Despite eye catching packaging, Trader Joe’s Papadum Crisps are really just papadum-inspired.
Would they have been better off just calling them lentil and chickpea crisps instead of trying to claim papadum? I think so.
Because here’s the deal. Invoking “papadum” sets up certain expectations. Texture-wise, these are almost like Pringles…like formed into a chip/crisp shape, and they don’t quite live up to a papadum promise.
Because if you’ve had papadums at your local Indian restaurant or at home, they’re super thin and crisp and flavorful. And if you don’t move fast enough the edges can curl up when you fry them. I usually get the ones with cumin seeds, but my local Indian market has a few flavor options. I’d rather just fry up the real deal, because it takes literally seconds as you can see in the video below.
So, say we set aside the comparison with legit papadums. Let’s just take these as lentil and chickpea crisps. Well, they’re ok. Nothing amazing. Not a ton of flavor, not even salt. And maybe that’s because they’re setting you up to have them with various dips. The back of the bag mentions tzatziki and hummus. But still.
It’s nice to have a vegan, gluten-free options, but I think even in those cases you can do better. There are a lot of lentil crisps/chips out there.
Will I buy Trader Joe’s Papadum Crisps again? Nah.
Check out some other We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s: