Have you found yourself wandering over to the refrigerator randomly this WFH season, even though you may not be particularly hungry? Or perhaps you have a burning desire to pop crunchy snacks or sweet treats that you previously would have had the self-control to avoid? That’s a classic case of kuchisabishii for you – a Japanese term that literally translates into “lonely mouth”.
Enter these zero sugar, low-calorie snacks. If you’re a snacker at heart, you’ll know that Japanese snacks are a category of their own with a huge variety to choose from. Now, you can even enjoy zero sugar low-calorie options! From chocolate balls and cream cakes to fruit jellies, you won’t even realise the difference between these and regular sinful, yummy snacks.
While you may have to stock up on these snacks from convenience stores in Japan in the past when travel was still a thing, you can now get these delivered straight to your doorstep with just a click of a button. Ahead, AVENUE ONE has rounded up nine zero sugar, low-calorie snacks for your munching pleasure.
Bonus: our neighbouring countries have hopped on the bandwagon of zero sugar snacks too, so we’ve found a few for you to try out as well while you’re at it!
1. Sugar-free chocolate snacks
Craving for the distinctive taste of chocolate after staying away from it for too long? You’ll want to get your hands on these zero-sugar, rich chocolate snacks. Choose from crunchy chocolate-wrapped biscuits to bitter and milk chocolate bars – minus the guilt, of course, because they contain absolutely no sugar at all.
Get it from S$17 on Lazada.
2. Zero sugar cake
Fans of Lotte’s iconic ChocoPie, this one is for you. These zero sugar cakes from Lotte’s Zero line of low-sugar, low-calorie are reminiscent of the beloved ChocoPie treats and come in a chocolate or vanilla cream filling sandwiched between moist, fluffy cakes.
Get it for S$21 on Lazada.
3. Konjac jelly pouch
Love jelly but always wondered about the sugar content? This zero sugar version will hit the right sweet spots without having to worry about how much sugar you’re consuming. Choose from eight yummy fruit flavours such as cherry, grape, peach, strawberry, and lychee. We heard it has a well-deserved reputation for tasting almost like you’re eating the fruit itself.
Get it for S$19.90 for a bundle of eight pouches on Shopee or at Don Don Donki stores island-wide.
4. Sugarless tablets
If you’re one of those folks whose productivity level at work seems to correlate with the number of sweets you’ve sucked on, you’ll want to give these sugarless tablets a try. These are merely sweetened with fruit juice and sorbitol, which means you will not be struck with guilt when you reach out for the next one to pop into your mouth. With three flavours – peach, lemon, and mint – to choose from, there’ll surely be something that suits your current mood.
Get it for S$3.30 at Muji outlets island-wide.
5. Miino broadbeans
Broadbeans are a tasty food indeed but we won’t blame you if the thought of munching on them to scratch that snack itch didn’t first appeal to you. Snack giant Calbee’s version was born out of a nationwide movement in Japan towards eating carbs in moderation versus avoiding it altogether.
The result? A surprisingly yummy and addictive zero sugar, low-calorie snack made out of deep fried broadbeans with a dash of salt to balance out the natural buttery and nutty flavours of the beans.
Get it at S$8.80 from Shopee.
6. Dry roasted edamame
You may be familiar with steamed edamame, the perfect snack to pop into your mouth as you wait for your coveted sushi to show up on the conveyor belts in Japanese restaurants.
But what you may not have known is that they make excellent zero sugar crunchy munchies when roasted – think of them as a Japanese version of kachang because that’s exactly what they are! Soy beans are an excellent source of protein with minimal sugars (only 1g per 1/3 cup!) so these are your perfect snack fix.
We personally really love them roasted with wasabi – they have just the right amount of heat that shoots straight up your nose for a midday perk-me-up.
Get it at S$3.83 for a pack of eight from iHerb.
7. Water lily seeds
Water lily seeds are one of nature’s lesser-known superfood snacks found in the foothills of the Himalayas. These seeds are harvested and popped into an airy crunchy snack. These low-calorie snacks crunch very much like keropok which we all love, but with none of the sugar, salt, and calories.
You’ll want to make this your next to-buy snack on your weekly Redmart orders! Available in four flavours: original, Himalayan pink salt, spicy, and cheddar cheese.
Get it at S$3 from Lazada.
8. Konjac popcorn
Konjac has often been touted to be a wonderful substitute for carbs like noodles as it’s a healthy, zero-calorie jelly that you can enjoy without feeling remorseful. But, have you heard of konjac popcorn? From what we know, it’s crunchy, light, and best of all, guilt-free!
Get it at S$33.85 from Shopee.
9. High-protein chicken chips
We get it, sometimes all those healthy superfood zero-calorie substitutes don’t quite cut it and you just want to dig into chicken or BBQ-flavoured chips. If that speaks to you, these keto high-protein chicken chips from Thailand may just do the trick! They’re sugar-free, low in calories, and super rich in flavour. Comes in three variants: original, grilled squid, and seaweed wasabi.
Get it at S$3.90 for one pack or $15 for four from Shopee.
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