Last week I started the Flavor Swap review series with Madison Beer and its Sweet Southern Heat BBQ Cheetos. Although I wasn’t really impressed with the results, I had high hopes for the Ruffles chips. Potato chips have been used as a vehicle for all kinds of eclectic flavors over the years, and Cool Ranch is one of the most popular Doritos flavors. Could combining the two possibly create a flavor variation that is anything but delicious? This is what I set out to discover.
Inside the Flavor Swap Series
Frito Lay swaps flavors from chip to chip (a real headache). The new Flavor Swap remixes fan-favorite chip flavors with the help of a few celebrities.
🛒 Visit department stores offering each brand on February 16 for a limited time. I will update as found!
(News/Image::PepsiCo) pic.twitter.com/Po9k5Vk1dw
— Markie Devo (@markie_devo) January 22, 2026
The Flavor Swap is a 2026 collaboration between PepsiCo Foods and Gen-Z influencers to create limited-edition snack mashups. While Madison Beer put Lay’s Sweet Southern Heat BBQ Seasoning on Cheetos Crunchy and iShowSpeed put Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream Seasoning on Doritos, Dude Perfect did a mashup of Doritos Cool Ranch and Ruffles, putting Cool Ranch Doritos’ signature tangy, grassy seasoning on the thick, ridged texture of a Ruffles chip.
The chips first launched on the TikTok store in February 2026 before arriving at national grocery chains like Safeway, Walmart, and Kroger in March 2026. Excited fans also rated them on Amazon, although the price is much higher than what you’ll find at an average grocery store.
Dude Perfect scores major points with this mashup
Instead of breaking down the nutritional facts – they’re really just chips with added seasonings, after all – let’s get straight to the review! The good news is that the texture of Ruffles chips is perfect. If you were the type of kid to consume these chips at backyard barbecues and holiday parties, you won’t be disappointed. They weren’t greasy. They weren’t fragile. They had the same type of structure you’d expect from a Ruffles chip, with textures and ridges that make them ideal for dipping. To focus on the Flavor Swap aspect of this taste test, I decided not to use a dip for these chips, but the option is there!
As for the taste itself, I would have told you they were sour cream and onion chips if I had been blindfolded. The Cool Ranch aspect just tastes good on a Dorito, and I’m not sure if the chips were the right vehicle for that flavor. I actually think Cool Ranch Cheetos would have been a better way to go, because there would have been a little more of that classic Cheeto powder dust (hopefully).
Madison Beer vs. Dude Perfect: Who Created the Best Chip Mashup?
During my last celebrity food taste test, I was disappointed with Madison Beer’s Sweet Heat BBQ Cheetos because I was expecting a bit of that classic Cheetos cheese flavor with the addition of sweet barbecue. Unfortunately, as I said in my review, there was little to no cheese dust on it. The mild flavor of the barbecue came through, but not the heat. Overall, they were a big success for me.
Looking at the two flavor combinations side by side, I’m going to give the win to the Cool Ranch chips. If you can only go to the store and grab one snack, then the chips will almost certainly have more mass appeal while the subtle Cool Ranch flavor will have everyone wondering, “What flavor IS THIS?” People who love Cheetos and the delicious sticky Cheetos dust will be disappointed by its absence and might be put off by the mild barbecue flavor, which, to me, still reads as a little too sweet.
Who is the perfect guy?
If you’ve never heard of Dude Perfect before, you might be about to become a fan! They are a comedy group with over 60 million subscribers on YouTube. The group consists of Tyler Toner, Coby & Cory Cotton, Garrett Hilbert and Cody Jones. The five best friends were roommates at Texas A&M University.
They are best known for their “Go Big” stunts, such as their trick shots, their comedic skits mocking gym and driving stereotypes, their competitive stunts with a “Wheel Unfortunate” penalty, and their hilarious attempts to break bizarre Guinness World Records.
The good news is that this isn’t the end of the taste test. Next, we have Doritos, which are usually a crowd favorite. I have yet to meet a Dorito flavor that I didn’t like, so I have high hopes of trying this Flavor Swap variety.
