Twinkies – The Golden Sponge Everyone Pretends to Hate
There’s something oddly endearing about admitting you still grab a package of Twinkies from the gas station counter. Hostess produces approximately 1-2.7 million Twinkies every day for a total of 500 million to 1 billion per year. The sheer volume of the snack cake’s production alone should tell you everything you need to know about its popularity. And, it should put your mind at ease knowing that whenever the cravings hit for those spongy cream-filled logs, a hearty stock can always be found at any random gas station, convenience store, or supermarket across the country.
After spending a couple of decades as the much-maligned poster child of mass-produced American food, Twinkies are almost nobody’s favorite snack anymore. But between the spongy cake shell and the marshmallowy filling, they have an odd sort of charm. The quiet persistence of this once-popular snack speaks volumes. They’re like that friend who everyone makes fun of but secretly appreciate when they show up to help you move.
Doritos – The Chip That Rules Them All
We may personally prefer other mass-market chips, but there is almost no popular snack more beloved than Doritos. Whether you stick to the original or branch out into new Doritos flavors from time to time, these seasoned corn chips have a chokehold on the American public, and it seems like we like it. The triangular tortilla chips have become so ingrained in American culture that companies are literally encouraging people to use them as dinner ingredients.
At an industry conference in Florida last week, CEO Ramon Laguarta said he hoped consumers would use salty snacks, such as Doritos and Rold Gold pretzels, as “side dishes and ingredients” in meals, extending their purpose beyond a midday or late-night munchie. At last week’s Consumer Analyst Group of New York Conference, PepsiCo’s presentation included a nod to the Mexico City street food Dorilocos or “walking taco,” an open bag of tortilla chips topped with cucumbers, lime juice, and chamoy, among other ingredients. When your snack becomes a meal substitute, you know it’s hit the big time.
Pop-Tarts – The Breakfast That Isn’t Really Breakfast
These sweet pockets of heaven celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2024. Pop-Tarts – which originally came out in flavors of Strawberry, Blueberry, Brown Sugar Cinnamon, and Apple Currant – make for a delicious part of a balanced American breakfast or a filling on-the-go snack. Let’s be honest though – nobody’s fooling themselves into thinking these are actually nutritious breakfast food.
It’s hard to distinguish what makes these family-favorite toaster pastries so “crazy good.” It could be the flaky crust. Or, perhaps it’s the fact that they taste just as delicious straight out of the foil as they do fresh from the toaster. That’s the beauty of Pop-Tarts – they work whether you’re rushing out the door or have time to actually use the toaster like a civilized human being.
Cheetos – The Snack That Stains Everything
Cheetos–both the original skinnier version and Cheetos Puffs–are the epitome of finger-licking good and have been one of Frito-Lay’s top-selling brands for decades, alongside Doritos, Fritos, Lay’s Potato Chips, and Tostitos–pretty good company indeed. There’s something deeply satisfying about the artificial cheese dust that coats your fingers after demolishing a bag of these orange puffs.
The secret shame of Cheetos isn’t just eating them – it’s the orange fingerprints they leave on everything you touch afterward. Your keyboard, your phone, your steering wheel – they all become evidence of your cheesy crimes. Yet somehow, this never stops us from reaching for another handful. The crunchy texture and that weird artificial cheese flavor create an almost hypnotic eating experience that’s impossible to replicate with real food.
Goldfish Crackers – The “Wholesome” Junk Food
This snack has been smiling back since 1962. Kids have always loved Goldfish crackers for obvious reasons: they are cute, tasty, and they also make it easy and acceptable to play with your food. Adults love them for entirely different reasons – they’re socially acceptable to eat in public and don’t require any explanation.
Goldfish occupy this weird middle ground where parents feel okay giving them to kids because they’re “baked, not fried,” while adults can munch on them without looking like they’ve completely given up on life. They’re the gateway drug of junk food – innocent enough for a lunch box, addictive enough to polish off an entire carton while binge-watching Netflix. The fact that they’re fish-shaped somehow makes the whole experience more playful and less guilt-inducing.
Slim Jims – The Protein Stick Nobody Questions
These somewhat tough, yet kind of tasty dried meat wands get major props for being one of the few popular snacks on this list with a pretty balanced nutritional profile. Slim Jims are high in protein, which isn’t exactly a hallmark of most snacks you’ll find in the checkout aisle at the supermarket. They’re the junk food you can almost justify as a healthy choice.
There’s something primal about tearing open a Slim Jim and gnawing on processed meat that barely resembles its original form. The snappy texture and overwhelmingly salty flavor shouldn’t be appealing, yet millions of Americans regularly grab these things from gas stations across the country. They’ve mastered the art of being simultaneously gross and irresistible – like the junk food equivalent of a guilty pleasure song you’d never admit to liking.
Fritos – The Original Corn Chip
Fritos are the “original corn chip,” first produced in 1932. And, to this day, the chips still only contain their three original ingredients: corn, corn oil, and salt. Fritos are widely loved for their crunch and scoopability (something that Fritos Scoops takes to the next level). In a world of increasingly complex snack foods with ingredients you can’t pronounce, there’s something refreshing about the simplicity of Fritos.
They’re not trying to be fancy or innovative – just corn, oil, and salt doing what they do best. The thick, sturdy texture makes them perfect for scooping up bean dip or chili, but let’s be real – most of us eat them straight from the bag. There’s an honest, unpretentious quality to Fritos that makes them feel like comfort food rather than junk food, even though they’re definitely still junk food.
Takis – The Spicy Rolled Surprise
We know from personal experience that not everyone is a spicy-snack person, but it seems like just about everybody loves a good hot chip these days. And we’ll grant Takis’ fans one thing: there’s reason enough for their ardent love of this popular snack. If you do enjoy spice, the crunch of the rolled tortilla chip and the balance of lime and chile (if going for the classic Fuego Takis flavor) are just right.
However, many find the flavor a little too much. The same could be said for the coating of off-puttingly bright red dust that these leave on our fingers. Takis represent the extreme end of the snack spectrum – you either love their intense flavor and finger-staining properties, or you think they’re completely ridiculous. There’s no middle ground with these rolled torpedoes of spice.
Corn Nuts – The Crunchy Enigma
These crunchy, seasoned corn kernels have their legions of devoted fans. This popular snack walks an odd line between true junk food and somewhat-healthy snacks, making it difficult to determine which snacking niche corn nuts fall into. Nevertheless, in an extremely specific mood, you may find these enjoyably salty and crunchy. Corn nuts are like the weird cousin at the snack food family reunion – nobody quite knows what to make of them, but they’ve got their place.
They occupy this strange territory where they feel almost healthy because they’re made from actual corn, but they’re covered in enough salt and artificial flavoring to qualify as proper junk food. The texture is unlike anything else – not quite a chip, not quite a nut, but somehow satisfying in a way that’s hard to explain. They’re the snack you forget exists until you stumble across them at a convenience store and think, “Oh yeah, these things.”
Gushers – The Liquid Center Mystery
When we’re talking about something as personal as our favorite snacks, generational bias is a huge factor. We all grew up loving the snacks they gave us on field trips or that our parents would bring home from the grocery store as a special treat, no matter how good or bad they actually are. For anybody born between 1991, when this popular snack launched, and around 2005, Gushers are one of those snacks.
Are they weird? Undoubtedly. That viscous, overly sweet center has a distinct soapy texture. It’s not clear why gummies need to burst when you bite into them, if we’re being quite honest. Yet for an entire generation, the experience of biting down and having that artificial fruit liquid explode in your mouth was pure magic. They’re objectively strange, but nostalgia makes them irresistible.
Cheez Whiz – The “Cheese” That Isn’t Cheese
It’s everybody’s favorite shelf-stable cheese spread–even though it’s technically not real cheese. Cheez Whiz–not to be confused with Easy Cheese, the squirtable cheese option–is made by Kraft Heinz. The product first oozed onto grocery store shelves in 1952, and ever since people have been testing the limits of what can be paired with the cheezy dip.
Socially acceptable choices include hot dogs, chips, or soft pretzels. You can use your imagination to figure out what other not-so-appetizing combinations have been attempted. Cheez Whiz represents the ultimate triumph of convenience over authenticity. It’s been around for over 70 years because sometimes you just want melted cheese-like substance without the hassle of actually melting cheese.
Dibs – The Snackable Ice Cream
Ice cream isn’t usually classified as a snack; it’s its own thing, and it would feel weird to claim that a Klondike Bar or a Drumstick is a snack food in the same vein as a bag of Doritos. But in the case of Dibs, it’s undeniably the right call. These bite-sized ice cream squares are as small and impossible to stop eating as any other snack, and they’re one of the few that’ll help you beat the summer heat. Another often-forgotten movie theater favorite that should be a much more popular snack than it is.
Dibs solve the fundamental problem of ice cream – it’s messy and requires utensils or at least some level of attention. These little chocolate-covered ice cream bites can be eaten like candy, popped into your mouth one after another while you’re doing something else. They’re the snack food version of ice cream, designed for mindless consumption rather than mindful enjoyment.
SkinnyPop – The “Health Conscious” Indulgence
This somewhat newer entry on the popular snack scene is a favorite at parties these days. Set out a big bowl of Kettle Corn from this health-conscious popcorn brand on your snack table, and you’ll keep your guests snacking for hours. Provided you stop by for the occasional refill, of course. Outside of entertaining, this popular snack is loved as a late-night treat and is perfect for storing in your office desk drawer.
SkinnyPop represents the modern evolution of guilt-free snacking – it’s marketed as a healthier alternative to traditional chips, but let’s be honest, it’s still a processed snack that’s easy to overeat. The appeal lies in the illusion of healthy snacking while still getting that satisfying crunch and flavor that makes mindless munching so appealing. It’s junk food with a wellness marketing makeover.
Hot Pockets – The Molten Lava Meal
Hot Pockets occupy a unique space in the junk food universe – they’re not quite a snack, not quite a meal, but somehow both and neither at the same time. These microwaveable pastry pockets filled with various combinations of cheese, meat, and sauce have become the unofficial food of college students, late-shift workers, and anyone who’s given up on cooking. The appeal is obvious: they’re fast, they’re filling, and they require zero culinary skills.
The secret shame of Hot Pockets isn’t just that they’re processed beyond recognition – it’s that despite their reputation for being scalding hot on the outside and frozen in the center, people keep buying them. There’s something oddly comforting about this completely artificial food that manages to satisfy hunger while requiring minimal effort. But here’s a quirky twist: a large number of people, despite skipping breakfast, thoroughly enjoy eating breakfast foods for dinner. It’s a guilty pleasure enjoyed any time of day. Hot Pockets fit perfectly into this chaotic approach to modern eating.
Let’s face it – we’re all guilty of indulging in these processed pleasures more often than we’d like to admit. Statistics from a survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics from Center for Disease Control shows that a little over one-third (36.6%) of adults in America eat it on any given day. That’s about 84.8 million adults eating fast food every day! Whether it’s the convenience, the nostalgia, or just the pure guilty pleasure of eating something that tastes nothing like real food, these snacks have earned their place in American culture. What’s your secret snacking weakness?
