Pirate’s Booty is a type of snack made of puffed rice and corn, as well as real cheese ingredients. The creator of Pirate’s Booty was appalled by the idea that most cheese snacks were an amalgamation of different ingredients that normal folks couldn’t pronounce, which gave him the idea to make a cheese snack made of simple ingredients and without additives. Pirate’s Booty has earned its title of whole food, with the ingredients label remaining simple. Now, they are owned by Hershey’s but act as a very strong subsidiary on their own. These snacks are available at most places where commercial snacks are sold, as well as many gas stations across the nation. These snacks are made of whole food, but are they truly accessible for alternative lifestyles?
Pirate’s Booty is gluten-free. The use of ingredients such as corn and rice make all varieties of Pirate’s Booty celiac and gluten sensitivity friendly. The best gluten-free and healthy alternatives to Pirate’s Booty include Thrive Market Non-GMO Grain-Free Puffs, Granarolo Gluten Free Cheese Crisps Snacklins Nacho Plant Crisps, and Popchips Ridges Cheddar and Sour Cream.
In this article, we’ll discuss the nutritional value of Pirate’s Booty, as well as other gluten-free alternatives. Let’s dig in!
Contents
Is Pirate’s Booty Healthy?
Pirate’s booty is an amazing replacement for carb dense snacks such as Cheetos and Doritos. Pirates booty is made of whole foods, giving them a nutritional boost when compared to other cheesy chips. The amount of corn and rice gives it a filling and nutrient-packed boost, not allowing the entirety of the filling nature of the food to come from complex carbs.
What Are the Most Unhealthy Snack Chips?
Potato Chips
Herr’s salt and vinegar chips are some of the most unhealthy potato chips, with a serving being 490 milligrams of sodium. For reference, doctors recommend no more than 2,300 mg, with the optimal being about 1,500mg. This makes multiple servings of these chips extremely unhealthy for your heart.
Cheese Puffs/Doodles
Cheetos Crunchy Flamin Hot disappointingly takes the top of this list, with extremely calorie-dense servings and a sodium content similar to the regular Cheetos. Scale back the proportions of these chips to limit the amount of sodium and fat you get from them.
Pirate’s Booty Nutritional Information by Product
Pirate’s Booty Aged White Cheddar
The aged white cheddar flavor of Pirate’s Booty is one of the most popular in commercial stores with a feeling of real cheese. Without the presence of grain, it can be really hard to nail down the addictive flavors that we too often see in cheesy chips, but Pirate’s Booty has nailed this and perfected its recipe, focusing on incorporating easy-to-understand ingredients, helping us expect more from our snacks.
Nutritional Facts (per 0.5 oz.):
- 70 Calories
- 3g Total Fat
- 0.5g Saturated Fat
- 0g Trans Fat
- 0mg Cholesterol
- 95mg Sodium
- 9g Total Carbohydrate
- 0g Dietary Fiber
- 1g Total Sugars
- 0g Added Sugars
- 1g Protein
Ingredients:
- Cornmeal
- Rice Flour
- Sunflower Oil
- Expeller Pressed Canola Oil
- Cheddar Cheese
- Whey
- Buttermilk
- Salt
- Natural Flavor
- Organic Black Pepper
Pirate’s Booty Cheddar Blast
Cheddar is an immensely strong cheese that’s flavor can be overwhelming. Pirate’s Booty has a light and almost popcorn-like texture that works well with the strong flavor of the cheddar cheese. Very similar to the addictive taste of Cheetos, Pirate’s Booty Cheddar Blast will cure your chip craving without breaking your gluten-free diet.
Nutritional Facts (per 1 oz.):
- 159 Calories
- 9g Total Fat
- 1.5g Saturated Fat
- 0g Trans Fat
- 5mg Cholesterol
- 270mg Cholesterol
- 15g Total Carbohydrates
- 0g Dietary Fiber
- 2g Total Sugars
- 0g Added Sugars
- 3g Protein
Ingredients:
- Cornmeal
- Rice Flour
- Sunflower Oil
- Cheddar Cheese
- Whey
- Buttermilk
- Salt
- Natural Flavor
- Sea Salt
- Citric Acid
- Lactic Acid
- Organic Black Pepper
Pirate’s Booty Smart Puffs
Pirate’s Booty smart puffs are an excellent addition to your cabinet. These little puffs are made with super simple ingredients that parents can trust, all without sacrificing the taste of real cheddar cheese. The light and airy texture of the chip stands out, despite the limited number of ingredients. For people who are watching their intake of different foods, this will be a pleasant and refreshing change from the limited options available.
Nutritional Facts (per 1 oz.):
- 140 Calories
- 7g Total Fat
- 1g Saturated Fat
- 0g Total Fat
- 5mg Cholesterol
- 190mg Sodium
- 17g Total Carbohydrate
- 0g Dietary Fiber
- 1g Total Sugars
- 0g Added Sugar
- 3g Protein
Ingredients:
- Corn Meal
- Sunflower Oil
- Cheddar Cheese
- Whey
- Buttermilk
- Salt
- Natural Flavor
- Sea Salt
- Lactic Acid
- Citric Acid
- Organic Black Pepper
What Qualifies A Snack As Gluten-Free?
Gluten is a type of protein that wheat contains, often being used to hold foods together as an additive. Food that doesn’t qualify as gluten-free will met the legal requirements of having inherently gluten-free ingredients such as fruits and vegetables, or having less than 20 ppm gluten per serving.
What are Other Gluten-Free Cheesy Snack Brands?
While Pirate’s Booty is an amazing gluten-free cheesy brand, some variety doesn’t hurt! To find other cheesy snacks, make sure to look at the contents for ingredients that don’t qualify as gluten-free.
Granarolo Gluten-Free Cheese Crisps
Granarolo gluten-free cheese crisps are made with aged Italian cheese and oven-baked in order to ensure that consumers are getting the same flavor while being accessible to people on gluten-free diets. They even make sure that the rennet used in order to make the cheese that coats these chips is microbial, rather than an animal product. This makes these chips vegetarian-friendly, as well as being without any GMOs.
Nutrition Facts (per 15 pieces):
- 170 Calories
- 13g Total Fat
- 9g Saturated Fat
- 0g Trans Fat
- 0mg Cholesterol
- 190mg Cholesterol
- 0g Total Carbohydrate
- 0g Dietary Fiber
- 0g Total Sugars
- 0g Added Sugars
- 14g Protein
Ingredients:
- Aged Cheese
- Raw Milk
- Salt
- Microbial Rennet
Snacklins Nacho Plant Crisps
Snacklins nacho plant crisps are made for you to eat the entire bag, and they boast simple ingredients that aren’t commonly seen in plant-based crisps. These are vegan, gluten and grain-free, kosher, dairy-free, nut-free, and soy-free, as well as containing no GMOs.
Nutrition Facts (per 25 crisps):
- 100 Calories
- 4.5g Total Fat
- 0g Saturated Fat
- 0g Trans Fat
- 0mg Cholesterol
- 125mg Sodium
- 16g Total Carbohydrates
- 0g Dietary Fiber
- 0g Total Sugars
- 0g Added Sugars
- 1g Protein
Ingredients:
- Yuca
- Mushroom
- Sunflower Oil
- Nutritional Yeast
- Garlic Powder
- Tomato Powder
- Organic Flavor
- Lactic Acid
- Spice
- Onion Sea Salt
Popchips Ridges Bold and Crunchy: Cheddar and Sour Cream
These sharp cheddar chips are not only gluten-free but incorporate sour cream and potatoes. It’s never fried, made without GMOs, gluten-free, and is keto-friendly. It contains half of the fat of a regular chip brand, meaning that you can snack guilt-free.
Nutrition Facts (per 1 oz.):
- 130 Calories
- 5g Total Fat
- .5g Saturated Fat
- 0g Trans Fat
- 0.5g Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4g Monounsaturated Fat
- omg Cholesterol
- 170mg Sodium
- 19g Total Carbohydrates
- 1g Dietary Fiber
- 1g Total Sugars
- 0g Added Sugar
- 2g Protein
Ingredients:
- Dried Potato
- Yellow Corn (degermed)
- Sunflower Oil
- Whey Powder
- Buttermilk Powder
- Corn
- Maltodextrin
- Salt
- Dried Butter
- Cream
- Cheddar Cheese
- Milk
- Cultures
- Enzymes
- Autolyzed Yeast Extract
- Onion Powder
- Nonfat Dry Milk
- Natural Flavors
- Annatto
- Garlic Powder
- Citric Acid
- Dried Milkfat
- Paprika Oleoresin
- Turmeric
- Rice Flour
- Potato Starch
Thrive Market Non-GMO Grain-Free Puffs
These are a perfect textural match to gluten-filled chips such as Cheetos and other puffy chips. Coming in many flavors, these chips are Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Kosher, BPA-Free, and Dye and Color Additive Free.
Nutrition Facts (per 1 oz.):
- 130 Calories
- 0g Total Fat
- 6g Saturated Fat
- 0mg Cholesterol
- 270mg Sodium
- 15g Total Carbohydrate
- 2g Dietary Fiber
- 1g Total Sugars
- 0g Added Sugars
- 2g Protein
Ingredients:
- Cassava Flour
- Navy Bean Meal
- Organic Coconut Oil
- Maltodextrin
- Sea Salt
- Onion Powder
- Natural Flavor
- Sugar
- Tomato Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Yeast Extract
- Green Bell Pepper Powder
- Paprika
- Spices
- Paprika Extract
- Lactic Acid
- Citric Acid
- White Distilled Vinegar
- Jalapeno Pepper
Related Question
Are all Flavors of Pirate’s Booty Gluten-Free?
All flavors of Pirate’s Booty are gluten-free, including the fruit sticks as well as the puffs. The goal of Pirate’s Booty is to make the ingredients more understandable and simpler for consumers so that they have complete autonomy over what they choose to eat.
What is Pirate’s Booty Made From?
Pirate’s Booty is made from cornmeal and rice meal, which gives the puff the texture that is similar to Cheetos or popcorn. This also holds the flavor off the crisp tightly to the actual puff, making it very enjoyable. The ingredients give Pirate’s Booty the ability to be kosher as well as gluten-free.