Tested: Honey Stinger Organic Energy Waffles

This isn’t just any waffle. It’s a “Stroopwafel” like you find in the Netherlands, but it comes packaged like an energy bar. They have been a long-time tradition in Belgium and the Netherlands, first brought to the world of endurance sports by Honey Stinger. (I remember hearing it was an idea from Lance Armstrong, who ate these when racing in Europe and wanted to import the idea to the USA.)

What’s a Stroopwafel? It’s two thin layers of waffle with syrup in the center. It’s also pure genius!

I give you, Honey Stinger energy waffles.

Are these an energy bar? Are they just a snack? Perhaps a dessert in disguise?

Do you carry them with you on rides?

Let’s find out…

Ingredients and Nutrition Facts

First let’s look at the nutrition profile and see what’s here.

We’ll also compare the regular organic waffle with the newer, gluten-free organic waffle.

Ingredients

Let’s look at the honey flavor, which exists in both varieties. First, the organic honey:

Honey: Organic wheat flour, organic palm fruit oil, organic rice syrup, organic cane sugar, organic honey, organic whole wheat flour, organic soy flour, sea salt, soy lecithin, organic spices,
baking soda.

And compare that to the gluten-free version. Again, looking at the honey flavor:

Gluten-Free Honey: gluten-free flour blend (organic rice flour, organic potato starch, organic tapioca flour), organic palm fruit oil, organic brown rice syrup, organic cane sugar, organic eggs, organic honey, organic soy flour, sea salt, xanthan gum, baking soda, soy lecithin.

The only difference is basically the whole wheat flour vs a special gluten-free flour. (Which shouldn’t make much difference in flavor or texture since we’re talking flat waffles, not fluffy bread.)

Interestingly, though, there are eggs in the gluten-free version. Maybe it makes up for the gluten somehow; I don’t know. But it sucks if you have an egg allergy!

Nutrition Facts

Now, to compare the nutrition facts and macros:

Honey

Calories 150
Total fat 7 g
Total carbs 21 g
Sugars 11 g
Protein 1 g

Gluten-Free Honey

Calories 140
Total fat 6 g
Total carbs 21 g
Sugars 10 g
Protein (less than 1 g)

They’re pretty much identical.

So… what is it?

Hmmmmmm.

Legit energy food?

Just a sugary snack?

Viable energy source for endurance athletes?

The answer is… all of the above!

But is it healthy?

Well….

I hate to rain on this waffle’s parade, but did you see the ingredients? Mostly wheat flour and multiple types of sugar. And wheat isn’t ideal fuel for me.

The waffle is also high in fat! And it seems the only “fat” ingredient is some sort of palm oil… something else I don’t particularly care for.

As much as I wish I could, unfortunately, I cannot recommend you eat these by the box on a daily basis!

Honey Stinger Waffle Taste Test

Let’s take a closer look at each flavor.

Maple (gluten-free, organic)

No surprise, this one is delicious! It has a pretty strong maple flavor. It’s just like a waffle smothered in butter and maple syrup!

On the first bite, at first, the texture surprised me as being a little dry. It was just this flavor though; the other gluten-free waffles were fine.

Just keep in mind that dry and crumbly does not mean it’s not delicious!!

Salted Caramel (gluten-free, organic)

Right away, the caramel flavor hits you. It finishes with salty notes. (There isn’t much aftertaste.)

It’s not nearly as sweet as the maple. Perhaps the saltiness tempers the sweetness?

Whatever it is, after a few bites, I knew it would be my favorite. It’s so good! And it’s interesting. What’s more, my girlfriend and I both agreed about how good it was!!

(My favorite of the gluten-free options? Yes.)

Cinnamon (gluten-free, organic)

Oh you can smell cinnamon as you rip open the wrapper! Cinnamon lovers, rejoice!

It even appears to be dusted in cinnamon sugar.

It’s good, but not quite amazing, and it’s not super strong or potent. Or all that flavorful.

It’s not too sweet. I find it to be the least sweet of the bunch.

I love cinnamon flavors, but I actually prefer the other waffles over this one. There’s really just enough cinnamon here to deter people who don’t like cinnamon. I want more cinnamon!

However, this is still the one I’d suggest getting if you do NOT want something sweet.

Honey (organic)

It’s like eating a freaking sugar cookie! Only one small difference – it’s better than any sugar cookie I’ve ever had. With a magic touch on top of that. It’s amazingly delicious but also seems so unhealthy. It tastes so much like dessert, I think it would be distracting to eat during a workout! It’s so moist and chewy, it borders on being a donut.

Chocolate (organic)

Also fantastically delicious. This one tastes like a Keebler E.L. Fudge cookie! You get tons of flavor, but this one is perhaps just a tad less sweet than the honey flavor (which is nice).

Strawberry (organic)

I can’t think of any strawberry cookies to compare this to, so I’ll say it reminds me of a strawberry Pop-Tart. It was alright, similar to the other ones, but to me, it just didn’t taste very good. All the others flavors seem special, but this one I actually have no interest in eating again.

Lemon (organic)

This is, not surprisingly, like a lemon cookie. I’m not exactly sure which one, but essentially a sugar cookie with lemon flavored goo on top. It’s good. Every single flavor is good, I don’t know what else to say!

I might like lemon best out of the organic ones. Your favorite will depend on your favorite type of cookie!

Real-life Testing

The only thing left to talk about is how these things fare in real life.

And they do pretty good when you’re out on your bike.

They’re individually wrapped, so that certainly helps. And they’re not covered with chocolate (which would melt).

Be wary though – these waffles crumble easily.

The edges of mine were broken and crumbling just from the shipping process. I didn’t dare stuff them in a jersey pocket. If you try to eat one of these while running or riding, I’m pretty sure you’d spill quite a few delicious calories onto the side of the road!

Yep – despite being moist, they’re going to crumble and fall apart! The middle is mostly held together thanks to the honey inside, so that part will bend, but the edges will crumble easily.

Even when I ate the waffle at my desk post-workout, and it wasn’t carried in a jersey pocket or anything, it was crumbled on the edges. So there’s no avoiding it.

The packaging is hard to open and hold while riding.

It’s also hard to open these wrappers. It’s like they used a weird adhesive on the foil. You’ll probably break off a bunch of waffle pieces if you try to open it by hand. Your best bet is to pre-cut the edge of the wrapper with scissors.

It’s not impossible though!

Hot? Cold? Doesn’t matter!

Whether hot or cold weather, I think they do pretty well in either extreme.

For one thing, you can heat them up, usually by setting them on top of a mug filled with hot coffee. So a hot summer day should be no problem!

And even in the dead of winter, they’re not really the thing that would freeze solid. You still have to be careful, but the thinness helps them to remain edible and quick to thaw out.

My final verdict is…

I grew up eating Eggo waffles. What was I thinking?!

These things are magical! No other energy food, even my coveted Clif Shot Bloks, can compare! Nothing! These are that good! So good that every single flavor is good!

They’re not a health food, though (by any means), so don’t go overboard. Limit them to during your rides!

Official website: www.HoneyStinger.com

Buy online: www.Amazon.com