Beany Bacon Bits by Cool Foods ~ a Review

Bean-Based Bacon Bits

avo-bacon-toast in the making

Have you seen these new Hickory Style Veggie Bacon Bits from Cool Foods? They are made of dried pinto beans and bacony seasonings!  I love bacon bits, so when they offered to send me some for review, I was quite enthusiastic. Well, I plowed straight through both baggies they sent me, and have already ordered a few more baggies to keep my pantry stocked. So... I guess you could infer that I really liked them! ha ha.

bacon bits on avocado toast

Recipe: one good piece of toast, lots of yummy avocado, squeeze of fresh lime juice, spoonful of bacon bits = happy times are here at last.


I really love the ingredients list on these bacon bits: "Pinto Beans, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Enzymes." So simple! I'm not a super snoot about "pure food" and stuff like that, but I am mindful of the times when I eat more-processed or less-processed foods. I really appreciate that these bacon bits deliver all the joy a bacon bit can deliver, but are also quite straightforward and even virtuous. Also, 4 teaspoons of bacon bits are just 27 calories, which is great.

Plus, they are perfectly crunchy. The package says that the beans are "air-dried," which must be how they get such a great crunchiness out of the beans. The flavor is smoky and delicious, and is more complex than just a bunch of liquid smoke. There is the tiniest bit of bean flavor, but not at all in a bad way. It adds to the overall flavor experience. They are also sugar-free, soy-free, and gluten-free

nom nom nom

Truth be told, I ate most most of these straight out of the bag whenever I wanted a little nibble. But once I discovered how good they were on avocado toast, then I really went nuts and ran out super quickly.

bacony bits on kale salad

These veggie bacon bits are also really great on salads - their smokiness and crunchiness both add a lot! I made a few kale salads with tomato and avocado and then liberally sprinkled on the bacon bits. Such a great combo!! Basically a super easy BLT-inspired salad. I think they'd probably make a pretty good BLT actually. Maybe I'll try that next, if I can stop myself from eating my latest installment all straight out of the bag.

On their website, these 3oz baggies are $3.99 each, which I think is a pretty good deal. I can definitely tell you that I liked these a lot because I was super sad when I ran out of the bags they sent me, and I've already bought 3 more for myself. It's one thing to rave about something that you recieved for review, but it's a whole 'nother thing to go running to Google to replace it when you run out. Ha ha.

Let me know if you try them, and tell me what you think!


i really love drawing animated beans.
they're just so funny