Pringles is one of if not the most consumed crisps — or chips depending on where you are from — in the United Kingdom. The U.K. has more restrictions on food ingredients than the United States so Pringles here use sunflower oil, a healthier substitute to the U.S.’s vegetable oil. One more difference is the U.K. uses yeast extract and yeast powder instead of the U.S.’s mono and diglycerides. With growing popularity and two manufacturing plants in the U.K., Pringles sales reached $284 million at the end of 2022. Like many other companies, Pringles offers flavors in the U.K. not available in the U.S.

In this ranking we had seven study abroad students and one instructor in London sample all 10 regular Pringles flavors available in the U.K. and four hot flavors.

The regular flavors consisted of Texas BBQ, Prawn Cocktail, Salt and Vinegar, Paprika, Sour Cream and Onion, Cheese and Onion, Original, Smokey Bacon, Pizza and Hot & Spicy. The judges based their decisions on flavor and aftertaste.

Coming in 10th place was Pizza-flavored Pringles. Most of our judges placed this flavor last place because of how artificial the tomato flavor seemed. One judge said it tasted like tomato paste. Another judge raced down multiple flights of stairs to spit it out. This flavor is also available in the U.S. If it’s terrible in one country, why inflict it on another?

In ninth place is Cheese and Onion. Students said the onion was overpowering and the aftertaste was awful compared to the rest. The cheese flavoring wasn’t as good as American Pringles’ cheese flavoring. This flavor is not available in the United States, and likely wouldn’t be popular there.

Eighth place goes to Prawn Cocktail, another flavor that might want to avoid any future U.S. distribution. Judges didn’t like the aftertaste, and the taste was unfamiliar, and not in the good way. “It was nasty,” said one judge. Another said it tasted like thousand island salad dressing, and that was not a welcome flavor. Students who liked it enjoyed the unusual seafood flavor in a chip.

Smokey Bacon-flavored Pringles ranks seventh. Some judges said that this flavor was sweet and did taste like bacon, which is normally not something that you think of as sweet. The aftertaste was not the best and it was an issue with the judges. Several judges grabbed a different type of chip to cancel the flavor out. This flavor is also not available in the U.S.

Two flavors of crisps tied for sixth place. One was Salt and Vinegar. Judges said the flavoring was overly powerful and assaulted the taste buds with either too much sodium or too much vinegar. But they still ranked it above the previous two flavors. Perhaps because they’ve tried this flavor in the U.S.

Tied for sixth place is Pringles’ Original flavor. Some judges found it “boring” and “plain” compared to the other flavors, but for other judges, it ranked in the middle because it is also ol’ reliable. No one hates it; not many people love it.

In fourth place is Hot & Spicy. This chip is considered to be part of the regular flavors which the judges think is perfect because it is not nearly at the same spice level as the hot flavors but it is a perfect amount of spice for anyone to eat. It is a bummer that this flavor is not available in the U.S.

Texas BBQ claimed third place. Texas BBQ in the United Kingdom is labeled as simply BBQ in the United States. Some judges appreciated its sweet barbecue flavoring but others found it “gross.” It reminded one judge of a sloppy joe.

The second place winner is Paprika, a flavor unfortunately not available yet in the U.S. One of the teachers who tried it said it was surprisingly subtle yet delicious and that America needs this. She now hunts for paprika Pringles in London stores and is bribing students to carry tubes home in their luggage. Paprika Pringles ranked highly on everyone’s list.

The first place flavor and winner of the “regular” category is Sour Cream and Onion. Nearly every judge ranked it either first or second, perhaps because of its reliably good flavor and availability in the U.S. The onion flavor isn’t too powerful and the sour cream helps neutralize it to make a great combination.

HOT FLAVORS
The hot flavors have a 1 to 3 chili pepper ranking for heat levels. They are packed in a bit of a smaller container compared to the normal flavors. We had six judges taste test these hot flavors.

Coming in fourth place is Flaming Cheese, a flavor that is available in the U.S. The main reason why it’s this low for a cheese-flavored chip is that the cheese flavoring doesn’t taste the same as the U.S’s flavor. The spice rating is 3 chili peppers which is the hottest but it doesn’t affect the flavor much with this flavor.

Third place goes to sour cream and onion. Even though it was No. 1 for the regular flavors, the hot varietal did not have the same flavor as the original, and the heat just made it worse. It has a one chili pepper ranking for the heat level.

Second place is BBQ ribs, which is not available in the U.S. The ribs part of it gave it more of a smoky meaty flavor with the BBQ sauce. The heat level is 2 chili peppers and the spice definitely makes the crisp taste better.

Mexican Chile and Lime was unanimously voted as the hot category winner. This was the only unanimous vote. The chile and lime flavoring combined nicely with the 2 chili peppers ranking of heat. Fortunately, this flavor is available in the U.S.