Chocolate-covered Lay's chips are coming: 5 new holiday flavors explained
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- Lay's is launching five limited-edition holiday flavors, called the Holi-LAY'S lineup, starting October 25.
- Two of the five are chocolate-covered Wavy chips: Milk Chocolate and Dubai-Style Dark Chocolate with pistachios.
- The chocolate flavors land December 1 at select stores. A prize sweepstakes opens October 26.
Lay's is putting chocolate on potato chips this holiday season. The brand announced five new limited-edition flavors on October 19.
Three taste like a holiday dinner. Two are covered in chocolate.
The lineup is called Holi-LAY'S. It rolls out in three waves between late October and December. Here is what each flavor is, when it lands, and why shoppers are searching for the chocolate ones.
What happened
Lay's, the PepsiCo snack brand, announced the Holi-LAY'S lineup in a press release on October 19, 2026. The five flavors copy the courses of a holiday meal, from the side dishes to dessert.
The first two flavors arrive October 25 across the country. They are Cheddar Scalloped-Style Potatoes and Roasted Holiday Turkey.
The cheddar flavor copies the creamy, cheesy side dish. The turkey flavor mixes roasted turkey taste with rich gravy.
The third flavor, Maple Bacon, arrives November 8. Lay's says it blends sweet maple flavor with smoky bacon taste. This is the first time Maple Bacon is sold in the United States, according to the company.
Then comes dessert. On December 1, two chocolate-covered flavors hit select stores: Lay's Wavy Milk Chocolate and Lay's Wavy Dubai-Style Dark Chocolate.
The milk chocolate version coats the ridged Wavy chip in milk chocolate. The Dubai-style version uses dark chocolate with crunchy pistachios on the outside.
"The holidays are all about gathering around the table with friends and family, and food plays an important role in those celebrations," said Denise Truelove, Senior Vice President of Marketing at PepsiCo Foods, in the announcement.
She added that fans can taste holiday flavors early. They can enjoy them after the table is cleared too.
Why the chocolate ones are getting attention
Chocolate-covered potato chips are the surprise of the lineup. They mix sweet and salty in one bite. That combo has a loyal fan base, and the Dubai-style twist adds a trendy angle.
The Dubai-style flavor nods to the viral Dubai chocolate trend that spread across social media. That trend pairs chocolate with pistachios. Lay's is putting the same idea on a potato chip, using its ridged Wavy chip as the base.
Early tasters like what they tried. Allrecipes sampled three of the five flavors before launch.
The reviewer said the turkey chip tastes more like herbs, mainly rosemary and sage, than like heavy meat. The maple bacon chip tasted like a smoky bacon chip dipped in sweet maple syrup.
The milk chocolate chip won the taste test. The reviewer said it has a thick milk chocolate coating over the salty ridged chip.
She wrote that she could not stop eating them. She will search stores every week until she can buy them.
Lay's has played with holiday flavors before. The brand brought back Crunch Tators from the movie Home Alone in past years. It also sold salted caramel chips.
But this is the first time for a full holiday menu. It runs from dinner to dessert in one lineup.
The company also shared a survey finding. About 78 percent of shoppers see food as a great holiday gift.
About 55 percent prefer food gifts over other kinds of gifts. The survey covered 1,000 Americans in August 2026.
What happens next
The rollout happens in three steps. Mark these dates if you want to try them.
October 25: Cheddar Scalloped-Style Potatoes and Roasted Holiday Turkey go on sale nationwide. These are the two dinner-inspired flavors.
November 8: Maple Bacon arrives. This is its first release in the United States.
December 1: Wavy Milk Chocolate and Wavy Dubai-Style Dark Chocolate reach select retailers. Lay's says availability will expand in 2027. The company has not named the specific stores yet, and it has not shared prices.
All five flavors are limited-edition. That means they will leave shelves after the holiday season. If you want the chocolate ones, December is the month to watch.
There is also a sweepstakes. The Happy Holi-Lay's Sweepstakes starts October 26. Shoppers can scan a code on qualifying Lay's bags or enter at HappyHoli-Lays.com.
Prizes include chip bowls and a holiday sweater. They also include a charcuterie set, a casserole dish, a multicooker, and a game set.
Planning your own holiday table
The chips are meant to sit next to real holiday food. If you are cooking this year, a few kitchen basics help. Cakes that sink in the middle usually point to a simple oven or mixing mistake you can fix.
Pasta that sticks after draining needs only a timing tweak. And for the day after the feast, here is the best way to reheat pizza. Your leftovers will still taste good.
Lay's is nearly 90 years old. The brand started in 1938.
Its classic chip uses potatoes, oil, and salt. The company says its snacks are made without artificial flavors or colors.
Watch store shelves starting October 25. The savory flavors come first. The chocolate-covered chips close out the lineup in December, just in time for holiday parties and gift baskets.
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