High protein vegan snacks are popping up everywhere it seems – so if you’ve noticed this trend you may have seen Hippeas Organic Chickpea Puffs on the market. Hippeas snacks are made from legumes (chickpeas) and baked into a light and airy puff snack. Yes, we’ll dive into the nutrition below and you’ll see that Hippeas are definitely a better option than most snacks but I also like that Hippeas has partnered with Feeding America to help support local Food Banks and provide relief during disasters. If you are unfamiliar with Feeding America, Feeding America is the largest hunger relief organization in the United States and has served 46 million people each each through the 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs. Hippeas is a snack company with a bold mission to help support health and the planet for everyone.
There are six different flavors of Hippeas Chickpea Puffs including: Himalayan Happiness, Vegan White Cheddar, Nacho Vibes, Pepper Power, Bohemian Barbeque, and Sriracha Sunshine. All flavors are vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, non-GMO, and certified organic. With all the variety, it was hard to choose just one flavor to review but we settled on the Vegan White Cheddar because how common is it that you see a vegan white cheddar puff?? Do you know what I mean?! For more information on these tasty vegan snacks, keep reading. If you’re ready to jump on in, check out Hippeas Organic Chickpea Puffs on Amazon.
Taste Experience
The Hippeas Organic Chickpea Puffs are about the size of my thumb – so a slightly wider of a puff than I expected. They are light in color and not florescent orange like some other “cheesy puffs” you may be familiar with. The initial smell is very mild – in fact I hardly smell anything into the bag which can be a good thing if you’re eating them in a large shared office space.
The Vegan Organic Chickpea Puff from Hippeas is light and airy but has more of a robust/hearty texture compared to other puff snacks. The crunch is just right- not too much to where you think you’ll break a tooth but not so soft that if it got even the slightest wet spot, it will turn mushy and awful.
The cheese flavor is mild and smooth. Unlike many vegan “cheesy” snacks, Hippeas do not contain nutritional yeast on the ingredient list yet it tastes remarkably cheese. There’s common flavorings like garlic powder, onion powder, and the real cheese kicker – lactic acid. No need to fret vegans, lactic acid is derived from the fermentation of sugars and is completely vegan (although it does sound close in name to lactose). This “secret” ingredient helps the Hippeas Vegan While Cheddar Chickpea puffs taste savory and cheesy without containing any dairy at all.
All in all, I will say I was more impressed with the Hippeas Chickpea puffs than I expected – savory, crunchy, and not super salty but salty enough to satisfy. I plan on stocking this in my work snack drawer for a quick easy snack at the office and with either large bags or single serving bags available on Amazon, Hippeas makes it easy to enjoy the Organic Vegan White Cheddar Chickpea Puffs just about anywhere!
Nutrition
Each serving of Hippeas Organic Chickpea Puffs in Vegan White Cheddar contains 130 calories with only 5 grams of total fat (this is significantly less than most chips and some snack crackers). There is no saturated fat or trans fat and the only fat source in the ingredient list is sunflower oil. Snacks should be under 200 calories for most people, so this is right in that target range and similar to other chips/crackers, the serving size is 1 oz. 1 oz of chips or these vegan chickpea puffs would be about the size of a level handful if you have hands on the smaller size.
In that same 1oz serving size of Hippeas Vegan White Cheddar Puffs, there is 140mg of sodium which is less than many mainstream chip brands but on par with many healthier varieties. For the most part, unless you have high blood pressure, this is going to be a perfectly fine amount for a vegan snack.
There are 17 grams of total carbohydrate with 3 grams of fiber and 2 grams of sugar without any added sugar. The primary carbohydrate source are the chickpeas (chickpea flour) and the rice flour. Given the 3 grams of fiber per serving, this tells us that there is a significant amount of chickpea flour vs rice flour as rice flour wouldn’t have any fiber. In 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas there are 6-7 grams of fiber which means you’re essentially eating 1/4 cup of chickpeas in every snack size portion of Hippeas Vegan White Cheddar Puffs. That’s pretty impressive – especially compared to most packaged snacks contain no to very little fiber. Fiber of course helps keep you regular but it also helps support healthy blood sugar levels, promotes a healthy weight, keeps you satisfied, and promotes a healthy gut microbiome.
You can find 4 grams of protein in every Hippeas Vegan White Cheddar Chickpea Puff serving which is not a ton but also more than most snacks and expected given that chickpeas are the main ingredient. Again, in a 1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas, there are 8 grams of protein…so this compares to the fiber amount in that you are consuming ~1/4 cup of chickpea equivalents in each serving size.
Chickpeas are a good source of iron, calcium, and potassium so in 1oz serving of Hippeas Vegan White Cheddar Chickpea Puffs, there are 17mg (2% RDA) calcium, 1mg (6% RDA) iron, and 131mg (3% RDA) potassium. Most snack foods don’t contain these essential nutrients but by creating a snack based on whole plant-based foods (like chickpeas), these vegan snacks are a real win win when it comes to taste and nutrition. The nutrition is non-negotiable, but if you want to see what others are saying on Amazon, that can be helpful to know that by choosing Hippeas Vegan White Cheddar Chickpea Puffs, you’re choosing a solid snack choice!
Parting Thoughts
Hippeas Vegan White Cheddar Chickpea Puffs are crunchy (without being rock solid), salty (without being too salty), and savory (with that slight cheesy flavor). These vegan snacks would make a great addition to lunch boxes or mid afternoon snacks for vegans, vegetarians, or omnivores. Although we took a closer review of the Vegan White Cheddar Hippeas flavor, the other Hippeas flavors (Himalayan Happiness, Nacho Vibes, Pepper Power, Bohemian Barbeque, and Sriracha Sunshine) are all about the same when it comes to nutrition so choose a flavor that you think you would enjoy and prepare to get transported into a crunchy puff snack that is actually really quite good for you and tastes equally delicious. Find all Hippeas Organic Vegan Chickpea Puffs on Amazon.
Other Posts You May Enjoy:
8 Great Low Calorie Vegan Snacks