Flavors Tried: Vanilla & Peanut Butter
Nutrition: 200 Calories, 15g Fat, 12g Carbs (3g Fiber & 3g Sugar), 10g Protein
Price: $40 for 24-pack ($1.67 per bar)
Nick’s (or N!CK’s, but admittedly that one is annoying to type) has become well-known in the industry for their lower-calorie ice cream pints.
They’ve also released a few iterations of protein bars, but none of them has impressed me. I have a bunch of bars in my possession that I still need to write a formal review of, but my general feeling is that their protein bars taste about as generic as it gets.
They advertise tasting “just like candy,” but they’re pretty comparable to the Snickers Hi Protein Bar to me- a very average-tasting protein bar.
Having not had the greatest experience with their protein bars, I set the bar extremely low for their protein wafer bars.
Again, this touts that it “tastes just like candy” but I knew to temper those expectations. Unlike the protein bars, which contain 200 calories and 15 grams of protein, these wafer bars a little more on the indulgent side.
Nick’s Wafer Bars contain 200 calories, but they contain more carbs and fat than they do protein, so it isn’t exactly the greatest source of protein. While 10 grams of protein is fine, it’s not what you’d hope for in a protein bar, and it’s something you’d expect to see from a plant-based option instead.
The only way a protein snack with only 10 grams of protein can be worth it is if it absolutely nails the flavor. And my friends, these wafer bars are absolutely stellar.
Right out of the package, you can tell that the chocolatey coating is silky smooth. My photo might not do it justice here, but I was very impressed right from the jump.
The size is pretty impressive too, which is important when you’re looking at a snack with less-impressive macros. But since this is a wafer bar, it’s what’s on the inside that truly counts.
The wafer inside this bar is perfect. There is absolutely nothing “protein” about it. If you bought a regular wafer bar, you would never be able to tell the difference between the two.
But honestly, the star isn’t the wafer; it’s the chocolate coating. The coating has a certain thickness to it that your teeth sink into when you take a bite, and that silky smooth texture complements the crispy wafer better than I could have ever imagined.
The chocolate itself tastes like a true Swiss chocolate and it’s lightyears better than any chocolate coating I have ever had in a protein bar.
To be perfectly honest, it might be the best chocolate coating I have had in ANY bar, protein or not.
I tried both the peanut butter and vanilla flavors, and vanilla was the one that blew me away.
The vanilla flavor is subtle, and it works really well against the chocolate exterior. There’s a slight citrus flavor to the wafer itself, which is exactly what you want in an authentic vanilla wafer, and I have zero notes.
I know there isn’t a ton of protein in the bar, but you would never know that there was any protein in there. It truly is just a delicious wafer bar.
The peanut butter is less impressive to me, but it’s still an enjoyable experience. All the elements are there, from the delicious chocolate coating to the crispy wafer, but the peanut butter flavor takes a back seat.
Unlike the Fit Crunch Wafer bar that amplifies the peanut butter flavor, this one is mostly just a chocolate-coated wafer with a hint of peanut butter. It’s good, but the vanilla is amazing.
All-in-all, I love the experience of these protein wafer bars. There is zero artificial or “proteiny” taste, and the vanilla flavor is as good as any wafer I have ever had, protein or not.
If you appreciate good chocolate, these bars are worth trying on that alone. Seriously, the indulgent chocolate coating blows me away every time.
But as a protein snack, I can’t deny that the macros are far from impressive. 200 calories with only 10 grams of protein prevents this from being a must-buy protein snack, but I absolutely recommend picking yourself up a vanilla protein wafer bar if you get the chance, because the flavor is that good.
