Doritos Bets on ‘Golden Sriracha’ as Its Next Iconic Flavor

Nearly four decades after the launch of its best-selling “Cool Ranch” flavor, Doritos is banking on “Golden Sriracha” to become its next big hit. The PepsiCo-owned brand has added the new flavor permanently to its lineup, hoping it will rival the success of Cool Ranch and Nacho Cheese.

The launch comes as PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division faces shifting consumer tastes and increased scrutiny over artificial ingredients. The company’s North American food unit reported a 1% volume decline in the most recent quarter, as shoppers increasingly opt for cheaper, generic snack options.

To stay relevant, PepsiCo has expanded into the “better-for-you” snack category with protein-rich products and “cleaner” versions of its chips under the Simply line, which exclude artificial colors and flavors. However, sales of the Simply range have so far remained flat.

Despite these trends, Doritos continues to focus on bold flavors. “When we talk to consumers, there’s just not a lot of alternatives that are like Doritos,” said James Wade, the brand’s senior marketing director.

Why Golden Sriracha?

Doritos’ culinary team identified Sriracha as a versatile and trending flavor, especially among Gen Z consumers who now see the chili sauce as mainstream as ketchup. Rather than using the familiar red version, the brand chose a yellow variant of the sauce, which Wade described as “a little sweet, a little tangy, and more complex.”

Because “yellow Sriracha” was unfamiliar to many consumers, Doritos opted for the name “Golden Sriracha,” believing it better reflects the chip’s flavor profile and avoids connotations of extreme spiciness.

The new chips, which took two years to develop, contain no artificial coloring but do use artificial flavors to achieve the distinctive Sriracha taste.

A Strategy for All Consumers

Industry analysts expect Doritos to continue offering both its traditional and Simply product lines to appeal to different consumer groups. “People continue to consume both,” said Kenneth Shea, senior consumer products analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. “Why not have products for everyone?”

With Golden Sriracha, Doritos hopes to capture the same cultural resonance that made Cool Ranch a household staple—proving once again that bold flavors remain central to the brand’s identity.