RUFFLES CHEDDAR & SOUR CREAM >> FAR FROM HOMEMADE™

Ruffles information updated January 2024. Closest To Homemade Potato Chips updated April 2024.

Ruffles is a brand of potato chips from #1 chip maker, Frito-Lay, part of PepsiCo.

Historically, Ruffles were differentiated from base Lay’s potato chips by their rippled product form. “Ruffles have Ridges” was the unique proposition.

FLAVORED PRODUCTS TEND TO HAVE MORE INGREDIENTS WHICH ARE FARTHER FROM HOMEMADE: Here are the ingredients in Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream flavored potato chips. (Source: PepsiCo Ruffles Web site 1/24)

Frito-Lay Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato Chips contain numerous ingredients which are Not In Kitchen™ (circled in red) >> ingredients which would not be in our kitchens if we were making these chips at home including Maltodextrin, Artificial Flavors, Artificial Colors, Chemical Preservatives, Yeast Extract, Whey Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Concentrate and Monosodium Glutamate (also known as MSG). 

MSG can cause reactions in small amounts for some people and large amounts in others, ranging from headaches and nausea to changes in heart rate and difficulty breathing.

Perhaps you've been in a restaurant where the notion of "No MSG" is pointed out as a benefit:

According to the Mayo Clinic 1/24, these reactions to MSG are common enough to have the designation of "MSG Symptom Complex". 

PLAIN POTATO CHIPS HAVE A RELATIVELY SIMPLE INGREDIENT LIST: Let’s look at Original Ruffles potato chips vs. Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream flavored chips >> Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream flavored potato chips contain four ingredients which are banned at Whole Foods (circled in green below).  (Source for banned ingredients: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 1/24)

Below is a comparison of Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream vs. Kettle Brand New York Cheddar Potato Chips (which also contain Sour Cream). (Source: Campbell’s Kettle Brand Web site 1/24) 

Strictly from an ingredient perspective, which one looks more appealing to you? 

CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE POTATO CHIPS: Here are some Potato Chips which are Closest To Homemade with no added Sugar, Sweeteners, MSG, Chemical Preservatives, Soybean Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Canola Oil, Flavors or Colors. (Sources: Brand Web sites 4/24)

Discover food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories. Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list.

Follow us at:

Once upon a time, Potato Chips were offered to consumers in tin cans: