Taste Test Tuesday: Vegan Chips

Recently, I went to London Drugs to pick up some vegan goods for the team. I stood in the chip aisle for over 20 minutes because I couldn't decide what to get. So here I am, inspired to put this post together to help you decide what or what not to pick up next time you're shopping for snacks.

It's no secret that I'm an adventurous eater and serial snacker — I love trying new foods, discovering new places to eat, and sharing my experiences with you through Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, or here on my blog. What you may not know yet is that I practice long distance running, take part in different fitness classes, and enjoy eating greens to balance my big appetite and blogger lifestyle.

I’m not 100% vegetarian as I still eat fish regularly but I’ve cut down on meats & dairy which in turn has opened a whole world of vegan food and snack options for the days I'm at the office. You’d be surprised by how many vegan snacks are available today, our trusty Oreos by Nabisco were vegan this entire time! It also helps that my close colleagues are vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian, so there's always someone to share my excitement over new vegan treats with.

Without further ado, here's what I got:

SuperEats: Kale + Chia Chips — Chililime
Luke's Organic: Protein Blue Corn & Red Lentil Multigrain & Seed chips
Luke's Organic: Cha-Cha-Cha Chia Multigrain & Seed Chips
Coco-Roons: Cheezy Herb Truffle Snip Chips
Coco-Roons: Chili Pumpkin Seed Brussel Bytes

I stole my coworker's Zimt raw and vegan chocolates for the collection but they're to be reviewed another time. I will tell you that they were bought from Choices because London Drugs don't sell vegan chocolates! Either that, or I'm blind (and too distracted by all the other options that I shouldn't be eating).

Don't Pick — SuperEats: Kale + Chia Chips, Chililime

This was not a good start. Was I crazy for thinking that vegan chips could be tasty? I was most excited about this particular bag of chips but they ended up being the hardest to stomach.

I love vegetable chips but this was not your typical kale-looking chip. They're shaped like tortilla chips, made of a mix of ingredients like kale, black beans, and corn masa and speckled with chia seeds; which explains the crunchy texture and the deep, dark green colour.

I usually enjoy kale but I guess the combination of kale and black beans just wasn't for me. They tasted slightly bitter with a weird dark, grassy, seaweed-like aftertaste. I'll definitely need copious amount of hummus or dip to mask the deep seaweed taste.

These Kale + Chia Chips are healthier and lower in carbohydrates than regular corn chips but I'd rather have freshly roasted kale with better texture, flavour and nutrition.

Pick — Luke's Organic: Protein Blue Corn & Red Lentil Multigrain & Seed chips

The following two picks are both by Luke's Organic. They caught my eye because Luke's products are all gluten-free, vegan, GMO-free and organic. I was definitely drawn in by the colour of these Protein Blue Corn chips — they're studded with yellow lentils and the blue corn definitely helped create the crunchy texture to make these perfect tortilla chip alternatives to enjoy on its own or to pair with dip. Clean flavours, nothing crazy; just lightly salted with Himalayan pink sea salt.

Pick — Luke's Organic: Cha-Cha-Cha Chia Multigrain & Seed Chips

I love how each chip is generously speckled with chia seeds although if you're familiar with the seed, you'd know they don't have much flavour. Again, these look and taste like tortilla chips. Key is that they're gluten free and made with organic ingredients. On that note, they have a cute slogan! — Snack like a kid, live like a grown up.

Don't Pick — Coco-Roons: Cheezy Herb Truffle Snip Chips

I missed the part of the packaging which read "Parsnip Coconut Snack Mix" so I didn't expect these Snip Chips to taste so coconut-y! I must've been too excited about trying something cheesy AND vegan. It wasn't till recently that I learned the combination of cashews + nutritional yeast make a good cheese substitute but the cheese flavouring was quite light here, I'm not sure if I even tasted the truffle. The Kale + Chia chips were bad but these Snip Chips weren't bad to that level. I think if you're a fan of coconut, you'd enjoy these better than I did (but my coworkers weren't too fond of these either and they're more forgiving.)

Pick — Coco-Roons: Chili Pumpkin Seed Brussel Bytes

Chili Pumpkin Seed Brussel Bytes for the win! These are definitely the winner from this week's haul. They're creative, well executed, and packed with flavour. Ok let's be fair though — I love brussel sprouts to begin with but these did not disappoint. They're like crispy brussel sprout, kale & sunflower seed clusters coated with spicy goodness; these Bytes had a kick! The cons — the bag was 2/3 empty, how deceiving! The Bytes were quite crushed up in the bag as they break easily in hand. We got our share of crumbs but at least they would make good salad toppers.

I still believe that balance is key and vegan snacks should still be eaten in moderation. Just because butter isn't listed as an ingredient, it doesn’t make them healthy so always check the list of ingredients and nutrition facts to ensure they fit your diet and lifestyle. Do you have a favourite healthy snack? Let me know below!