Bean Stalk Mini Salted Vegan Snack Sticks - Assorted Flavors - Teriyaki, Smoked, Original

I keep coming back to Bean Stalk mini sticks because they scratch that “hearty snack” itch without the animal flesh. All three flavors have an umami-rich smokiness rather than a “fake meat” vibe. Texture-wise they land somewhere between Primal's "Hot & Spicy" sticks and a slightly softer mushroom jerky: firm enough to satisfy a chew, but they can be dry (especially the "original") so it's best to chew them well or have a sip of liquid with them. Wolf them down too quickly and you’ll notice they wick moisture straight out of your throat. If you eat them slowly they’re delightful. Nutritionally, they’re light enough that I’ll polish off five or six during a late-night coding or writing session. Six amount is 130 calories--plenty of protein, negligible sugar and high in protein. Each smells a bit like BBQ sauce of various types. Flavor lingers doesn't overwhelm and the aftertaste is pleasant; even omnivores will like them (though I note the non-vegan reviewer who insulted them with a "dog treat" jab--at least they're not animal flesh). My one gripe is the packaging. Each tiny stick comes in its own plastic sleeve, six disappears fast, and it leaves a small mountain of wrappers. If Bean Stalk offered a bulk pouch or compostable film, I’d be a subscriber for life. Bottom line: crave-able, smoky vegan snack sticks that won’t fool you into thinking they’re meat—and don’t need to. Just be prepared for the wrapper avalanche.

I think this is an item for a specific pallet, my partner didnt care for these mostly due to dryness and texture if i understood correctly. I, on the other hand, was head over heels and ashamedly devoured the box in the course of a few days. I personally loved the texture and flavors and didn't think they were too dry or underseasoned (except maybe the original? Not inedible but also not my fave of the bunch) but I can see how this might not be a favorite product of others because back when i was still able to eat meat (blasted alpha-gal and its enzyme alterations or whatever that stupid little tick bite did) i was one of those really weird annoying people that needed everything basically burnt to a crisp and/or drier than the sahara in order to like it at all. The size and packaging is something of a hassle- where a few other reviews mentioning a mountain of wrappers were not kidding but outside of that I don't really have any complaints myself and thought this was a decent treat for the money and very very happy we tried it. Wasn't sure if I should've given 4 stars because of my partner really not caring for them but that just meant it just ended up being more for me and if I could give more than 5 stars I definitely would. This hit the slimjim/beef jerky craving in a perfectly satisfying way for me and I'm looking forward to ordering more of these hopefully in the near future and checking out the other beanstalk snack stick flavors I saw on here (I believe there were salami and chorizo) plus it looked like they have actual full slimjim sized sticks instead of battling the packaging (or judt use a scissors like a civilized person) on these mini ones even if they don't come in or offer flavor variety packs/bundles like they did for this one.

The teriyaki flavor is amazing. Gave a piece to my meat eater husband and he was shocked how good the texture was and told me to double check that it wasn't meat. The smoke flavor tastes a little too much liquid smoke and the original is ok, just doesn't compare to the teriyaki flavor! This is a sampler pack of mini sticks which I picked since it's my first time trying. You need a knife to open the packs. My next order will be the full size teriyaki sticks!

These must be a very acquired taste, they're super dry & and chewy. It's almost as if you're eating a small log of saw dust. The flavors are not great either: smokey tastes like pure Liquid Smoke and I couldn't even down the Teriyaki one. I wanted to try something outside of turkey jerky and these very poorly imitate it.

These are so yummy. They taste and look just like meat jerky but without the meat. They are high in protein and satisfy my cravings for jerky.