Potato chips vs tortilla chips: carbs, fiber and net carbs

By the numbers, plain salted tortilla chips come out slightly ahead: per 1 oz (28 g), 132 calories against 149 for plain potato chips, 5.8 g of fat against 9.5 g, and 92 mg of sodium against 148 mg. Flavor erases the sodium edge: flavored ones like Doritos carry 691 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g), against 328 mg for plain.

No study here compares the two. Each did worse than nuts on blood sugar. In 20 healthy young adults, 1.6 oz (46 g) of potato chips a day for 3 weeks raised blood sugar and insulin after meals, and mixed nuts did not. In 20 adults with overweight, one tortilla chip snack raised blood sugar more than the same calories of pecans. In US cohorts, each extra daily serving of potato chips went with 1.69 lb more weight gain every 4 years, an observational link.

Potato chips carry 335 mg of potassium per 1 oz (28 g), tortilla chips 51 mg. With kidney disease, ACE inhibitors or potassium-sparing diuretics, even ordinary potassium intakes can raise blood potassium too far.

Both carry acrylamide from frying, measured in separate studies that can't rank them. In one jail outbreak, rancid tortilla chips were the only food tied to illness. Throw out a bag that smells rancid.

Pick plain and stop at a small bag, 1 oz (28 g).

Evidence behind this note

1. Level E Sodium in US tortilla chips ranges from 13 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) in reduced-sodium chips to 328 mg in plain and 691 mg in flavored ones such as Doritos. USDA FNDDS, tortilla chips codes 2708202, 2708204, 2708212, 2708208
2. Level B In an RCT on 20 healthy young adults, 1.6 oz (46 g) of potato chips daily for 3 weeks raised postprandial glucose and insulin, while fasting values did not change. J Med Food, 2023
3. Level B In 20 adults with overweight, a 250 calories mid-morning snack of tortilla chips raised blood glucose and insulin more than the same calories of pecans, with no difference in hunger or lunch intake. Nutrients, 2024
4. Level C Observational data link each extra daily serving of potato chips with 1.69 lb more weight gain over 4 years, the strongest single food association in three US cohorts. N Engl J Med, 2011
5. Level C A Spanish market survey of 36 potato crisp samples found acrylamide averaging 740 ug/kg (81 to 2622), with children's exposure from crisps about 2.7 times that of adults per kg body weight. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess, 2009
6. Level D Laboratory data suggest acrylamide forms in fried potato products mainly through the Maillard reaction, and L-asparaginase is the most used additive to cut it in potato products. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2024
7. Level D Fried tortilla chips from lime or wood-ash nixtamalized masa held 46 to 55 ug/kg of acrylamide, against 1443 ug/kg in chips from extruded corn without calcium. Food Science and Biotechnology, 2019 (Topete-Betancourt et al.)
8. Level C In a 2015 Wyoming jail outbreak, rancid tortilla chips were the only food linked to vomiting within 1 to 3 hours, with rancidity markers found and no pathogen. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 2016
9. Level E A 28 g small bag of plain tortilla chips carries about 132 calories, 5.8 g of fat, 92 mg of sodium and 1.5 g of fiber in the US survey database. USDA FNDDS, Tortilla chips plain code 54401075
10. Level C A small single-serving bag of plain potato chips weighs 0.99 oz (28 g) in the USDA survey database, a medium bag 57 g and a large bag 85 g. USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 71200100 (fdc_id 2709422), Potato chips, plain
11. Level E NIH notes there is no upper limit for potassium in healthy kidneys, but with kidney disease, ACE inhibitors or potassium-sparing diuretics even normal intakes can cause hyperkalemia. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Potassium Fact Sheet for Health Professionals

Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

Read more about these foods

• Potato chips: what the trials and the cohorts actually measured
• Tortilla chips: a snack that raises blood sugar more than nuts

Rankings and guides

• Carbohydrates: what it does and how much you need
• Fiber: what it does and how much you need
• Which foods are highest in dietary fiber?
• Which foods are highest in carbohydrate?
• Added sugar: what it does and what the evidence shows

• Potato chips: USDA FoodData Central, Snacks, potato chips, plain, salted, FDC ID 169677 · all forms of potato chips
• Tortilla chips: USDA FoodData Central, Snacks, tortilla chips, plain, white corn, salted, FDC ID 167558 · all forms of tortilla chips

Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.