Bottom Line: Popcorners Spicy Queso chips do not have too much heat, but they still offer a tasty snack with a little kick that is a healthier option than standard chips.
If you are trying to drop a few pounds this time of year but still craving something tasty to snack on, it can be tough. Carrot sticks and celery sticks just don’t cut it, and rice cakes taste like Styrofoam no matter what seasoning is added to them. But Popcorners has an option that may satisfy your munchy cravings without putting on too many pounds.
They produce a healthier type of chip which is made from popped-corn though that is not to be confused with popcorn though they sure taste like popcorn flattened out to a chip. (Did you get all that?) Basically, these are “popped” corn-based snacks that are not fried which means they have fewer calories and fat. I came across a bag of their Spicy Queso chips and decided to give them a try.
They have both a cheesy and peppery taste, though it is not like the nacho cheese taste of Doritos that you might expect. The chips are a little heavier on the cheese taste, but with a nice kick of spice. They have a decent chew to them, but they are not too crispy and have a little bit of that Styrofoam texture you get from rice cakes. The fact that they are pretty thin works in their favor, though. There are a few super thin ones in the bag that I really like, but I am guessing it would be too hard to make them all like that because they would likely fall apart.
There is just a hint of spice to these and they come to the Mild heat level at best on my scale. But it is still a pleasant, tingling heat that you feel throughout your mouth while munching on them. They will not set you ablaze, but you know have are eating something with a bit of a kick. They are strong enough to hold up to dips that are not too thick, so if you want to scoop up some spicy salsa with these, that will amp up the heat. (A few drops of habanero hot sauce on each one is a good option as well!)
Nutrition-wise, these come in a little bit lower in calories than standard chips at 130 cals for a serving. That consists of seventeen(ish) chips and it is a pretty satisfying serving so that you are not reaching back into the bag too many times to sneak a few more bites. They are also much lower in fat at only 5 grams, but if you are watching your carbs these may not be for you because they make up for the fat in that category. So it is not like these are far more healthy that regular chips, but they are a little better and you don’t feel like you have cheated on your diet after a serving or two.
You can find these chips in places like Sprouts and Whole Foods and I discovered this bag at my local Target. I see on the Popcorners website that they also have a Sweet Chili flavor, so I will be looking for those as well. They retail around five bucks a bag (chips are pricey when they are not on sale I’ve noticed), but this time of year the healthier snacks tend to get marked down for the New Year’s Resolutionists, so you might be able to find them for a good deal. They may not be the spiciest snack out there, but they deliver a bit of heat and you won’t feel as guilty after eating them.
Nutrition:
Ingredients: Yellow Corn, Sunflower Oil, Whey, Salt, Tomato Powder, Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Salt, Cheese Cultures, Enzymes), Natural Flavors, Spices (Including Black Pepper And Red Pepper), Onion Powder, Buttermilk, Cultured Dextrose, Garlic Powder, Citric Acid, Paprika Extracts, And Annatto Extracts. Contains Milk Ingredients.
Serving Size: 28g (About 17 Chips)
Calories: 130
Fat: 5g (0,5g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 2g
Carbs: 20g
Sodium: 180mg