Review: EXO Protein whole roasted crickets

The first thing to know about these EXO Protein whole roasted crickets is that they taste much better than the protein bars. (But that’s a low, uh, bar.)

I got the sampler pack to my door for $8, with 1.5 oz. each of sea salt & vinegar, sriracha, and Texas BBQ.

I said in the earlier review that I had no particular hang-up about eating insects, and I don’t. But there’s still a non-negligible creepy factor that I can’t pretend isn’t there. I mean, it’s a bag of dried-out bugs.

Shake ’em out in your hand, and it looks like you’re about to eat the spoils of a big outdoor light fixture’s annual cleaning, or maybe a badly neglected screened window.

How are they?

Honestly, not bad. The flavor names generate expectations that turn out to be reasonable. The roasted cricket gustatory vibe itself is kind of nutty. The crunch is a satisfying, snacky one. There’s a slight but noticeable smell, which I’d call innocuous (but it put Aaron off trying them, because he’s familiar with the smell from keeping crickets for his pet gecko). I was the only one in the house who would try these. That’s OK. I’ll eat them all as part of lunches and what-not, which definitely isn’t going to happen with the protein bars.

Apart from the creepy factor/cultural taboos, the big problem with eating crickets right now is cost. This sampler pack was $8 for 4.5 oz. of food, or maybe four times what a comparable snack with a more conventional composition would cost. EXO Protein is candid about this on the site and in correspondence, acknowledging that this must get cheaper to have any chance, and actively working toward it.

So, even if you try them and love them, they’re a little dear to make a sustained habit of. The economic ball is in motion, though!

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