Cheetos Cheese Puffs, 6 x 13g

Cheetos Puffs are curly corn puffs with a bright orange cheese coating, and this is the six bag multipack of 13g bags, 78g in all. The full product name on the pack is cheese flavour corn puffs, and each inner bag is one serving.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the puffs are made from corn (maize), rapeseed oil and a cheese flavour of whey permeate (milk), dried cheese (milk), salt, cheese solids (milk), dairy solids (milk), yeast extract, potassium chloride, lactic acid, a flavour enhancer (disodium 5' ribonucleotides), colours (paprika extract and annatto norbixin) and natural flavouring (milk).

Corn puffs

Corn puffs like these are extruded: a corn dough is pushed through a shaped die and puffs up as it leaves, giving a light, airy puff that crunches and then melts. The pack says made of corn, not fried.

The cheese

The cheese flavour is dairy through and through: whey permeate leads, with dried cheese, cheese solids, dairy solids and a natural flavouring that contains milk. Lactic acid gives the tang of a sharp cheese.

The orange

Paprika extract and annatto norbixin, a colour from the seeds of the achiote tree, give Cheetos their bright orange coat. The pack says there are no artificial colours.

The flavour enhancer

Disodium 5' ribonucleotides are a flavour enhancer, often used with MSG, which strengthens the savoury taste of the cheese and yeast extract. There is no MSG on the list.

Yeast extract

Yeast extract adds savoury depth behind the cheese. It is naturally rich in glutamates, worth knowing for anyone who avoids them altogether.

Potassium chloride

Potassium chloride sits beside the salt. It tastes salty but contains no sodium, and the salt figure on a UK label is worked out from sodium.

Sugars

Sugar itself is not on the list; the 7.2g of sugars per 100g comes mostly from the whey permeate, which is largely lactose, the sugar in milk. That is amber on the front of pack scale, and 0.9g in a bag.

Numbers for one bag

The pack gives 64 kcal (268 kJ), 4.1g of fat, 0.4g of saturates, 6g of carbohydrate, 0.9g of sugars, 0g of fibre, 0.7g of protein and 0.21g of salt for each 13g bag, which it puts at 3% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake and 6% of the fat.

Numbers per 100g

Per 100g the pack gives 494 kcal (2059 kJ), 32g of fat, 2.9g of saturates, 46g of carbohydrate, 7.2g of sugars, 0.2g of fibre, 5.4g of protein and 1.6g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 32g is red. Saturates at 2.9g are amber. Sugars at 7.2g are amber. Salt at 1.6g is red.

Small bags

At 13g, each bag is small, 64 kcal, sized for a lunchbox or a snack between meals, and the pack front carries the 64 kcal figure in a green roundel.

Whey permeate

Whey permeate is what is left when the protein is taken out of whey: mostly milk sugar and minerals. It carries the cheese flavour and adds a creamy sweetness.

Carbohydrate

The label gives 46g of carbohydrate per 100g, of which 7.2g are sugars; the rest is starch from the corn.

Fibre and protein

The label gives 0.2g of fibre and 5.4g of protein per 100g, and a bag has 0.7g of protein and no measurable fibre.

Six bags

Six 13g bags make a school week of lunchboxes with one to spare, and each bag is one serving.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight milk, in the whey permeate, cheese, cheese solids, dairy solids and natural flavouring. The allergy advice on the pack says the puffs may contain soya, wheat, barley, gluten, celery and mustard. The pack says they are suitable for vegetarians; they are not vegan. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

No artificial colours or preservatives

The pack says there are no artificial colours and no artificial preservatives.

Rapeseed oil

Rapeseed oil is the only oil on the list. The label gives 2.9g of saturates per 100g, amber.

Cheesy fingers

The orange coating comes off on your fingers: part of the fun for children, and a reason to keep a napkin nearby.

Recycling

The pack says recycle at store, don't recycle at home: the bags go with carrier bags at large supermarkets. The listing advises a cool, dry place.

The pack

The blue outer bag carries the Cheetos name on a spotted, puff shaped letter, the words cheese and puffs, a large 6 pack mark, three curly puffs, a green 64 kcal per pack roundel with a tick, and a single inner bag shown beside it.

Who it suits

A cheesy, airy corn puff in a small bag suits children's lunchboxes and parties, and the vegetarian statement suits most tables. It is not suitable for anyone avoiding milk.

At a party

Tip a few bags into a bowl beside sandwiches, carrot sticks and a plain snack for a children's party.

In a lunchbox

A bag of Cheetos goes beside a ham or cheese sandwich and a piece of fruit.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the puffs make a bright, cheesy crumb for the top of a macaroni cheese or a baked cauliflower cheese.

Other Cheetos

We also stock Cheetos Twisted Sweet and Spicy in a 120g sharing bag.

The published listing gives the United Kingdom as the country of origin. The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.