If you’ve been eating protein snacks for a while, as I have, you might remember Flings as a protein toaster pastry brand. They were actually one of the earlier brands making a healthier Pop-Tart, long before a bunch of other brands hopped on board, including actual Pop-Tarts.
When they first launched, I was really impressed. Flings truly captured the Pop-Tart experience with their original formula, including the ability to actually toast the pastries, and they were one of my favorite protein snacks out there.
Unfortunately, they reformulated, and I ended up really disliking the new version. The product went from a legit Pop-Tart alternative to a chewy & tacky sugar alcohol square. I wanted to love it, but it did a complete 180.
Now Flings has pivoted away from toaster pastries entirely, and the brand is focused on Protein Crunch.
I don’t know if this was a pivot out of necessity, or a product of true protein innovation.
In either case, considering how on board I was with their first iteration of toaster pastries, I was more than willing to give this Protein Crunch a fair shot.
Protein Crunch is exactly what it sounds like: little chocolate crunch pieces, very similar to Buncha Crunch. The photos and content online make them look (and sound) incredible.
The macros are solid, too. Each bag has 170 calories, 10 grams of complete protein, and 7 grams of fiber.
That’s not quite protein bar levels, but for a candy alternative, it’s great. If these actually eat like candy and not like a chopped-up protein bar, those macros are stellar.
The ingredients couldn’t be simpler, and honestly, that’s what worried me most. It’s basically a chocolate coating made from sugar, cocoa butter, and chicory root fiber, and then the crunch part is just… protein.
When I saw that list, my mind immediately went to a “there’s no way these are going to taste good” place. I’ve had protein puffs before, which are literally just puffed up protein, and those types of products have just never done it for me.
Well, there’s now a whole bunch of high-protein egg on my face. Because I was really, really wrong.
Milk Chocolate Protein Crunch
When I opened the bag, I was immediately impressed by the look of these crunchies. All of their marketing materials make these look like smooth hockey puck-like shapes with crunchies inside, but I’m so much more impressed by the imperfect nature of these.
Call me crazy, but I prefer the actual texture to the overly staged marketing version, personally.
The texture combined with the flavor reminds me of Buncha Crunch way more than I was expecting it to. The ratio is obviously different, with more crunchies than chocolate, so you don’t get the same melt-in-your-mouth experience as you get with Buncha Crunch.
But this is executed really, really well. Protein puffs and crunchies usually taste stale to me, but that’s not the case here at all.
The texture is awesome. It’s an actual crunch that any non-protein-eating human would be satisfied with, which is not something I say often about protein crisps.
The milk chocolate is smooth and sweet, and it pairs nicely with the crunch. Since they didn’t opt for any sugar substitutes in the coating, it just tastes like genuine milk chocolate.
This truly eats like candy, and as a fan of milk chocolate, I’m a huge fan of these.
Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Protein Crunch
Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt truly tastes like dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is not my preferred way to chocolate, but I can definitely appreciate it, and you do get a nice hit of sea salt on the back end.
That said, I think the nature of dark chocolate makes it harder to hide the protein and fiber taste. There’s a little more bite to this one compared to the others.
But I’m not much of a dark chocolate connoisseur, so maybe that’s just me not loving bitter chocolate. If dark chocolate is your thing, you’ll probably enjoy this one more than I did.
Salted Caramel Protein Crunch
Salted Caramel is the best of the bunch, because it really elevates the candy experience. The caramel flavor is genuinely great and it works perfectly in a bite-sized candy.
Most caramel protein products taste extremely fake, but this one tastes like actual caramel. That’s a big deal in this space.
You obviously miss out on having real gooey caramel inside. But the chocolate coating, combined with that satisfying crunch, makes it a perfect pairing for a smooth caramel flavor.
If you only try one flavor, make it this one.
Flings Protein Crunch: Final Thoughts
I’m suuuuper impressed with these overall. I did not expect much going in, but Flings absolutely nailed them.
Would you know it’s a protein snack? Yeah, there’s still a little bit of that “healthy” factor to it. I mean, it’s crunchy protein isolate coated in a chicory root chocolate coating.
But considering those are the ingredients, it’s really impressive how close these get to real candy.
There’s more crunch than chocolate, which steers it away from candy slightly. But the experience is so much more enjoyable than eating a single protein bar.
The serving size isn’t huge, but it’s generous enough to make for a great change from a typical protein bar. The pieces are about the size of a large marble, and you get roughly 8-10 in a bag, so it’s a fun snack that you can take your time with.
I mean, throw a bag of these into a serving of popcorn for movie night, and you’re all set.
After the toaster pastry reformulation, I really didn’t know what to expect from Flings. But this pivot was the right call, and I’m genuinely excited to see where they take these next.
