These trendy snacks make it easy to reach protein goals (2024)

I don’t profess myself to be some sort of elite food critic, but if the opportunity to test out some grub and write about it arises, I'm going to prepare my palate and get after it.

Enter Chomps (available at Chomps) , the new kid on the beef stick block. This brand is focused on high-protein snacks with an intriguing collection of flavors, which I sampled a variety of.

While not all the flavors are what they’re cracked up to be, for the most part, these are simple, nutritious snacks that have some tasty on-the-go options to keep your nutrition goals on track.

About Chomps

Chomps is a brand of high-protein meat sticks that are designed to be a healthier packaged option compared to snacks like chips or cookies.

The brand started as a small, family-owned business that saw an opportunity in the snacking world. According to Chomps, people have a desire to make healthy choices, but they aren’t sure what’s actually good for them or not.

The solution was to develop simple snacks made with 9-10 grams of protein and zero sugar or additional fillers. And since Chomps' products are also low-carb, keto-approved, and allergy-friendly, the simple snack fits conveniently into many different diets and eating habits.

How I tested Chomps

At the risk of delivering a too-obvious answer: I ate them.

Chomps sent over a trial pack, which featured six Chomps varieties: Original Beef, Italian Style Beef, Pepperoni Turkey, Original Turkey, and . I also got a pack of Original Beef sticks and Taco Seasoned Beef sticks to round out the bunch.

With samples in hand, I got to chomping, trying each flavor and making detailed observations. I took note of the taste, quality, and general pros and cons of these meat sticks.

Look, this job wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t for the faint of heart. But somebody’s gotta do it, right?

What we like

They’re an excellent alternative to junk food

Having Chomps in the house quickly—and drastically—changed my snacking game. My typical post-work routine was to head home, take the dogs out, and proceed to raid our cupboards for whatever sounded good at the moment. Chips and salsa, chocolate chip cookies, even a spoonful or two of ice cream from time to time.

In other words, nothing nutritious, and everything gluttonous. But as soon as those meat sticks found their way onto my shelves, I found myself choosing Chomps almost every single time. And the choice was simple, really. They’re impressively low in calories (90 calories, depending on the stick) and packed with protein (and not much else).

And while these aren’t a super-filling snack, most times when I opted for a Chomps stick, I didn't have the desire to go back and rifle through our food supplies to find something else. At an almost subconscious level, Chomps streamlined my snacking habits.

They’re a great source of nutrition, especially on the go

I mentioned it a couple of times before, but it’s worth talking about at least once more.

At between 9-10 grams of protein, Chomps sticks represent an outrageously simple way to add some extra protein to your diet. On top of that, they’re a very mobile snack: You can grab one as you’re headed out the door, peel the packaging, and fill up on protein before your next destination.

It became part of my partner’s daily routine to grab a Chomps stick before she left for work, relying on a snack that would be filling enough to hold her over until lunch. For her, the simplicity of taking sticks on the go made a world of difference, since she doesn’t usually have time to prepare a healthy snack before work.

There are some seriously tasty flavors

Chomps Original Beef sticks are just about what you’d expect them to be: Somewhat flavorful, but more of a purposeful, utilitarian way to scarf down healthier calories. That’s what I anticipated them to be.

What I wasn’t expecting, though, was for the variety pack to be filled with such interesting flavors that I didn’t even know could be condensed into a single stick.

After sampling everything sent to me, I gravitated towards the Jalapeño Beef for a little extra kick, the Italian Style Beef for its hearty, delicious flavor, and the Salt & Pepper Venison or Taco for when I was craving something a little outside the norm.

My only beef (ha!) is that flavors like Italian Style Beef and Salt & Pepper Venison aren’t available at our local Trader Joe’s, where the more basic flavors are. Still, I continue to stock up on Jalapeño Beef when I can, because its combination of taste and nutrition is worth scoping out.

What we don't like

Turkey missed the mark (for me)

I don’t want to harp on any one Chomps flavor for being particularly bad-tasting, mainly because taste is entirely subjective. You might love a flavor that I wasn’t a fan of, and I might despise your favorite thing on the menu. That’s how the cookie crumbles.

For me, though, the Original Turkey Chomps stick just didn’t bring a ton to the table in terms of flavor. It’s purposeful like the Original Beef stick in that way, but it tastes a bit more bland.

You kind of have to buy in bulk

This is less of a con than it is a PSA, but for a family to get value out of Chomps, you shouldn't buy them by-the-stick at a supermarket. Heck, even for a household of two (like ours), buying five individual Chomps lasted us about two or three days before we were fresh out.

To make your Chomps investment last for any meaningful amount of time, you’ll need to buy in bulk from retailers like Walmart or Amazon.

It’s a relatively reasonable cost depending on where you buy them, but it’s really about the quantity. Once you realize what you’re dealing with in terms of snacks, these sticks won’t last long in your home.

Should you order Chomps?

Yes—they might be the future of snacks

That’s quite a lofty statement, but there’s some merit to it. With its assortment of sticks, Chomps has hit a proverbial sweet spot in the snacking world.

It’s a simple treat that's packed with real nutritional benefits. And there are a variety of different tastes that are, in general, palatable on a large scale.

I keep thinking about how easy it was for me to snack on a Chomps stick instead of scarfing down an endless amount of tortilla chips. A simple act like that really made a hundreds-of-calories difference in my daily diet.

I’m no nutritionist, but I know I’m not alone in my snacking problems. And it really seems that something like Chomps can serve as a healthier alternative for folks facing similar snacking woes.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.