Snack Bar, Vol. 7: The Accidentally Plant-Based Edition

Whether you're chasing a protein quota or just trying to relive some road trip nostalgia, jerky is a reliable go-to for the snacker on the go. But while we gave Chomps some dedicated, non-Snack-Bar love recently, Jack & Friends was our first foray into the vegan jerky territory. Our editors were generally split, with two of us being fans of the taste while others found it tough and chewy. Another complaint was its slightly sweet taste took it into "Fruit Roll Up territory," though that varied across their three flavors, with Sweet Barbecue being the prime offender. All of us agreed, though, that the high protein count was impressive for a plant-based snack, and that the Ginger Teriyaki was the standout of the three.

Despite their gRoOoVy font and psychedelic brand name, the mushrooms used in these crunchy chips are garden-variety shiitakes. But when they taste this good, we don't miss the trip remotely. After going through a low-temperature "vaccuum fry" to preserve nutrients and minimize oil content, these 'shroomies emerge as perfectly-seasoned umami bombs with a surprising depth of flavor. We were particularly into the Rad Rosemary bag, but Trippin' Truffle Parm had its fangirls too. Some bites are slightly unwieldy, since a few of the mushrooms remain whole and large, but the shockingly crispy texture makes them easy enough to break up.

Nut butter balls with flavors like Chocolate Hazelnut and Peanut Butter and Jelly sounded like our cup of tea, but after sampling Frooze Balls we uttered a collective "meh." Maybe that's because dates are by far the most dominant flavor, so they taste just like the (many) other date-sweetened treats we've tried lately. We appreciated that the ingredients were clean, boiling down to nothing more than dates, nutes, coconut, raw cacao and pink salt, but they lacked the wow factor that would demand an immediate add to cart.

While most of us were raving about the taste and texture of Eastern Standard Provisions' pretzels, one editor asked skeptically, "Don't these just taste like a really good soft pretzel?" Correct! But it's seldom you get to enjoy that kind of hot, fluffy pretzel in the convenience of your home, as most store-bought brands are of the hard, crunchy variety. These, on the other hand, are baked from frozen, with super painless cook times starting from 4 minutes for the smaller bites. Just don't sleep on the White Cheddar Sauce or the Maui Onion Mustard. Once we got started, we simply couldn't stop dunking.

An ode to the puff snacks found on "almost every corner" of the founders' hometown of Laredo, Siete's puffs are gluten-, grain- and dairy-free, and somehow don't taste like compromise at all. Though they're made with lentils and avocado oil, they reminded us of corn snacks like Bugles, but with the light and airy texture of something like a Pop Chip. Vegan readers will be stoked to know they do a great job with their plant-based Queso flavor, but the Spicy Fuego puffs were our favorite of the bunch. After impressing us in May during our chips and salsa roundup, Siete continues their hot streak -- we can't wait to see what's next.

Often we find that vegan brands hurt their case when they attempt to impersonate animal products, rather than leaning into their ability to create something entirely new. That was the crux of our debate around Seed to Surf's plant-based "seafood," which tasted more like interesting veggie dishes than either crab or whitefish. Would they be better off calling these "vegetable conservas" to still cash in on the tinned fish trend? Do they offer anywhere near the nutritionist benefit of seafood, weighing in at only 0.5g of protein? Plant-based readers may still jump at the chance to have their own seacuterie moment, and several of us were intrigued by the flavor and technique, but most of our editors couldn't shake the feeling of an unhelpful comparison at play.

One of these things is not like the other, you might say. But after a day of sampling this many snacks, you need something to wash them down with. With summer heat still hanging on, we wanted to shout out this new canned spritz while we could – not because it's the best we've ever tried, but because it's a clean, low-ABV alternative. Clocking in at only 5% alcohol by volume, this spritz tastes mostly like orange juice instead of wine or liqueur (which isn't necessarily a bad thing depending on how you like your mimosas). We were split 50/50 on how much we liked the orange quotient, but all gave props to the brand's avoidance of the food colorings and artificial ingredients that plague your average spritz. If you're looking for some 2pm bubbles that won't have you blotto by 5, then consider this new RTD from former Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher.