The Crunchy, Garlicky $5 Snack I’m Buying on Repeat at Whole Foods

I consider myself a savory snack connoisseur. If it’s crispy, crunchy, salty, tangy, or umami-packed, I will happily devour it. Give me your Thai Lays chips, your Parmesan Harvest Snaps, and especially your Cheez-Its — all of your Cheez-Its. And while I always keep the snack drawer stocked with my tried-and-true favorites, I’m constantly on the hunt for something new to shake up my snacking routine, and I recently found just the thing at Whole Foods.

Tsiona Foods Garlic & Sea Salt Injera Crisps deliver a big flavor and even bigger crunch. The Garlic & Sea Salt variety is nicely salted with lots of garlic flavor. You can smell the garlic as soon as you open the box, so you have a pretty good idea of what you’re in for. We’re talking about a two-or-three-Tic-Tacs-level of garlic (doesn’t everyone measure their garlic in how many mints they’ll need to rejoin polite society?). There’s also a subtle tanginess that reminds me of the injera I love to eat at Ethiopian restaurants, but in new, crunchy packaging. 

I absolutely adore fluffy, sour injera, the staple food of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. It’s one of the dishes I find myself wanting the most often, but because it’s a time-consuming and complicated process, I rarely dare to make it for myself. Instead, I content myself with visits to local Ethiopian restaurants, which are especially abundant a few hours away from me in the D.C. area. Now, thanks to these crisps, I can enjoy the injera flavor I love without even leaving the house.

Delightful right out of the clamshell, these injera chips are even better when paired with Tsiona’s dips, of which the Mild Split Red Lentil Dip is my favorite, thanks to its ability to conjure one of my favorite Ethiopian dishes, Misir Wot, a sultry stew of red lentils and berbere. Although there’s no berbere in the dip (find it in the brand’s Spicy version!), the flavors of red lentils and spices are singing a similar tune.

The sheer strength and righteous crunch of these randomly shaped crisps makes them the perfect vehicle for thicker dips. Yes, the lentil dips, and also a smoky baba ghanoush, a French onion dip, or this za’atar roasted veggie and bean dip. 

Beyond the realm of chips and dips, the injera crisps work beautifully as croutons. In fact, these would be a very fun way to upgrade a classic Caesar salad. The crisps can also be blitzed in a food processor to make some very satisfying breadcrumbs, which are, in fact, the new crouton. 

Find it in stores: Garlic & Sea Salt Injera Crisps, $4.99 for 6 ounces at Whole Foods

What’s your favorite Whole Foods snack? Tell us in the comments below.