Tag Archives: crackers

Made Good Star Puffed Cheddar Crackers Review

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Important: This is the 5th last article for 2023. I’ll be taking the last half of December and first half of January off from posting.

I’ll be back January 12th, 2024 with the first short story of the new year! (The first article will go up January 15th)


I first tried these crackers back in January of this year (the 4th, if you’re curious) and oh my gosh, these crackers are amazing!

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Before I start fan-girling over this bag of crackers, let me tell you the things I didn’t like about them. Firstly, the bag was a lot smaller than I assumed it’d be. I thought it would be closer in size to a box of crackers (think Triscuits or the Earth Balance Cheddar crackers) or even the Que Pasa bag of Nacho chips. But it wasn’t.

Actually, that’s not true. The bag these come in is roughly the same height as a box of crackers, but the bag isn’t as wide, and it isn’t filled all the way to the top. I’d say the bag itself is maybe only half-full. I think the amount of crackers in the bag could be more, without needing a bigger bag.

Another thing I not necessarily didn’t like, but a thing I had trouble with, was opening the bag. It claimed to be resealable, but after I tore off the top strip, I couldn’t get the bag open! It seemed like it was still glued. I ended up having to rip the bag open underneath the reseal zipper (Ziploc top, but it’s not the Ziploc brand), which unfortunately meant it wasn’t resealable.

I thought at first that maybe I just got a defective bag, but the second (and third!) time I bought them, the same thing happened. Maybe I just suck at opening them, but it’s kind of weird it happened three times in a row. I’d suggest the company make it easier to open after tearing the tab off the top. I’m not sure how exactly they could do this, since I’m not exactly sure why it doesn’t work that well, but it’s worth looking into.

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Once you manage to get the bag open however, the crackers themselves are very tasty. They remind me of the Earth Balance Cheddar crackers (side note: why are these impossible to find now?) or the extremely vague memory I have of what Goldfish crackers used to taste like. They don’t have any powder on them, either. Unlike some of the other faux cheddar snacks out there, so you can keep your hands clean while you eat!

Two of my non-vegan friends tried also tried these crackers and while they said they were alright (ie not gross even though they’re vegan) they didn’t agree with me about them having a cheddar taste. They said the taste was too subtle to be cheddar flavoured? I’m not sure what that means, but they were cheddar-y enough for me.

As the name suggests, these crackers are star-shaped and the “puff” is because they’re hollow! I don’t think I’ve had puffed crackers before with the exception of those rice-cake things, so this was a new experience in my cracker eating adventures. I don’t know if them being puffed vs un-puffed would make a difference in their taste, but I like that they’re puffed. I feel like it adds just a little bit of fun into the snack, if that makes sense.

They’re a unique shape for sure. I’ve not seen other star shaped, hollow crackers. I don’t think these are marketed as a kid’s food, but they could very easily appeal to that market. Another good thing about these crackers is that again, as the name suggests, they’re Made Good with a bunch of different vegetables!

They don’t even taste like vegetables, either. So if you’re someone who doesn’t like the taste of veggies and are looking for a sneaky way to add more to your diet, these crackers might do the trick!

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Despite my complaining about the size of their bag, and the fact they’re only half-full, there are surprisingly a lot of the crackers in there. I also think they’re a good price for their size. I found them for $4.47 at Wal-Mart. They’re also only $5.49 at Good Rebel.

All in all, these crackers make a great snack and I’d recommend you try them as soon as you’re able to find them. Just make sure you have a chip-clip on stand by.


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Earth Balance Vegan Cheddar Flavoured Squares Review

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Cheesy crackers…

What can I say about cheesy crackers? They’re amazing? I wish I didn’t put off trying them for so long? I wish I could order a case and just always have them in my house?

I could say all that, but that doesn’t really make for a good review. Doesn’t really tell you much other than that I like them. And while I’m sure there’s some of you out there who value my opinion, I don’t think I’m quite popular/famous enough to have you flock to stores to go buy something just because I said so.

So, until that day comes (and mark my words, it will come!) I guess I’m stuck writing an entire article. But that’s also okay, because I talk a lot, sooo, let’s get started, shall we?

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These Earth Balance were actually hard to find. I had spotted them for the first time a few years ago at Good Rebel but at the time, I was on a mission looking for one of the other foods I’ve done for a different review, so I had to pass them by, but I made a mental note to go back and try them.

Well as we all know, life likes to get in the way of things, and by the time I remembered I wanted to try them (and was back at Good Rebel), they weren’t available anymore. So I started doing some online digging, and I came across something that said Earth Balance was actually discontinuing the crackers. I basically gave up hope after that, until I finally found VeganSupply. They’re a Canada-wide vegan only online grocer, and I was super excited to find them! Until I saw the shipping price.

I understand they’re in B.C., and I’m in Toronto, but there’s a reason ‘starving artist’ is a phrase. So I perused the site, and built up a list of what I’d get once I saved up enough to actually place an order.

Flash forward to last October (Oct. 2020), the stars had somewhat aligned, and I decided the time was right to finally place the order. And boy am I glad I did! Most of the stuff in that order (which can be seen here) I’m actually using as product reviews for this and next year, which is how I justified spending so much money on non-essential foods. (My order total for those 7 items was $59.74)

After all that, I finally had my hands on the box of crackers! (Although it was a slightly wet from me washing it. Important tip: don’t wash things that come in cardboard) Now, I haven’t had cheesy crackers since… well I don’t actually remember, but I do remember I was little, like, early-grade-school-little. (Before we learned of my dairy allergy)

That said, I loved these! They taste like what I remember Goldfish crackers tasting like, but they are firmer than I remember. (I remember Goldfish being not very ‘cracker-y’ and being more ‘stiff bread-y’) They were quite ‘cheesy’ – not in the way nooch is cheesy, but in a similar way to how Skinny Pop White Cheddar is cheesy – and they were actually crunchy as well. (Unlike my distant memory of Goldfish crackers)

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They also got a little too salty after eating a bunch of them, though that was probably my bad. If you plan on eating half the box in one go, you’re definitely gonna need water! After the initial hype wore off and I was more in control of how many I was shoving in my face (for some reason my brain came up with ’10 is a good snack amount’) the saltiness was no longer an issue.

Another kind of downside to these crackers is that they get stuck in your teeth. Similar to what happens when you eat Vegetable Thins, there is some soft-like cracker residue that you need to pick out of your teeth when you’re done. (Oh don’t give me that look, I know it’s a universal human thing) So depending on how gross that sounds, you may want to try one to start, and then see how it goes.

And of course, my always complaint to most vegan foods: there could’ve been more crackers in the box! The crackers were in what looked like a foil bag inside the box, and there was a good amount of air space in them. Now, I’m no expert, but I know certain chip brands need the air in the bag to prevent the contents from breaking, so maybe that’s what’s going on here, but to that I say: make a bigger box! Or have a special or something where you sell them in a three pack or something, because seriously, trying to make that one box last longer than a week was a struggle.

All in all, these crackers are a great snack and I wish I could order them more often, and I highly recommend you try them, too. If you like cheesy things, and you like crackers, there’s really no downside.


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Surprising Vegan Crackers

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Last year, I did Surprising Vegan Soups, and since it’s starting to get cold again, I figured what better compliment than to do a crackers addition? We wouldn’t want your soup to get lonely, would we?

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Listed from the top-left corner going clockwise:

  • Triscuits Original
  • Triscuits Hint of Salt
  • Triscuits Reduced Fat
  • Triscuits Sea Salt and Black Pepper
  • Triscuits Roasted Red Pepper
  • Triscuits Rosemary and Olive Oil
  • Triscuits Wasabi and Soy Sauce
  • Triscuits Organic Original
  • Triscuits Cranberry and Sage
  • Triscuits Sriracha
  • Triscuits Fire Roasted Tomato and Olive Oil
  • Triscuits Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil
  • Triscuits Dill, Sea Salt and Olive Oil
  • Triscuits Olive
  • Triscuits Garden Herb
  • Triscuits Balsamic Vinegar and Basil
  • Triscuits Ginger and Lemongrass
  • Triscuits Thin Crisps Cinnamon
  • Vegetable Thins
  • Premium Plus Unsalted Tops
  • Premium Plus Salted Tops
  • Premium Plus Whole Wheat
  • Crispers All Dressed
  • Crispers BBQ
  • Crispers Salt and Vinegar
  • Ritz Original
  • Ritz Whole Wheat

There were a few cracker brands I never heard back from in regards to certain ambiguous ingredients (a favourite seemed to be ‘flavour’ with no further explanation) so I obviously didn’t include those as I wasn’t 100% certain.

You may be surprised to see Crispers listed here, and I would’ve been too. When I was doing the Surprising Vegan Chips collage, I was going to add them, but I found out their official definition was: Crispers crackers are packed with intense flavour and a satisfying crunch! They’re baked, not fried, making Crispers a great snack alternative. (Also, apparently they’re only available in Canada)

As always, these are all vegan as of Canadian ingredients – if you’re in a different country, please do your own research and check the ingredients for your own region as sometimes they change.


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Surprising Vegan Snacks

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We’ve all been there before, starring down the snack aisle with longing and slight resentment. ‘Why do they put milk in everything?’ You may wonder as you read box after box of cookies, crackers, etc.

Whether you’re a new vegan who’s worried about not being able to eat your favourite snacks, a veteran who’s maybe sick of eating kale chips or perhaps you’ll be hosting a vegan at a get together and want to make sure they have something to nibble on, the following Surprising Vegan Snacks collage can help.

These are all snacks that aren’t specially made vegan, and should be pretty easy to find. Some of these may only be available in Canada, (like the Maple cookies) but I’m sure that no matter where you are, you’ll be able to find at least some things in your local store.

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Snacks shown (starting top left and going clockwise):

  • Ruffles Original
  • Ketchup Doritos (Only available at limited times, sadly)
  • Sweet Chili Heat Doritos
  • Hickory Sticks
  • Bugles (Original)
  • Smartfood Sweet & Salty Popcorn
  • Pringles (Original)
  • Lay’s Classic
  • Skinny Pop White Cheddar Popcorn
  • Kettle Brand Sea Salt and Vinegar
  • Tostitos Restaurant Style
  • Tostitos Scoops! (My personal favourite)
  • Tostitos Rounds
  • Tostitos Multigrain
  • Rold Gold Pretzels
  • Ruffle’s All Dressed
  • Super Nibs
  • Rockets (called ‘Smarties’ in the US)
  • Sour Patch Kids Original
  • Pull N Peel
  • Vegetable Thins
  • Ritz Cracker Originals
  • Oreo’s Original
  • Fudgee-O’s
  • Maple Cookies
  • Twizzlers Originals
  • Betty Crocker Whipped Vanilla Icing
  • Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn Kernels Original & Kernel’s Krazy Ketchup Popcorn Seasoning
  • Skittles Original

Clearly, this is not every non-specially made vegan snack out there, but they are all the ones I’ve found to date.

If you know of any surprising vegan snacks, feel free to comment them below so I can continue to update this post.

**I took out the Miss Vickies Salt N Vinegar, Lays Ketchup and Lays Salt N Vinegar chips because they all contain lactose. I also took out the Pop Tarts as they conained gelatin. I thought they were vegan, but a quick re-check of the ingredients confirmed they weren’t. Sorry for that, and hopefully you didn’t go out and buy any.


Check out the rest of the Surprising Vegan series here!

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