Spicy Snack Roundup: Spicy Guacamole Pringles, Julio’s Jalapeno Queso Chips, Siete Habanero Hot Honey Chips

For my latest Spicy Snack Roundup, I munched on two chips that have been around for a while as well as one that is relatively new. Here are my thoughts on these:

Spicy Guacamole Pringles: This is a fan-favorite flavor that comes and goes, and I recently found a can on the shelf and decided to finally give them a try. They have a good, savory taste with a touch of earthiness and a little bit of sweetness. The flavor does not remind me of guacamole, but more of the salsa verde seasoning I have encountered with other chips like Doritos. Still, they are quite good, and I can see why they have developed a following.

As for the heat, the first couple of chips (Oops! I mean crisps) do not seem to deliver much burn, but that starts to build by the third one. These ultimately get a little above Medium on my scale, and the heat sticks with you for a bit. I seem to recall that these have now been made into a permanent flavor, though I do not always notice them on the shelves with the other Pringles. But you should be able to find them at stores where the brand is sold.

Julio’s Jalapeño Queso Tortilla Chips: Julio’s makes one of the hottest chips you can find in stores (more on that one here), and all of their snack options are worth trying out. I had tried the Jalapeño Queso flavor in the past, but it had been a while, so I grabbed a bag on a recent trip to the market. The taste is cheesier and saltier than Doritos Nacho Cheese, sort of like you combined that flavor with Cheetos. They also have a good, rustic taste from the quality ingredients they use.  There is a peppery kick in there, and they have a good crunch, and I would say I enjoy them more than Doritos, though the salt is a bit much.

The heat is definitely noticeable, getting close to Medium on my scale. And it does linger for a bit, leaving a tingle on my lips. These Texas-made chips are in most stores throughout the state, and I believe they are expanding beyond that. If you happen to see a bag of these, or their aptly named Freakin’ Hot Chips, they are certainly worth picking up.

Siete Habanero Hot Honey Potato Chips: This is a relatively new item on the shelves, coming from this company with Mexican-American heritage that has several tasty options to choose from. The Habanero Hot Honey chips start out with a strong honey-like sweetness that is not too overpowering or cloying, and that is followed by a nice kick of heat. You do not get the fragrant taste of the habanero chili with these, more of a peppery seasoning flavor, but it does bring a nice tingle to the tongue. These chips are plenty crunchy, since they are kettle-cooked, and between the flavoring and the heat, they are quite addictive.

They will not set your mouth on fire, but they get above Medium on my scale, and that heat lingers for a while. I usually find these at my local Sprouts, and I know that H-E-B carries them as well. And if you see a bag of their Fuego Potato Chips, those are definitely worth picking up too (you can read my review here).

Nutrition Info:

Spicy Guacamole Pringles

Ingredients: Dried potatoes, vegetable oil (corn, cottonseed, canola, high oleic soybean, and/or sunflower), degerminated yellow corn flour, cornstarch, rice flour, maltodextrin, mono- and diglycerides. contains 2% or less of salt, onion powder, whey, tomato powder, sugar, coconut oil, monosodium glutamate, garlic powder, buttermilk, spices, natural and artificial flavors, sour cream (cream, nonfat milk, cultures), sodium diacetate, cayenne pepper sauce (aged red peppers, vinegar, salt, garlic), citric acid, cultured nonfat milk, lactic acid, sodium caseinate, yellow 5 lake, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, malic acid, blue 1 lake, yellow 6 lake, butter (cream, natural flavor), milk fat, wheat starch.

Serving Size: 28g (About 14 Crisps)
Calories: 150
Fat: 9g (2.5g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 1g
Carbs: 17g
Sodium: 180mg

Julio’s Jalapeno Queso Chips

Ingredients: Tortilla chips (non gmo corn, corn oil, water, lime), seasoning (whey, salt, cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese, culture, salt, enzymes) dextrose, tomato powder, onion powder, lactose, torula yeast, jalapeno, yeast extract, garlic powder, natural and artificial flavor, citric acid, parsley, malic acid, cream, tartaric acid, calcium silicate (anti-caking), sodium diacetate)

Serving Size: 28g
Calories: 150
Fat: 5g (1.5g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 3g
Carbs: 21g
Sodium: 180mg

Siete Habanero Hot Honey Potato Chips

Ingredients: Potatoes, avocado oil, hot honey seasoning (organic honey powder [organic tapioca maltodextrin, organic honey, organic cane sugar, sea salt, organic paprika, organic nutritional yeast, organic tomato powder, organic crushed red pepper, organic habanero powder, organic chipotle powder, organic garlic powder, organic onion powder).

Serving Size: 28g (About 14 Crisps)
Calories: 140
Fat: 7g (1g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 2g
Carbs: 18g
Sodium: 115mg