Flavors Tried: White Chocolate Fruity Cereal Crunch, Milk Chocolate PB & Jelly, Monster Cookie Crunch
Price: $2.50 Per Bar
Nutrition: 280 Calories, 11g Fat, 25g Carbs (1g Fiber & 19g Sugar), 21g Protein
Anabar protein bars are fairly new to the protein bar game, but they are boldly claiming to be the “world’s best tasting protein bar,” so I took it upon myself to find out if that is actually true.
These protein bars burst onto the scene in 2021, and by 2022 I started hearing about them all over social media. For the most part, everyone seemed to agree that they are delicious protein bars, so clearly they’re doing something right.
As far as protein bars go, Anabar protein bars are a bit high in calories compared to other options out there.
The calories vary a bit depending on the flavor, but they all hover around this 280-calorie range. Now, that’s not too high for a protein bar, but you’ll typically find bars being right around 200 calories, so this is a bit higher.
Still, with 21 grams of protein per bar, it’s a solid protein-to-calories ratio.
These bars are peanut butter-based, like Outright bars or Perfect bars, so it’s no surprise that the fat content is on the higher side as well.
Now, where I can see Anabar bars being really polarizing is with the sugar content. This protein bar doesn’t claim to be low carb, but with most of the carbs coming from sugar (19 grams of sugar in this case) I can see many people being put off by these bars.
Clearly, Anabar is aimed at the fitness-focused individual who follows a flexible dieting lifestyle and doesn’t mind consuming sugar. If your views of eating “healthy” include limiting your overall sugar intake, these will definitely not be the bars for you.
What exactly are Anabar protein bars?
When I first reviewed these bars in 2022, the official site made a claim that Anabar is “made with whole foods.”
If you’re not familiar with this kind of claim, just know that it has no concrete meaning and is not regulated. Put another way: a food can contain one whole food ingredient (an ingredient that hasn’t been refined or altered) but 10 non-whole food ingredients, and it is still technically “made with whole foods.”
Anabar uses peanut butter as their main ingredient, which is the whole food in this case, but saying they are made with whole foods makes it sound like these bars are all-natural or use minimal ingredients, and that is not the case.
In 2023, it looks like Anabar did away with that claim and moved in a new direction. Now, Anabar is calling itself “The Protein-Packed Candy Bar.” Given the sugar content in these bars, that feels much more appropriate.
Fruity Cereal Anabar Review
The first thing you notice when you unwrap these protein bars is just how thick they are. They’re not nearly as long as other bars, but they’re thicker than any other protein bar I’ve tried.
I was hoping the smell of the fruity cereal would be really strong with this bar (like ONE bars) but the aroma is overpowered by the peanut butter.
In terms of flavor, this bar tastes exactly like you would expect it to. If you mixed up peanut butter, protein powder, and Fruity Pebbles in a bowl, it would taste very similar to this protein bar.
If that’s a flavor combination that sounds appealing to you, you’ll likely love this protein bar. I’m not quite sure how much I enjoy the combination, but I love all of those flavors separately and still enjoy eating this protein bar.
I do have to give a ton of credit to Anabar for the texture they were able to achieve because it’s really pleasant.
Most protein bars on the market today are really thick & chewy, but these bars are really soft & creamy, almost like cookie dough. There are whey protein crisps inside of these bars as well, so you get that contrast of soft & slightly crunchy in every bite.
Overall, this bar has great flavor, even if it’s not the exact flavor combination I’d be running out to try. But the awesome texture earns this bar a few extra points in my book.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Anabar Review
Much like the Fruity Cereal flavor, I found this bar to be a bit of a strange flavor combination. Peanut butter and jelly go together as well as any two flavors out there, but adding a chocolate coating to this bar is a strange choice to me.
If this bar had a peanut butter coating (like the ONE Crunch Bars) I think it would really elevate this bar.
As is, this is another solid protein bar, although a bit less exciting than the fruity cereal flavor in my book.
The base of this protein bar tastes like peanut butter mixed with protein powder, which is to be expected, and there seems to be some raspberry extract mixed in that gives the bar a fruity flavor.
Since there’s a chocolate coating on this bar, I find that chocolate flavor almost getting in the way of really enjoying this one. As someone who grew up on PB&J sandwiches, this misses on the nostalgia for me and doesn’t deliver that classic flavor.
With that being said, the texture of this bar is great: soft, yet thick and chewy.
Monster Cookie Anabar Review
After I tried the first two Anabar flavors, everyone and their mother told me that I HAD to try the monster cookie flavor.
Considering this is a very peanut butter-focused flavor, it makes sense that this would be the most popular flavor out there.
This is a peanut butter protein bar loaded up with what I assume are Reese’s pieces and pretzels. The photos on the site make it seem like this is going to be a high-protein Take 5 bar, but as you can see by my photo above, there are not a whole lot of mix-ins in this bar (and that was true for each bar I tried).
I’ll give Anabar credit for making a bar that smells just like a Reese’s. But man oh man, this bar is very sweet.
I have a huge sweet tooth, and I absolutely love candy bars. I can totally see why this is considered a “protein-packed candy bar,” but this tastes significantly sweeter than any candy bar I’ve had.
The texture of this bar is dense, but not chewy like Quest Bars, and there are protein crisps/pretzels throughout the bar to add a crunch.
The flavor somewhat resembles Reese’s, which is great, but about 10x sweeter than an actual Reese’s. I’ll finish the box I purchased, but it is just way too over the top for this to be one of my favorite protein bars.
Anabar Protein Bars: Overall Thoughts
Anabar protein bars are a great change of pace from the typical protein bars you find on the market today. Most protein bars aim to be as low-carb as possible, and in the process end up having a very thick & chewy texture.
Anabar doesn’t shy away from the carbs or calories, which ends up giving these protein bars a soft and really enjoyable texture.
While the calories may be higher than other protein bars out there, they’re not too high where it ruins these as a snack. If you’re watching your sugar intake then these bars will not be appealing, but they are otherwise a great protein source, especially for a post-workout snack.
I see a ton of potential with these bars, but the flavors aren’t exactly there for me just yet.
Protein bars always evolve and refine their formulas, so I can see Anabar becoming a leader in the protein bar space down the road, I just don’t think they’re at that point just yet.
As a “protein-packed candy bar,” they certainly fit the bill, but there is plenty of room for improvement.