According to Statista, 48.07 million people in the United States consumed salt and vinegar potato chips in 2020. It is one of the most popular potato chip flavors with only sour cream & onion, barbecue, and plain ranking before it.
Given the popularity of these chips, we decided to compile a list of some of the favorite salt and vinegar potato chip brands that are readily available for most readers. We hope this article helps you find a new brand or two to try. If you already have a favorite, be sure to vote for it in the poll at the end of this article.
Salt and Vinegar Chip Brands
Lay’s
Lay’s is a brand of the snack food giant, Frito-Lay. The parent company of Frito-Lay is PepsiCo who has owned Lay’s since 1965 when Frito-Lay merged with Pepsi. Today, Lay’s is unquestionably the most popular potato chip brand in the United States.
The company makes a wide variety of potato chips including Lay’s (original), Better for You, Kettle Cooked, Stax, and Wavy. The following salt and vinegar chips are made by Lay’s:
- Lay’s Salt & Vinegar
- Kettle Cooked Sea Salt & Vinegar
- Stax Salt & Vinegar
Pringles
Pringles are stackable potato chips that are recognizable for their tubular-shaped packaging with a cartoon mustache man that is officially known as Julius Pringles. The brand was first launched in 1968 by Procter & Gamble – a decade after research first began to create these chips. Pringles was sold to the current owner, Kellogg’s, in 2012. Pringles Salt & Vinegar are one of the favorite flavors of many made by the company.
Cape Cod
The company was created by Steve Bernard in 1980 after he tasted “Hawaiian Style” chips made by Maui Chip. The chips first made by Bernard through Cape Cod Potato Chips would become what we now know as kettle-style chips. While Bernard didn’t invent this style of chips, he was a big part in increasing their popularity in the United States.
The company was initially operated by Bernard out of a storefront in Hyannis, Massachusetts, and was eventually sold to Anheuser-Busch in 1985. Bernard acquired the company back in 1996 before selling it again was sold in 1999 to Lance who is now famous for its pretzels, crackers, and other snack foods.
Cape Cod makes theses salt and vinegar chips:
- Classic Sea Salt & Vinegar
- Less Fat Sea Salt & Vinegar
Kettle Brand
Kettle Brand was first launched in 1978 as N.S. Khalsa Company. The company produced its first potato chips in 1982 and by 2006 it became the largest brand of natural potato chips.
Kettle has been owned by a few companies through the years including Lion Capital, Diamond Foods, and Synder’s-Lane. Synder’s-Lance was acquired by Campbell Soup in 2018 who Kettle Brand is owned by today. Currently0p968+, the company makes numerous flavors of chips including its classic sea salt & vinegar.
Utz
Utz is undoubtedly much more than just a salt and vinegar potato chips brand. They make countless snacks from popcorn to pork rinds. However, potato chips is how the company got its start way back in 1921 when the Utz family began making chips out of their home. Today, the company produces roughly 1.6 million pounds of potato chips per year.
Utz makes the following salt and vinegar potato chips:
- Kettle Classics Salt & Malt Vinegar
- Salt ‘n Vinegar
Miss Vickie’s
Miss Vickie’s began in Ontario, Canada where Vickie and Bill Kerr developed their first chips from their potato farm. The company began in 1987 and quickly became extremely popular across Canada. Miss Vickie’s was purchased by Hostess Frito-Lay in 1993. It is currently owned by PepsiCo, the parent company of Frito-Lay.
The company makes sea salt & vinegar flavored potato chips that contain no artificial flavors.
Late July
Late July Snacks was co-founded by Nicole Bernard Dawes. Dawes is the daughter of the founder of Cape Cod Potato Chips (see above), Steve Bernard. In fact, Steve is the other co-founder of Late July Snacks.
The company produces a large assortment of snacks including potato chips, crackers, popcorn, salsa, and more. They make organic sea salt & vinegar potato chips that are thin and crispy.
Deep River Snacks
Deep River Snacks isn’t just about selling snacks and making a profit. They give a bit back to the community as well. Not only do they donate bags of chips, but they also give 10% of their net profits to charities. Some examples of the charities that they donated to are Feed The Children, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.
Deep River makes sea salt & vinegar kettle cooked potato chips. They are gluten-free, kosher certified, and cholesterol-free.
Boulder Canyon
Boulder Canyon is a snack food brand owned by Utz Brands. The company has been in business since 1994 making kettle-cooked potato chips. Brothers John and Mark Maggio wanted to produce healthier potato chips so they decided to use healthier oils such as olive and avocado oil. They were one of the first potato chip brands to have no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
Boulder Canyon makes a couple of vinegar and salt chips. These products are:
- Avocado Oil Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt
- Classic Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt
Dirty
The name might not sound appetizing but these are some tasty chips. These small-batch kettle chips are cooked in peanut oil and offer a superior crunchy taste. Dirty Chips are a brand of Utz.
Hal’s New York
As you likely guessed, this brand was named after a man named Hal in New York. He began his career in the beverage industry where he built a successful career and was regarded by his peers for his knowledge of the industry. Hal’s family eventually created a brand based on his namesake. The company makes seltzer water, kettle chips, and pretzels. As you likely already guessed, Hal’s New York makes sea salt & vinegar kettle chips.
Better Made
If you live near Detroit, you certainly know the two iconic food brands of the city: Faygo and Better Made. Faygo is a pop (soda) company and Better Made produces a variety of snacks. The company is named Better Made because the owners started the company in the 1930s in a quest to make “better made” potato chips than what was available. Our favorite Better Made potato chips are barbecue but the salt & vinegar isn’t far behind in taste.
Poll: What is Your Favorite Salt & Vinegar Potato Chip Brand?
Please vote for your favorite salt & vinegar chip brand in our poll below.
