Beanitos – Sea Salt Black Bean Chips
I remember once being lectured on what type of foods do well when fried. Simple carbs and starchy foods were described to me as being the ideal ingredient for frying, and I won’t sit here and pretend to remember all the science mumbo jumbo. All I remember thinking was “there’s a lot of starchy stuff out there isn’t there?” Beans can describe a wide variety of legumes, so there are some that are starchy and some that aren’t. For the most part though, when I think of most beans, I think of the starchy variety.
It’s for that reason that I figured Beanitos would be a reasonably safe choice when it comes to corn chip alternatives. I enjoy beans quite a lot, but I’m not big enough of a fan to want to eat them for meals and meals on end. When I make beans, I’m too lazy to do it in small batches so I do them all in one go. The end result is beans for days. That’s why I’m always excited to try bean based snacks to see if there’s an alternative to two weeks of bean soup.
It’s hard to put a finger on it, but you can kind of tell from the texture these aren’t your normal corn tortilla chips. There’s a somewhat grittier crunch to it, where as you start chewing you can tell it’s not as crumbly and was at one point a more mashy texture – similar to what you would find in re-fried or mashed beans. That being said while it has slightly less crunch, it’s also got a substantial feeling to it which makes them feel a bit more sating or filling. The slightly gritty, almost mashy finish as you chew reminds you that these aren’t corn chips, but beans. The one thing I will say is that they somehow remind me of dehydrated beans. Take that as you will.
The flavour is pretty solid and you can tell it’s not corn, bur rather beans. If you like the distinct flavour of beans, you’ll be hard pressed to not like these. I’m not a huge fan of beans mostly because of the preparation that goes into making good ones, but I enjoy them every once in a while, and that extends to these. The one thing I will say is that the sea salt is very ample here, so if you aren’t a fan of too much salt you may want to dust it off a bit. For the most part I could see myself getting these more often than I would try making beans myself.
The benefit of these is there’s a lot of fiber and protein in them, which not everyone cares about but I think they are important enough nutrients that it doesn’t hurt to get more of it in your chips. Especially if it doesn’t have a drastic impact on the taste or texture. The only difficulty with these is the price – for about half the size, you’re also paying close to 50% more than something more generic like Doritos. But if you’re looking for a tasty, easy way to snack a bit healthier and get your gains in, these chips are tops.
