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, but only got small, bite-sized samples. Since those quick tastes didn’t give me the full picture, we have to dive into the full bars to really see what Battle Bars are all about.
These bars are advertised as “crispy protein bars” and seem to be going for a protein-packed version of Rice Krispies treats. At least something in that ballpark. It’s something a lot of brands have attempted, but most fall short.
Each box costs $40 for 12 bars, which breaks down to about $3.33 per bar. For that price, you’re getting 220 calories, 6g fat, 31g carbs (4g fiber, 7g sugar), and 16g protein per bar. Not the most impressive macros for over $3 per bar, but those are things I can look past if the flavor delivers.
After trying nearly every flavor, I can tell you that Battle Bars nail the flavors but struggle with execution on texture. The overall texture just misses the mark slightly for me. It almost tastes like stale crispy treats because of the denseness, but that’s the nature of protein bars.
If these bars were a little lighter and not so solid, they would be incredible because the flavors are actually great.
But let’s get into each individual flavor, going from my favorite to least favorite.
Flavor Review: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
This is one of the best bars I’ve ever had on flavor alone. It captures the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal experience better than any bar I’ve tried (even more than the actual Cinnamon Toast Crunch protein bars), but the texture is still holding it back slightly.
I love the idea of a crispy bar that tastes like a cereal bar. The problem is it’s on the dense side and not like one of those fall-apart cereal bars being held together with marshmallow.
You can’t expect that same cereal bar texture, but if this bar was a little softer, it would be out of this world.
Still, this is the best cinnamon cereal flavor I’ve had in any protein product. If you’re a fan of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, try to find this bar ASAP.
Flavor Review: Stella Blue Dark Chocolate Espresso
Battle Bar teamed up with Stella Blue Coffee for this bar, and they use the actual coffee in the product, which I respect immensely. Most protein bar collabs these days are just cash grabs, but this one serves a true purpose.
You can see the espresso dusting on top of the bar, and the flavor is unmistakable. This has a great balance of espresso and dark chocolate, and while I wish the coffee flavor was kicked up a tiny bit, I understand and appreciate the need for balanced flavor.
Maybe it was just a lucky coincidence, but this was also the softest of all the bars, which elevated the experience even more.
As a coffee lover, this bar is delicious. Since they use real coffee, this bar is caffeinated with 100mg of caffeine, so that’s something important to stay mindful of. While many people out there will love a caffeinated protein bar, especially for pre-workout purposes, I have to be careful considering I already drink a ton of coffee.
Flavor Review: Strawberry
This one is awesome overall. Reminds me a lot of the Special K protein bars, which I love, but with a denser texture overall.
The real strawberry pieces are a nice touch, giving this a steady, balanced strawberry flavor. As a soft, crispy strawberry bar, it hits all the marks I’d want.
Flavor Review: Lemon
This was the flavor I first tried a sample of, and I knew I loved it right away. After trying the full bar, I love it even more.
The lemon flavor here is surprisingly balanced and not at all overpowering. It’s light, citrusy, and tastes almost like a lemon cookie.
The texture actually helps this one, since it gives it more of a cookie-like bite. It’s one of the better lemon protein bars I’ve had.
Flavor Review: Peanut Butter
This tastes like many other peanut butter-flavored protein bars out there. If you’ve had bars like ONE, Fit Crunch, and others, then you’ll know the exact peanut butter flavor I’m talking about here.
It’s a good peanut butter flavor overall, but it’s distinctly different from protein bars made from actual peanut butter, especially with the crispy nature.
Flavor Review: Cookies & Cream
In the product photos (and other review photos I have seen), there a lots of cookie pieces throughout this bar. I must have gotten unlucky, because I didn’t get a single piece of cookie in any bites.
Without any cookie pieces, the taste is still good, but it’s mostly white chocolate/cream. The contrast with the bitter chocolate cookies would be perfect, so assuming you don’t get unlucky like me, you’re in for a solid flavor experience.
For me, it was mostly white chocolate. Good sweetness, but I would have loved the contrast with the almost bitter chocolate cookies.
Flavor Review: Blueberry
If we’re basing this on smell alone, this is easily the most recognizable (and potent) of all the flavors. It’s very accurate, so if you like blueberry flavoring, you’ll love this one. Blueberry isn’t a flavor I gravitate towards because it tends to be really overpowering for me.
I can’t deny the accuracy, though. If you’re a blueberry fan, this delivers on that front.
Flavor Review: S’mores
S’mores misses the mark for me. I can definitely get the notes of the flavors, but something about s’mores flavored products just never do it for me. Maybe it’s the fact that part of what makes s’mores so incredible is the gooey interior and crunchy graham cracker exterior.
With this bar, it’s still just a crispy protein bar. It’s really tough to capture the magic of s’mores with that.
With marshmallows or graham cracker chunks mixed in maybe it would be different, but the artificial marshmallow flavoring layered into the chocolate just doesn’t do it for me. If you’ve had s’mores-flavored protein bars before, the experience here is going to be very similar.
Flavor Review: Cake Batter
Cake batter mostly tastes like white chocolate, although I get a little bit of the “cake” flavoring on the back end in the aftertaste.
Something about the cake batter flavoring doesn’t do it for me with this one. Maybe it’s just cake batter flavoring that feels too artificial, but it’s not quite the sprinkle-packed cake batter I would hope for.
I think it’s similar to the s’mores experience for me: when something is cake batter, a crispy texture just doesn’t really work. Pack the bar with sprinkles and call it birthday cake? Now we’re getting closer.
Either way, the flavor misses the mark for me.
Flavor Review: Banana Cream
I love bananas… but I despise banana flavoring. Needless to say, this is not for me at all.
When I heard “banana cream” as the flavor, I was not expecting to find a chocolate-covered protein bar. Adding chocolate into the mix makes this much more of a chocolate covered banana than banana cream.
But no matter what you call it, you certainly taste the banana flavor.
If you love banana flavoring, then I’m sure it’s great, but I cannot stomach fake banana flavoring.
Battle Bars: Overall Thoughts
Battle Bars has some really fun flavors. Cinnamon Cereal, Espresso, Strawberry, and Lemon were the standouts for me.
The flavor variety is impressive, and when it hits, it really hits. But the texture is where these bars fall short for me.
They’re marketed as “crispy,” but most of the bars are dense and chewy. Yes, they contain crispy pieces, but it’s a fat cry from the Rice Krispies texture you’re likely searching for.
Some flavors get a little closer to the light, crispy texture you’d expect, but others feel more like traditional protein bars.
That inconsistency makes it tough to recommend these across the board, but certain flavors are absolutely worth trying. If you can get your hands on either the Cinnamon Cereal or Espresso Dark Chocolate bars specifically, they are absolutely worth it. On flavor alone, they’re two of the better protein bars I’ve ever had.
If you’re looking for “crispy” protein bars, I still recommend Ready Clean Bars, Quest Hero Bars, or Foundation Cereal Bars. They all lean a little more towards Rice Krispies territory, but of course not that light and airy.
But if you’re open to a denser bar with solid flavor options, or just want to support a veteran-owned company, Battle Bars have tons of potential.
