Americans in other states may not know what Beaver Nuggets are, but surely anyone who has lived in Texas for any length of time is familiar with the term. Beaver Nuggets are the top-selling snack at Buc-ee’s, the iconic road-trip pit stop for travelers in Texas.
Food & Wine magazine listed Beaver Nuggets as the “best snack in Texas” in a food review, describing them as “deliciously evil.” Eater.com concurred, naming Buc-ee’s Beaver Nuggets as one of the finest gas-station food picks in the South, ranking right up there with Texas kolaches.
The classic Texas snack is puffed corn coated in a sugar-caramel coating for those not in the know. But it doesn’t end there; Beaver Nuggets come in other flavors, including Sea-Salted Caramel and Cinnamon Sweet.
For snackers who prefer savory over sweet, Buc-ee’s offers a close cousin to the nuggets, called Beaver Nug-ee’s, available in the classic cheddar flavor (akin to Cheetos), White Cheddar, White Cheddar Habanero, as well as Bold N Sorta Spicy.
Beaver Nuggets have become so popular in their home state of Texas that snack connoisseurs are finding new ways to incorporate them into their daily diets.
“I love Beaver Nuggets beyond words,” Seabrook resident Angelique Hinkle told San Antonio news outlet MySA.
When she found she was short on ingredients to make a graham cracker crust for her key-lime pie, she naturally turned to what she did have in the pantry — Beaver Nuggets. A little dash of cinnamon and some melted butter, combined with crushed nuggets, and voila!
“Feeling like a super genius right now,” she posted on social media, alongside a photo of her creation. “[It] came out perfect! It held together well and was delicious.”
Hinkle said this was not the first time she had used the snack food in her baked goods and noted that it adds a maple caramel flavor and a bit of crunch to her recipes.
“I really think the possibilities are endless,” Hinkle told MySA. “I’m considering ice cream next.”
The local news station WFAA staff made their version of Beaver Nugget ice cream and posted a video with the recipe.
Ryan McWhorter, a brewer at Panther Island Brewery in Fort Worth, took the Buc-ee’s Nugget craze to the next level, transforming 123 pounds of the snack into a craft beer that he named Road Trip Snacks. He said the first batch sold out in two hours, as WFAA reported.
The Buc-ee’s Nugget’s fanbase will likely increase as more Buc-ee’s stores open up in other states. Currently, there are 34 stores in Texas and 11 more scattered across six other southern states.
For those who don’t live near a Buc-ee’s store, fear not: Beaver Nuggets are available on Amazon.
