EV’s Take: A vegan Buffalo chicken wing you should skip on game day
Words can’t express how much my husband and I disliked Field Roast’s vegan Buffalo wings, which is a shame because I’m normally a fan of Field Roast’s products. I was looking forward to trying these vegan wings based on the product photo on the packaging. The sauce is a nice deep red color and looks like it will bring deliciously intense flavors, while the chicken looks crisp and delicious! Unfortunately, their wings tasted and looked more like sausage in terms of both texture and flavor. I think they’re trying to emulate flats with this product, which is why it gives the sensation of eating sausage rounds.
Everything about this product was just annoying. The taste, the texture, and the fact that the sauce was so vinegary it singed our noses.
Regardless, you cook the wings by sautéing them in a hot skillet. To their credit, the wings do get pretty crispy in the skillet. I did like the crispy exterior. However, you need to be careful not to let the skillet get too hot, or else when you add the sauce, you’ll be bathed in a cloud of vinegar steam. This happens even after removing the skillet from the heat, so if you’re worried about your pan being too hot, it’s best to let it cool down a few minutes before adding the sauce.
I was worried about how this would taste when it was easy to see that it would be an exceptionally sharp, acerbic sauce while cooking. And I was right. We took one bite and didn’t even want to finish them. It had a texture almost the same as Field Roast’s plant-based sausages, and the sauce was so sharp that it wasn’t an enjoyable experience.
Overall, I think there are way better vegan Buffalo wing products out there, like Gardein, Daring, and Jack & Annie’s, so I recommend skipping Field Roast if you see them at your local grocer.
Field Roast Buffalo Style Wings Ingredients
Field Roast uses Vital Wheat Gluten (seitan) as its primary protein source. While the ingredient list is quite long, it’s mostly spices and flavoring. They do use palm oil in this product, though as we learned from our Field Roast Cranberry & Hazelnut Roast review, they are committed to using sustainably sourced palm oil.
Here’s what’s in Field Roast’s Buffalo Style Wings:
Wings (Filtered Water, Vital Wheat Gluten, Expeller Pressed Safflower Oil, Unsulfured Dried Apples, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Yeast Extract [Yeast, Salt], Onion Powder, Barley Malt Extract, Garlic, Spices, Sea Salt, Yeast, Rubbed Sage, Natural Smoke Flavor), Batter Coating (Rice Flour, Wheat Flour, Modified Potato Starch, Dextrin, Dehydrated Onion, Cane Sugar, Sea Salt, Leavening [Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate], Canola Oil, Fructose), Buffalo Sauce (Cayenne Pepper Sauce [Aged Red Cayenne Pepper, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Garlic Powder], Oil Blend [Palm, Canola And Olive Oil], Water, Salt, Contains 2% Or Less Of Annatto Extract [Color], Lactic Acid [To Preserve Freshness], Natural Flavor, Sunflower Lecithin). Partially Fried In Expeller Pressed Canola Oil. Contains: Wheat.
Field Roast Buffalo Style Wings Nutrition
| Serving Size | 7 wings (85g) |
| Calories | 270 |
| Total Fat | 15g |
| Saturated Fat | 1g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Sodium | 430mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 23g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1g |
| Total Sugars | 6g |
| Protein | 11g |
I don’t think Field Roast’s nutrition is alarming. We’ll compare it to Daring’s Buffalo Plant Chicken Wings because they have the same serving size (85g). Field Roast has 100 more calories, 7 grams more fat, and 330 fewer milligrams of sodium. The carbohydrates and sugar are within a few grams of each other. Daring does offer 3 grams more fiber per serving but has 2 grams less protein per serving.
Ultimately, with this product, I’m not deciding based on nutrition. I just didn’t like the product, which was enough reason not to eat it. That said, I appreciate that Field Roast has so much less sodium per serving, as that tends to be a sticky point for me with many frozen entrées.
How to Cook Field Roast Buffalo Style Wings
You can pan-fry these wings on the stovetop or bake them in the oven. Field Roast recommends cooking them in a skillet on the stove.
- Stovetop: Defrost the sauce packet in a bowl of warm water. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the frozen wings and cook for about 5 minutes until they brown. Remove from the heat and add the thawed sauce. Stir to coat until the sauce is warmed through.
- Oven: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Arrange the wings on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven for 15 minutes. Place the contents of the sauce packet in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute until heated through. Alternatively, you can cook the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat until it bubbles. Pour the heated sauce in a bowl and add the baked wings. Toss to coat.
How did EV eat Field Roast Buffalo Style Wings?
We followed the stovetop method. Unfortunately, we could not eat all of these wings, so we each tried two and then had to throw the rest away.
Where can I buy Field Roast Buffalo Style Wings?
You really want to try them? Are you sure about that? Okay, you do you! You can buy Field Roast Buffalo Style Wings on Amazon. You can use Field Roast’s store locator to find a store near you.
What do you think?
Have you tried Field Roast’s vegan Buffalo Style Wings? After reading our review, will you add them to your plant-based game day snack table or skip them? Have another vegan Super Bowl snack you love? Let us know in the comments!
