Doritos Variety Tortilla Chips, 12 x 30g

The Doritos Variety box is the three main Doritos flavours in lunchbox bags: four bags of Tangy Cheese, four of Cool Original and four of Chilli Heatwave, twelve 30g bags and 360g of corn tortilla chips in total. The flavour split is printed on the front of the pack.

Three flavours, one chip

According to the published listing, every bag holds the same chip, made from corn (maize) and rapeseed oil with antioxidants (rosemary extract, ascorbic acid, a tocopherol rich extract and citric acid), and the three seasonings set them apart.

Tangy Cheese uses whey powder, a flavouring containing milk, salt, buttermilk powder, cheese powder, tomato, onion and garlic powders, potassium chloride, sugar, colours from paprika, annatto and plain caramel, citric and lactic acid, milk protein, spices, skimmed milk powder and the flavour enhancer disodium 5'-ribonucleotide. Cool Original uses salt, a flavouring containing milk, malic acid, sodium acetates, citric acid, monosodium glutamate and disodium 5'-ribonucleotide, sugar, glucose syrup, onion, cheese, garlic and tomato powders, potassium chloride, spices, milk protein and annatto. Chilli Heatwave uses sugar, flavourings, monosodium glutamate and disodium guanylate, potassium chloride, hydrolysed vegetable protein, salt, garlic, paprika and onion powders, citric acid, cayenne pepper and paprika extract.

What to know before you hand out the bags

Two flavours contain milk: Tangy Cheese and Cool Original. Chilli Heatwave lists no milk ingredient. Two flavours list monosodium glutamate: Cool Original and Chilli Heatwave; Tangy Cheese uses a different flavour enhancer and lists no MSG. Only Chilli Heatwave contains chilli, from cayenne pepper. The published listing highlights milk for the box and says the chips may contain cereals containing gluten and soya. It also says they are suitable for vegetarians. No vegan or gluten free claim is made. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on each bag you hand out.

Nutrition

The published listing gives a nutrition table for each flavour, and every 30g bag gives 144 kcal. Per 100g, Tangy Cheese gives 480 kcal (2009 kJ), 22g of fat, 2.2g of saturates, 61g of carbohydrate, 3.7g of sugars and 0.89g of salt; Cool Original gives 479 kcal (2004 kJ), 22g of fat, 2g of saturates, 62g of carbohydrate, 1.9g of sugars and 1.1g of salt; and Chilli Heatwave gives 478 kcal (2003 kJ), 22g of fat, 2g of saturates, 60g of carbohydrate, 4.5g of sugars and 1.1g of salt. Salt per bag is 0.27g for Tangy Cheese and 0.33g for the other two. On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat is red for all three flavours, saturates and salt are amber, and sugars are green.

Why a Doritos bag is 30g

Doritos multipack bags hold 30g, where the Walkers and McCoy's multipack bags we stock hold 25g. It is worth knowing when you compare calories per bag across brands.

How the chips are made

Corn dough is rolled thin, cut into triangles and cooked in rapeseed oil until crisp through. Each of the three seasonings is tumbled over warm chips, and each bag is sealed separately, so the last bag in the box is as crisp as the first.

Three flavour enhancers, three approaches

The box shows how differently one brand builds savoury depth. Tangy Cheese relies on the glutamates in its cheese and whey, with disodium 5'-ribonucleotide to strengthen them and no MSG. Cool Original lists monosodium glutamate with disodium 5'-ribonucleotide. Chilli Heatwave pairs monosodium glutamate with disodium guanylate and adds hydrolysed vegetable protein. Anyone avoiding MSG will find it only in the Cool Original and Chilli Heatwave bags.

A simple tasting at home

A variety box makes an easy tasting. Open one bag of each flavour, put them in three bowls, and taste in order from mildest to hottest: Cool Original, then Tangy Cheese, then Chilli Heatwave. Keep water or milk nearby for the last bowl. It is a quick way to work out which single flavour pack to buy next.

Party quantities

For a party, twelve 30g bags split into three bowls gives 120g of each flavour, a generous bowl each. For a larger crowd, add a 180g sharing bag of whichever flavour your guests reach for most, rather than a second variety box. Leftover bags keep well in the box, sealed, for the week's lunches.

Who the box suits

Twelve bags cover two school or working weeks with two to spare, or a party where guests choose their own flavour. The spread works for mixed tastes: Tangy Cheese for cheese lovers, Cool Original for anyone who wants tang without heat, and Chilli Heatwave for those who like a warm kick. Sort the bags into three piles when the box is opened so the chilli bags do not reach someone who avoids heat.

Sorting for allergies and preferences

A quick guide for a shared cupboard: Tangy Cheese contains milk and no MSG; Cool Original contains milk and MSG; Chilli Heatwave contains MSG and cayenne but no milk ingredient. Anyone with an allergy should read the advice on the bag itself.

Single flavours

Each flavour is sold on its own too. We stock Doritos Tangy Cheese, Cool Original and Chilli Heatwave in five bag multipacks of 30g bags and in 180g sharing bags. If one flavour disappears first in your house, that is the one to buy as a five bag pack next time; if all three go at the same pace, the variety box remains the simpler buy.

Storage

The published listing advises storing the box in a cool, dry place. Keep the bags sealed until they are needed and finish each bag once it is opened.

The published listing names Walkers as the maker. The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.