CrispRoot Cassava Root Chips Are A Great Gluten-Free Snack Alternative

8/17/2013

***Disclosure: I received complimentary samples to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided and all opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***

In my house, I am known as the "Junk Food Nazi." No, really...I am. I don't buy foods that are loaded with tons of sugars, and I get upset when my chocoholic husband sneaks boxes of snack foods into the house. I don't even allow chips, except for the rare occasion when I use tortilla chips for taco salad. I try and keep my family on the right track when it comes to healthy eating habits, and I tend to get a lot of teasing for it.

So when I learned about CrispRoot Cassava Root Chips, I was pretty intrigued. I had never heard of these before, and was definitely interested in seeing what all the hype was about. I did a little research about Cassava Roots, and found that they're primarily a source of carbs but are not a significant source of protein. CrispRoot chips are also high in fiber and contain 30% less fat than traditional potato chips. They're also gluten-free, which is great for those on gluten-restricted diets. Here's a bit more info about CrispRoot Cassava Root Chips:

About CrispRoot Cassava Root Chips :

CrispRoot Chips ™ are made from the roots of the Cassava shrub (manihoc esculenta) that is native to South America but is cultivated all over Asia, South America, and Africa. Cassava (also known as tapioca, manioc and yuca) grows in arid conditions all year round, and needs very little water for cultivation. This makes it the perfect drought-tolerant crop the world over, especially in sub-Saharan regions of Africa and rocky, mountainous landscapes in South America.

Cassava root is the primary energy source for 800 million people all over the planet, and there are wonderful efforts going on right now to teach even more communities how to grow and harvest cassava.

Our Review of CrispRoot Cassava Root Chips :

We received an assortment of CrispRoot chips to sample for ourselves. The flavors we received were Original, Sea Salt, Thai Ginger, and BBQ Bliss. Visually, these look very similar to potato chips, but are not uniformly round like a potato would be. So the shape is slightly different, but that's the only real visible difference.

Honestly, these chips had great flavor. I loved the BBQ Bliss and the Thai Ginger the best. We all felt that the Sea Salt variety were lacking salt, and the Original were a bit on the bland side. So these would definitely be best for dipping, or for those on a reduced sodium diet. The flavor of the cassava root itself is very mild and almost starchy, similar to that of a potato.

The texture of the chips is very unique. They're crispy, but don't feel like a potato chip. There is something textural that I just can't place....It's not a bad difference, though. Just very different. They are also sturdier than a typical potato chip. They won't break when being submerged into dips like Hummus, French Onion, etc. the way a normal chip might. (And don't you hate when that happens?!)

My youngest kids really liked the CrispRoot chips, and couldn't really place the difference. They dipped the Original Chips and Sea Salt Chips in a French Onion Dip, and they happily snacked away. My teen, husband and I liked the more bold flavors of the Thai Ginger and BBQ Bliss. My husband even took some to work to snack on throughout the day. These are definitely a fun snack, and more eco-friendly than normal chips, as they require a lot less resources to cultivate. I would say they're definitely worth trying, especially if someone in your home requires a gluten-free diet.