Pringles Hot Sweet Chilli Crisps, 160g

Pringles Hot Sweet Chilli is part of the hot Pringles range, in the black tube marked HOT: the same stackable, saddle shaped crisp as the classic tubes, with a sweet chilli seasoning that brings real heat. This is the 160g tube. The full product name on the pack is Savoury Snack.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the crisps are made from dehydrated potatoes, sunflower oil, corn flour, wheat flour, a sweet chilli flavour seasoning, rice flour, maltodextrin, an emulsifier (E471), rapeseed oil and annatto norbixin for colour. The seasoning lists sugar, flavour enhancers (monosodium glutamate and disodium 5'-ribonucleotides), spices, whey permeate powder (milk), dextrose, salt, potassium chloride, flavourings, acidity regulators, tomato powder, molasses powder, rapeseed oil, paprika extract and oregano.

The spices

The spices are garlic, onion, red bell peppers, chilli pepper, cayenne pepper and cumin. Two kinds of chilli give the heat, the red pepper adds a sweet pepper flavour, and cumin gives a warm, earthy note, as in a chilli con carne.

Sweet first

Sugar leads the seasoning, with dextrose and molasses powder further down, so the first taste is sweet, like a sweet chilli sauce, before the heat arrives.

The acids

Sodium diacetate, a salt of the acid in vinegar, with citric and lactic acid, gives the seasoning the sharp edge of a sweet chilli dipping sauce.

Oregano and tomato

Tomato powder adds depth, and dried oregano, the last ingredient of the seasoning, a herbal note.

A potato dough, not a slice

Pringles are not sliced potato. Dehydrated potato is mixed with corn, wheat and rice flours into a dough, pressed into the saddle shape and cooked, which is why every crisp is the same size and they stack in the tube.

Maltodextrin and E471

Maltodextrin, a carbohydrate made from starch, and an emulsifier (E471, mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids) help the dough form and hold its shape.

Wheat, corn and rice

Three flours go into the dough with the potato: corn flour, wheat flour and rice flour. The wheat is why the crisps are not suitable for anyone avoiding gluten.

Whey permeate

Whey permeate powder, from milk, is what is left of whey once most of its protein is taken out, mostly milk sugar. It softens the seasoning and is why the tube contains milk.

The colours

Annatto norbixin colours the crisp itself, and paprika extract colours the seasoning.

Two oils

Sunflower oil is the second ingredient, and rapeseed oil appears both in the crisp and in the seasoning.

Numbers for a serving

The label gives 157 kcal (655 kJ), 9g of fat, 0.9g of saturates, 17g of carbohydrate, 1.2g of sugars, 1.2g of fibre, 1.9g of protein and 0.18g of salt for each 30g serving. That is about 8% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 13% of the fat and 3% of the salt.

Numbers per 100g

Per 100g the label gives 523 kcal (2184 kJ), 30g of fat, 2.9g of saturates, 55g of carbohydrate, 4g of sugars, 4g of fibre, 6.3g of protein and 0.6g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 30g is red. Saturates at 2.9g are amber, sugars at 4g are green and salt at 0.6g is amber.

Salt

At 0.6g of salt per 100g, Hot Sweet Chilli is the second least salty Pringles we stock, after Prawn Cocktail at 0.55g, and just under the other two hot tubes at 0.61g.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight wheat, in the wheat flour, and milk, in the whey permeate powder. The allergy advice says the crisps may contain soy. The listing says they are suitable for vegetarians and halal, HFA approved. They are not vegan, because of the milk, and they are not suitable for anyone avoiding gluten. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

The hot range

We stock three tubes from the hot Pringles range: Hot Sweet Chilli, Hot Kickin' Sour Cream and Hot Smokin' BBQ Ribs, all 160g. Hot Sweet Chilli is the one built on a sweet chilli sauce flavour.

The tube

The recycling guidance says the lid and the tube can be recycled and the seal cannot. The tube is packed in a protective atmosphere, which keeps oxygen away from the oil until the seal is peeled back.

Who it suits

Hot Sweet Chilli suits anyone who likes a sweet chilli sauce and wants more heat than a classic Pringles tube. It is not the tube for anyone avoiding gluten, milk or MSG.

With a drink

A cold lager, a lime soda or a glass of milk takes the edge off the chilli.

At a party

Tip a stack into a bowl beside a soured cream dip; the curved shape holds a scoop of dip.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the crisps make a sweet and spicy crumb for chicken strips or a topping for a bowl of chilli.

Storage

The listing gives the best before date on the base of the tube. Press the lid back on between sittings to keep the crisps crisp.

Other 160g packs of Pringles we stock

Figures as published on each pack's label.

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