When it comes to crisps in tubs, Pringles have long dominated the market, so much so few other brands even try to break their way into it. So when it comes to picking a great salty snack over the summer season, you're probably going to grab one of Mr Pringles' many flavours.
With the cost of living crisis still in full swing though, you'd be remiss for not looking for a cheaper snack. Thankfully, German bargain specialists Aldi and Lidl have stepped into the fray and are offering their own take on the classic snack, covering most of the popular flavours between them.
On an initial glance you'd be hard pressed to spot the difference between brands, all sporting the same colouring and style of logo, the only thing missing was the moustache. Between each of the brands several flavours are covered including the classic Ready Salted, Salt and Vinegar, Sour Cream and Onion and, by and far the best flavour, Texas BBQ.
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The only issue you may find is it can be a bit of a lucky dip which flavours you find in your local Aldi or Lidl. As I was hunting down flavours I was only able to pick up BBQ from Lidl, and Ready Salted and Salt and Vinegar from Aldi, while Sour Cream and Onion was nowhere to be seen in either store.
I put these up against their Pringles counterparts in same size tubs where possible to give the fairest assessment I could. Needless to say I was very surprised with the results, which you can find out about below.
Ready Salted
The classic reliable flavour, ready salted seems to have garnered itself a love-hate relationship with the public, some love the simple pairing of potato plus salt, while others condemn it for being a bit boring. I personally stand with the former, sometimes you just can't beat the simple things, so as I set out to try Aldi's own brand vs Pringles I wasn't expecting that big a difference.
Oh, how I was wrong.
On first appearance the Aldi crisp certainly looks a touch paler than its Pringles counterpart, like the one friend who likes to avoid the sun at all costs. Though, as a trade-off to this, the Aldi ones are bit thicker, almost double the thickness of Pringles, which is quite handy, I no longer felt like they were falling apart in my hand for every few I pulled out.
As for taste, both are of course fairly standard salted crisps, Pringles seems a little more salty overall. Strangely though I found myself coming back to the Aldi ones, which were much more moreish overall. There seemed to be a better flavour too them, between that and the improved thickness, I think I might switch over to Aldi in future.
Pringles - £1.95 / Aldi - £1.49
Texas BBQ
The only flavour I was able to pick up from Lidl on this list, and it's got its work cut out for it, competing against - what I'm sure we can all agree - is the best flavour of Pringle. Compared to the the ready salted this was a much more fraught comparison, as the two were much more noticeably different in flavour.
My favourite part of the Pringles is the smoky aftertaste you get from them and Lidl had that, but it wasn't quite the same, the flavour felt a little less strong overall. It wasn't bad by any means, the Lidl offering was a more than suitable replacement if you can't get your hands on Pringles, or if you simply want to save some money.
Pringles - £1.95 / Lidl - £1.55
Salt and Vinegar
I have mixed feelings about salt and vinegar as a flavour, far too often I find they are so laden with salt that my lips begin to chafe from the salt burns. I can't fathom why some people swear by them, personally I'd much rather see a little more vinegar to even it out.
Going back to Aldi for this flavour I noticed the crisps seemed to have gotten thicker again - no doubt to hold the sheer volume of salt on top. In actual fact though, Aldi's offering were less salty than their counterparts, much to jovial discovery, I could actually eat them without needing a glass of water to clear up afterwards.
Some may prefer the burn however, and for those that do you'll want to stick with Pringles.
Pringles - £2.25 / Aldi - £1.49
Which do you prefer Pringles, Aldi or Lidl? Let us know in the comments.
Ultimately I was very impressed with these lower cost alternatives, and on at least on two fronts I think I'll be switching permanently.
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