Smart for Life Edamame Protein Puffs, 3 lb Box, 53 Servings, Protein Snack

Okay, the name makes these "gems" sound unappetizing and when my daughter recommended I try them, my first response was to say "No thanks!". She was persistent and brought me some to try. On their own, they are dry, and really don't have a taste, but placed on top of yogurt and fruit - delicious! On top of my chia pudding breakfast - delicious! On top of my frozen yogurt with fruit - delicious! Anytime you want a little added crunch that is full of protein and no sugar, these work perfectly. Healthy, easy to add to dishes, and add a crunchy texture.

These are amazing, crunchy things! I use half a serving at night on top of my low fat ice cream or pudding with PB2. They have a great crunch. Would also be great on top of a salad. They don’t have any flavor so you can go sweet or savory or anything else. No fat, good protein, practically no carbs. I don’t eat soy protein as any other supplement so I feel like this is a perfect addition to my high protein diet.

I really enjoy these puffs and highly recommend them. I mainly eat them at the end of the day when I realize that I haven't met my protein goal for the day and want something light. They are unsweetened so I enjoy them with fresh or dehydrated berries and almond or soy milk. As others have mentioned, they are bland but that's a good thing because it leaves your possibilities limitless (like tofu). I usually mix them with another high protein cereal (like Premier Proteins) and add a touch of monk fruit (stevia, erythritol, etc would work as well). Other reviewers are correct that they are tiny, but who cares when you're getting the amazing benefit of 20g protein per 100 calories in a single ingredient, healthful food? They have no smell, are not bitter and my family has had no upset stomach from them. I've also blended them with another cereal to make vegan rice krispy treats (although you could use marshmallows made from rendered animal parts if you prefer.)

Updated review 2/7/24: These were unavailable for a few months. I didn’t realize how much I rely on them for hitting my protein macro marks every day and had to ration what I had left, and checked every single day for random sellers who would have some. When they came back I bought 8 bags. I didn’t have space to store 8 bags in my kitchen but I made space. Things I still stand by: -they still smell a bit fishy right out of the bag, but not when I’m actually eating them. -still wish there were smaller bags but since I use them so regularly I know I will use up the bag eventually. -their price is the same which kinda sucks cause I wish they were cheaper but also I’m glad they didn’t raise it so kinda neutral Good thing worth updating about, they stayed crisp this time around! They’re fairly neutral in a smoothie or added to protein oats, and I crave that crunch now. Buuuut I did add them to a bowl of cheerios and don’t recommend that, it did end up giving them kind of a sandy texture and made them a bit less tasty. Not in an unpalatable way, but in a “I’d rather just eat this in a smoothie or oats and just fully enjoy my bowl of Cheerios” kind of way. Please keep making these! Seriously helps with my vegan gains OG Review: I mean…. Is there a reason you have to buy a gigantic bag of these? I wish it came in a smaller size, like a small cereal box amount or something. Especially because it smells like cat food, so I wish I didn’t have such a large bag of it throwing out that scent every time I open it. Plus, my airtight containers can’t keep these crisp for a super long period of time. So, smaller size would be amazing. As for the product itself, as I said, smells like cat food. If you can get over that and throw it into something quickly enough without smelling it, it then becomes just a flavorless crunch when folded into smoothies. My fave has been adding to my chocolate protein smoothies because it reminds me of cocoa krispies in cereal milk. Value-wise, I feel it’s a bit pricey. I still don’t know if I’ll buy another bag because it might just be cheaper and easier to just eat some tofu instead of these. So, that’s why I gave it 3 stars. Don’t know if I’ll buy again - don’t hate them, don’t love them, and not cheap enough to shrug and deal with the “cons”…

These are fantastic clean, high protein, high fiber crispy plant-based snack. I’ve made vegan crispy desserts with them, and it’s great on yogurt in place of high calorie granola.

I love making my own cereal from oats, nuts, fruit, and zero calorie sweetener. The only problem I had was that this breakfast wasn't very high in protein, although quite satiating for the calories. I was searching for a solution when I came across these. I have never left a review in my life but I decided I'd write one for these because I love this stuff. Here are some notes if you are considering buying. 1. The macros are awesome. 20 grams of protein per 100 calories makes this easy to fit into whatever your macro goals are. 2. Flavor is fairly neutral and a little earthy. This isn't a pro or a con but might be helpful to know. I prefer this because I can flavor it however I like. Personally I use erythritol to sweeten, and I like adding cinnamon and maple extract to my cereals. 3. Crunchy; similar to puffed rice but takes more time to break down. Doesn't leave any residue feeling in my mouth (like some high protein cereals might). 4. By volume, 25 grams is approximately 2/3 cup.

These puffs are so great! High in protein and shelf stable! I put them on salads, in soups, I even added them to my ice cream so I could add more protein for the day. I put a small amount in a bag in my purse for when I go out to eat, in case I need to add protein to a dish. Since I’m vegan, sometimes the only vegan option on menus is a soup or salad, and these puffs give me the ability to add my own protein to make it a balanced meal. They add a nice crunch, a bit heartier than rice krispies.

I bought this thinking it was a great high-protein vegan snack. The label says 20 grams of protein per serving, so I assumed it was complete and high quality, especially given the fact that it says the 20g meets 34% protein requirements (PDCAAS requirements apply). I was wrong. After looking closer at the company’s self-reported amino acid breakdown, the numbers are way off of what I would call a “complete protein”. Leucine is only 52 mg, lysine is 40 mg, methionine is 10 mg. For a real 20g serving of complete protein, those should be in the hundreds or even over a thousand milligrams. This means the protein isn’t complete, and most of it probably isn’t being used by my body the way I thought it was. Regular edamame has much more balanced amino acids compared to this, so I’m not sure what is up. I feel like I wasted time eating this regularly, thinking it was helping me recover and build muscle. It’s really frustrating to find out the product does have high protein, but it’s trash protein without a balanced amino acid profile. I feel bad now that the amino acids were listed this whole time, and it was just that we the buyers were simply expected to understand this misleading information. That’s not right. Until or unless that is cleared up (maybe they can re-test and demonstrate complete amino acid profiles), I won’t be buying this again, and I hope the company rethinks how it markets this. I would venture to suggest claiming 34% of daily protein requirements is grounds for a class-action lawsuit. For visibility, I’ve added a chart showing the amino acids from whey protein isolate (considered the gold-standard among weightlifters), and soy protein isolate (considered very good). I thought this product would be similar, but see the orange bar charts. It’s pretty bad!