On December 1st, 2025, PepsiCo released its “Simply Nkd” (NKD) line of Doritos, which will be offered in Nacho Cheese, Cool Ranch, Puffs, and Flamin’ Hot varieties. The move comes with growing consumer demand for “clean label” products, and mounting pressure from public health advocates and regulators to reduce artificial dyes in packaged foods.
PepsiCo’s promise
Rachel Ferdinando, CEO of PepiCo Foods U.S., said about the change, “Rest assured, our iconic Cheetos and Doritos remain unchanged. NKD is an additive option, not a replacement, introduced to meet consumer demand.”
Ferdinando goes on to say that the new product “…underscores our commitment to flavor leadership, demonstrating that our taste remains strong even without visual cues.”
Unlike the familiar bright orange Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch chips fans have come to know, these new Simply NKD Doritos are noticeably lighter in appearance — more akin to a plain tortilla chip — because they eliminate synthetic dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 5 that give the originals their signature hue.
Timeline & availability
PepsiCo officially unveiled the Simply NKD line in mid-November 2025 (after eight weeks working on the formulation), with the company confirming that the chips would begin appearing in grocery stores and retail outlets across the United States on December 1, 2025. Pre-orders had already launched in some outlets, indicating strong retailer interest even before the nationwide debut.
The initial rollout includes two Doritos flavors — Simply NKD Nacho Cheese and Simply NKD Cool Ranch — alongside dye-free versions of Cheetos. Despite the visual changes, PepsiCo emphasizes that the formulation aims to preserve the bold taste and crunchy texture that snack lovers expect.
Simply NKD is available now in Walmart, “…with additional retailers joining through 2026.”
Customer reviews
Reviews for the dye-free Doritos seem to be raving. Some excerpts from reviews from Walmart:
- “…righteous nacho experience with a clean conscience and maximum crunch.”
- “really good great tasting. they taste the same. love them. if someone would give you one to try and you was blindfolded you wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference.”
- “The color change is noticeable and there are no orange dusty finger tips after eating a few. We’re totally fine with that and we definitely will be buying more once in stock.”
Even reviews that didn’t give a full five stars still give a respectable nod to the dye-free version, with one reviewer writing, “I do like these, BUT, as someone who has been eating the nacho cheese flavor for over 30yrs, I can taste a slight difference in flavor. Still prefer the original and thankfully, the original will remain. Good option for those concerned about the dyes though.”
Personal preference
Based on the available reviews so far, it seems like the overall reaction to the colorless Doritos is positive, but they won’t be for everyone.
For fans wary of losing their orange-dust-coated fingers, the originals aren’t going anywhere — but for those seeking a visually novel and ingredient-simplified chip, it’s great to have a new option.
Links on this page may be affiliate links, for which the site earns a small commission, but the price for you is the same
Leave a Comment