10 Foods That Make The Best Edible Straws
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It's no secret that plastic waste is slowly clogging our oceans. To put it in perspective, Americans use around 500 million plastic straws every day, which is enough to fill around 127 school buses (via Eco Cycle). Even though plastic straws are not the only catalyst for pollution (cough, cough, big corporations), plastic waste is certainly part of the problem.
According to National Geographic, around eight million metric tons of plastic waste makes its way into various oceans every year, leading to deadly consequences for sea life and making for some pretty depressing ocean photography.
That being said, if we can't fix the problem altogether, we can just make small changes, like switching to non-plastic straws and encouraging others to move away from plastic-based materials. However, finding an alternative to plastic straws isn't always easy. Paper straws tend to feel more like paper-mache after five minutes, and metal straws are clammy and a textural nightmare if they bonk against your teeth the wrong way.
This is why we need new edible straw alternatives that eliminate waste and make you feel like you are in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. The best part about edible straws is that you can consume them after you finish drinking. It allows you to play with your food in a fun, exciting way that's good for the environment.
1. Hot dogs
If you had told us that hot dog beer straws would be the next viral fad, we would have silently gagged but expected nothing less from the internet. In August of 2022, a man at a Yankee's game was spotted using a hot dog as a straw for his beer and slurping away without a care in the world.
Supposedly, the man used an actual straw to create a hole in the hot dog. Twitter immediately began sharing this man's actions, turning him into a viral sensation. Some Twitter users saw this man as having a level of ingenuity and the same level of nonchalant intelligence as Ben Franklin when he discovered electricity like it was no big deal.
Our personal opinion is that he's possibly an alien or time traveler who beamed down from his "Rick and Morty" style spaceship to witness the prehistoric game of baseball in the best way possible: With beer and hot dogs (combined).
There is definitely a way to elevate this viral edible straw from mystery meat hot dogs and overly-frothy Miller Lite. Using a Nathan's hot dog, a great quality conventional dog, or even a smoked bratwurst would add dimension to even the most watery of beers. You can't stop there: Craft-ish beers like a Stella Artois, a mainstream hoppy IPA, or even a savory and smoky porter would best enhance the hot dog's natural depth.
2. Twizzlers
If you're a vocal Twizzlers hater, the idea of eating Twizzlers and enjoying them may seem as far-fetched as the idea of eating melted red Lego and saying it tastes like strawberries. However, discovering that you can use Twizzlers as straws is like watching a movie for the first time in color: It makes too much sense to question. Unbeknownst to us, using Twizzlers as a makeshift edible straw has been a tell-tale secret since the dawn of time (via The Takeout).
However, not every licorice is created equally, and one type, in particular, makes for the superior movie theater straw alternative. According to The Takeout, Twizzlers competitor Red Vines reigned as the winner in terms of straw usability, thanks in part to their larger diameter and just-right length that's perfect for a big gulp-sized soda.
That being said, Twizzlers are one of the more versatile straws out there, given that they can be indulged with a wide array of sodas from Dr. Pepper to Pepsi or even strawberry milk. One comment on Influenster recommended freezing the Twizzlers to maintain their shape and prevent eventual disintegration or even sipping indulgent hot chocolate through chocolate Twizzlers. There is almost no wrong answer for potential pairings unless you say "Mountain Dew," which is almost always the wrong answer.
3. Bucatini pasta
Bucatini pasta is non-negotiably the best pasta shape around, merging the best characteristics of both spaghetti and penne pasta in a way that is slurpable but also traps delicious sauce inside its stringy shape. Not only can you use bucatini pasta for an assortment of different pasta recipes, but it also makes for a wonderfully starchy edible straw alternative. Sure, edible may be a stretch unless you love eating raw pasta, but it's certainly more edible than a plastic or metal straw.
Pasta noodles have been buzzing in popularity and actual non-bucatini pasta straws like Stroodles and The Amazing Pasta Straw offer bougie plastic straw alternatives. Insider tried drinking everything out of makeshift bucatini pasta straws, which are thinner but cheaper than actual pasta straws, to see if it was a worthwhile eco-friendly alternative.
In the beginning, the bucatini straw proved to be an enjoyable sipping experience but eventually became soggy, limp, and in need of constant replacing. Additionally, using a bucatini straw for beverages like coffee resulted in a pasta-flavored caffeinated beverage that did not have a pleasant taste. We aren't saying that edible pasta straws are the solution to the plastic straw problem, but they are a quirky and compostable idea to embrace your inner barefoot contessa.
4. Veggie Straws
It would be outrageous not to consider Veggie Straws as an edible straw option, particularly since they have the word "straw" in the name, making them the poster child for dunkable and sippable edible straws. Veggie Straws are essentially potato chips that are dressed up in the hopes of convincing people that they are, indeed, part of the same nutrition pyramid as other vegetables (via Healthline).
However, despite their health-washed marketing, Veggie Straws are delicious and can not only double as a soundless kazoo or a spitball cannon, but also as a crunchy edible straw. Naturally, there are some flaws that don't make them the most versatile straw option: Their short and stocky size makes it hard to enjoy them in tall glasses and the crunch factor tends to only last approximately 45 seconds until it melts away like a soggy crouton.
That being said, veggie straws are perfect for thin tomato soups, as long as they are served in a shallow yet wide bowl. They can also be served with Bloody Marys for approximately two inches of sipping.
Of course, we can't forget about the Veggie Straws' sweetened fruit counterpart: Apple Straws. Apple straws are great for apple juice and apple cider, as well as Hot Toddys or even a cold chai tea latte. The similarly shaped and sized, Takis, are also a great spicy edible straw solution that would go perfectly with spicy margaritas, Modelos, or even hot chocolate.
5. Cereal
Of course, you could make your own cereal straws, but it would be superfluous when Kellogg's makes and sells its cereal straws. The Froot Loops, Cocoa Krispies, and the sadly gone but not forgotten Apple Jacks edible straws were the highlight of breakfast for a whole generation of 2000s kids; however, Fruit Loops Straws were ripped away from grocery store shelves in 2009 (per USA TODAY).
It wasn't until 2021 that Kellogg's decided to end the cereal straw's 12-year hiatus, thanks to a Change.org petition, and bring back its Froot Loops and Cocoa Krispies edible cereal straws. They are just as useful and delicious as 2000s kids remember, according to a review of the Froot Loops cereal straws in The Impulsive Buy.
The review explained that the straws are smaller and thinner than advertised but also incredibly artificial to the point of being "sexual," which makes sense since breakfast is unquestionably the most erotic meal of the day.
The cereal straws hold their shape very well and thankfully combine the soggy and crunchy parts of the cereal in one stick. You don't have to sip milk through these edible straws; you can also drink milkshakes, hot chocolate, or even smoothies for a satisfying and sweet treat at the end.
6. Rolled wafer cookies
The generic rolled wafer cookies, also known as barquillos, are a popular Spanish street food that makes for the perfect way to get your sweet tooth fix on the go (via BBC). There are dozens of different variations of this cookie from different brands, and they're available in different flavors like hazelnut, vanilla, chocolate, lemon, and more. Many of these cookies contain some filling, but the hollow options make for a deliciously edible straw that pairs well with any sweet or weirdly savory drink.
In 2015, Starbucks decided to offer its own brand of cookie straws with every purchase of a Frappuccino, making it a decadent sweet finish to a probably incoming sugar high (via Cosmopolitan). Starbucks cookie straws stuck around after the release, and the coffee chain eventually launched a pumpkin spice and holiday flavor.
In addition to, of course, every Starbucks drink, eatable cookie straws are quite enjoyable with milk, milkshakes, or hot chocolate, as long as you don't mind a slightly soggy straw that needs constant replacing and eating.
7. Slim Jims
If anyone says they know what a Slim Jim is made of, they are either lying or they know some official secrets. Slim Jims are like a coveted fossil at Wawa's, 7-11's, and other gas stations worldwide: They have been here for a long time and will survive long after we are gone, thanks to all the preservatives.
Slim Jims are now available in several different flavors in addition to the standard meat flavor, such as Tabasco, dill pickle, nacho, tangy BBQ, cheesesteak, buffalo, and several other wonderful flavors you can dream up in between.
All the flavor options make Slim Jims the ultimate carnivorous edible straw, enhanced by their highly vertical length and various widths built for any drink. However, if shucking the inside of a Slim Jim yourself seems too labor-intensive then Benny's Original Meat Straws is the snack that keeps on snacking long after the drink is finished.
Benny's Original Meat Straws are available in original beef and chipotle flavors, and they are the ideal hollow and functional garnish that are perfect for a Bloody Mary or even fat-washed cocktails. The possibilities are endless: Nacho Slim Jims with tomato soup, habanero Slim Jims with a Corona beer, and even Tabasco flavored Slim Jims as edible straws for margaritas. With all these desirable Slim Jim and drink pairings, it's hard not to fall into a meat coma.
8. Churros
It's hard not to love churros in some way, shape, or form. From Taco Bell's tiny churro twists to Costco's churros that are the size of a jousting sword, this cinnamon, and sugar-laced pastry is both good for the soul and entertaining to eat. That being said, churros are the ultimate edible pastry straw due to their varying sizes and lengths are perfect for any beverage of style or size.
It's also a sturdy enough pastry able to withstand extended periods of being submerged under sweet liquid, yet soft enough on the inside to carve out your homemade straw. Del Taco was ahead of the edible utensils trend in 2018 with its Churro Dipper Shake: A basic vanilla shake with chocolate swirls topped with a warm churro acting as a spoon. A representative from Del Taco told Restaurant Magazine that the churro acted as great edible silverware due to its flavored ridges that leaves no bit of milkshake uneaten.
Unfortunately, the churro milkshake is no longer available as of 2022, but you can build your own with a side of Del Taco churros and your choice of milkshake. Even if you are lactose-intolerant, you can enjoy an edible churro straw alongside Mexican-style hot chocolate, dairy-free horchata, or hot apple cider.
9. Cheese sticks
Cheese is like real-life magic: It starts out as just milk and then transforms into countless different styles of cheese. We don't discriminate against the different varieties of cheeses; all cheeses have their place, from the sharpest of goudas and bloomiest of brie cheeses to even the ripest of stinky cheese.
It would be incredible to take a block of gouda or a wheel of Brie de Fromage and whittle an edible cheese straw from it like a sculptor, but that's just too much work. Not when straw-like string cheese and other vertical forms of dairy already exist in the world and can be used as a cheese straw for all the potential cheesy drink pairings.
Of course, you could easily poke a hole through a generic stick of string cheese for an easy-to-make edible straw that can be used in beers, soups, and even sodas. You could also opt for Southern-style cheese straws made by the Mississippi Cheese Straw Factory for a cheesy slurpable experience for tomato soup or other cheese-based soups.
Also, why not combine carbs and cheese for a mozzarella cheese stick straw perfect for a Bloody Mary or any savory cocktail? Honestly, you could enjoy just about anything through an edible cheese straw.
10. Carrots
Let's be real: Carrots are not the most glamorous or adventurous food, aside from their deep orange hue. Carrots can seem quite boring, especially when compared with other edible straw options like hot dogs, churros, or Twizzlers. On the contrary, carrots are possibly one of the better edible straw options due to their sturdy build as they are able to stay fresh and crispy longer than their other competitors. Also, carrots are huge and also neutral enough in terms of flavor.
They're perfect as a healthy straw option that's long enough to fit in an extra large soda, an iced coffee, or a bowl of soup. That being said, we are not the ones that dreamed up the idea for edible carrot straws. In 2019, smoothie shop Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt announced that it was going to start working on a prototype for a carrot straw as an alternative for plastic straws in its smoothies and juices.
The company hoped that one day, carrot straws would be available nationwide at its restaurants as a compostable and eatable straw that would help combat the plastic waste problem. As of 2022, carrot straws have not hit the stores yet, but we anticipate a new wave of veggie straws for the future.