The 5 Best Cricket Powders
Updated by · How we research
Five cricket powders and blends compared on protein, ingredients and allergy labels. Exo Acheta Protein leads as a pure powder that stays easy to find. When users buy our independently chosen editorial recommendations, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
Cricket powder is whole crickets, roasted and milled into a fine, nutty flour, and about two-thirds of it is protein by weight. A spoonful still holds far less protein than a scoop of whey, so most people use it to enrich baking, oatmeal or smoothies. Anyone allergic to shellfish or dust mites should skip it, since insects can set off the same reaction.
Editor's Notes
October 26, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Admin:
Exo Acheta Protein now leads because it's still the easiest single-ingredient house-cricket powder to buy, and staying on sale turned out to be the hard part. Lithic Nutrition Pure, Chirps Protein Blend, both Cricket Flours bags, Thailand Unique Cricketerra, Chapul Protein and Bud's Pure have all vanished, so they're gone. Entomo Farms Cricket Protein stays, now in its larger bag, and Exo moves up from a special honor.
We leaned on the European Food Safety Authority's review of house cricket powder, a 2024 lab study that measured how well cricket protein digests next to whey, and each maker's ingredient and allergen statements. Only five powders made for people are sold right now, so the list stops at five. Cricket snacks, baking mixes and pet feeds were left out. If you mainly want the most protein per scoop, our protein powders list covers whey and plant options.
July 30, 2020:
Cricket powder may seem odd to the average North American consumer, but eating insects is actually quite common in most of the world. In fact, different species of bugs are regularly eaten in 80-percent of the world's nations. Once you get over the mental aspect of it and realize how nutritious crickets are, and how sustainable of a food source they are, it makes sense to incorporate them into your diet. That being said, it is important for those with shellfish allergies to avoid it, as it can cause a similar reaction to eating crustaceans in some.
We thought it worthwhile to include both pure varieties as well as those that are blended with other ingredients that can make them easier to incorporate into smoothies and baked goods. For example, Chirps Protein Blend and Chapul Protein both come in chocolate or vanilla flavors and taste much like traditional protein powders, so you should have no trouble creating tasty pre- or post-workout shakes from them.
While most can be used for baking, it can take a little experimentation to get the ratios right when first starting out. Cricket Flours All Purpose solves that problem for you. It already contains the correct amount of wheat flour, so it allows for a 1-to-1 substitute for the regular variety in most recipes. This does mean it doesn't have as healthy of a nutrient profile as some others, though.
If you are careful about the foods you introduce into your diet, then you might be best served with Lithic Nutrition Pure, Cricket Flours All-Natural, Entomo Farms 2050, Thailand Unique Cricketerra, or Bud's Pure. All of these are single-ingredient options, so you don't have to worry about sweeteners, artificial fillers, or them causing issues for people with sensitivities. Entomo Farms 2050 is even USDA organic certified for those looking to avoid chemicals and hormones.
March 22, 2019:
At this time, there are availability issues with Crik Nutrition Premium, so we decided to remove it. We still believe that Lithic Foods Pure and Cricket Flours All-Natural are top choices, however, as both are created to the highest quality standards. Both include a handy PDF cookbook, as well, a nice touch for those who might be a little unsure about how to start reaping the benefits of this food. And while they're on the more expensive side, it's true in this case that you get what you pay for. We also decided to keep Thailand Unique Cricketerra, although it's worth noting that it is generally believed to have a sharper flavor than many. Of course, taste is subjective, so it's tough to say definitively that it is, in fact, more pungent. Finally, we added Bud's Premium, another somewhat pricey option that is conveniently offered in a half-pound bag. If you're new to cricket powder and don't want to take too big of a leap, it might be a good place to start.
Special Honors
3 Cricketeers Pure Cricket Powder This Minneapolis urban farm raises its own crickets and sells a finely milled pure powder directly, in a small trial bag and a one-pound bag, with a shellfish allergy note on the page. It also sells roasted cricket snacks and gluten-free baking mixes made with the same crickets. 3cricketeers.com
Pure Powder Or A Shake Blend
Pure cricket powder is one ingredient: crickets, roasted or dried and milled.
Pure cricket powder is one ingredient: crickets, roasted or dried and milled. Most sold in North America is the house cricket, Acheta domesticus, which is why some bags say "Acheta protein" (Exo). Entomo Farms uses the banded cricket instead and gives 67 grams of protein per 100 grams of powder. Pure powder tastes mild and nutty and works best mixed into something else.
Blends add other proteins and flavor. Mighty Cricket's chocolate powder mixes cricket with pea and rice protein and sweetens it with monk fruit, which is how it reaches 20 grams of protein in a 32-gram serving. That's handy in a shaker bottle but means less cricket per scoop.
Read the serving size before comparing labels. Exo lists a 10-gram serving, Mighty Cricket's unflavored powder uses two tablespoons (14.6 grams), and Paradox uses a third of a cup (36 grams), so the protein per serving swings by a factor of four even though the powders are close per gram. Cleveland Clinic suggests swapping cricket powder for part of the flour in baking or stirring it into smoothies and oatmeal (Cleveland Clinic).
How Cricket Protein Compares With Whey
On paper, cricket powder looks rich in protein. The European Food Safety Authority measured about 65 grams per 100 grams in house cricket powder, but it notes that the standard lab method counts nitrogen from chitin, the shell material, as protein. With a factor that corrects for chitin, the figure drops to about 56 grams (EFSA).
Digestion is the other gap. A 2024 lab study that simulated human digestion found about 80 percent of cricket powder protein broken down after two hours, against about 98 percent for whey (Molecules, 2024). The authors still rate cricket a useful protein, and no human trial has settled the question. Cleveland Clinic notes the research on eating insects is thin and that supplements aren't reviewed by the FDA for what they contain (Cleveland Clinic).
Cost matters too. A pound of pure cricket powder costs several times what a pound of plain whey does, and it holds less protein. Buy it to add variety, minerals and vitamin B12 to food you already eat, not as a cheaper way to hit a daily protein target. For straight protein per scoop, a whey or plant powder wins.
Allergies, Storage And Recalls
Crickets share proteins with shrimp, crab and dust mites. EFSA warns that cricket powder may cause reactions in people allergic to crustaceans, mites or mollusks, and that eating it can also cause a new allergy. It also found that allergens in the crickets' feed, such as gluten, can carry into the powder (EFSA). In the European Union, a warning next to the ingredients is required.
U.S. labels vary. Entomo Farms and Mighty Cricket print a shellfish warning, and Paradox posts an allergen note on its site, while Exo's product page doesn't. Treat every cricket powder as a shellfish risk whatever the bag says.
Keep the bag sealed, dry and cool; the fat in cricket powder can go stale once it's open. We checked FDA food enforcement records and found one cricket recall, Exo's protein bars in 2018 for undeclared sulfites, which did not involve its powder (openFDA). No powder on this list has a recall on record.
How we researched this
We compared 14 cricket powders, including the eight from the earlier list, and read the makers' ingredient, nutrition and allergen statements and label photos for the five still sold. We used the European Food Safety Authority's opinion on house cricket powder, a 2024 digestion study and Cleveland Clinic's overview for the nutrition and allergy facts, and checked FDA and CPSC recall records. No independent lab or magazine has compared cricket powders yet.
Sources (8)
- EFSA: safety of partially defatted house cricket powder (2024)
- Molecules 2024: in vitro digestibility of cricket powder vs whey
- Cleveland Clinic: acheta protein
- Exo: cricket powder
- Entomo Farms: cricket powder
- Paradox Protein: Sustain
- 3 Cricketeers: pure cricket powder
- openFDA food enforcement: cricket
Frequently asked questions
What is acheta powder?
It's powder made from the house cricket, Acheta domesticus. The crickets are roasted or dried and milled into a fine flour. "Acheta protein" on a label means the same thing as cricket powder from that species.
Is cricket protein better than whey?
Not for protein alone. Whey has more protein per scoop, costs less and digested more fully in a 2024 lab study. Cricket powder adds vitamin B12, iron and fiber, and some people pick it for its smaller farming footprint.
Is cricket powder a complete protein?
Makers such as Entomo Farms say it contains all nine essential amino acids. Cleveland Clinic is more cautious and says some crickets provide a complete protein. Either way, mixing it with other protein sources covers any gap.
Who should avoid cricket powder?
Anyone allergic to shellfish, crustaceans or dust mites, because insects can trigger the same reaction. People with celiac disease should check for gluten, since allergens in cricket feed can carry over. Ask a doctor if you're unsure.
How do you use cricket powder?
Stir a spoonful into smoothies, oatmeal or yogurt, or swap it for part of the flour in pancakes, muffins and bread. Its flavor is mild and nutty, so small amounts go unnoticed.
What foods have acheta or cricket powder in them?
Protein bars, pasta, chips, baking mixes and protein shakes. Brands such as Exo, Entomo Farms, Mighty Cricket and 3 Cricketeers sell both plain powder and snacks or mixes made with it.
