The mission was simple, we wanted to know which is the best Arnott’s Shapes flavour. We went out and grabbed every flavour we could find from the original to Mini bites and the Fully Loaded range and taste tested until we could taste test no more!
What are Arnott's Shapes?
Shapes are a savoury wheat flour biscuit from Arnott’s, famous in Australia and New Zealand. Shapes have been satisfying hungry folks since 1954 when the first ever shape biscuit was introduced by Brockhoff Biscuits which just so happened to be the ‘Savoury’ flavour. Brockhoff Biscuits was later acquired by Arnott’s, who still sell shapes until this day.
Arnott’s Shapes Flavours
In the Shapes Originals range we found the following flavours: Barbecue, Cheddar, Cheese and Bacon, Chicken Crimpy, Pizza and Savoury.
Still in the Shapes range are these flavours: Nacho Cheese, Fried Chicken and Vegemite and Cheese.
Current flavours in the Shapes Mini Bites range we found are: Salt and Vinegar, Sour Cream and Onion and Cheese and Smoky Bacon.
Finally For the Shapes Fully Loaded range there’s: Sizzling Meat Lovers, Epic Garlic Bread, Flame Grilled Chicken and Ultimate Cheese.
Best Arnott’s Shapes Flavour Ranked
We decided that the ranking should be done for each of the range separately so we have split the rankings into the individual ranges.
10. Savoury
These are the least flavourful of the bunch and probably the least favourite of most. The name explains it all. The seasoning on the biscuits is minimal, and they smell like a little toasty biscuit.
They tasted mild and slightly salty. But hear us out, add butter, yes butter, add a nice salted butter, and these are suddenly a heck of a lot better. Alternatively, they’re pretty good with a dip too!
9. Cheddar
We love Cheddar cheese, and our expectation was undoubtedly high. Unfortunately, these are more like an essence of cheddar.
These are light on in the flavour department, almost just bland. Cheddar only just barely edges out savoury for ninth place.
8. Chicken Parmi
The latest flavour to hit the Arnott’s Shapes range is the Chicken Parmi flavor, as voted by the public.
Being excited about anything Chicken Parmi flavored is an understatement for most of us. Yet, we were all left a little disappointed.
The chicken flavour is very subtle, almost non-existent; the prominent flavour that comes through is a red sauce taste but without any herbs or cheese. Having such a thick Australia-shaped biscuit ultimately overpowers the flavours, or maybe they just went a little light on with the flavours on this one. This flavour may have been better suited as a fully loaded style shape.
7. Vegemite & Cheese
It’s hard to rank these low, being such an iconic Aussie flavour. If you’re a Vegemite lover, you will probably think the taste isn’t strong enough. If you don’t like Vegemite, then you most likely will hate these anyway. As Vegemite lovers, we think they need to be bolder!
6. Barbecue
Well, they don’t smell or taste like barbecue meat or barbecue sauce, but they smell of herbs, not sure which ones exactly.
The flavours that come through are tomato, garlic, and some herbs. Don’t get us wrong; they’re not bad, but we have barbecue flavour in sixth position as we still determine what the actual taste is meant to be.
5. Pizza
A pizza-like aroma is clearly present. The shapes themselves are covered in a good amount of seasoning powder. There’s a hint of cheese, but a simple tomato pizza sauce is the prominent flavour. These are a safe flavour that most people are going to enjoy!
4. Cheese and Bacon
Bacon comes through as the first thing you smell but only some cheese. Like with the smell, the bacon shines through as the dominating flavour with a bit of cheese.
When it comes to the bacon taste, it’s that powdered salty flavour rather than the type you have with your eggs! We still enjoyed them, that’s why they landed in fourth place.
3. Chicken Crimpy
Almost everyone’s top three will contain Chicken Crimpy flavour. It’s that powdered chicken salt flavour that you can’t get enough of.
We loved the shape being larger than most, oval, and with a decorative edge. They are coated perfectly with the flavouring and have a sweet but umami flavour, almost like a good chicken broth.
2. Fried Chicken
Unbelievably these do smell and taste like fried chicken. You get the herbs, crispy coating, and also a chicken taste. If you love fried chicken, you’ll be in heaven. At the same time, eating too many can make you feel a little nauseous, which is why fried chicken just fell short of being the Best Arnott’s Shapes Flavour.
1. Nacho cheese
Nacho cheese was quickly one of the favourites here. Perfectly coated with a generous amount of seasoning and full of flavour, nacho cheese has a strong tomato and cheese flavour. Be careful with these; finishing the box is almost guaranteed.
Shapes Mini Bites
Mini Bites are light and airy still with a satisfying crunch. Here is how we ranked what we found in this range.
3. Cheese and Smokey Bacon
We could smell the bacon, but it was a bit harder to get any cheese flavours when it came to taste. The bacon taste was kind of sweet which made it slightly odd. In this case, the biscuit might be overpowering the seasoning taste.
2. Salt and Vinegar
Often with salt and vinegar flavoured anything, the vinegar is overpowering. The ratio here is perfect, but it leads to almost certain overeating.
1. Sour Cream and Onion
These are what you expect flavour-wise when it comes to Sour Cream and Onion, just the right amount of sourness along with the onion. We loved the taste, but they could have been slightly saltier as the biscuit seems to overpower the flavour.
Shapes Fully Loaded
The fully loaded range are the new shapes flavours out and Fully loaded is almost an understatement! They’re absolutely covered in flavour. They’re also thinner than regular Shapes and super crunchy. Here’s how we ranked the fully loaded range of flavours we found.
5. Sizzling Meatlovers
Full of smokey meat flavours along with some sweetness, yet very salty. Not many fan’s of this flavour; the sweetness wasn’t quite right and was somewhat off-putting.
4. Epic Garlic Bread
Not far from the real thing, the garlic is closer to raw in taste, but the butteriness also surprisingly comes through. At first, we weren’t sure if the box could all be eaten in one go, but don’t worry, they can be.
3. Flame Grilled Chicken
Intense citrus flavours and a more subtle chicken flavour shine through, along with a hint of spiciness that creeps up on you. Good to have a shape with a bit of spice!
2. Ultimate Cheese
Almost like smelly parmesan cheese, you know what you’re getting into when you open the pack and take a sniff. These are a super salty, cheesy delight not for those who like flavours to be subtle.
1. Wicked Sweet Chilli
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