The Best Chili-Lime-Flavored Snacks You Can Find at the Grocery Store

When you combine the spicy heat of chiles with the bright tang of limes, you get a flavor combination that can only be described as “yes.” Yes? Yes. Because that’s the only answer to any reasonable question related to this one-two knockout punch. Do you like this? Do you want more? Do your taste buds finally feel alive? The answer, always, is yes. 

Food manufacturers have figured out that the chili-lime combo makes snacks even more munchable, so now there are dozens of crispy-crunchy-fiery-tangy options to choose from.

We recently tried everything we could get our hands on. And here are our favorites.

Last year Trader Joe’s started offering its own brand of rolled tortilla chips doused in chili-lime seasoning (similar to Mexico’s beloved Takis Fuego snacks). You would think a copycat wouldn’t be as good as the original, but these totally are. The chips are thicker, so the earthy corn flavor really comes through, and the seasoning is far more intense. They’re an assault on your tastebuds — but in a good way. Of all the chili-lime snacks we tried, TJ’s was the most — the most sour, the most spicy, the most un-put-downable. Thankfully there’s no artificial colors, unlike every other brand we tried.

See more: Trader Joe’s Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips, $2.50 for 9 ounces at Trader Joe’s

Our second-favorite snack of the bunch was a nut not a chip, and it took the chili-lime theme to Thailand instead of Mexico. With complex herbal flavors of fried basil leaves and lemongrass, these almonds are definitely a grown-up snack with nuances of flavor, yet still delivering the tangy-spicy hit we crave. We could not stop eating them — until we ate a handful with a piece of fried chile in it. Burn, baby, burn! We took a break until the flames died down, then dove right back in.

See more: Trader Joe’s Thai Lime & Chili Almonds, $5 for 12 ounces at Trader Joe’s

These curly-twirly corn snacks earned bonus points for texture (think: fusilli pasta but made with light and crispy tortilla chips). The base is sweeter than the earthier corn flavor of the TJ’s snack, and the seasoning is milder, making this a good option for those who want things dialed down just a bit. 

Buy: Sabritas Turbos Flamas, $3.5 for 9.25 ounces at Target

Likely the original chile-lime corn chip snack, Takis Fuego have a cult following — and for good reason. The flavors are a bit more balanced and not as intensely sour as TJ’s, and the corn base is sweeter. They’re very similar to the Turbos, but in a different form. It’s definitely easier to eat a lot of these in one sitting, but texture-wise they’re a bit harder to crunch. 

Buy: Barcel Takis Fuego, $3 for 9 ounces at Target

If you love cheesy, slightly spicy Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, then you’ll love these. They’re even harder to put down than the original, thanks to a mouthwatering spike of lime. We loved how the cheesy backdrop provided a rich counterpoint to the heat and tang. However, if you’re a spice fiend you may be disappointed. Although the name says “flamin’ hot,” these weren’t actually that spicy. 

Buy: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Limón, $2.50 for 8.5 ounces at Walmart

Here, the Doritos you know and love are rolled up Takis Fuego-style and dunked in truly spicy heat. They’re not as spicy and sour as TJ’s, but are far hotter than the Takis, Turbos, and Cheetos. If you can’t get to a TJ’s and want to feel the burn, these are your best bet. 

Buy: Doritos Dinamita Chile Limón, , $2.50 for 11.25 ounces at Walmart