Gardein has a ton of vegan products, so I tried these seven-grain crispy tenders next. Similar to the Gardein fishless filets, I probably would have liked these more if I was blindfolded. They tasted good, but the seeing the squishy texture of faux meat was too distracting for me.
These were much smaller than I expected, about half the size of their fishless filets. But this is a good thing in my opinion, because it helps the texture. I prefer most faux meat to be small and thin in order to have a higher breading to meat ratio and keep the texture as crispy as possible. I think that's why the Boca chick'n patties are still my favorite plant-based chicken alternative.
Speaking of the breading, I didn't realize these where seven grain when I bought them. It surprised me at first, and you can see some oats and seeds in the breading. It reminded me of seven-grain bread with the seeds pressed into the top. But it still tasted like regular breading, and I didn't notice a difference in the breading texture. It was still crispy and crunchy.
Gardein Seven-Grain Crispy Tenders ingredients: Water, Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid). Soy Protein Isolate, Canola Oil, Vital Wheat Gluten, Rice Flour, Ancient Grain Flour (Khorasan Wheat, Amaranth, Millet, Quinoa), Methylcellulose, Oat Bran, Oats, Yeast Extract, Salt, Organic Yeast Extract, Sea Salt, Potato Starch, Organic Distilled Vinegar, Organic Cane Sugar, Sugar, Natural Flavors, Soybean Oil, Spices, Yeast, Color Added. Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream Of Tartar). Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Organic Soy Sauce Powder, Extractive of Paprika (Color). Pea Protein, Turmeric Extractives
Review: Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Tenders
Taste: These tasted pretty good. I would give them a 5 for flavor but 3 for texture.
Texture: The outside is crunchy but the inside is a little too mushy for me. It helps that they're smaller pieces though, compared to the Gardein fishless filets which were too big in my opinion.
Can you tell it's vegan? Yes, like most faux meat, the texture gives it away.
Better than other vegan versions? I liked the Boca chick'n nuggets more.
Worth buying again? I would eat them again if someone else was serving them, but probably wouldn't buy them again on my own.
Overall: 4 out of 5
It seems that Beyond Burgers have spoiled me and my expectations were too high when I tried Gardein Fishless Filets. Too be fair, it's easier to imitate the texture of ground beef than fish.
These were not bad, but the texture was too obviously processed. They would probably be better in tacos than by themselves. I think I would have also liked them more if I tried them blindfolded, because I was too distracted by how the texture looked on the inside.
These might be ok for people who are less texture sensitive, or people who are used to eating faux meat and not expecting the texture to be like real fish. But for people who are not fully vegan and trying to choose more vegan options, this is not what I would recommend.
Gardein Fishless Filet ingredients: Water, Canola Oil, Textured Vegetable Protein Product (Soy Protein Concentrate, Color Added), Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Tapioca Starch, Potato Starch, Methylcellulose, Yeast Extract, Degerminated Yellow Corn Flour, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Salt, Wheat Gluten, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Paprika, Soy Flour, DHA Algal Oil, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Spice, Sugar, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Spices, Turmeric. Turmeric Extractives.
Review: Gardein Golden Fishless Filets
First impressions: They smell more like fish than I thought they would, and the breading looks good. But when I cut one in half, the inside looked more like processed chicken nuggets.
Taste: It tastes better than I expected, and it does taste more like fish than chicken.
Texture: The outside crunch is good but the inside is too mushy and not flaky. It might be better if it was thinner.
Can you tell it's vegan? Yes, the texture gives it away.
Better than other vegan versions? I haven't tried any other vegan fish yet.
Worth buying again? I probably won't buy these again.
Overall: 3 out of 5.
