The Ultimate Ranking Of Spicy Snacks: Discover The Heat In Your Munchies

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In a world where spice reigns supreme, our taste buds are constantly evolving, pushing the boundaries of flavor and heat. With the rise of spicy snacks, from fiery chips to sizzling popcorn, the quest for the ultimate heat experience has never been more thrilling. Across the nation, food enthusiasts are indulging in an array of spicy delights, making it essential to evaluate which snacks truly deliver on flavor and heat.

Have you ever wondered if all those Flamin’ Hot snacks really taste the same? It’s a common misconception that the spice blends into a singular flavor profile, but the reality is far more nuanced. Each spicy snack offers its unique twist, and in this article, we’ll delve into the world of heat and flavor, presenting the definitive L.A. Times Spicy Snack Power Rankings.

From the iconic Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to the lesser-known contenders, we’ve meticulously ranked a plethora of spicy snacks based on their flavor and heat levels. Prepare your taste buds as we explore the highs and lows of each snack, revealing the true champions of heat in a world saturated with spice!

1) Doritos Flamin’ Hot Nacho
2) Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Puffs
3) Pop Fuego Popcorn
4) Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
5) Takis Fuego (tie)
5) Doritos Dinamita (tie)
7) Turbos Flamas
8) Chester’s Flamin’ Hot Puffcorn
9) Xxtra Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
10) Zapp’s Spicy Cajun Crawtators
11) Doritos Tapatío
12) Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Limón
13) Zapp’s Hotter ‘N Hot Jalapeño
14) Sí Señor Charritos Sticks Extreme
15) Flamin’ Hot Ruffles
16) Takis Nitro
17) Chester’s Flamin’ Hot Fries
18) Flamin’ Hot Munchies Snack Mix
24) Hot & Spicy Cheez-Its
25) El Sabroso Blazin’ Hot Cheese Crunchies
26) Flamin’ Hot Funyuns
27) Andy Capp’s Hot Fries
28) Trader Joe’s Ghost Pepper Potato Chips
29) Baked Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
30) Trader Joe’s Spicy Cheese Crunchies

1) Doritos Flamin’ Hot Nacho

There’s an understated genius at work here, as with this parody of the “Garden State” headphones scene, except Natalie Portman makes Zach Braff listen to an entire three-hour episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience.” These are delightful and, just as important, they’re highly snackable. That puts them in a slightly different category from some other varieties, which are tasty but you may not necessarily want to finish the entire bag for fear of eating through your stomach lining.

Think regular Doritos, but with a kick as strong as a Flamin’ Hot Cheeto — they capture the perfect mix of cheesy and spicy.

2) Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Puffs

These little guys, shaped like a cartoon elephant’s trunk, are just like regular Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, right? Not so! The tiny dimples in the fried puffed corn hold the spice powder better, leading to a more intense heat and flavor. With spicy standard-issue Cheetos and Doritos, you get odd ones with barely any spice at all, and a handful of “good ones” with a lot of powder caked on them.

The puffs are consistently, heavily seasoned. That’s the plus. The minor downside is that the airy, fried texture, while initially novel, can become a little nauseating as the pieces become consistently compacted in your back teeth.

3) Pop Fuego Popcorn

I bring you the incomparable Pop Fuego, basically Takis popcorn. I say “incomparable” because I literally don’t know what to compare it to — I vacillated between whether this was very good or very, very bad, and I ended up deciding that I like it. The MSG is cranked up to a 12, and the innocent, lightly pink color of the kernels belies a highly intense flavor roller coaster.

Maybe roller coaster isn’t the right word. It’s more like popping blackheads on your friend’s back after gym class: It’s gross, but you kind of love it, and you hate yourself for loving it. Pop Fuego kernels are not particularly heat-heavy but they’re almost hyperbolically tangy and acidic. Our resident social media guru, Lauren Lee, is convinced they ate a hole in one of her molars.

4) Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

These are the standard bearer. The snack to which all others must be compared. The spicy breadwinner. Your workhorse of heat. That which steadily performs, day in and day out. Like the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, these are so reliably good, it’s easy to take their 2.42 lifetime ERA for granted.

But that would be a mistake, because these have it all: heat, texture, crunch, and flavor. As well as an inspiring origin story. Ricardo Montañez, who was working at Frito-Lay as a janitor, approached the CEO with an idea — what if you made spicy Cheetos? Basing it on the elote model of corn, cheese, chili, and lime, Montañez began testing the product in stores in East L.A and soon realized he had a hit on his hands. Years and many millions in sales later, Flamin’ Hot products are everywhere and Montañez is a vice president at the company. That’s pretty cool, right?

5) Takis Fuego (tie)

Takis (or “taquis”) are the benchmark of that super sharp, wince-inducing lime flavor that covers many of these spicy snacks. They’ve got a good heat component with an equally sharp tang to complement it. Takis are moderately thick tortilla chips rolled into small cylinders. Is it my absolute favorite way to convey flavor? Not really, but penne isn’t my favorite pasta shape, either. I do, however, appreciate the way Takis could help solve our plastic problem by doubling as a single-use straw while making everything taste like a michelada as an added benefit.