Doritos Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips: Labelgrade C (63/100)
C 63 / 100 — Additive-heavy formulation (maltodextrin or corn syrup and artificial colors), effectively zero sugar, and high sodium per 100g.
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Doritos Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips delivers 2g of protein and 140 calories per 1 ONZ (USDA FDC 1629973). Per 100g that’s 7.1g of protein; per oz, 2g. The Labelgrade is C (63 / 100): Additive-heavy formulation (maltodextrin or corn syrup and artificial colors), effectively zero sugar, and high sodium per 100g.
Why this Labelgrade
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | C | 61 / 100 | 7.1g per 100g — below the high-protein bar; not the right product for protein hunting |
| Ingredient quality | C- | 59 / 100 | 35 ingredients; flagged maltodextrin or corn syrup + artificial colors (+1 more) |
| Saturated fat load | B | 77 / 100 | 1g per serving (3.6g per 100g) — moderate |
| Sodium load | F | 27 / 100 | 210mg per serving (213mg per oz) — high; structural for cured/preserved foods |
| Sugar load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0g of sugar — perfect |
| Fiber | C- | 55 / 100 | 1.01g per serving — modest fiber contribution |
| Overall | C | 63 / 100 | Weighted blend: protein 25% · ingredients 22% · saturated fat 18% · sodium 15% · sugar 12% · fiber 8% |
How it compares
| Product | Protein per serving | Per 100 g | Per oz | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doritos Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips (this product) | 2g | 7.1g | 2g | 140 |
| Fritos Scoops! Corn Chips | 2g | 7.1g | 2g | 160 |
| Lay’s Classic Potato Chips | 2g | 7.1g | 2g | 160 |
| Ruffles Original Potato Chips | 2g | 7.1g | 2g | 160 |
| Plain cooked chicken breast (benchmark) | — | 31g | 8.8g | ~165 |
The cheese dust is the whole grade
Start with the base and Doritos are unremarkable: the same fried corn as any tortilla chip. Everything that makes Doritos Doritos — and everything that drops them to a C (63/100) — lives in the seasoning powder dusted on top. Read the ingredient list at the bottom of this page and you’ll see it: after corn, oil and salt, the list keeps going for roughly thirty more items, including maltodextrin, monosodium glutamate, several cheeses and whey fractions, “natural and artificial flavor,” dextrose and sugar, the umami enhancers disodium inosinate and guanylate, and artificial colors Yellow 6, Yellow 5 and Red 40.
Two of those carry most of the grade penalty:
- Sodium: F (27/100). The salt in the coating pushes this to 210mg per ounce — the highest in this comparison and roughly double a plain corn chip. It’s the single weakest dimension on the page.
- Ingredient quality: C- (59/100). A ~35-item list with maltodextrin and artificial colors is a different animal from a three-word “corn, oil, salt” label, and the score reflects it.
None of this means Doritos are dangerous in a sensible portion — they’re a snack food, and 0g of sugar earns a legitimate A+. But it’s an honest illustration of how grades work in the chip aisle: the corn is a wash across every brand, so the seasoning is what separates a C from a B-. Doritos sit at the floor of the chips we cover precisely because they carry the most stuff on top of the corn.
Engineered to outrun the serving size
It’s worth being candid about why Doritos are so easy to over-eat, because it’s not an accident. The combination of salt, fat, intense savory (MSG and the inosinate/guanylate boosters), and a bold cheese flavor is the textbook formula for a snack you keep reaching back into — the chip is designed to make one handful turn into several. That’s a perfectly legitimate thing for a treat to be, but it means the portion math gets away from you faster here than with a plainer chip.
The numbers make the stakes clear. A 1-ounce serving is about 11-12 chips at 210mg of sodium; a casual two or three servings in front of the TV quietly lands you past 600mg of sodium — a quarter of the day’s limit — from a snack you didn’t think of as a salt bomb. So the same advice that applies to every chip applies double to Doritos: count a portion into a bowl and put the bag away. If what you actually want is the nacho flavor, dipping plain Tostitos or Fritos in salsa or a real cheese dip gets you most of the way there at roughly half the sodium and none of the artificial color. Doritos are a fine occasional indulgence eaten on purpose — the failure mode is the open bag, not the chip itself.
Scope
This page covers Doritos Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips, UPC 028400335799, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 1629973. Doritos sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)
CORN, VEGETABLE OIL (SUNFLOWER, CANOLA, AND/OR CORN OIL), MALTODEXTRIN (MADE FROM CORN), SALT, CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), WHEY, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, BUTTERMILK, ROMANO CHEESE (PART-SKIM COW’S MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ONION POWDER, CORN FLOUR NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, DEXTROSE, TOMATO POWDER, LACTOSE, SPICES, ARTIFICIAL COLOR (INCLUDING YELLOW 6, YELLOW 5, AND RED 40), LACTIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, SUGAR, GARLIC POWDER, SKIM MILK, RED AND GREEN BELL PEPPER POWDER, DISODIUM INOSINATE, AND DISODIUM GUANYLATE.
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 ONZ
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 ONZ) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 140 |
| Protein | 2g |
| Total Fat | 8g |
| Saturated Fat | 1g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 16g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.01g |
| Total Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 210mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 0mg |
| Iron | 0mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips · UPC 028400335799. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains animal-derived ingredients
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Doritos Nacho Cheese chips healthy?
No — and they're the least-clean of the chips we grade. A Doritos chip is the same fried corn base as a plain tortilla chip, but coated in a cheese-and-seasoning powder, which makes it a refined-carb salty snack with 2g of protein and a long additive list. Nothing about that is health food; it's an engineered treat designed to be hard to stop eating. The nacho-cheese coating is exactly what drags its grade below plain corn chips — more sodium, more ingredients, artificial color. Enjoy them as an occasional indulgence in a measured portion, but don't mistake them for a nutritious snack.
Why do Doritos score a C (63/100) — lower than plain Tostitos or Fritos?
The cheese powder is the whole reason. Doritos share the same weak fundamentals as every chip — protein density C, fiber C- — but where plain corn chips earn a B+ for a three-ingredient label, Doritos' seasoning blend runs to about 35 ingredients and earns a C- (59/100) for ingredient quality, flagged for maltodextrin and artificial colors (Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40). Worse, the salt in that coating pushes sodium to 210mg per ounce — an F (27/100), the weakest dimension here. Same fried corn base as a B- chip; the nacho-cheese dust is what pulls it down to a C.
Why do plain corn chips out-grade Doritos when they start from the same corn?
Because the grade in this aisle is decided by what's added, not by the corn. Plain Tostitos and Fritos are corn, oil and salt — three ingredients, low sodium, no additives, so they land at a B- (71/100). Doritos take that same fried corn and add a cheese-and-seasoning powder: roughly 35 ingredients, MSG, maltodextrin, artificial color, and nearly double the sodium at 210mg. That coating is delicious and it's the entire point of the product — but every part of it costs a dimension on our scale. Plain chips win by leaving the seasoning off.
How many Doritos is a serving, and is that realistic?
One ounce (28g) is about 11-12 chips — for 140 calories and 210mg of sodium. The honest answer is that Doritos are engineered to defeat the serving size: the salt, fat, and intense cheese flavor are tuned to keep you reaching back in, and a casual session in front of the TV is easily two or three servings, which puts you north of 600mg of sodium fast. If you're going to eat them, count a portion into a bowl and put the bag away — with Doritos in particular, eating straight from the bag is how a snack becomes a meal's worth of sodium.
Is there a cleaner or lower-sodium chip to pick?
Yes — if you want the flavor of a chip with a cleaner label, plain corn chips are a clear step up. Tostitos Original (115mg sodium) and Fritos Scoops! (105mg) are both just corn, oil and salt, score a B- (71/100), and carry roughly half the sodium of Doritos' 210mg with none of the artificial color or MSG. You give up the nacho-cheese flavor, but you can get it back by dipping plain chips in salsa or a real cheese dip and still come out ahead on sodium and additives. For the lowest sodium of all, unsalted tortilla chips or air-popped popcorn beat every chip here.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-05, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 1629973. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days of a reformulation.