Lay’s is saving its most unusual holiday chips for last. Two chocolate-covered potato chips, Lay’s Wavy Milk Chocolate and Lay’s Wavy Dubai-Style Dark Chocolate, arrive Dec. 1 at select retailers as the final release in the brand’s “Holi-LAY’S” collection.
They follow three savory flavors that are already out: Cheddar Scalloped-Style Potatoes and Roasted Holiday Turkey, which reached stores nationwide Oct. 25, and Maple Bacon, which made its U.S. debut Nov. 8. Together the five chips are built to look like a holiday menu, from side dish to dessert.
The Two Chocolate Chips Coming Dec. 1
According to PepsiCo’s Oct. 19 announcement from Plano, Texas, Lay’s Wavy Milk Chocolate pairs ridged Wavy chips with a milk chocolate coating, while Lay’s Wavy Dubai-Style Dark Chocolate combines a dark chocolate coating with pistachios on a salty chip.
Both chocolate varieties will be sold at select retailers starting Dec. 1, and PepsiCo said both are expected to expand to more retailers in 2027. The company did not list bag sizes, prices or a full retailer list in the release, so shoppers looking for the chips in early December may need to check more than one store. The food industry trade publication Prepared Foods also listed all five flavors as a limited-time lineup in its Oct. 20 coverage.
Novelty snacks like these lean on nostalgia as much as flavor, in the same spirit as the foods from the ’60s that boomers loved with a passion. A chocolate-dipped chip plays the salty side of the snack against the sweet side of the coating. The same contrast shows up on holiday dessert trays, where a few chocolate-dipped chips can sit beside the Christmas cookies families bake every December.
Why “Dubai-Style” Matters
The Dubai-style name points to one of the most talked-about sweets in recent years. Dubai chocolate was created in 2021 at Fix Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai, and the original bar pairs milk chocolate with a pistachio cream and chopped kadayif, the spun pastry used in the Arab dessert knafeh, according to Wikipedia’s entry on Dubai chocolate. The bar went viral in 2024, largely through TikTok.
Lay’s version borrows the flavor rather than the full recipe, using dark chocolate and pistachios over a potato chip. Food trends that start in one country and spread worldwide are nothing new, and the rules for what can be sold and eaten still vary widely, as a look at the laws and rules about food in other countries shows.
Denise Truelove, senior vice president of marketing at PepsiCo Foods, said the lineup brings “flavors inspired by courses on the holiday table.” In that framing, the chocolate chips are the dessert course.
The Savory Holiday Flavors Already on Shelves
The first two flavors in the collection arrived Oct. 25 nationwide. Lay’s Cheddar Scalloped-Style Potatoes is modeled on the creamy, cheesy side dish, and Lay’s Roasted Holiday Turkey aims for the taste of roast turkey and gravy, according to Good Morning America’s report on the lineup.
Lay’s Maple Bacon followed on Nov. 8, pairing sweet maple with smoky bacon. PepsiCo said it is the first time the flavor has been sold in the U.S.
A potato chip that tastes like scalloped potatoes is a fitting full circle for a snack made from potatoes, and it nods to the sort of side dishes built from the kitchen staples grandmothers kept within arm’s reach. Snack fans who enjoy revisiting old favorites may also like a rundown of breakfast classics that deserve a comeback, another reminder of how often food brands mine family memories for new products.
Chips as Holiday Gifts
PepsiCo is pitching the collection for entertaining, gifting and everyday snacking. In the release, the company cited an online survey of 1,000 Americans, fielded Aug. 12 to 26, 2026, by RepData, which found that 78% consider food a great holiday gift and 55% prefer it over other gifts. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, according to PepsiCo.
That puts a novelty bag of chocolate chips in the same gift category as a tin of homemade baked goods. The timing also works for hosts: the savory chips can sit out with appetizers at Thanksgiving, while the chocolate varieties arrive closer to Christmas, when dessert trays and gift baskets are at their fullest. Because the chocolate chips are limited to select retailers at first, gift shoppers who want them may need to plan ahead rather than count on finding a bag the week of a party.
Lay’s is also running a sweepstakes tied to the collection. Starting Oct. 26, entrants can scan a code on qualifying Lay’s bags or visit HappyHoli-Lays.com for a chance at prizes that include chip bowls, a sweater, a charcuterie set, a Lay’s x Le Creuset oval casserole, a multicooker and a tile game set. Full official rules are posted on the sweepstakes site.
A Brand With a Long Flavor History
Lay’s dates to 1932, when salesman Herman Lay started a snack food business in Nashville, Tennessee, according to Wikipedia’s history of the brand. The company merged with the Frito Company in 1961 to form Frito-Lay, which joined Pepsi-Cola in 1965 to create PepsiCo. Limited-edition and regional flavors have become a regular part of the brand’s lineup around the world.
For the 2026 holiday season, the timeline is now set, according to PepsiCo:
- Oct. 25: Cheddar Scalloped-Style Potatoes and Roasted Holiday Turkey, nationwide
- Nov. 8: Maple Bacon, its first time on U.S. shelves
- Dec. 1: Wavy Milk Chocolate and Wavy Dubai-Style Dark Chocolate, at select retailers
- 2027: the two chocolate varieties are expected to reach more retailers
All five are limited-time flavors, so availability can vary from store to store as the season goes on, and the chocolate pair is the last to arrive.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Evan-Amos – Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
