If you only try one cheesy non-dairy product ever, this should be the one. True, it isn’t cheese itself, but everyone (yes everyone) will swoon over these addictive “cheddar” crackers. How do I know? Aside from my own tasting, I put this product to the ultimate test, my “Goldfish” addicted nieces.
Not only do those four girls (aged six to ten) down bite-sized, trans fat loaded Pepperidge Farm crackers by the little fist full, they also pester my sister continuously to buy more. If I could transition these cheese loving little munchkins over to Eco-Planet’s all natural (and trans fat free) morsels without notice, success must be declared.
As we headed out to the local fair, I stashed a big baggie of the crackers into our snack sack for the day. Though I would typically love the girls to read the wonderful environmental messages on the box, I caught one of them reading it before I had even opened them, and needed to avoid the all-natural and non-dairy discovery prior to their trial.
At the first whine of “I’m hungry” I whipped out the baggie loaded with crackers of a familiar orange hue. Instantly all four of them jumped at the bag. They absolutely love them! These are not easy girls to please. They eat only sugar cereal, macaroni and cheese, and Top Ramen on a daily basis. Just about every “real” food we put in front of them got an “eeewh” or “what is it?” Heaven forbid they should eat something without chemicals. Yet, when we got home (after they had already polished off the baggie) they asked for more of the cheddar crackers!
At that point, I felt it was safe to pull the original package out. They immediately started taking note of the cool shapes and reading the messages on the box. I certainly don’t blame them for the intrigue. I found myself seeking one of each shape every time I went to have another. They come in four incredibly cool and detailed designs: a winking sun, a spinning windmill, the earth, and an electric car. On the box each shape is associated with an eco-message, and two websites for them to learn more.
As my nieces and I bit into these crackers non-dairy, organic, and all natural were the last thoughts that went through our heads. They taste very similar to the much less healthy “goldfish,” but are just a touch less cheesy if my memory serves me correctly. It has been a while. Beyond the delightful cheese flavor spiked with potent specks of salt, I can describe these only as perfect crackers. Eco-Planet doesn’t stray from the light, crisp, and slightly thick formation you would expect from any good cracker.
So where does this cheesy flavor come from? Honestly, I am not too sure. I didn’t spot nutritional yeast in the ingredients, but rather an assortment of natural flavors, such as paprika, onion powder, and red pepper. Perhaps the ingredient labeled as “natural flavor” conceals the secret weapon.
For those with special diets, these are kosher certified, vegan, and made without any dairy ingredients. For those of you who have severe allergies, they are manufactured in a shared facility with dairy, eggs, tree nuts, and peanuts, unfortunately. Due to the potential cross-contamination, they are certified Kosher-Dairy.
Beyond this, we found only one downside to Eco-Planet’s crackers … they are highly addictive! The box is a fair size, but with too many little hands around, ours disappeared quickly. Luckily, I hid a handful in my desk for some tasty inspiration as I wrote this review.
My Extra Notes & Tips:
- Each generous portion of 19 crackers (the are about two to three times the size of a goldfish cracker) contains just 100 calories and 5g of fat. The saturated fat is only a half a gram, and there are 0g of sugar per serving! Impossible, I didn’t think any snack food was made without sugar anymore.
- With just 1g of protein, 0g of fiber, and 275mg of sodium per serving, these crackers are not a nutritional powerhouse, but can easily be a great snack or treat to supplement a healthy energetic child or adult for that matter!
Where to Purchase: These crackers should be rolling out to your local Whole Foods, and hopefully to grocers nationwide in the very near future. Visit the Eco-Planet website for more information.
3 Comments
I tried to buy these online and found they were discontinued. Since they are described as the world’s only non dairy cheese cracker, I search to find why and if they’ll come back. I could find only one site saying they are out of stock indefinitely because the manufacturer is having a “packaging problem”. ???
Hi Sheena, yes, we didn’t take down the review as the manufacturer told us the product would be returning, but I unfortunately don’t know the status beyond this!
Look at the blue eyes on that girl, what a cutie! And I’ll have to try these crackers with my own nieces, thanks for the great review.