We Tasted 11 Viral Indian Snacks and Drinks: The Ones Worth Buying and the Ones to Skip

Introduction

There is a strange joy in ordering a stack of unfamiliar snacks and working through them one by one. This round covers eleven trending Indian snacks and drinks, from an extreme chocolate challenge to a millet puff and a grape soda that most of the taste panel dreaded. Everything here was tried, rated, and judged on flavor, texture, ingredient quality, and whether it earns its price tag.

A few clear winners emerged, and a couple of products scored so poorly that we would steer everyone away. Here is how it all shook out.

Jo Chip Hot Chocolate Challenge

This one comes with a warning on the packaging itself: intense heat, a burn that hits hard and fast, and a lasting afterburn. It is not marketed for the faint-hearted, and the elaborate packaging even congratulates you for “choosing the pain.” The first bite is genuinely sweet, which makes what follows worse rather than better. The heat arrives seconds later and does not let go, leaving the throat burning long after the chocolate is gone.

Priced at ₹269, it delivered pure self-inflicted discomfort with no payoff. Even fans of spicy snacks should think twice, and most people should skip this entirely.

Rating: 0/10

Bombay Banta Diet Vanilla Cola

This zero-calorie, zero-sugar cola promises a smooth, refreshing drink with a rich hint of vanilla. Honestly, it tastes pretty normal. The vanilla note comes through, though cola lovers may find the overall flavor slightly artificial, which is a common trait in packaged colas anyway.

The practical appeal is the zero-sugar formula at a price noticeably cheaper than the mainstream diet cola alternative. If you specifically enjoy vanilla cola, this is a reasonable low-calorie option. Otherwise, there is no compelling reason to switch from your usual drink.

Indomie Goood Noodles

At just ₹23, these Indonesian instant noodles smell great the moment the packet opens. The ingredient list is simple: noodles and a few seasonings, nothing complicated. On tasting, there is a subtle underlying sweetness alongside a gentle sweet-chili character that makes the whole thing surprisingly moreish.

It hits a nice balance without being overly spicy, and the flavor feels considered rather than generic. For the price, this is an easy recommendation.

Rating: 8/10

Goozee Waffles Choco

Goozee is a newer brand from Haldiram’s, and the Waffles Choco pack contains four individually wrapped waffle-style cakes, priced at ₹15. Each cake is sectioned into three squares filled with chocolate. It looks genuinely adorable and unlike anything else commonly seen on Indian snack shelves.

The texture is good and the chocolate filling tastes surprisingly nice, but there is a persistent artificial aftertaste that every packaged cake seems to carry. That single flaw holds back an otherwise promising product. At ₹15 it is still a fun, affordable treat.

Rating: 8.5/10

Itteka Ready Tomato Rasam

A ready-in-one-minute tomato rasam where you simply add water, made in an “Amma style” recipe. It packs 4 grams of protein per serving, uses no preservatives, and contains no palm oil. The aroma is genuinely inviting, and the taste is fresh with a nice, thick consistency.

It delivers real homemade vibes, which is rare in this category. At ₹69, and with suggestions that it pairs well with papad, this is one of the strongest products in the entire lineup.

Rating: 9/10

Kurkure Jowar Puff Chatpata Masala

This ₹20 millet puff is genuinely impressive on paper: the first ingredient is actually jowar (sorghum) at 27%, it is baked rather than fried, and it contains no palm oil or refined flour. The packaging and playful shape give off a fun, puffed-snack energy.

The flavor leans more tangy-sweet than the aggressive “chatpata” the name suggests, which is exactly what makes it easy to keep eating. It is tasty, light, and a strong pick among the healthier options tested.

Rating: 10/10

Miss K Masala Dates Chilli Lime

A chilli lime flavored date snack, and a great example of the sweet-and-spicy combination done well. The seasoning is bold and the chilli lime flavor genuinely slaps. The look of the dates themselves is admittedly a bit unglamorous.

One honest caveat: this is not a very snackable product in the bingeing sense. A date or two at a time is enough. But for flavor quality, it scores high.

Rating: 9/10

Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Smart Food Popcorn

This imported, Flamin’ Hot flavored popcorn costs ₹210, and the disappointment starts with the quantity: barely a handful of popcorn in the bag. The coating is a thin, uneven red dust applied more as a formality than a flavor, and it falls far short of what the Flamin’ Hot name promises.

What you are left with is essentially red-colored popcorn at an eye-watering price. This was the worst spend of the entire tasting and is not worth anyone’s money.

Rating: 0/10

Go Desi Bombay Bhel Millet Cup

A nostalgic pick: a bhel puri cup with two chutneys inside, tangy tamarind and “Minty Masti,” plus curry leaves for good measure. It is genuinely tasty, though it could handle a bit more spice.

The marketing leans heavily on “the goodness of millet,” but the ingredients tell a different story: puffed rice is the first ingredient, followed by refined oil, groundnut, chana dal, then sorghum flour at just 6%. Millet is clearly more of a keyword here than a substance. Flavor-wise the classic packaged bhel puri remains the better buy.

Rating: 6.5/10

Go Desi Spicy Guava Fruit Bar

A fruit bar with a chilli centre in a spicy guava flavor, essentially a guava version of aam papad. It comes with multiple small individual packs, has a lovely natural color, and one surprising ingredient detail: papaya pulp in the mix.

The guava flavor tastes genuinely fruity rather than artificial, with nice natural sweetness. The main letdown is the promised chilli centre, which barely registers. It reads mostly as sweet with only a light spicy edge. Still very enjoyable for guava fans.

Rating: 8/10

Flik Grape Got Carbonated Beverage

A carbonated grape drink that nobody on the tasting team was eager to try, served in a deep purple fizz that looks almost like champagne. The smell is strong and off-putting, leaning on that artificial grape flavor that shows up in countless candies and desserts.

The taste itself is not terrible, just mediocre. For anyone who dislikes artificial grape flavor, there is simply no reason to pick this up. It is a pass, definitively.

Overall Buying Advice

If you want the safest picks from this lineup, the Kurkure Jowar Puff, Itteka Ready Tomato Rasam, and Miss K Masala Dates all scored nine or higher and earn their price. The Indomie Goood Noodles and Goozee Waffles Choco are solid value buys under ₹25.

Skip the extremes: the Jo Chip Hot Chocolate Challenge is pure gimmick heat, and the Cheetos Flamin’ Hot popcorn is a poor-value import that fails on both quantity and flavor. The Go Desi Bombay Bhel and Flik Grape drink land in the middle, decent enough but easily replaced by better alternatives.

Conclusion

Most of these snacks were genuinely fun to try, and a handful deserve a permanent spot in the snack drawer. The lesson from this tasting: bold packaging and buzzwords like “millet” do not always match what is in the bag, so check the ingredient list before you buy. The cheap, simple products often beat the expensive, hyped ones.