I wasn’t a huge fan of Trader Joe’s previous go at rice crackers — the mochi nuggets. They were too plain for me. But I thought these Sweet and Salty Umami Crunchies might have some potential. The thing is, while the texture is good, they’re airier/puffier than the nuggets, they lean more toward the sweet side and are almost like cereal.
For me, they’re still too light on flavor. But I grew up eating Umeya Rice Crackers (RIP) and you definitely got a stronger shoyu and sugar flavor on their teriyaki twists. The biggest thing though is you can taste the oil on Trader Joe’s Umami Crunchies. It’s the second ingredient listed, but I didn’t expect to be able to tell. You can definitely tell. With 9g of fat in a 1 oz serving (about 24 crackers), I’d rather just eat chips.
If the oilyness doesn’t bother you, these might be good mixed in with something more savory like popcorn for a riff on hurricane popcorn, but these aren’t my favorite. I’m actually debating whether or not to return them. So obviously, no I wouldn’t buy them again.
Check out some other We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s:
Ube Mochi Donuts (from Ube Pancake & Waffle Mix)
Yuzu Ripple Non-Dairy Ice Cream