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If there’s a more popular and beloved snack combo out there than chips and dip, we’d be hard-pressed to name it. There’s just something about the merger of crunchy, savory chips and correctly chosen dips that excites our minds even when we think about it.
Here’s the thing, though: it’s all about the correct chips and dip combination. Don’t get me wrong; I’m sure ruining any chips and dip combo is hard. I’m saying that as a person who has used plain cream cheese as dip plenty of times when even blending it with some spices seemed like too much work.
But I’m not above admitting that pairing certain textures and flavors can elevate a snack to a whole new degree.
If you’re like me and cooking a super-flavorful dip sounds too tiresome, especially after work, you can always check out Yummy Bazaar’s chips and dip selection for both classic and uniquely flavored chips, dips, salsas, sauces, and more!
Meanwhile, here are some pairings we’d like you to consider:
Salted Potato Chips and Bacon Pepper Dip
The annoying thing about most chips and dip combo recommendations is that they rarely consider flavor specifics. Yes, we know that potato chips and onion dip are a classic, but not all flavors pair well. Some just work better than others.
For example, salted potato chips, a classic mild flavor, would need a more complex dip to bring it into the light. We decided to pair it with bacon pepper dip. It’s a tomato-based, moderately spicy dip with real bacon, giving it a savory, meaty flavor that pairs well with the crunch. This dip could be wasted on a more flavorful chip but works excellent with salted chips.
Spicy Potato Chips and Garlic Horseradish Dip or Onion Horseradish Dip
Spicy potato chips are plenty flavorful on their own, so they need a dip that 1) won’t be overwhelmed with the chips’ flavor; 2) won’t overwhelm the chips' flavor. Horseradish dips tend to be intense and spicy, so it may seem like an unorthodox pair with spicy chips, but that’s the point. You don’t tame the spice. You highlight it! Terrapin Ridge Farms, a gourmet brand known for its unique condiment selection, has taken it a step further and made garlic horseradish and onion horseradish blends, adding more complex flavor undertones to the dips. They pair particularly well with spicy potato chips.
Cheese and Onion Potato Chips and Spicy Red Salsa
Cheese and onion is a popular potato chip flavor in the UK. These chips are plenty flavorful on their own, so they don’t need a lot of extra complications. Classic red salsa works as a great pairing with these chips. Our favorite was spicy red salsa, but mild red salsa will work just as well if you're not big on spice. You’re the snack king in the house. You decide!
Seaweed Potato Chips and Ginger Wasabi Dip
Seaweed flavor is a popular option in Asian countries like Japan and Taiwan. These chips are plenty good on their own, but no chips have ever lost by being paired with a dip.
For signature Asian chips, we decided to go for a dip with signature Asian flavors. Seaweed chips are mild but flavorful, so they can use an added hint of extra spice. A ginger-wasabi flavor combo with seaweed is quite common in Japan, and it also works as a chips and dip combo.
For a lighter version, combine some sour cream with ginger wasabi sauce. For a thicker and heavier dip, you can use mayonnaise (creamy Japanese mayo works particularly well).
Oyster Omelette Potato Chips and Sriracha Aioli
Oyster omelette is a signature Taiwanese street food and possibly one of the most unique chip flavors we’ve ever encountered. The trick to enjoying it as an ingredient in a chips and dip pairing is to pair it with a dip that doesn’t overwhelm the chips’ flavor.
Sriracha sauce is famous in Taiwan and is often used as a topping for the classic oyster omelette. Sriracha aioli is milder, creamier, and works great as a dipping sauce for these unique chips while paying homage to the original dish.
Truffle Potato Chips and Truffle Aioli
Unsurprisingly, truffle potato chips are becoming one of the most popular chip flavors nowadays. People like truffles and potato chips are an easy and affordable way to enjoy them. Spanish Torres chips are probably the best-known truffle chips, both black and white.
The thing about truffle chips is that the flavor is quite delicate, whether black or white. You don’t want to overwhelm it, you want to accentuate it. Some people even eschew pairing truffle chips with any dips for this very reason.
We’d say the trick is sticking to truffle flavor. Try pairing your truffle chips with truffle aioli, which combines the same earthy and mushroomy truffle flavor with a creamy, light, and versatile condiment.
Spicy Tortilla Chips and Asada Verde Salsa
“Salsa Verde” is a general term used to describe most green sauces, from chimichurri to pesto. But in context, it usually refers to Mexican green sauce made with tomatillos. “Asada” means roasted. Accordingly, Asada Verde means green sauce made with roasted (or charred) tomatillos.
It’s an intensely flavorful sauce, with plenty of garlic, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, and lime, but it’s not necessarily spicy (Asada Verde can range from mild to hot, just like red salsa).
The idea of this combo is to add more complex flavor notes to the chips without covering up the spiciness.
Salted Tortilla Chips and Creamy Chipotle Dip
Salted tortilla chips are basically created to be a dip transport. We all know it. Pairing it with classic red salsa works excellent, but we’ve decided to up the ante and go with a creamy chipotle dip. It combines the classic moderately spicy pepper flavor with extra herbs and spices for a bit more complex flavor and smoky aroma. As with potato chips, a heavily flavorful dip works wonders when paired with more neutral chips.
Sweet Potato Chips and Maple Bacon Aioli
Sweet potato chips are a good snack option for those who love sweet and savory flavor combinations in their snacks. Sweet potato chips are noticeably milder and sweeter than classic potato chips, making them a staple favorite among those who like more complex flavors (or who simply prefer sweet potatoes to classic potatoes, those people exist too).
The trick to smartly pairing sweet potato chips is sticking to similar flavor profiles when it comes to dips: a combination of sweet and savory notes. One such option would be maple bacon aioli. There’s a reason why maple syrup-glazed bacon is considered a treat. It’s a perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors, and combined with the creaminess of aioli, it makes an excellent dip.
Stonewall Kitchen has quite possibly the most exciting aioli line among artisan condiment brands, with rare flavor combinations that can easily act as dips for classic and uniquely flavored chips. Their selection is worth exploring if you like garlic-y creamy dips with your chips.
Pita Chips and Spicy Hummus
Pita and hummus is a classic pairing. The trick to upping the ante with this combo is to add a twist without rocking the boat too much. Hummus will always be the best dip for crunchy pita chips, but hummus can come in various flavors.
In our opinion, the best pairing for crunchy salted or herby pita chips would be something a bit spicy, like jalapeno or red pepper hummus. Spicy notes add more complexity to the flavor, but overall, the combo stays true to tradition.
Lentil Chips and Chile con Queso
The main appeal of lentil chips is in their texture. They’re often compared to pork rinds, though we’d argue pork rinds are drier and crunchier, with a more intense flavor profile.
Lentil chips are crunchy but have a lighter, airier texture. Maybe due to this airier texture, their flavor comes off as less intense than that of potato or tortilla chips.
These chips are a good pairing with thicker, highly flavorful dips that can make up for what the chips themselves lack in flavor. Chile con queso, a classic thick melty cheese and pepper sauce, is one such dip. This Tex-Mex cuisine signature is traditionally paired with unflavored or lightly salted tortilla chips. The chips are only supposed to provide the crunch, not extra flavor. Lentil chips have the crunch, and they’re less intensely flavored, making a great pairing with chile con queso.
Quinoa Chips and Spicy Black Bean Dip
Quinoa chips taste, no surprises here, like quinoa. They’re relatively mild and slightly nutty, with a texture more similar to lentil chips than potato chips: very crunchy but also light and airy.
For the same reason as lentil chips, quinoa chips are a good pairing with more intense and highly flavorful sauces. We decided to go a little original with this chips and dip combo and went with spicy black bean dip.
Spicy black bean dip is a salsa-style dip made with tomatoes, black beans, and various peppers like jalapenos, chipotles, and green chilis. Like chile con queso, this flavorful dip is typically paired with crunchy but bland corn or tortilla chips. Lentil chips’ crunchy and airy texture, along with their mild flavor, makes a great pairing with black bean dip.
Shrimp Chips and Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
Shrimp chips, also known as shrimp crackers or prawn crackers, are a traditional Asian deep-fried snack made from shrimp paste mixed with starchy tapioca flow and water. They’re light, crispy, and have a distinct (but not very intense) seafood flavor.
Asian sweet chili sauce, made from marinated peppers, and flavored with garlic, salt, and sugar, is considered a classic dipping sauce for shrimp chips. In this one case, we won’t mess with perfection. If only because we don’t think enough people have tried it.
Cheese Crisps with Sweet and Spicy Salsa
Cheese crisps or keto chips went viral a few years ago when the keto craze was at its height. Made entirely out of shredded cheese, these chips are very savory, with nothing balancing out the intensely cheesy flavor.
Luckily cheese is a versatile ingredient that pairs well with most flavors, so why not take advantage of it? Cheese goes well with savory dishes but is also commonly paired with fruit and honey. Obviously, cheese crisps call to be paired with a dip that displays both characteristics, like sweet and spicy salsas. Whether the fruity element is a classic like a mango or a more unique peach or pineapple, overall, the salsa is bound to pair well with the adaptable and versatile cheese. That’s the beauty of this combo.
Rice Chips and Chile Bacon Ranch Dip
Everybody knows that rice chips or rice crackers are not about the flavor. They’re pretty bland, even in the best of cases. Rice chips are all about the crunch and what that crunch best goes along with.
We’d say the more complex and flavorful the dip for rice chips, the better. Our favorite is the Terrapin Ridge Farms' hatch chile bacon ranch dip, a creamy, buttery, and rich condiment mixing bell pepper puree and bacon bits with classic ranch. The trick is choosing an intense flavor that can overwhelm the chip. We’d say dips like chile con queso, spicy hummus, or even ginger-wasabi dip make good rice chips and dip combo.