Sprouts Mini Lemon Bites Review
Author’s Note: As per usual, this is not a paid review. I have no affiliation with Sprouts Farmers Market.
A punch of flavor, but a mauling of sweetness.
Wow. So. I saw these wee treats featured in a “Lemon” promotional product theme. I made a beeline for them when I attended my local Sprouts Grand Opening (read all about it here.)
For whatever reason, I expected these Mini Lemon Bites to have a firmer, denser cake texture. Maybe even scone-like, or biscuity. But, they turned out to be uber-soft, delicate cake! It’s moist, heavy cake, but soooo soft. Almost cloud-like softness. I’m not mad, just surprised. It’s enjoyable, in a different way.
(For another tender, citrusy cake, here’s my review of Costco’s Lemon Blueberry Loaf.)
If you prefer your cake bites firmer, you can refrigerate them before serving; they get at least 43.891% firmer when chilled.
The lemon flavor is SUPER strong. But like, hero strong. Not villain strong. Strong like Captain America, not Loki.
It’s such a strong lemon taste, I was certain it could not be natural. But I was wrong. The label does list “natural flavor,” but no artificial flavors. There are even some textural bits of lemon peel inside. Whatever the case, the bright citrus zing is rich without being tart.
(Do you enjoy a much lighter lemon flavor? Check out my review of these Lemon Raspberry Muffins from Costco.)
On a sweetness scale, these are probably a 9 out of 10. They’re sugary. Much too cloying for my personal taste. The icing is almost candy-like. These are rich enough that I didn’t want more than one at a time.
Oddly, they’re not quite the bright yellow depicted on the Sprouts website. More of a gentle pastel hue. But, I liked this better. Much more natural-looking. Less like a neon highlighter.
Speaking of appearance, these are elegant morsels, once plated. They remind me of petit fours, but less rigid. They are tea-party-worthy fare. In fact, the lemony flavor puts me in the mood for a festive garden party.
Ingredients in Sprouts Mini Lemon Bites
Here is my best attempt at typing out the ingredients, from the label:
- Cake Mix (Sugar, Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour Enriched with Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid], Modified Food Starch, Soybean Oil, Dried Whey [Milk], Leavening [Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate], Vital Wheat Gluten, Salt, Natural Flavor, Soy Lecithin)
- Powdered Sugar (Sugar, Cornstarch)
- Water
- Whole Eggs
- Soybean Oil
- Sugar
- Palm Oil Shortening
- Palm Oil
- Lemon Juice
- Lemon Flavor
- Lemon Peel
- Water
- Citric Acid
- Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
- Icing Stabilizer (Sugar, Calcium Carbonate, Agar, Salt, Monoglycerides)
- Natural Color
- Citric Acid
- Titanium Dioxide (Color)
So the bad news is, these cake bites aren’t what I’d call “healthy.” This is only disappointing if you actually expected them to be healthy.
Sprouts markets itself as a health-oriented store (my receipt said, “Have a Healthy Day” at the bottom… are they mocking me?!), so I semi-expected something better than this. I mean, these are desserts. Of course there will be sugar. But, this is a lot more sugar than I think is necessary, plus all the other additives. You all already know I hate soybean oil, so I won’t go on a rant about that.
I’m an artist. I paint with Titanium Dioxide pigment. But I don’t want to eat it. I’m disappointed to find it in the ingredient list.
On the plus side, there aren’t any artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, or high fructose corn syrup. There is real lemon peel and lemon juice. Nice.
Nutrition Facts
A serving is 2 pieces, and contains 210 calories. You’ll get 9 grams of fat (2 grams saturated fat), 2 grams of protein, and a whopping 23 grams of sugars. It doesn’t say how much of that is “added sugars.” Thirty grams of total carbohydrates. There’s just 5% your daily value of sodium, and 10% of your daily cholesterol.
Price and Servings
The 12-pack of Mini Lemon Bites cost $7.99 at my local Sprouts. Since a serving is two “bites,” each serving costs $1.33. You get six servings per package. There are 11 ounces per package, so each “bite” is almost 1 ounce.
Shelf Life
The “sell by” date on my package allowed a full week to consume. And, honestly, I was still eating these a week later. I kept them in my refrigerator for maximum lifespan. They really didn’t change much over that time span. The icing got a little crisper, but the cake inside was still wonderfully soft and moist.
I’d say you can confidently buy these a few days before your event and still serve a fresh-tasting treat.
Dramatic Conclusion
I’m always looking for elegant little party foods, and these Lemon Bites are beautiful morsels. I loved the intense lemon flavor and the dainty striped pattern. However, they are much too sweet for me — and hardly healthy. But, they will likely please your sugar-loving friends. I’d buy them again for an event, but probably not for myself.
On my highly scientific “Awesome-o-Meter,” these score a “Maybe.”
The End.
More Reviews You Might Like (or Hate)
Check out these other citrusy reviews I’ve written. Or don’t. That’s fine, too:
