Canned Foods That Taste Great When Eaten Right Out Of The Can

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There are significantly less rules when it comes to eating canned foods versus eating prepared foods. Other than paying attention to signs that your canned food has gone bad, pretty much anything goes with canned goods. They seemingly last forever on whatever shelf you've forgotten them on, they're small and lightweight enough to pack on long journeys, and they're typically very affordable. Yes, those of us more civilized creatures may choose to cook or prepare our canned goods in a way that transforms them, but it's totally OK to crack open a can and dig straight in. Actually, some canned foods taste pretty great right out of the can.

Canned goods are the prime choice for many of your favorite characters from dystopian TV shows and films, as well as your local doomsday prepper. Depending on what canned food they grab, they may not actually be full-on roughing it. Grab a fork or spoon and eat these foods straight out of the can like a post-apocalyptic survivor, because they actually make pretty good snacks pre-apocalypse. Before you head to the store, though, note that not all canned goods are created equal. The brand you choose could make all the difference in how snackable your canned food is.

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For a lot of Americans, hearts of palm are an enigma. Hearts of palm taste like a confusing cross between artichoke hearts and string cheese. There is nothing else really like them, and their ambiguity is something that keeps them out of mainstream America. Really, though, they're something every snacker should have in their canned food pantry.

Straight out of the can, hearts of palm make excellent additions to salads. You don't have to add them to a dish or prepare them all, though, as you can pluck these cylindrical snacks right out of the can. They can be a bit delicate, especially at their core, so care should be taken when handling them. The flavor is mild, but the texture of hearts of palm is what will have you eating the entire can in one go. The outside is smooth and firm, with the inside being very soft. The texture is akin to eating string cheese.

Eating the entire can isn't a problem for those counting calories, as an entire can is well under 100 calories. In addition to being low calorie, hearts of palm are packed with fiber, potassium, zinc, and antioxidants. They are an all-around good snack that will satisfy hunger and mineral cravings. As far as canned goods go, hearts of palm are on the pricier side. You can typically find this satisfying snack in grocery stores for under $3 –– check next to the canned artichokes and asparagus!

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Popping open a can of baked beans and eating it straight out of the can gives straight survivor energy. If you're searching for sustenance in a post-apocalyptic world, there are few foods better than canned baked beans. They're high in fiber, iron, and protein, all benefits crucial for keeping a wastelander going. In our slightly less dystopian world, though, baked beans can actually make for a great tasting snack right from the can.

Baked beans are eat-ready, and a lot of people simply stick them in a pot on the oven to prepare them for consumption. The only difference this makes is literally hot and cold, and sometimes a cold or room temperature snack is more satisfying that a piping hot one. The only thing that really makes an impact in these situations is adding spices, and there are some canned baked beans that come with spices already added. This can be even better, because the beans have time to stew in the spices during the time the can spends on the shelf.

Actually, baked beans are starting to come in a lot of different flavors. If you're looking for a quick and easy snack that is more than pure starchy bean, Serious Bean Co. has an interestingly flavored line of baked beans. This line includes cans of Hot Honey, Jalapeño and Bacon, and even Dr. Pepper flavored baked beans, making it hard to get tired of the hardy snack.

The naysayers will point out that canned spray cheese — typically referred to as Cheez Whiz to snack connoisseurs no matter the actual brand — is not typically real cheese, and is instead a highly processed paste-like substance. However, the untold truth of Cheez Whiz is that it did, in fact, at one time contain real cheese. These days it's an imitation, but a really fun and good tasting one.

Canned cheese can be used for topping crackers, cheesesteaks, and anything else that could use a spray of cheese. Just as often, though, spray cheese is used straight out of the can and directly in the mouth. It's good for a very brief snack, or great for on the go eating. Backpackers in particular may enjoy this snack, as it doesn't take up much room and it'll last. With beef jerky in one hand and a can of spray cheese in the other, a snacker could take on whatever may come their way.

It's not just spray cheese that we want to talk about here, because there are some epic canned cheeses that go way under the radar. Anyone who has had the pleasure of trying a slice of canned Gouda or Cougar Gold has potentially gotten relatively close to seeing God. The cheese ages in the can, time only making it more tasty.

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Canned fish gets a wildly bad rap, with a lot of people quite literally turning their noses up at the idea of it. Admittedly, most canned seafood you pull off the shelf is going to have a high level of stinkage. If you can get past the smell after opening the can and the fact that your breath will have the same nose scrunching odor, then canned fish is healthy in minerals and satisfying in taste.

Canned fish makes an unusual snack to most, but tastes good to those who enjoy the dish otherwise and is a great source of magnesium and iron. Eating from the can saves a whole lot of time on the cooking front, and it also eliminates the worry of freshness. If you have a few cans of fish in the house, seafood cravings can be squashed without heading to the market.

Tuna, salmon, even sardines (the mustard kind specifically) are all great choices when it comes to eating fish straight out of a can. Other possibilities exist as well, and there's a large subreddit dedicated to canned fish, so you know the smelly snack has at least a cult following. Bone-in fish ups the weird factor for a lot of people, but fish like sardines and sockeye salmon are preserved in a way that makes the bones very soft. Bones are easily crushed when biting into the fish, and the extra calcium and vitamin D are a bonus to the texture change.

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Who said soup isn't a summer food? Turn any canned soup into a gazpacho relative by eating it cold right out of the can. It's true that canned soup isn't as high brow as most gazpacho and vichyssoise soups. Actually, this is kind of a goblin suggestion and you'll likely get judged if you spoon some soup out of the can in public, but it's surprisingly satisfying.

Other than a few judgmental looks, the only thing you should watch out for when slurping soup from the can is the sodium content. There are a lot of soups out there to choose from, but most will come with a pretty high sodium count on the nutritional facts label. The concentrated presence of salt is not only to enhance flavor, but to help preserve the soup for longer shelf stability.

You can fortunately eat pretty much any soup straight from the can, but a potato soup is a great choice if you're a fan of vichyssoise. Lentil or a vegetable-based soup will provide a hearty meal that feels light, but fulfilling. Of course, you can't go wrong with a classic either. Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup was ranked one of the best popular canned soups, and we'd imagine that it qualifies unheated as well.

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People forget about canned fruit, because it's pretty easy to grab a piece of fruit from the store to eat raw. Some fruits, though, might be even better and more convenient canned. Pineapple, for example, skips quite a lot of prep work if eaten right out of the can. Canned pineapple may be better tasting to some as well, as the juices marinate the fruit. Another fruit that can be delicious straight out of the can is canned peaches. The fruit's flavor is present in overdrive in both of these canned variations.

When it comes to the nutrition profile of fresh versus canned fruit, there actually isn't much of a difference in a lot of cases. If you're concerned about the content of your snack, check the label for sodium and sugar levels. Salt is often added to canned goods for preservation and fruits can be canned with a large amount of added sugar. If a can is labeled as a fruit cocktail, this is a sign that a lot of extra sugar or salt may be present. If the fruit is canned in water, you are likely good to eat the entire can without having to worry about going over your daily macros.

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Spam has been around for a while and originally became popular as a solid choice for survival food. These days it has become a staple in a lot of households, used for its snackability as well as an important meal ingredient. A lot of people who swear by Spam will fry it up to eat alongside their meals or put into their eggs as added protein and flavor. The canned meat is also popular in a lot of Asian dishes. Eating Spam right out of the can, though, is not only allowed, but some Spam lovers thoroughly enjoy it.

Spam isn't the first choice on most people's lists of the best meat options, but it is a nostalgic one for a lot of people and it's beloved as a cult classic food. Though American made, Spam spread throughout the world during the World Wars and has proven to have major lasting powers. It's affordable, shelf stable, has a distinct taste, and is quite enjoyable for many. If you're one of the many who enjoy it straight out of the can without any doctoring up, Spam makes for an incredibly easy, cheap, and quick snack that is packed with calories to fill you up.

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If you are a fan of olives, you have likely been eating them from the can without even knowing. Most olives found on salad bars, in your favorite bar drink, or on your favorite fancy charcuterie board are likely placed there straight out of the can or jar without anything being done to them. While olives are an acquired taste for many, if you're a lover of these savory morsels you might as well skip the middleman and just eat them straight out of the can. It's actually not uncommon for olive lovers to eat an entire can as a quick, craving satisfying snack.

Though quite a lot of olives come in glass jars, some do come in cans. Black olives in particular are commonly sold in cans, and this is due to the canning process being just right for the ripe olives. Not only are black olives satisfying for those who enjoy them, but they are highly nutritious. These tiny flavor bombs come with a hearty portion of iron, antioxidants, and many minerals that women in particular need for healthy living. Your body needs fuel, and eating olives is like supplying yourself with premium, even straight from the can.

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If you've never eaten a can of Chef Boyardee, you probably weren't a latchkey kid. Trusted enough to be left home alone, but not enough to work the stove in an otherwise empty house. Can openers were fair game, though! Cold raviolis and SpaghettiOs were an ideal after school snack, and many former kids have that image of Chef Boyardee on the can engraved in their minds via fond memories.

Like a lot of snacks we enjoy as adults, enjoyment of pasta straight from the can comes directly from our childhood in the form of nostalgia. Pasta from the can isn't inherently better than other pasta that takes longer to prepare, but it can be very satisfying. The same can be said for pasta straight from the can compared to heating it up. They're two totally different culinary adventures, both of which totally have a place in the human experience. Whether you're looking to relive a piece of your childhood or you have children of your own, a cold can of SpaghettiOs hits just right from time to time. Nutritionally, though, this snack is purely for the spirit.

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Baked beans are not the only legume that tastes amazing straight out of the can. If you're a lover of green beans, a fork and a can of Green Giant green beans are all you need for a refreshing and satisfying snack. Fresh green beans and canned green beans are two totally different beasts, but both have their full merits as top tier snacks.

Canned green beans have a more mild flavor, but the texture is really unlike anything else on Earth. At first bite, a canned green bean has the same mush factor as many other canned veggies. This is in part due to the high temperatures the canning process cooks canned goods at. However, a canned green bean has a signature squeak to it that is not only audible when you bite into one, but it also contributes to the texture and mouthfeel of the bean. Weirdly, this squeak is wholesome for those who enjoy the snack and makes the eater feel like they're feeding their body something thoroughly good and right.

Nutritionally, this feeling of rightness is spot-on. Green beans, even when they're eaten straight from the can, are a fantastic source of vitamin K, iron, fiber, and zinc. For all the nutritious benefits that green beans carry with them, they're very low in calories. This means they are great to fit into your day whenever, and canned green beans can be taken wherever as well.

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Deriving enjoyment out of canned asparagus might be a controversial take, but one we have to explore. Enjoying asparagus and finding joy in eating canned asparagus are not one in the same, and loving one does not mean you will love the other. Canned asparagus may have a similar taste to that of asparagus that is cooked in a different way, but the texture would have a hard time being more different. With that being said, if you love a softer cooked veggie, you may find canned asparagus to be the perfect quick snack.

Canned asparagus is going to be almost traumatic if you expect a crisp spear of asparagus to emerge once opened. Instead, you'll find many very mushy spears that fall apart quite easily when handled outside of the jar. You'll still experience some of the stringiness that asparagus has, but for the most part canned asparagus is very easy to mash up. This makes the canned good ideal for using in some recipes, like casseroles and dips. However, if the texture is one you enjoy, canned asparagus right out of the jar can be a healthy addition to your meal plans.

Asparagus, even when canned, is a great source of vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, and fiber. Though it has less than many canned goods, watch out for increased salt content with this fibrous snack.