Gluten free baked goods are pretty hit or miss, especially at the grocery store. We’ve taste tested everything from gluten free english muffins to gluten free waffles during my time here at Sporked, and while there are at least a couple of standouts in every taste test, there are always a few products that truly make you wonder how many people have to sign off on a product for it to hit shelves (like, at least two and are they okay??).
That said, we were excited to try Banza’s new gluten free protein waffles. The chickpea-based brand makes some pretty good gluten free stuff, including gluten-free frozen pizza and gluten-free pasta. We tried all three flavors—homestyle, chocolate chip, and blueberry—to see how they stack up to Banza’s best products and other GF waffles.
New Product!
Banza Protein Waffles: Homestyle, Chocolate Chip, and Blueberry
In a perfect world, gluten free products would taste pretty much exactly like their gluten full counterparts. Banza’s new protein waffles aren’t exactly top tier, but they aren’t bad either. They have some pretty important waffle qualities—a crunchy outside and a warm, chewy inside—but they’re definitely drier than regular waffles made with wheat flour. If you’re going to pick up a box of these, you should go for blueberry. The chocolate chip variety is a little skimpy on the chips and homestyle just sort of lacks flavor.
Pros: Ten grams of protein per serving! (A serving is two waffles.) They also have a totally decent texture and although they’re a little dry, that can be remedied with lots of butter and syrup.
Cons: The homestyle could use a little more flavor and they’re a little dry.
Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks.
Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction.
Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home.
Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.
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Gwynedd Stuart
Joe Rumrill
Danny Palumbo
Justine Sterling
