EV’s Take: Spicy Buffalo Flavor on a Crisp Vegan Wing
I love Buffalo anything. Give me all the Frank’s RedHot; I’m a happy camper. When I reviewed Jack & Annie’s Buffalo Jack Nuggets, we felt they might have gone a little light on the Buffalo flavor. Not so with Gardein’s Ultimate Plant-Based Buffalo Chick’n Wings! During our review, we were happy to learn that these puppies are LOADED with perfect Buffalo flavor. If you like saucy nugs, these are for you. The sauce has that nice tangy Buffalo sauce flavor, but it’s smooth and velvety, so it perfectly coats Gardein’s vegan wings. It’s spicy but not overpowering, and the texture is also perfect.
Our only complaint is with the nugget itself. The sauce’s flavor and the wing’s texture were spot-on, but the nugget had some spice that didn’t sit well with us. We don’t know exactly what it was, but it competed with the sauce’s flavor and left a bad taste in our mouths. It was just a subtle but bitter funkiness that gave us both a little bit of an ick. Other reviewers called it a “lingering strange taste” (we agree) and a “synthetic taste” (also not that far off). I don’t know if it’s synthetic, but there was certainly an odd bitterness, albeit mostly covered up by the sauce’s flavor. It was only enough to dock the score down by half a point or so because, aside from that, these are great vegan Buffalo wings. I’d happily serve these to guests for the Super Bowl, and I’d be happy to receive these as a vegan option at a game day party!
Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Buffalo Chick’n Wings Ingredients
The ingredient list is long, but most are spices and binders. Gardein uses vital wheat gluten (seitan), soy protein, and pea protein to deliver 17 grams of protein per serving for their vegan Buffalo wings. I do prefer the shorter “easier to read” list from Jack & Annies, but I do love that Gardein comes with a sauce. Pick your poison, I guess! Maybe I just need to make Jack & Annie’s Buffalo wings with Gardein’s Buffalo sauce.
Here’s what’s the Gardein’s Plant-Based Buffalo Chick’n Wings:
Water, Buffalo Style Hot Sauce (Red Cayenne Pepper, Distilled Vinegar, Water, Salt, Garlic), Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Canola Oil, Vital Wheat Gluten, Soy Protein Isolate, Pea Protein Concentrate, Tapioca Starch, 2% Or Less Of: Degerminated Yellow Corn Flour, Textured Wheat Protein (Wheat Gluten, Wheat Starch), Salt, Methylcellulose, Corn Starch, Spices, Garlic Powder, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavors, Distilled Vinegar, Onion Powder, Dried Onion, Fructose, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Paprika Extractives (Color), Pea Protein, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Titanium Dioxide (Color), Lactic Acid, Sunflower Oil.
Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Buffalo Chick’n Wings Nutrition
| Serving Size | About 6 pieces with sauce (140g) |
| Calories | 270 |
| Total Fat | 13g |
| Saturated Fat | 1g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Sodium | 1350mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 21g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1g |
| Total Sugars | 1g |
| Protein | 17g |
Compared to other plant-based chicken nuggets, like Jack & Annie’s and Daring, these go much heavier on sodium. Now, the serving size is a little larger, but even accounting for that, these are definitely little sodium bombs. Gardein delivers double the amount of sodium (or more!) per wing compared to other vegan Buffalo chicken products. You’ll want to be mindful of that if you watch your sodium intake. Gardein offers more protein per wing than Daring and Jack & Annie’s. You’ll get 2.83 grams of protein with Gardein, 1.5 grams of protein with Daring, and 2 grams of protein with Jack & Annie’s.
How to cook Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Buffalo Chick’n Wings
You can air fry or bake Gardein’s Plant-Based Buffalo Chick’n Wings. Here’s how:
- Air Fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF. Arrange a single layer of chick’n wings in an air fryer basket. Don’t overcrowd the basket! Cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Once crispy, toss with the warmed sauce.
- Oven: Preheat oven to 450ºF. Arrange wings on a lightly greased, nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, flipping once halfway through cooking. Once crispy, toss with the warmed sauce.
To make the sauce, simply thaw the bag in a bowl of hot water for 3 minutes. Empty the contents of the sauce into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until warmed through.
How did EV eat Gardein’s Vegan Buffalo Wings?
We cooked ours in the air fryer and prepared the sauce as directed. From there, we just tossed everything together and dug in! These made for a perfect little snack, even better with carrots and celery!
Where can I buy Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Buffalo Chick’n Wings?
You can buy Gardein’s Plant-Based Buffalo Wings on Amazon. They’re also available in many major retailers like Target, Walmart, Giant, and Wegmans. You can use Gardein’s store locator to find a store near you.
What do you think?
Have you tried Gardein’s Plant-Based Buffalo Chick’n Wings? After reading our review, will you add them to your vegan game day spread? Let us know in the comments!
