For a small late-night crisp snack, Walkers Oven Baked Sea Salt has a lower declared calorie density than the conventional products compared here: Walkers UK lists 438 kcal per 100g and 96 kcal per 22g pack, while the figures published by REAL, KETTLE Chips, Seabrook and retailer Snackline Direct range from 495 to 532 kcal per 100g. If you prefer conventional crisps, compare the calories and salt in the portion you intend to eat rather than judging by flavour or cooking-style wording. If you need more than a crunchy snack, consider a different light food instead of treating crisps as supper.
If you want savoury crunch late in the evening, compare the calories in the amount you expect to eat. Walkers UK lists 96 kcal for a 22g pack of Oven Baked Sea Salt, giving you a defined portion to compare with other pack sizes.
If sliced-potato, hand-cooked or crinkle-cut crisps are what you want, choose a portion deliberately. Check both kcal and salt on the exact bag: similar-sounding flavours need not have the same nutrition values.
If a small bag of crisps would not meet the reason you are eating, consider another light snack. Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust notes that a light snack can be useful when an empty stomach is distracting, while a heavy meal close to bed can interrupt sleep.
Decide whether you want a portion of crisps or something more substantial, then compare the exact pack you would eat. Calories per 100g help compare different bag sizes; calories per pack tell you about the portion.
Choose when: A small pack and lower declared calorie density matter more to you than conventional crisp texture.
Trade-off: The compared Walkers baked product is a crisp snack, not a substitute for a more substantial supper.
Choose when: The texture or a particular flavour matters more to you, and you can choose the portion you intend to eat.
Trade-off: The conventional products compared here have higher declared kcal per 100g than Walkers Oven Baked Sea Salt; a small bag does not change that per-100g figure.
Choose when: You are hungry and want food that contributes more than savoury crunch.
Trade-off: It may not satisfy a specific craving for crisps; keep the amount appropriate to what you want to eat close to bedtime.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Calories and portion | Read kcal per pack or serving for the amount you plan to eat. Use kcal per 100g to compare different bag sizes; Walkers UK lists 438 kcal per 100g and 96 kcal per 22g pack for Oven Baked Sea Salt. | I want a modest portion of crisps, so the figure for the amount I will actually eat matters more than the bag’s appearance. |
| Salt | Check salt per portion as well as per 100g on the exact flavour. NHS guidance says adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day in total, including salt already in food. | Calories are not my only consideration; I also want to account for the salt in this snack alongside other food I eat. |
| Reason for eating | Ask whether a small crisp portion answers a craving for crunch or whether you want a more substantial light snack. Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust cautions that a heavy meal close to bed can interrupt sleep. | If I am genuinely hungry, crisps alone may not be the sort of snack I am looking for. |
| Dietary suitability | Read the ingredients, allergen declaration and any vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free statement on the exact pack. These labels do not tell you its calorie content. | I need the product to meet my dietary requirements, and I want to check that separately from its kcal figures. |
A smaller bag can have fewer calories in total even when its crisps have more calories per 100g.
Choose the portion you expect to eat, compare its kcal and salt, then use the per-100g figures to compare products on the same basis.
Those terms describe flavour or preparation, not a calorie figure. Manufacturer figures for the REAL, KETTLE Chips and Seabrook examples here range from 495 to 516 kcal per 100g.
Read the nutrition panel for the exact flavour instead of using its name as a shortcut.
Salt in crisps still contributes to the day’s total. NHS guidance sets a daily maximum of 6g for adults.
If salt matters to your choice, compare the amount in the portion you intend to eat, not just the per-100g figure.
A crisp portion may suit a desire for something crunchy without being the more substantial snack you want when hungry.
Decide what you want from the snack before choosing it. Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust notes that a light snack may be useful when an empty stomach is distracting, but a heavy meal close to bed can interrupt sleep.
These figures refer to named products, not every flavour or pack a brand makes. Compare the nutrition panel on the exact product you are considering.
Walkers UK lists Oven Baked Sea Salt at 438 kcal per 100g and 96 kcal per 22g pack.
Tyrrells lists potato crisps, Furrows and lentil crisps as separate parts of its range.
KETTLE Chips lists Sea Salt and Crushed Black Peppercorns at 505 kcal and 1.3g salt per 100g.
Seabrook Crisps lists Sea Salted at 516 kcal and 1.3g salt per 100g.
UK retailer Snackline Direct lists Pipers Anglesey Sea Salt at 532 kcal and 0.94g salt per 100g.
REAL Hand Cooked Crisps lists Sea Salt & Black Pepper at 495 kcal and 1.12g salt per 100g.
These options cover an 85g crisp-style sharing bag and a multipack of 40g crisp cans. Choose by the portion you intend to eat, then check the exact product’s nutrition and ingredients.
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The 85g bag is a sharing size, so set aside the amount you want for a smaller late-night snack. Compare calories for that portion with the per-100g figure, and check the pack’s allergen declaration if needed.
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This multipack contains twelve 40g cans, giving you a defined can size for a crisp snack. Check kcal and salt per can before choosing one as your portion, and read the exact flavour’s ingredient and allergen information.
Use kcal per pack or serving for the amount you plan to eat, then kcal per 100g to compare products sold in different bag sizes. Walkers UK lists Oven Baked Sea Salt at 96 kcal per 22g pack and 438 kcal per 100g; the conventional products named in this article have different pack sizes.
A portion of baked crisps may answer a craving for crunch, but choose something else if you want a more substantial snack. Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust notes that a light snack can be useful when an empty stomach is distracting, while a heavy meal close to bed can interrupt sleep.
Yes, if salt matters to your choice, check it for the exact portion you intend to eat. NHS guidance says adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day in total, including salt already in packaged food.
Where present, traffic-light colours give a quick indication of the listed nutrients, but also read the calorie figure and portion size. Food Standards Agency guidance published on GOV.UK for Northern Ireland explains that green, amber and red indicate low, medium and high levels of nutrients shown on the label.
Those labels describe dietary suitability, not calorie content. For example, KETTLE Chips lists its Sea Salt and Crushed Black Peppercorns product at 505 kcal per 100g, and Seabrook Crisps lists Sea Salted at 516 kcal per 100g; check the exact pack for both dietary claims and nutrition values.