These Vegan, Gluten-Free "Bacon" Chips Will Be the Talk of Your Group Chat Soon

Bacon is, well, bacon: it's salty and crispy (when properly cooked), meaty, and quite delightful even for more of a poultry-eater like myself. If you're plant-based, you may feel like you're missing out on the smell, the taste, and the crunch. But one company has found a way to infuse the flavor of this sizzling breakfast staple into chips without the pig. Created by chef Dave Anderson, cofounder and executive chef of Outstanding Foods, PigOut Chips get their bacon flavor from mushrooms and slight smoky seasoning. As to why he chose this bacon replacement, Dave told POPSUGAR, "There is an umami flavor and texture inherent in the king oyster mushroom." And, they were awarded Best New Vegan Product at Expo West 2019 by VegNews.

These pigless snacks are free of gluten, soy, and artificial ingredients, and are cooked in a high-quality sunflower and safflower oil blend, according to Outstanding Foods. They come in four flavors: Original, Kansas City BBQ, Cheddar, and Chipotle. (Yes, even the cheddar kind is vegan!) A statement on the PigOut website states that while they're made from natural ingredients, these are not a diet product and have similar fat, sodium, and calorie counts as other popular brands (for example, one serving of Original PigOut Chips and a serving of Lay's Classic Potato Chips both have 160 calories and 10 grams of fat). "However, when you replace pork bacon with our PigOut bacon chips, the advantages are obvious — Pig Out Chips contain 73 percent less saturated fat and 69 percent less sodium than cooked pork bacon!" the website notes.

You can currently buy PigOut Chips in Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona Whole Foods for $5, and they will be rolling out to other national chains starting this month, a spokesperson confirmed. You can purchase them online in bulk, too. And, as seen on the Outstanding Foods Instagram feed, you can get creative and add them to dishes like Mac and Cheese and a Pesto "BLT." Also on the company's Instagram feed are taste-test videos that capture people's surprise when they realize these are plant-based. Ahead, check out the nutrition info for each available flavor worthy of a (healthier!) pig-out.