This Is The Most Popular Potato Chip Brand In The US

Potato chips are a classic snack, often associated with summer cookouts but perfectly appropriate at any time of year. Americans consume about 2 billion pounds of potato chips every year, which breaks down to roughly 5 ½ pounds per person. But among the countless brands of chips (which we've ranked), which is most popular with Americans?

According to Instacart sales data from late June and early July 2025, Americans broadly prefer Ruffles. As potato chip fans can probably predict, there were a lot of strong regional favorites. Kettle Brand dominated the West Coast, Pennsylvania-born Utz ran the Mid-Atlantic, and Zapp's was No. 1 in its historic home of Louisiana.

Ruffles, however, were No. 1 in a plurality of 17 states, including Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, and Alaska. Many of these are large yet small-population states, but it wasn't just about land area: Ruffles were also the favorite in Texas and Illinois, which have a combined 43 million residents between them.

Ruffles have a considerable fandom online. "Ruffles are better than Lays–meatier, more flavor," said one Reddit user who compared them to the global chip giant. But among the brand's many flavors, one appears to be the runaway winner.

Cheddar and sour cream is a massive hit. "The texture and flavor of these are unmatched," one Reddit user fawned. Another comment on Reddit added that "these are just considered what chips are in my house. If a different flavor is wanted, it needs to be specified. If you just ask me to get you some chips, this is what you're getting."

When our sister site Daily Meal ranked different Ruffles potato chip flavors, it agreed that cheddar and sour cream stood alone as the best of the bunch. It was the favorite going in, but the delicate balance of sour cream and cheddar cheese in every bite was hard to beat. 

Static Media owns and operates Mashed and Daily Meal.