Fomerly known as Primal Strips, Primal Spirit Vegan Jerky comes in an array of meatless flavors. Like traditional jerky, it’s high in protein – 6 to 11 grams per strip. But unlike meat snacks, this brand is completely plant-based and uses no animal-based ingredients to make their snacks.
Primal Spirit Vegan Jerky is for Meatless High Protein Snacks
They use two different bases to make Primal Spirit Vegan Jerky – some are made with wheat gluten, others are made with non-GMO soy, and one is made with shiitake mushrooms. As expected, I think the soy based flavors were the meatiest of the bunch. To my surprise, they tore apart with ease, and shredded “meat-style.” The texture was chewy, but not tough, and really quite delightful. I wouldn’t call it identical to meat jerky, but it was tasty in its own right.
That said, this is a rather messy snack. I found the packaging difficult to open, and the jerky itself gets a caramelized coating of flavor that leaf my fingers a bit sticky.
Texas BBQ
I am addicted to all things barbecue flavored, so there may be some slight biased here. That being said, this was a mild and sweet jerky with a wonderful barbecue flavor. This chewy and delicious snack is one I wouldn’t hesitate to experience again.
Ingredients: non-gmo isolated soy protein, water, unrefined evaporated cane juice, naturally brewed soy sauce (water, non-gmo soybeans, sea salt), vinegar, sea salt, natural smoke flavoring, natural vegetarian spices. no msg added.
Nutrition (per 1-ounce strip): 81 calories, 1g fat, 11g carbs, 1g fiber, 5g sugars, 10g protein.*
Hickory Smoked
I wasn’t surprised to see smoke flavoring in the ingredients, though the licorice root did surprise me. Overall, I didn’t find the flavor overpowering. It had just a touch of spice that emerged as an aftertaste. I am still a bigger fan of all thing BBQ, but this was still pretty good and worth another “chew.”
Nutrition (per 1-ounce strip): 99 calories, 3g fat, 8g carbs, 1g fiber, 3g sugars, 10g protein.*
Thai Peanut
Since I had never come across a Thai peanut flavored jerky, meat or meatless, my curiosity selected this flavor first. I wasn’t disappointed. The peanut flavor was mild, yet delicious and inviting. A warm heat emerged as an aftertaste. It was spicy, but less spicy than I had anticipated, which was nice. This is easily my favorite flavor or Primal Spirit Vegan Jerky.
Nutrition (per 1-ounce strip): 74 calories, 2g fat, 8g carbs, 1g fiber, 4g sugars, 10g protein.*
Mesquite Lime
Having no idea what “mesquite” tastes like, I took a chance and selected this flavor next. Unfortunately, as it turns out, I am not a big fan of mesquite, at least not in combination with lime. The sweet and sour mix with the lime really didn’t appeal to me.
Nutrition (per 1-ounce strip): 74 calories, 2g fat, 7g carbs, 0g fiber, 4g sugars, 10g protein.*
Teriyaki
I was surprised to find that the Teriyaki strips had a good dose of spice. They weren’t too sweet, as some teriyaki flavored items can be, but had a very nice sweet and spicy blend.
Nutrition (per 1-ounce strip): 99 calories, 3g fat, 7g carbs, 1g fiber, 3g sugars, 11g protein.*
Hot & Spicy
Upon opening the package, I noticed that this Primal Spirit Vegan Jerky had a different texture than the others. The shiitake mushroom was thicker than the others (or than your average jerky for that matter) and seemed to pull apart more like a fruit bar, yet with some meat-like shreds evident. As I bit in, it did have a more “meaty” taste than I expected. I liked the flavor as I began to chew, slightly sweet with a touch of spice. However, that “touch of spice” quickly magnified into the Hot & Spicy I was a bit fearful of. It wasn’t run and grab water hot, but quite spicy nonetheless.
Nutrition (per 1-ounce strip): 108 calories, 4g fat, 12g carbs, 6g fiber, 3g sugars, 6g protein.*
More Facts on Primal Spirit Vegan Jerky
Price: $1.59 per 1-ounce strip
Availability: Primal Spirit Vegan Jerky is sold at natural food stores, vegan stores, and online from websites like Amazon.
Certifications: Primal Spirit Vegan Jerky is Certified Kosher Parve.
Dietary Notes: By ingredients, Primal Spirit Vegan Jerky is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, vegan, and vegetarian. They appear to be tree nut-free and only one variety is made with peanuts.*
For More Product Information: Visit the Primal Spirit Foods website at primalspiritfoods.com.
*Always read the ingredient and nutrition statement prior to consumption. Ingredients, processes, and labeling are subject to change at any time for any company or product. Contact the company to discuss their manufacturing processes if potential allergen cross-contamination is an issue for you. No food product can be guaranteed “safe” for every individual’s needs. You should never rely on ingredient and allergen statements alone if dealing with a severe food allergy.
Definitely not meat, but not bad
For a plant-based option, this definitely fills the savory snack, high protein void. The flavors are great (although I didn’t like the Mesquite Lime) and the texture is nice and chewy. These are a little sticky though, which isn’t the best when snacking on the go.
