REVIEW: Chex Chips (Caramelized Onion, Cinnamon and Sugar, Cheddar Jalapeño, and Wasabi)

Chex Chips

Yo, do y’all remember the story of the Three Little Pigs?

Well, here’s a recap in case you recently fell off of a train of something.

Basically, there are these three anthropomorphic pigs that get kicked out of their house by their mother because they are probably all like 22 and have degrees in Philosophy or Russian Literature and don’t have jobs. Anyway, the titular three pigs travel out in the world and decide that they each need some new digs.

Two of the pigs, who apparently have never seen an actual house, each decide to erect crude little shelters out of straw and sticks respectively. The third pig, and possibly the only one that never received a traumatic brain injury in his youth, builds his using bricks like a champ. Eventually a hungry wolf arrives whose plan of attack, loudly announcing his arrival while blowing as hard as he can on each home, easily destroys the first two lousy shelters. Not wanting to be eaten, the first two pigs run to the smarter, craftier third pig and seek shelter in his house, which, because it’s basically a brick fortress, keeps them all safe. Hooray!

The moral of this little story is clear: You can get by in a group by being completely and utterly useless as long as at least one of you has their shit together.

Chex Mix, much like the Three Little Pigs, is similarly plagued by certain members who cannot carry their own weight. While greatly enjoyable as a whole, those dry, squiggly breadsticks and boring circular pretzels are clearly the straw and stick houses in this analogy. And, even though those zesty bagel chips can usually be a crowd pleaser, I have always felt that the true beauty of Chex Mix lies in the Chex themselves, and their flawless evolution from breakfast cereal to snack food.

But dammit, it’s 2014 and it appears Chex is finally ready to make moves in the snack department sans its slightly less enticing compadres, and the beautiful result is Chex Chips.

Let’s be honest, when I first saw this new snack at my local 7-Eleven (in the following four flavors: Caramelized Onion, Cinnamon and Sugar, Cheddar Jalapeno, and Wasabi) I had a few questions. How can my familiar Chex cereal pieces be transformed into a chip? How big are we talking here? Did I really ever want my Chex to taste like wasabi?

Scouring the front packaging for details, I was provided with only the following description, beneath the large printed Chex Chips logo:

“GIANT CHIPS. NO MIX.”

Chex Chips Size

Personally, I take the purposeful capitalization of these two short, direct sentences as a sign that this text should probably be read in the brutish voice of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. And, like The Rock himself, Chex Chips similarly appear to be significantly roided-up. Upon opening the bag, the texture of Chex Chips is a wonderfully effective hybrid somewhere between the puffiness of Bugles and the crispiness of the late (and well missed) Doritos 3D. Much less flimsy than their breakfast cereal brethren, these giant Chex seemed perfect for transporting each specific delicious flavor.

Let’s break it all down.

Chex Chips in Bowls

First, I began with the Caramelized Onion flavor. Yeah that’s right, caramelized onion. Did Bobby Flay whip these gourmet creations up on Iron Chef? Probably. Can you serve these at your next fancy gala or museum opening? Probably. Does a caramelized onion simply mean a cooked, browned onion? Probably. Was the name of this flavor an attempt to hide that fact they basically taste just like a sour cream and onion flavor minus the sour cream? Probably. Were they still shamelessly delicious? … Yes.

Next, I moved onto the Cinnamon and Sugar variety because, well, I like both of those things. Ignoring the fact that the pile of sugar with accompanying tubes of cinnamon displayed on the front of this bag look suspiciously like someone is ready for an 80s cocaine binge, this may have been my favorite flavor of the bunch and I strongly recommend it. Allow me to consider the reasons: They tasted like delicious churros. I like delicious churros. I liked this flavor. If you like delicious Churros you will also like this flavor. (See… it all adds up)

Moving along, I next tried the Cheddar Jalapeño flavor. Already pleased with the previous two flavors, I was not surprised when this variety blew my idiomatic pants off. Underneath its delightfully fiery kick; there is an impressive amount of real flavor. I’m a bit tired of the recent trend of using heat as a shield to cover up lousy taste, so it’s a welcomed surprise when spicy flavors such as this benefit from a good combination of the two.

Finally, this left me with the flavor that I had largely been anticipating, Wasabi. It has always surprised me that, despite the already established and steadily growing popularity of sushi restaurants, wasabi has made very few permanent appearances in American mainstream snack foods. Sure it might pop up as limited edition flavor, like sriracha, but it seems there are very few consistent outlets for this flavor. And, truthfully, it’s a shame. Yet, the taste of these Chex Chips have captured an essential part of what makes wasabi such a popular condiment; that perfect combination of spiciness and distinct flavor. I hope these chips stick around because they are impressively good.

In fact, Chex Chips as a whole are all surprisingly the crème de la crème of the usual 7-Eleven pickins’, and my hopes for the longevity of the Wasabi flavor spreads to Chex Chips as a whole.

(Now, I just want to see those bagel chips get the right idea and go solo too).

(Nutrition Facts – 1 pouch – Caramelized Onion – 200 calories, 100 calories from fat, 11 grams of fat, 1 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 320 milligrams of sodium, 0 milligrams of potassium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein Cinnamon and Sugar – 200 calories, 90 calories from fat, 11 grams of fat, 1 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 250 milligrams of sodium, 0 milligrams of potassium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 5 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Cheddar Jalapeno – 200 calories, 100 calories from fat, 11 grams of fat, 1 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 380 milligrams of sodium, 0 milligrams of potassium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Wasabi – 200 calories, 100 calories from fat, 11 grams of fat, 1 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 320 milligrams of sodium, 0 milligrams of potassium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.)

Item: Chex Chips (Caramelized Onion, Cinnamon and Sugar, Cheddar Jalapeño, and Wasabi)
Purchased Price: $1.49 each
Size: 42 gram bag
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Caramelized Onion)
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Cinnamon and Sugar)
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Cheddar Jalapeño)
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Wasabi)
Pros: The chips themselves were way tastier than I had anticipated. Large portion size. Interesting variety.
Cons: I have only seen them that one time I was at the 7-Eleven at two in the morning and I knocked over a gallon of milk and the store clerk looked at me funny and now I don’t want to go back there even during the day when he probably doesn’t even have a shift.

23 thoughts to “REVIEW: Chex Chips (Caramelized Onion, Cinnamon and Sugar, Cheddar Jalapeño, and Wasabi)”

    1. I just tried them. At first I couldn’t put my finger on what the taste reminded me of, then it came to me… they taste like old nuts.
      Like when you find nuts from last Christmas in with the decorations.

      1. I dont know what the author of this article was eating but I tried the cinnamon and sugar ones they suck there wasn’t any sugar or cinnamon in that bag

  1. Welcome, Jack! Based on this review, you will fit right in. You even made me want to hit up 7-11 on the way home. These all sound awesome!!

  2. Great introduction Jack – to both your review and yourself! We just tried a few of these ourselves the other day, and couldn’t agree with you more!

    “(Now, I just want to see those bagel chips get the right idea and go solo too).”
    – Although they aren’t Chex’s bagel chips, Gardetto’s did go solo with their Roasted Garlic Rye (bagel) Chips! But adding a few flavors to the mix would definitely not be a bad idea either.

    Dustin

    1. trader joes has the roasted rye bagel chips too!

      can’t wait to try these! too bad there’s no 7-11 near me…

      welcome jack.

  3. But the bag is so light! I understand getting something for good flavor but I feel like I would need 3 bags to even realize I’ve eaten anything. Of course this could be a personal problem.

  4. I received these a couple months back in a sample box for the business I work at. Having eaten all four types, I was astonished to see Wasabi get a 9/10 on this. Honestly, I found them nearly tasteless. There was an ever so slight horseradish flavor. Beyond that, nothing. They were extremely bland.

  5. I have finally found these in my home town so I can stop having to stock up each time I go through a town 3 hours away. The jalapeño cheddar is to die for!!!!!! Thanks Chex Chips for creating a new addiction for me!

    1. You’re so lucky to be able to buy Chex snacks. I’m stuck in canada, and we have (mostly) trash for snacks. The worst is some crud called “Bits and Bites” that tries to look like a Chex Mix, but tastes of way too much salt and has a lousy flavor. I wouldn’t feed it to the birds! The best are Lay’s Potato Chips, although not the wonderful variety you folks in the states have; just your basic flavors. I head to Buffalo, NY once a year and grab a grocery bag full of Chex snacks.

  6. Hi

    I love, love the cinnamon and sugar giant chips but wondering where else I could find this item in my area. My zipcode is 53188. I have tried it from getting Speedway but it’s a single serving. Wondering if this item will come in a family size bag. Love this it’s really great.

    Thank you

    Karen

  7. I have to disagree with the prior posting…. I LOVE anything cinnamon and sugar….so NOT a chocolate person so all I eat dessert wise is Cinnamon sugar products. These were VERY DISAPPOINTING!!! They did taste like chex…crispy and light…but there was BARELY ANY sugar/cinnamon on them!! I was soooo excited when I saw them and sooooo disappointed when I ate them. They are okay…but that is it. If you are looking for a sugar cinnamon fix, this is NOT the product for you….bummer for me too 🙁

    1. You got that right deb damn those things are terrible I would rather eat a bag of dirt and weeds then with cinnamon sugar ones they’re terrible

  8. They are good but I think they need more cinnamon.. i really didn’t taste it.

  9. I have tried the Cinnamon and Sugar Chex Chips. LOVE!, LOVE!, LOVE! these chips and want them available in a larger bag! I have requested my grocery store to carry them. Currently I can only find them at K & K Hardware store in Bettendorf, IA. I give them an 11 for flavor, and crunch. They are easy on the mouth and throat if you have sensitive skin. I hope they keep making them and offering them in more places.

  10. I tried a bag of the carmelized onion. I brought it home and my wife and i sampled it.WOW so good. It was in a 711. I’ve since been searching other 711 s and haven’t found the. What a disappointment!!!

  11. Costco had a LARGE bag of Barbecue flavored Giant Chips. However, they no longer have them. I do not see the barbecue flavor listed here. Now I CANNOT find the Giant Chips anywhere in the Memphis area. Where can I purchase them????

  12. Maybe I got a bad batch. I bought the 4.2 oz bag of Cinnamon and Sugar and when I opened it I was hit with this plastic mechanical funky smell, like an old school big bounce ball that they sold in the big open bins. I was very surprised and tasted one thinking it was the bag and it didn’t affect the chip itself. I was wrong, it tasted just like the gross smell. I kept the bag thinking the smell would go away, but it didn’t. Waste of money for the resulting product.

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