Frito-lay’s Cheetos incorporates crowd-favourite pickle flavour into its new Flamin’ Hot product
The latest edition of the Frito-Lay brand snack blends pickle, cheese, and spices.
USA – Cheetos, a Frito-Lay brand, has introduced a pickle-flavoured Flamin’ Hot Dill version of its extruded snack line.
This marks the first-ever pickle flavour for Cheetos and was launched in response to long-standing requests from pickle enthusiasts. The flavour is now available at retailers across the U.S.
Frito-Lay has identified the pickle trend as one to watch this year. Pinterest recently highlighted pickles as a leading trend for 2025, and the hashtag #pickle has amassed over 3.7 billion views on TikTok.
Many Gen Z consumers have shared their own versions of pickle snacks, such as sprinkling Flamin’ Hot seasoning over pickle spears or coating cheese-covered pickles in crushed Flamin’ Hots.
According to the company, the new flavour combines the timeless tang of dill pickles with the signature heat that Flamin’ Hot fans know and love, providing heat-seekers with a uniquely punchy spice experience.
Other brands have also tapped into the pickle craze with new products, including Heinz Pickle Ketchup, Frank’s RedHot Dill Pickle hot sauce, Claussen’s Spritz Society Pickle Spritz, Dill Pickle Slim Jims, and Hidden Valley Pickle Ranch.
Flamin’ Hot products have gained popularity in recent years, especially among younger consumers who prefer spicier snacks. Last year, PepsiCo established Flamin’ Hot as its own brand unit, citing annual sales of US$3 billion for products containing the seasoning.
As part of this initiative, PepsiCo is introducing a new packaging design for each brand’s Flamin’ Hot offerings. The design features a chip centered against a black backdrop on the bottom two-thirds of the bag.
This colour choice is intended to match the edgy attitudes of brand fans and help the product stand out in the snack aisle, where black packaging is scarce. The top portion of the design features flames rising upward.
The first products to debut with this new look include Flamin’ Hot Funyuns, Flamin’ Hot Fritos, Flamin’ Hot Doritos, and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
According to the LA Times, the Flamin’ Hot flavor was created in 1989 at Frito-Lay in Plano, Texas, with Cheetos being the first brand to feature this spicy flavor.
It was developed to compete with spicy snacks sold in inner-city mini-marts in the Midwest. Today, Flamin’ Hot is recognized as the number one brand in spicy, salty snacks, with a 53% average repeat purchase rate, according to Frito-Lay.
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