Funyuns Flamin' Hot Onion Flavored Rings, 6 oz

Product Information

There’s nothing quite like the artificial red powder that coats fingertips and stains tongues while delivering tingles of heat. I do, however, appreciate the way Takis could help solve our plastic problem by doubling as a single-use straw while making everything taste like a michelada as an added benefit.

Now, you can’t throw a rock without hitting a hot-chicken place, or a YouTuber posting a video of themselves eating Carolina Reapers and other esophagus-destroying peppers. To elaborate further on the fascinating process of Funyun production, How It's All Made explains that the Funyun mix is kneaded and heated in the extrusion machine which keeps it moving along as it heats up. Like strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, their infiltration of our country cannot be stopped, so there’s little point in fighting it. The Flamin’ Hot flavoring happens to work well with the combined dairy powders of cheddar and sour cream.These are the chips for people who want to have subtitles turned on while they watch TV and devour a bag of snacks because they can’t hear over the sound of their own munching. These chips are deemed “the venerable OG hot snack” by our eaters, and considered a “top three for sure.

Though these chips didn’t necessarily make our mouths pucker, there was nuance to its flavor: layers of smoky chipotle, creamy and cooling ranch, and garlicky herbs. I’d say the Flamin’ Hot puffs are less spicy than the original, but still pack a punch; expect to find your finger tips well-coated in chile-laced cheeto dust while enjoying the springy bite akin to packing peanuts. The chips have a nice light and airy quality to them with a pleasing crispy mouthfeel, but with the lack of heat and the subdued onion flavor, I just don’t see much worthwhile in this iteration of either brand.The Flamin’ Hot version has more spices and flavorings than regular ones, but none seem to affect its potential halal status. I have compiled every spicy snack known to mankind, save for the ones that I could not find, deem unworthy of inclusion, or both. A citrus heat is the dominant flavor, with Cheetos cheddar flavor taking a barely-there backseat, and to great effect!

As all of these ingredients come from plant-based origins, Munchos Flamin’ Hot Potato Crisps are vegan friendly. Even though neither flavors of Funyuns are vegan, Wise’s Onion Rings and Munchos Flamin’ Hot Potato Crisps provide great alternatives to these crunchy snacks! The Turbos Flamas are like spiral-shaped Takis, with more of a corn flavor and slightly less of the spice-lime coating.

On the palate, the zesty lime zing of Flamin’ Hot Limon adds a lot of dimension and depth to the otherwise one-note flavor. Unfortunately, both Flamin’ Hot and Original Funyuns contain milk ingredients that are not vegan-friendly. The inclusion of Zapp’s on this list is a little incongruous, maybe, but as they’ve been selling spicy chips since 1985, it didn’t feel right to leave them out.