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REVIEW: Battle Bars Crispy Protein Bars

Flavor Tried: S’mores

Price: $40 for box of 12 ($3.33 per bar)

Nutrition: 220 Calories, 6g Fat, 31g Carbs (4g Fiber, 7g Sugar), 16g Protein

I first tried Battle Bars at the Arnold Expo earlier this year, but only in small, bite-sized samples. Since those quick samples didn’t give me the best sense of the bars, I decided to grab a full S’mores bar from Vitamin Shoppe for a fair review.

These bars are advertised as “crispy protein bars” and seem to be aiming for a protein-packed version of a Rice Krispies treat—something a lot of brands have tried but often fall short on.

In my opinion, the best “crispy” bar to this point is Ready Clean bars, and although not totally like a Rice Krispies treat, it lands in a similar vein. We’ll see if these come anywhere close.

Each box costs $40 for 12 bars, which breaks down to about $3.33 per bar. For that price, you’re getting a bar with 220 calories, 6g fat, 31g carbs (including 4g fiber and 7g sugar), and 16g protein per bar.

Certainly not overly impressive with 220 calories and only 16 grams of protein, but I’m generally not a stickler for slightly lower protein if the taste is there. I mean, if they can knock these out of the park, I’ll settle for slightly less protein.

Right off the bar, it’s clear that these bars are pretty massive. I mean, that looks like a block of chocolate. But when you break into this bar, you can immediately tell that it’s not going to fall apart the same way you’d hope for in a crispy bar.

I can see where they’re going with “crispy,” but it’s not at all a Rice Krispies treat, so hopefully that is not your expectation.

The interior is made up of whey crisps and held together tapioca syrup, so you’re left with a dense interior and not at all light and airy. The flavor is also mostly whey protein, so while you can expect a protein bar to have that melty marshmallow interior, it’s a bummer to not have any notes of that flavor.

I have to admit, I didn’t even read the flavor name before my first bite, so I went in blind, and nothing about the taste reminded me of S’mores. You do get some chocolate from the coating, but there’s nothing marshmallow-like or graham cracker-inspired that stands out.

It’s mainly a mix of chocolate and whey protein, which feels pretty underwhelming for something labeled S’mores.

The bar itself is big and filling, which is nice, but the texture doesn’t match the “crispy” label. It’s dense and doesn’t break apart like you might hope.

With protein and tapioca syrup as the main ingredients, the flavor and texture come across exactly like that: thick, sweet, and protein-heavy.

Battle Bars’ website shows only 4- and 5-star reviews, with people raving about the bars being “insanely delicious” and even calling them “identical to Rice Krispies.” Anytime you see exclusively glowing reviews, it raises some red flags.

No matter how great a product is, there’s always going to be people out there who don’t love it. When you see no negative or constructive feedback, you have every right to question it.

So, I guess I’ll be the first person on Earth to admit these bars are really nothing special.

If you’re looking for a light, crispy protein treat, this one misses the mark. It doesn’t taste horrible, but for $3.33 a bar, the flavor and texture just aren’t strong enough to make it worth it.

If you want to try some other “crispy” protein bars, here are some other reviews for bars I enjoyed more:

Battle Bar interior
REVIEW: Battle Bars Crispy Protein Bars
Summary
Battle Bars are technically crispy, but in a dense proteiny type of way. If you're hoping for a protein Rice Krispies, you're gonna be disappointed. These bars are mainly made up of whey protein crisps and tapioca syrup, leaving a lot to be desired in the taste and texture.
Texture
6
Flavor Accuracy
5
Nutrition
6
Overall Taste
7
Reader Rating0 Votes
0
The Good
Very large bar
The Bad
Dense
Made up of crispies, but texture is not at all like a crispy bar
Falls way short on flavor
6
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