps made millions before fading into obscurity, with much of the profits going to the St Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital.

Sometimes, a bold flavor choice makes us look at food in a completely new way, and sometimes it just makes us, well, revolted. At some point in the middle of the 1970s, leading Canadian potato chip company Hostess pressed the "what the heck?" button and decided their snacks needed a dose of fruit.

Thus, orange, grape, and cherry-flavored potato chips made it to the country's stores and, for many unsuspecting kids, their parents' shopping carts. If the stories in this Reddit thread are to be believed, Hostess' fruit-flavored chips made the worst possible impression, including making some children physically sick.

Many of us love to nibble on potato chips while enjoying a glass of something alcoholic. But British luxury snack manufacturer Savoursmiths took the flavor combination and flipped it to create Bubbly & Serrano Chilli chips. The brand blends the "fizziness of a glass of bubbly" with a smattering of sea salt and a "warming kick of Mexican mountain pepper Serrano chilli."

Savoursmiths also makes its own plain chips, though with their signature refined twist: The salt comes from the Kalahari Desert. If you're on an upper class or premium flight with Virgin Atlantic, you can enjoy a bag of the Virgin Bloody Mary Luxury English crisps, too.

There are many dishes that combine sweet and savory: think cookies, or any number of marinades and sauces. Potato chips are probably not in the top 10 of foods that can easily carry off what can be a nuanced set of flavors — but that didn't stop Pringles.

In 2020, the brand unveiled five sweet chip varieties in time for Christmas. The range included white chocolate chips, which had a flavored coating, rather than being dipped in the good stuff. The limited-edition snack was a hit for some, a surprise after Pringles' unpopular white chocolate and peppermint chips, released in 2012, and which isn't a patch on Costco's popular yet increasingly pricy bark.

The family-owned company behind the Brets brand, sometimes known as "Le Chipsier Francais," is a household name in France and renowned for its wide range of flavors. Thanks to the internet, you can get your hands on unique tastes like Goat Cheese & Espelette Pepper or Indian Curry in the United States.

Across the pond, French consumers can snack on "carbonade flamande", which translates as beef in beer. With their flavor of gently-cooked meat and a caramelized sauce, the ingredients for these chips include black pepper powder, nutmeg, and ginger, tastes that ensure Brets' Carbonade Flamande potato chips are always "tres bon."

One of the best things about traveling is experiencing new foods in ancient places, but not every discovery happens in a restaurant. The local supermarket can be a place of wonder, too. In China, it's where you'll find Lay's Blueberry chips, part of the American brand's "cool and refreshing" range that also includes kiwi, cucumber, lime, and cherry tomato.

Many foreign dishes are reflections of, or stem from a country's culture, so what is foodie heaven to one nation's population is utterly alien to another. According to Lay's Around the World, the reviewer's response to Lay's blueberry potato chips was: "Utterly dreadful. Ate one, cringed, and threw the bag away."

France is known for many alcoholic drinks: Champagne, cognac, and absinthe are just three. However, across the south of the country, there can be only one. Anise-flavored spirit pastis, whose Ricard brand is one of several French names that are popular in the United States, turns from a coppery color to cloudy white when mixed with water. What better inspiration for a potato chip flavor?

Yes, Brittany-based Brets decided pastis — which has an ABV of at least 40% — was a perfect addition to the eclectic line-up. These crinkle-cut chips are gently flavored with aniseed, making them perfect for get-togethers with friends if you happen to be in that southern neck of the French woods.

In July 2020, New Zealand snack fans were divided by the launch of Bluebird's latest range "Kiwi Favourites." The flavors were cheese and onion toastie, Sunday roast, pāua (abalone) fritters and lemon, and — most controversial of all — Lamington. The latter is a square of white sponge cake (not to be confused with angel food cake), dipped in chocolate sauce, and tossed in desiccated coconut.

According to Bluebird, this teatime treat made for a great potato chip flavor. Some were pleasantly surprised by the Lamington-flavored coating, including the tester behind Facebook's Have You Tried? He insisted he "wasn't offended by them at all," and urged viewers to give them a whirl. One Redditor who did, dubbed them, "Very weird."

Tyrrells feel like they've been around forever, but the United Kingdom-based company was only founded in 2002. The small-batch, thick-cut, hand-cooked crisps (to use the British term) come in a range of popular flavors, from sea salt and crushed black pepper to the hearty mature cheddar and chives.

In August 2018, in what Tyrrells said was its "most experimental flavor to date," per Birmingham Mail, the company unveiled limited-edition bags of pink chips with a raspberry Bellini taste. It followed two other strange combinations: Ginger and sparkle — parsnip chips with real glitter — for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding (though you would never see a royal eating them), and a prawn cocktail and brandy flavor pairing. Sadly, the Bellini chip was not a success.

Canadian retailer Loblaw is behind the President's Choice brand, and the World of Flavours [sic] range of chips is where you'll find this tasty twosome. The combination of chicken wings and blue cheese is familiar to regulars at Buffalo's iconic Anchor Bar, where it was created in the mid-1960s.

North of the border, they are the inspiration for this thick-cut potato chip snack. If many online reviews are to be believed, it's a hit. Your Snack Dealer enthused on Facebook about the size of the chips, their coating, and level of spiciness, "Not too hot." In 2025, the snack impressed reviewer In The Chips with Barry, who wrote about the flavors, "I dig this combination."

Many brands in the United States borrow flavors from other cultures or countries for their products, and it's easy to forget other nations do it too. Take Lay's Wasabi octopus flavor potato chips. They're sold in China, but those flavors? They're all Japanese, baby.

The chips are based on the popular appetizer tako wasabi, which began life in 1991 as a weird form of punishment among workers at Azuma Foods. Lay's markets them mainly to Chinese consumers, but they're also available at Asian stores across the U.S. if you want to give them a whirl. YouTuber WrecklessEating picked up a pack and his assessment was, "It's very, very weird."

If you thought the land Down Under had nothing to contribute to the unique potato chip table (though these are technically corn-based, they still live in the realm of potato chips), you're wrong. In 2020, Aussie snackers were exclusively treated to the curious combo of Mountain Dew-flavored Doritos for a limited period. Little did they realize, Americans had a similar product in 2008, when the "Quest" flavor was unveiled as Mountain Dew.

American YouTuber Chris Frezza and his son Vito were not bowled over in their review. "It's not horrible," Chris said, while Vito added, "It tastes like soap." Fellow video reviewer The World According To Jason did not like them at all, though his niece Karli was more positive.

In the 1990s, Walkers (aka Lay's in the United States) launched Worcestershire sauce crisps in the United Kingdom. The chips were discontinued in 2023, to the dismay of fans but, two years later and amid great fanfare, the snack was back. This time, it was flavored with the original Lea & Perrins sauce.

Fans descended on the city of Worcester, the home of the savory condiment, to get their hands on limited-edition bags on sale at a single store. By March 2025, they were available nationwide, but not everyone thought the relaunched Worcestershire sauce crisps were up to scratch. Several Redditors in this thread were disappointed by the lack of flavor.

Georgia calls itself The Peach State but shhhh — their much-loved fruit actually originated in China, where it has been grown and eaten for thousands of years. Chinese consumers particularly love the green honey peaches from around Shanghai, and knowing all that makes Lay's pairing of peach with beer as a potato chip flavoring feel a lot less weird.

Fans claim they are a delight for anyone who is looking for a sweet-savory combo in their snacks, with the fruit creating a harmonious balance with beer's hoppy tang. Americans who have eaten them agree, albeit with some surprise. One Redditor described them as "exceptional," while another enthused: "They were shockingly good."

Almost 30 years after the launch of hedgehog flavor crisps, unsuspecting consumers in the United Kingdom were offered the chance to scoff Walkers Cajun squirrel chips. The 2009, limited-edition chips were part of the company's "Do Us a Flavour" contest, in which the public voted for a new taste of chip.

The bags reassured buyers that zero squirrels had made it into any packs, while also cocking a playful snook at Southern flavors with their spicy, meaty tang. One witty commenter on X said: "Squirrel: The other other white meat," while others who were brave enough to try them concluded that they weren't half bad.

There are some flavor combinations that work no matter which way you try them. Others require a bit more imagination, or a considerable leap of faith. For anyone who was disappointed by Pringles' white chocolate and peppermint chips in 2012, the following year brought a new twist on the sweet-yet-salty combo from Lay's: milk chocolate covered potato chips.

Yes, they had slathered potato chips in chocolate and — for a few mouthfuls — they worked. Sadly, some reviewers found the coating too much for their taste buds to cope with, while others balked at paying $3.49 for a 5-ounce pack.

Cucumbers. Delightful in a salad, especially with a dash of fresh basil or dill. Delicious in every tub of creamy, chilled tzatziki. But do they work as a potato chip flavor? According to Lay's, absolutely. The Cucumber potato chips are sold in China where, presumably, they are successful enough to stick around.

A few American snack lovers have tried them and their responses were mixed. DJ Glowing Eyes, the host of Industrial Industries World Radio found them "very greasy," adding the "vegetable-like taste" that kicked in after the initial salty flavor had a "seaweed kind of vibe." On Reddit, one commenter said, "They were sweet. Yuck," while another wrote, "This one was a no go."

Countries the size of the United States have more flavors than you can shake a wooden spoon at, so they can afford to spread them around a little. Other nations don't have that luxury. For Mackie's of Scotland, they took the country's two iconic tastes – whisky (not whiskey) and haggis — and combined them in a single potato chip.

Launched in 2014, Mackie's Whisky & Haggis chips combined Talisker single malt, The Famous Grouse, and Aberlour a'Bunadh with a seasoning based on the meaty dish, and Mackie's claimed they were a world first. Online reviewer Crisp Nation gave them 7/10, warning the peppery kick from the seasoning could be a bit much for some snack fans.

Customer demand for avocados in China only took off in recent years, as people got a taste for what they know as butter or alligator fruit. It's no wonder Lay's sought to capitalize on this growing appetite, by combining the flavor of avocado fruit with honey mustard (aka sweet mustard) for a unique potato chip snack.

Bright green and with a flavor that offers a delicate blend of savory and sweet, these chips are popular among European consumers, particularly French buyers. American reviewer Cole's Snack Attack said they had a "very strong, in-your-face mustard flavor," though he was not a fan of the coating that made his tongue feel like it was being stung.

Seabrook has been making crinkle-cut potato chips since 1945 and added prawn cocktail bags to the flavor line-up in 1979. For American snack lovers, this unique potato chip flavor would be reminiscent of shrimp cocktail, and was so popular in the United Kingdom that Walkers issued its own prawn cocktail flavor, too.

Seabrook's prawn cocktail crisps are still going strong today, though the ingredients list might raise a few eyebrows. There's no mention of seafood, but it does include icing sugar — better known as confectioners or powdered sugar.

In 2014, Lay's launched the Honey Butter chips in South Korea, and people went wild for them, sparking a genuine food phenomenon. Fast forward an entire decade, and the moreish snack finally made it to the shores of the United States and Canada, although only at Costco and Loblaw stores, respectively. But were they worth the wait?

Many people on social media were excited to get their hands on Lay's honey butter potato chips, but one who did was Marvo at The Impulsive Buy. They warned anyone who didn't like sweet chips would not be a fan, before giving them 7/10 and dubbing them "quite tasty." A Redditor went further, posting, "My god these are good. 10/10."

When it comes to truly unique potato chip flavors, the granddaddy of them all has to be the 2018 festive snacks from United Kingdom-based retailer Iceland. These chips claimed to be Christmas tree-flavored, thanks to a seasoning that included pine oil and sea salt.

Neil Nugent, the company's head chef, told News Shopper the chips were "a completely new combination, unlike any other festive flavour." The online response to Christmas tree-flavored chips was mixed. Reviews from the team at Insider Food varied from "they just taste like ready salted crisps" to, "There's definitely that dirt flavor that really just shouldn't be on anything edible."