You Might Not Be Able To Recognize Doritos and Cheetos Anymore
The iconic snacks are going ‘naked,’ with a new, less artificial look.
Brielle Patton, D3 Studio
You may have heard the phrase we “eat with our eyes,” and while that’s often associated with meticulously plated dishes from Michelin-starred restaurants, it goes for even the most humble snack foods, too. Take a classic like Cheetos, for example: Are they as appealing without their bright orange, intensely cheesy hue? Well, you’ll soon have the opportunity to test that notion for yourself as parent company PepsiCo Foods releases new “naked” versions of some of its most popular crunchy snacks.
Doritos’ Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch flavors, along with original Cheetos puffs and their crunchy Flamin’ Hot counterpart are getting a bit of a makeover by stripping away their artificially-derived dyes and flavors in new Simply NKD editions. “Doritos and Cheetos are pioneering a snacking revolution, or a renaissance, if you will,” Hernán Tantardini, CMO, PepsiCo Foods U.S. explained. “We are reinventing our iconic – and most famous – brands to deliver options with the bold flavors fans know and love, now reimagined without any colors or artificial flavors.”
For the artificial additive averse, Simply NKD Cheetos and Doritos will be easily identifiable in their mostly white packaging. As for what’s inside the bag, however, identifying which chip is which might prove more difficult. The Simply NKD Nacho Cheese and Simply NKD Cool Ranch Doritos look almost identical, and there’s no bright red powder warning hungry eyes that those crunchy Cheetos aren’t white cheddar, but actually Flamin’ Hot. If you’re the type to pour chips in a big bowl for a party, you may need to start labeling your snacks.
Adam Campbell-Schmitt
Pictured: Originals (left), "Naked" (right)
Do Naked Cheetos and Doritos taste the same as the originals?
I tried all four Simply NKD products side by side with their original versions to compare. And there really is something to that eating with the eyes thing, as I could swear there was a certain brightness or bite in the original chips that the “naked” versions just didn’t have when I knew which kind I was tasting. However, as I tried them randomly with my eyes closed, any discernable difference was barely present.
Brielle Patton, D3 Studio
Why are Cheetos and Doritos going ‘naked?’
If you have a certain fondness for Cheetos powder-coated fingertips and those speckled flecks of flavor on Doritos, you needn’t worry, as PepsiCo says the original versions of these products aren’t going anywhere. However, in addition to its Simply NKD Doritos and Cheetos options, PepsiCo Foods also announced that it would be removing artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources from its Lay’s potato chip products by the end of this year.
However, the Simply line of products was actually introduced back in 2002, though artificial ingredients have been a hot topic recently as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has pushed for phasing them out from the American diet, an initiative PepsiCo signed on voluntarily.
“Consumers are demanding transparency and quality,” a response from a PepsiCo Foods representative regarding the timing of the launch read. “And we’re not waiting for regulation; we are the leaders in this space, we invented these products – and we will continue to lead and reinvent. The spirit of NKD is rooted in disrupting ourselves and disrupting the category. And it is more than a product—it’s a signal of what’s possible. If we can reinvent Doritos and Cheetos, imagine what’s next.”
As for the release of new Simply NKD Cheetos and Doritos, “this move underscores our commitment to flavor leadership, demonstrating that our taste remains strong even without visual cues,” said Rachel Ferdinando, CEO of PepsiCo Foods U.S. “As part of our broader transformation, we are expanding choices while still protecting our iconic brands. More choices, same flavor, same brand power.”
Where can you buy Naked Cheetos and Doritos?
Cheetos and Doritos NKD chips and snacks are currently available for online preorder, but as of December 1, 2025 they will begin rolling out in Walmart stores nationwide with other stores to follow into 2026.
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