Time:
Formula O2 Natural Recovery Orange Mango- 2:40
Daiya Fire-Roasted Vegetable Pizza- 555:30 & 5:14
Formula O2 Natural Recovery Grapefruit Ginger- 15:20
Jackfruit Co- Sesame Ginger- 17:18
Sweet Earth- Chipotle Style Seitan: 19:00
Gardein- Crabless Crab Caked: 21:00
Gardein- Sweet and Tangy BBQ Wings: 22:50
So Delicious- Blueberry Coconut Milk Yogurt: 27:00
So Delicious- Chocolate Yogurt: 28:40
Kite Hill- Truffle Dill Chive: 30:00
Field Roast- Chao- Tomato Cayenne: 33:20
Go Veggie- cheese: 36:01
Bee Free Honee: 36:30
Belvas- 82% Dark chocolate with almonds: 40:20
As mentioned in my review of Gardein BBQ wings- they make quality vegan meat replacement products. Again, hard core vegans and vegetarians do not eat meat replacement products on a daily basis. These are a great resource for those in transition to a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle, hereinafter referred to as a “plant based diet”. While we are on the topic- please note that I am not a vegan or vegetarian. I do follow a high carb/low-fat diet and generally only consume meat once a week.
I was honestly a little scared of this one. Seafood is not something easily duplicated and often a miss for companies…
Taste/Texture: I followed the recommended cooking instructions and browned the cakes on both sides (and even tried to get the sides) in a pan with a little oil. The outside of the cake took on a golden brown with a wonderful crunch. However, the inside as I feared, was a different story. The texture and seasoning/overall taste were off. When I opened the bag and took a whiff the uncooked cake smelled promising; there was a faint fish/crab smell. Cooked, they did not have a crab flavor at all. I could mainly taste the bell peppers and garlic. The filling was a little mushy. Overall, if you are looking for a solid replacement for crab cakes I can’t recommend these. They could be a potential addition to meatless Monday but this would not be my first choice.
Price: Â @4.99 per bag- meat replacements can get expensive in a hurry for the amount of food you get. Your budget would really be the determining factor in purchasing said products. $3-10 seem to be the average for items, so this falls within the range.
Availability: I found this at Whole Foods and have seen it in stores like Publix before. I have noticed that these may be harder to come by in areas where there isn’t a large demand (as one would expect). Most grocery stores are more than willing to stock an item for you and continue to purchase said item(s) so long as they don’t sit on the shelves. Gardein must understand this problem because on their site they have a “Where to buy” search engine: https://gardein.com/products/ There is also a great PDF linked to the search results that prints out all the products they offer and letter to a store manager, requesting whatever items selected be ordered: https://gardein.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Web-Product-Request_US_Feb2016.pdf
Overall: It pains me to write this because I love Gardein as a company and their products have never failed me before…. But I can’t recommend their Crabless cakes. I would have to give them a 7.5/10. The crunch/coating was the best part and their only saving grace in my opinion. This has the potential to turn off those transitioning to a plant-based diet. If you were feeling adventurous and had some cash to burn then give them a try. Taste is very subjective, but others online seem to agree with me on this one. You have been warned!
This review is not sponsored in any way. The opinions expressed belong solely to the writer. I went to Whole Foods and picked up everything you see in the cart below.
Gardein Mini Crabless Cakes
Pros
- Crunchy coating crisped up nicely.
- Quick meatless option/substitution.
Cons
- Not what one would expect a crab cake to taste like.
- Not passable for meat-eaters.
- Has potential to turn off transitioning meat-eaters from plant-based lifestyle.