French chips: 28 Unique & unusual flavours found in France

Here are some of France’s unique French potato chip flavours, many of which are unique to France’s fine dining palette.

By Annie André ⦿ updated January 10, 2024  
FRENCH chips in France: unusual flavours you can't get outside france
FRENCH chips in France: unusual flavours you can't get outside france

When I travel to other countries, I’m always intrigued by the variety of potato chip flavours available in local grocery stores.

One of the things that’s so interesting about potato chip flavours is that the chip manufacturers often create flavours that draw inspiration from local ingredients and cuisine in that country. These flavours are often unique and not found outside their home country.

For instance, Miang Kum chips in Thailand were created to taste like the sour and spicy Thai dish, after which it was named, which tastes like toasted coconut, peanuts, shallots, ginger, and lime. 

French potato chip flavours

If you’re not familiar with French culture, it may surprise you to learn that potato chips are extremely popular in France. It’s even become part of the traditional French apéro culture, often served alongside olives and peanuts.

According to Market research, people in France purchased about 522  Million Euros (600 Million USD) worth of chips in 2018, which has increased by about 6 percent each year.

To meet the demand of France’s new obsession with chips, manufacturers in France are continuously introducing new and unconventional “French chips” and flavours that cater to French taste buds.

Let’s explore some of these unique French chip flavours. 

French Potato chip flavours you can find in France

French potato chip flavours available in France:

Download my printable French potato chips poster which you can print out at home, or blow it up to poster size. Just click on the image below.

How to say potato chips in French

  • Chips are simply called “Chips” /Sheeps/ in French.
  • Potato chips are called “Chips de pommes de Terre” /Sheeps duh pum duh tear/. 

In addition to listing French chip flavours, I’ve categorized them by the manufacturers that produce them. Most are French companies, but a few are not. 

Brets:

SLOGAN: Le Chipsier Français (The French chip maker)

Brets is a French chip company founded in 1991 in Brittany, which accounts for one-third of France’s chip market. They produce over 20 tonnes of potato chips annually with clever flavours tailored to the French market. 

Here are a few. 

Camembert potato chips

French chips: Bret's camembert cheese flavoured chips.

Of all the French chips found in France, camembert chips probably stand out the most to foreigners. Do they really taste like Camembert? Yes, they do. 

Marine-flavoured chips (oyster and the sea)

French chips: Brets Marine chips taste like oysters

If you don’t like tasting the sea or hate oysters, stay away. But why not give it a try? The advertisement for these chips says it all. 

“C’est pas la mer à boire… MANGEZ-lA!” (It’s not the sea to drink…EAT IT.) Idiomatically, this French expression means: It’s not that big a deal; eat them. 

I love this expression because when someone complains about an impossible task, telling them “c’est pas la mer à boire” is a cocky way to let someone know that whatever the difficult task is, it’s not as difficult as drinking all the sea. 

Onion confit chips

confit d'oignons chips

Confit d’oignon chips taste amazing. If you love salt and vinegar chips, you’ll love these, too. 

If you’re unfamiliar with “Confit d’oignon,” it’s basically a savoury-sweet onion marmalade made by slowly caramelizing onions and then simmering them with vinegar, sugar, and sometimes wine or herbs. The result is a spreadable onion marmalade that pairs well with cheese.

It’s often served as a condiment at parties and end-of-year celebrations as part of l’apèro alongside foie gras and cheese, but you can find it in grocery stores all year round. 

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Aioli chips

Bret's chips aioli

Before mayonnaise, there was Aïoli, a sauce made with salt, olive oil and generous amounts of garlic. Aioli is extremely popular in France, where it’s sometimes referred to as “beurre de Provence” (butter of Provence).

And yes, these do taste like garlicky aioli. 

Andalouse sauce potato chips

 

Bret's chips andalouse

Despite the name, Andalouse sauce is a Belgian specialty, NOT Andalusia. It’s typically made with mayonnaise, tomatoes or tomato paste, and peppers (capsicums). Belgians and French usually serve it with fries, but you can put it on anything. If you’re ever in France, ask for Andalouse sauce on your Kebab. 

Porcini potato chips

Bret's chips cèpes (porcini) mushrooms

These aren’t the most popular chips, but If you love mushrooms, especially porcini mushrooms, you’ll love these cèpes (porcini) chips. They definitely have that umami quality. 

Tapenade potato chips

Tapenade chips in France

These French chips are meant to taste like Tapenade, an extremely popular condiment in the south of France, where most people will offer it in a small bowl or on slices of baguettes during the apèro. 

It’s made of finely chopped olives, capers, anchovies, olive oil and sometimes a dash of lemon juice.

French fry sauce chips (or crisp sauce if you’re British)

sauce pomme frite chips

In addition to plain mayonnaise, sauce Pommes Frites is another condiment often served alongside french fries in France. You can find bottles of it at the supermarket, and McDonald’s in France offers it as a choice when you order fries. Recipes vary but usually consist of mayonnaise, mustard and spices mixed together.

Braised chicken chips

French chips: braised chicken flavoured chips in France

Chicken-flavoured chips are some of the most well-known French chips in France because it seems every chip maker has their own version.

These are supposed to taste like braised chicken. It may have something to do with the herbs they add to the seasoning. Unfortunately, the label lists the ingredients as “viande de poulet en poudre,” chicken powder seasoning. Not very telling. I think this is some sort of chemistry magic. 

Grilled pepper chorizo chips

poivrons grillés chorizo chips

Whenever I see chorizo, I have to remind myself that chorizo in France is Spanish chorizo and not Mexican. While they’re both delicious, they’re pretty different. Either way, these chips have that smokey chorizo sausage appeal. 

Gouda and cumin

Gouda and cumin French chips

Gouda and cumin might seem like a strange mix, but this Dutch cheese is very popular in France. It’s not uncommon to find Cumin gouda cheese in the cheese section. 

Grilled rib roast or prime rib chips 

 

rib roast or prime rib chips

It’s a mystery. How do they get chips to taste like beef? The package only lists “extrait de bœuf en poudre” beef powder extract.

Organic Thyme Rosemary chips 

Bret's Rosemary and thyme chips cèpes mushroomsThym and rosemary are very popular herbs used in French cuisine, and these French chips are very herby-tasting. 

Vico: Popular Chip 

ORIGINAL SLOGAN: Le roi de la pomme de terre (The potato king)

NEW SLOGAN: Le roi de l’apèro (The king of apèro)

Vico is the King of potatoes, or at least that’s what their company slogan used to be until they changed it to “King of apèro.”

Vico was founded in 1955 in Picardie, one of the largest potato-producing areas of France. They originally sold potatoes and potato-based products, including dehydrated potatoes, in other words (instant potatoes). In 1982, they entered the potato chip market and made a variety of “apero” snacks. 

Curly peanut butter

Vico curly peanut butter puff things

These curly things are similar to Cheetos without the cheese. They’re made of puffed corn and then dusted with peanuts and spices. I don’t like these, but it’s the ultimate party snack. Kids seem to love these, too, including my daughter. Bleh!

Mustard and vinegar chips

mustard and vinegar chips

You’ve probably tried honey mustard chips or salt and vinegar chips. Well, these mustard and vinegar chips taste nothing like those. 

Grilled chicken chips

Grilled chicken chips

Yet another grilled chicken-flavoured chips. I can’t tell the difference between most of them. 

Lentil chips with mozzarella, basil and tomato

Lentil tomato mozzarella and basil potato chips

These lentil chips are flavoured like tomato, mozzarella, and basil, a popular combination in France, especially on pizzas and salads. 

Bacon bits and onion chips

bacon and onion chips

This bag of chips is called “petits lardons et oignons,” literally little bacon bits and onions.” Lardon is a common French ingredient found in supermarkets and French homes. It’s similar to bacon bits but slightly fattier and thicker than traditional bacon.  

Emmental chips

Emmental chips

Emmental-flavoured chips are everywhere in France. 

Emmental is France’s most widely consumed cheese. It’s in everything from Croque monsieur (a French ham and cheese sandwich with bechamel sauce) to Gratin dauphinoise, a popular potato casserole dish

Grilled Merguez chips

Chips merguez grillée

Merguez is spicy mutton or beef sausage in Maghrebi cuisine; however, it’s become quite popular in France since the late twentieth century. 

Hot goat cheese and herb-flavoured chips

chèvre chaud & herbes chips

“Chèvre chaud & herbes” literally means “hot goat cheese and herbs.” Warm goat cheese is often served on a salad or eaten with a hunk of baguette bread. 

Buckwheat goat cheese chips

sarrasin chips

“La chips de Sarrasin au chèvre” are goat cheese-flavoured buckwheat chips. Buckwheat is the same whole-grain flour used to make savoury buckwheat crepes

One of the draws to buckwheat chips is that they are naturally gluten-free, high in plant-based protein, and a good source of dietary fibre. 

French Lay’s: 2 Unique chips.

French lays chips: interesting potato chip flavours in France

Although Lay’s isn’t technically a French brand, their chips have been a hit in France since 2003.

40 percent of all potato chips sold in France are Lay’s chips.

In addition to the ever-popular sour cream and onion potato chips, Lay’s has created some interesting chips for the French palette and marketplace. Here are just two. 

Parisian Sandwich chips (Sandwich Parisien).

Sandwich Parisien was a limited-edition chip flavour that came out around 2015. It was inspired by the butter and ham sandwich it was named after. 

Basque pepper (Piment Basque) 

French Lay’s came out with another special edition flavour called “piment basque” (basque pepper), essentially Espellette pepper. 

Espelette is a mildly spicy pepper with a sweet and smoky flavour, named after the Basque region located in the western Pyrenees that straddles the border between France and Spain on the coast of the Bay of Biscay. 

Pringles

Pringles needs no introduction here. Like Lay’s chips, Pringles is everywhere in France and comes in various flavours you’re familiar with, like sour cream and onions and pizza flavour. They also come out with some unique French potato chip flavours. Here are two of them. 

Roast Beef and mustard chips

Like chicken-flavoured chips, beef flavour is a popular chip flavour in France. Pringles also has its own version of chicken chips.

Mushroom & cream chips

I think these are supposed to taste like cream of mushroom soup. 

Pringles chips in France: roast beef and mushroom + mushroom and cream

La Belle Truffe

La Belle Truffe, located in France’s Provence region, specializes in all sorts of truffle-flavoured food items.

Summer truffle potato chips

Chips à la truffe d’éte

la belle truffe truffle chips from France

These artisanal chips are made with summer truffles and cracked black pepper. They are sold by a company called “Truffle Orchards of Rabasse” (Truffières de Rabasse), which specializes in truffles and other truffle-flavoured foods.

Belsia: Upscale Chips

Belsia is a relatively new potato chip maker from France, which started up around 2016. French Chips from Belsia are what you would call artisanal chips.

They’re made from Létourville farm potatoes in the heart of Beauce. They’re hand-sorted, sliced, and cooked in small quantities in a cauldron, then lightly salted with Ile de Ré salt and seasoned. They’re gluten-free, preservative-free, artificial flavour-free, and palm oil-free. 

Champagne vinegar Chips from Ardenne (with salt from Ile de Ré)

Champagne vinegar chips: unusual flavours

Vinaigre de champagne-Ardenne & sel de lîle de Ré. 

Belsi really elevates the everyday chips with their upscale champagne vinegar and salt from the Île de Ré island, which is off the west coast of France and is known for its salt marshes and beaches. Unfortunately, these chips are a little hard to come by and usually show up at the outdoor market. 

Wrapping up chips in France

The next time you take a trip to France, take a stroll down the chip Aisle and feast your eyes on all the unique and popular French chips available to locals. You don’t have to try them all, but try one just for the fun of it. 

popular chips in France: Unique flavours

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Unusual potato chip flavours you can only try in France

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a 'petite commission' at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through my links. It helps me buy more wine and cheese. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Annie André

Annie André

About the author

I'm Annie André, a bilingual North American with Thai and French Canadian roots. I've lived in France since 2011. When I'm not eating cheese, drinking wine or hanging out with my husband and children, I write articles on my personal blog annieandre.com for intellectually curious people interested in all things France: Life in France, travel to France, French culture, French language, travel and more.

 

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