Most of us mainly think of seaweed as the green stuff that sometimes washes up on the beach. What many people don’t know, however, is that seaweed can also be used to make delicious snacks!
Sourcing seaweed from pristine waters, these companies ensure top-quality, sustainable, and mouth-watering products that delight taste buds while promoting healthy eating habits. From crunchy seaweed chips to tender nori sheets, we will highlight the features that make each snack stand out among competitors.
Not only do seaweed-based foods make crunchy, salty, and tasty snacks, but they’re also incredibly good for you.
Seaweed is an excellent source of iodine and iron, as well as many essential vitamins and antioxidants such as vitamins B and K.
So, if you’re looking for a healthier alternative to crisps as an afternoon snack, it’s definitely worth giving seaweed a try!
In this article, we’ll be reviewing the best seaweed snacks on the market to help you find your new favorite healthy snack.
We’ve also included a comprehensive buyer’s guide so that you can be 100% confident in your choice.
Up there with the most popular widely available snacks are these Organic Roasted Seaweed Sheets from gimMe.
The gimMe roasted seaweed sheets are organic and free from artificial flavorings, preservatives, and GMOs.
They’re also high in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals, so although they’re low-calorie at just 25 calories per pack, they’ll definitely provide you with a decent boost of essential nutrients to help you get through the day.
Best of all, these snacks are gluten-free and vegan-friendly, so those with common dietary restrictions can still enjoy them.
However, gimMe has recently started manufacturing these snacks using equipment that may have come into contact with soy or sesame oil, so customers with allergies to these products should not consume these snacks.
gimMe sells its seaweed snacks in convenient multipacks, making these snacks perfect for packed lunches, or just a reliable treat for when you’re on the go.
These seaweed sheets come in a variety of delicious flavors, including sea salt, wasabi, and teriyaki! These flavors are also available as part of a mixed variety pack, so there’s no need to restrict yourself in terms of taste.
The only drawback to these snacks apart from their sesame content is the fact that they do come with a Proposition 65 warning for heavy metals.
As you’ll see, this is common with seaweed-based products and not necessarily an indication that the product is dangerous, but it’s worth bearing in mind. Please see the buyer’s guide for more information.
Jayone’s seaweed snacks are great not only for your own health but also for the health of the planet!
These snacks are free from GMOs, sugar, trans-fats, and any other nasty additives. They’re only 30 calories per pack but have a high vitamin and mineral content and are particularly rich in Iodine.
These roasted seaweed snacks are gluten-free and suitable for vegans, although they are not suitable for customers with sesame allergies due to the sesame oil used in the roasting.
One of the things we love most about these seaweed snacks is that Jayone has prioritized sustainability, farming the seaweed sustainably in clean areas of water around the Korean Peninsula.
You can purchase these snacks in packs of either 12 or 24, and you also have a choice of flavors including nutty, sea salt, and sweet n’ salty. However, please be aware that the availability of flavors may vary according to multipack size.
This seaweed comes with a Proposition 65 warning for heavy metal. Please see the buyer’s guide for more information.
Annie Chun’s Organic Seaweed is generally considered to be one of the best-tasting seaweed snacks on the market - so much so that you’d never guess they’re just 20 calories per pack!
As advertised, these seaweed snacks are organic and non-GMO. They’re also gluten-free and vegan. They don’t contain any trans-fats, cholesterol, or artificial preservatives either.
These are very versatile snacks that can be enjoyed on their own thanks to the great flavor, or combined with other ingredients for an enhanced taste experience. You can even use them to make sushi!
Available flavors include sea salt, wasabi, sesame, and sea salt and vinegar.
This product comes with a Proposition 65 warning (more on this in the buyer’s guide).
Pros
Organic
20 calories per pack
No trans-fats, cholesterol, or preservatives
Gluten-free and vegan
Available in 4 flavor options
Cons
Not suitable for customers who are allergic to sesame
These Organic Seasoned Roasted Seaweed Snacks from Kimnori is another incredibly popular seaweed brand. Kimnori U.S.A is not only the largest seaweed factory in the United States but also the first BRC-certified seaweed factory worldwide.
Therefore, you can trust the reputation and quality and reputation of these seaweed products.
The snacks are vegan, gluten-free, GMO-free, and organic. They are also certified as Kosher by the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. At just 20 calories per pack, you can enjoy these snacks as often as you like.
Kimnori’s flavor range includes sea-salt, sweet n’ spicy, and Korean BBQ, so whether you prefer neutral flavors or something that packs more of a punch, you’ll find a version of this snack that you love.
You can buy these snacks in packs of 24, so a single purchase will provide you with weeks worth of snacks! However, please be aware of the Proposition 65 warning for potential heavy metal content (see buyer’s guide).
These Daechun Seaweed Snacks are naturally sourced, nutritionally beneficial, and absolutely delicious.
The snacks may be low-calorie at just 30 calories per serving, but that doesn’t mean they’re low in nutrients. The high Iodine, protein, and fiber content of these snacks make them an excellent source of plant-based nutrients.
Daechun Laver has ensured that these seaweed snacks are vegan, gluten-free, and Halal.
These snacks are available for purchase in 3 flavors: wasabi, sea salt, and parae (original seaweed flavor). They come in packs of 20, providing 4 whole weeks of snacks for work or school lunches for one person.
Please be aware, however, that this seaweed has a Prop 65 warning for heavy metals.
These All Natural Roasted Seaweed snacks are made by a company called Seaweed Love, and that’s definitely what these snacks inspire!
Very low-calorie at 25 calories per serving, Seaweed Love’s snack packs are a great source of vitamins and minerals. They’re vegan and gluten-free as well as free from GMOs.
You can purchase these snacks in original seaweed flavor, or if that’s not your thing, you can also buy them with added sesame and olive oil - although the former will, of course, not be suitable for those with sesame allergies.
Although these flavors aren’t quite as diverse as those offered by some other brands, hundreds of customers have reported loving the more natural taste.
These snacks are available in packs of 24 for maximum convenience. However, these snacks do have a Proposition 65 warning for heavy metal content (more on this later).
Finally, these Organic Roasted Seaweed Snacks from SeaSnax are a perfect lunchbox alternative to chips.
These snacks are vegan, non-GMO, cholesterol-free, gluten-free, and Kosher. However, as well as being healthy, they have a salty, crunchy taste and texture that makes them seem more like a treat than a superfood.
Sustainable harvesting practices have been used to farm and source this seaweed, so you can enjoy these snacks knowing that minimal harm has been caused to the environment during their manufacturing.
You can purchase these SeaSnax in multiple flavors, including original, wasabi, BBQ, jalapeno, and lime.
These snacks have a Proposition 65 warning in compliance with California law.
Pros
Vegan and gluten-free
Chip-like texture
Non-GMO
Kosher
5 flavor options
Cons
May contain heavy metals
The Best Seaweed Snacks Buying Guide
Now that you’ve seen the very best seaweed snacks the market has to offer, we hope at least one of them will have caught your eye.
However, with such a wide and diverse range of choices available, you might understandably be struggling to choose!
Our buyer’s guide will detail everything you should consider before settling on a seaweed snack.
And if you’re struggling to pick just one, the good news is, you don’t have to! Don’t worry, we won’t tell…
Flavors
One of the things that put some people off trying seaweed-based snacks is the idea that they won’t taste very nice.
It’s a fair enough assumption, as anyone who’s smelled washed-up seaweed at the beach will probably agree, but in actual fact, seaweed can taste amazing!
The drying process, with the addition of salt, pepper, herbs, and spices, has the ability to turn this otherwise unassuming macroalga into a delicious snack that will have you dipping back in for more.
Additionally, as you’ve probably noticed from the products featured above, seaweed itself is far from the only flavor you can enjoy in seaweed-based snacks.
In fact, seaweed snacks come in a range of exciting flavors, with some of the most common being sea salt and wasabi. Other flavors include Korean BBQ and ‘sweet n’ spicy’.
Whatever taste you’re looking for, we think you’ll find something you like amongst our reviewed products.
Nutritional Content
We’ve touched briefly on the health benefits of seaweed, but there are so many that we felt a more detailed explanation of the nutritional content of seaweed snacks would be helpful.
Seaweed is naturally high in Iodine, which is essential for thyroid functionality. It is also high in fiber, which is important for digestive health, and plant-based protein, which is especially good for those following a plant-based diet. Several vitamins and minerals are also present in seaweed, along with iron, folate, and calcium.
And if you’re considering seaweed snacks for health reasons, rest assured that seaweed’s incredible nutrient content doesn’t come at the cost of a massive calorie intake. On the contrary, the snacks on our list range from just 20 to 30 calories per serving!
However, one thing we do need to discuss is the presence of Proposition 65 warnings for heavy metals on the majority of seaweed-based foods, including the snacks listed above.
Proposition 65 is part of California law and requires that a warning be issued on products containing ingredients that may cause cancer or reproductive harm.
The reason this warning is so common on seaweed products is that seaweed may contain traces of heavy metals such as lead or arsenic.
Heavy metal levels in seaweed are, for the most part, quite low, and not enough to cause toxicity or serious health risks when consumed in moderation.
Research is also still ongoing. However, the risk of heavy metal consumption can be significantly lowered by purchasing Organic Certified seaweed.
The bottom line is that Proposition 65 warnings shouldn’t necessarily put you off eating these otherwise incredibly nutritious snacks, but it’s still important to be aware of, and sensible not to consume them in excessive amounts.
Dietary Requirments
Seaweed is a very popular snack option amongst those with dietary requirements or restrictions because it’s such a simple, natural, plant-based food.
Considered by some to be a superfood, seaweed snacks specifically attract a lot of vegan customers who are looking to improve or maintain their health.
When it comes to allergies, we’ve done our best to highlight common allergens contained in the products we reviewed.
The main recurring ingredients that could pose an allergy risk are sesame and soy, the presence of which we’ve indicated in the reviews where necessary. We’ve also indicated where a product is advertised as Kosher or Halal.
However, other ingredients may, rarely, trigger allergic reactions in some individuals. ingredients and manufacturing processes are liable to change.
Unfortunately, such changes are not always updated on product listings. If you do suffer from any allergies, please do your own research into individual products and contact manufacturers directly to ensure that these snacks are safe for you to consume.
Our Top Picks of The Best Seaweed Snacks
These options are sure to be a hit. So, gather your family and friends and enjoy. Let us know your thoughts!
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
