Product Review: Blue Diamond Almond Nut Thins

Blue Diamond Nut Thins – Boxes

I have a cache of product reviews I want to complete for this website. Oodles, even.  Some of these products are simply nutritional powerhouses on their own and some products are awesome because they are a much healthier alternative to something that is downright bad for you. I’ve been sitting here munching on a snack of Blue Diamond Nut Thins trying to pick what product to review next, and I thought . . .

Well, I guess you already know what I thought.

Blue Diamond Nut Thins are such a core snack resource in our house that it almost seems unfair to judge them, like a live-in distant relative.  In our early days of trying to both reduce gluten and raise nutritional value, I stumbled upon these Almond Nut Thins at our local Wegmans.  We needed something–anything–to replace that little pop of gluten that might provide a firm foundation for a little cheese, or even just a quick substitute for potato chips.  First came the plain flavor (listed simply as Nut and Rice Cracker Snacks).  They offered simple ingredients: rice flour, almonds, potato starch, salt and safflower oil.  Perfect.  A short list of ingredients is like a well-written letter.  And they taste just as pure.  A perfect cross between a Saltine and (believe it or not) a tortilla chip.  They have a fantastic snap when you bite into them that gives whatever you put on top a nice crunchy balance and mouthfeel.

Blue Diamond Nut Thins – Crackers

We tried the Country Ranch and Cheddar flavors shortly thereafter.  And here is where you find them stepping up to the healthy alternative plate.  Both are delicious–the Ranch taste like ranch flavored potato chips, and the Cheddar taste similar to Nacho Cheese Doritos–but they are both free of the harmful polysyllabic additives which no one but a chemical engineer can properly pronounce.  They are not without additives but the list is much more abbreviated and healthier than their traditional counterparts.

These crackers are gluten-free and have a nice amount of protein at 3 grams per 30 gram serving size (approx. 16 crackers). But this is where they strike a home run – they are much, much lower in total fat than their chip or cracker counterparts.  None of the three flavors contain trans fats and only the cheddar flavor contains 1/2 gram of saturated fat per serving.

We buy multiple boxes of multiple flavors of these crackers.  In addition to making a great snack I like to use them in place of toast with scrambled eggs – it’s a nice change of pace.  At $2.99 per box, they are reasonably priced (have you noticed how much it cost to buy a large bag of the aforementioned Doritos?) and they last us longer if we pair them up with a little something on top.  A few months ago, our local Wegmans stopped carrying the Cheddar variety (note to self: contact Wegmans manager).  We have resorted to making a special point of picking them up at our Whole Foods for a dollar more a box.  If that isn’t a statement on how wonderful these treats are, I’m not sure what else is.

Highly recommended.  And highly consumed.  Come back soon for more reviews and recipes!

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Blue Diamond Nut Thins – Crackers Served