I don’t know what’s come over me, but lately I am a lean, mean granola eatin’ machine. It started out slow — a batch of granola here, some quinoa granola there. All of a sudden, my addiction became part of me. I needed more granola.
Praise God — when Udi’s Gluten Free Foods contacted me about a review of their gluten free granola, I was all over it. Their granola comes in four different flavors:
- Gluten Free Au Natural
- Gluten Free Cranberry Granola
- Gluten Free Original Granola
- Gluten Free Vanilla Granola
I was asked to choose the two flavors I wanted to try the most — which was really hard for a granola loving fool like myself. To say that I took this decision lightly would be a lie — I weighed my options like you would not believe.
I eventually chose the Original and Vanilla varieties and impatiently awaited the arrival of my granola. Udi’s products have a 180 day shelf life, so they send their packages with ground shipping. Even with ground shipping, my package arrived in four days. Talk about a speedy delivery!
First things first — the packaging is awesome. It is brightly colored, easy to read, and just looks clean and simple. I thoroughly dislike when packaging takes away from a product, but Udi’s packaging enhanced the look of the product so nicely.
The stats also are great for granola! I don’t like when there is too much added sugar in products, and both of the granolas only have seven grams per serving. Both of these products do use honey in them though — so if you are on a strict vegan diet, they are not for you. Luckily for me, my veganism is because my body hates dairy — bring on the granola!
Before I begin to tell you about the granola, I can assure you the packages of granola do not come half empty as I have photographed them. I was waiting for the best possible light (read: when I’m home on Saturday), and if you think I have enough self control to leave two bags of granola untouched for four days, you’re so wrong.
Up first — Gluten Free Original Granola
This granola has so much texture. There are raisins — which gives it a little chew. There are cashews (!!!!) — which gives it some crunch. There are also banana chips (read:love) — which give a crunchy sweetness.
This flavor doesn’t have a distinct “flavor” as it is straight up granola. There is some sugar in the ingredient list, as well as coconut oil, which holds all the flavors together.
I was a little disappointed that there were no clusters in this granola. I’m a cluster kind of girl. I may or may not have been found on my kitchen floor before shaking bags of granola to find clusters. However, that’s another story for another day. You can only imagine my disappointment when I didn’t find any in this granola. Overall, I give this granola a 7 out of 10.
Next up is the Gluten Free Vanilla Granola.
I don’t know when I became such a big vanilla lover (as my whole life has revolved around chocolate) but I look forward to vanilla flavored treats like I look forward to June 1st every year. My aunt knows better than to not come home from Mexico with a huge bottle of vanilla extract for me for this reason alone.
I was pleasantly surprised to find chunks of almonds in this granola. The vanilla flavor is very prominent, but in almost a “alcohol” kind of way. It tastes like there is a little too much vanilla extract — it could definitely use some more vanilla bean flavoring. There is also no chunks in this granola, which again, I was heartbroken about. Overall, I give this granola a 7 out of 10 as well.
After trying Udi’s Gluten Free Granola, I more than likely would buy it if I were to see it on store shelves. It is so difficult for me to find gluten free granolas with a decent price tag, and I know I can find this granola at my local Whole Foods.
Udi’s also has many other gluten free products, including breads and muffins — perfect for a gluten free individual looking for convenience.
Currently I’m counting down the minutes until my night time snack so I can bust some of this granola out and douse it in almond milk.
Mama’s gotta get her fix.
Question: Have you ever tried any of Udi’s products before? OR What is your favorite granola?
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