Product: Cheese Smarts Gluten-Free Parmesan Crackers – $2.30+
Remember Cheez-It’s and Cheese Nips?
Cheese crackers used to be the go-to snack for every cheese lover. I mean, who hasn’t opened up a box of Cheez-It’s and just grabbed a handful to snack on? Everyone has done it.
Unfortunately, for the gluten-free…the cheese cracker craving isn’t so easily quelled. Granted, the market out there is littered with a variety of gluten-free crackers to try. I just haven’t had any that have come close to reminding me of the glory days of those ‘I don’t know why they are this shade of orange or why I’m addicted to them but I can’t stop eating them” cheese cracker by the handful snacking kind of days.
Then…I hit up Big Lots one day during one of their 20% off everything sales. And on a shelf with a lot of snacks and food items that are from Europe, my roommate spotted a box labeled Cheese Smarts. Right there on the front it clearly stated GLUTEN FREE. Could it really be?
Oh…it was true…so a couple of flavors made their way into my shopping basket.
The first one up was the Cheese Smarts Parmesan Cracker. These little baked snack crackers hail from Greece. A serving is 12 crackers, which will only set you back 90 calories for the day. Compared to Cheez-It’s (150 calories) and Cheese Nips (150 calories), that’s not such a bad deal at all. So, for a snack cracker, nutritionally standing, not too bad. But…how do they taste?
Well, they are quite crunchy…but I think much of that has to do with the fact that they are baked. I’ll take that over the alternative any day. As for the actual flavor of them…well…if you ever have had Cheez-It’s or Cheese Nips…that is exactly what they taste like. No joke. They have that cheesy flavor that is just sort of…mysteriously there. Cheese Smarts, however, bake real cheese into the cracker. So, while they look like the poor man’s Cheez-It…they are actually nutritionally superior…and probably manufactured better overall. Rules in Europe regarding food are far stricter, sadly, than here in the United States.
Are they blow-me-over delicious? Nope. Are they a suitable snack for the afternoon munchies? Of course. They satisfy the need for that salty, crunchy snack without setting you back too much in the nutrition factor. And…with them tasting so much like the brands I grew up with but can no longer eat due to food intolerance, well, a handful of these will certainly do in a pinch.
Are they the best gluten-free cracker out there? No. Hardly. Far from it. But they are surprisingly good. Would I buy them again? Eh…maybe. But I have certainly tasted better gluten-free cheese crackers. But these definitely fit a bit better into the budget.
All-in-all…enjoyable, smart, cheese snacking…for a budget. If you’re looking for snack greatness…these crackers aren’t for you.
The Celiathlete 