Bottom Line: The 7-Select Spicy Jumbo Peanuts offer a nice snack alternative from chips and crackers and they deliver a kick.
If you are stopping to get gas and want to grab a quick snack that has a kick, you might head to the nearest 7-Eleven and try their jumbo spicy peanuts. These come in convenient 2 ¼ oz size bags and make the perfect snack for on the go. They have three spicy flavors available: Chipotle Tequila Lime, Spicy Jalapeno, and Ghost Pepper. I tried the latter two and will be looking for the other one next time I stop by.
The Spicy Jalapeno nuts have a bit of a roast chili taste along with a little bit of an extra zing from the seasoning. The salt is prominent, though, almost to the point that they are too salty. When you first taste them, there does not seem to be much heat at all. But the more you eat, the more that builds to the point that these are right around Medium heat level and that lingers for a bit. Note that even though they call these “Jumbo Peanuts”, I didn’t notice that they were much bigger than other peanuts on the market. But they definitely have a good bite to them.
The Ghost Pepper nuts do not have much more in the taste profile than salt (despite the seasonings mentioned in the ingredients), and they lack that deep raisiny taste you expect from a dried ghost chili. But they don’t go overboard on the salt like the jalapeno version and they basically taste like salty peanuts with a kick. And that is quite a kick! The heat shows up right away and builds to beyond the Hot level, even approaching Fiery. And you will need to have something close by to cool your mouth because that heat sticks around for a while.
Between the two, the Jalapeno nuts win on flavor, though I would like them better if they had less salt. And the Ghost Pepper nuts win on heat. So mix them together and you have the best of both worlds, right!? But if you are eating the Ghost Pepper peanuts by themselves while driving, make sure you have a drink with you otherwise you will be stopping at the very next convenience station to put out the fire in your mouth!
These go for $1.39 a package, and the 7-Eleven I stopped at was running a special of two for $2. So this is definitely an economical snack that is low-carb and gluten-free! (If you have peanut allergies you are out of luck, though. And I love that they have a warning on a package of peanuts that it contains peanuts!) These might even count as healthy if you are not watching your salt intake (250mg to 280mg of sodium per serving). So if you are looking for something to snack on that is not chips or crackers but does deliver a kick, these should satisfy and they won’t set you back too much money-wise.
Tale of the Tape
Spicy Jalapeno
Ingredients: Peanuts, sunflower and/or cottonseed oil, spicy jalapeno seasoning (salt, jalapeno pepper, dextrose, maltodextrin, green bell pepper, citric acid, malic acid, spice extractive, natural and artificial flavors, and silicon dioxide added to prevent caking)
Serving Size: 28g (¼ Cup)
Calories: 170
Fat: 14g (1.5g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 6g
Carbs: 5g
Sodium: 250mg
Ghost Pepper
Ingredients: Peanuts, sunflower and/or cottonseed oil, ghost pepper seasoning (salt, spices, natural flavor, ghost chili pepper, dehydrated habanero pepper, jalapeno pepper, dextrose, maltodextrin, onion powder, garlic powder, citric acid, malic acid, extractives of paprika, natural smoke flavor, and artificial flavors, and calcium stearate added to prevent caking)
Serving Size: 28g (¼ Cup)
Calories: 170
Fat: 14g (1.5g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 6g
Carbs: 4g
Sodium: 280mg