I’ve tried a variety of protein bars from Costco, including Quest Bars, RXBARs, and Kirkland Signature Protein Bars. While I’ve enjoyed trying different options, I prefer protein bars with a crispy, crunchy texture rather than a soft, chewy consistency. That’s why I was excited to try the new Simply Protein Crispy Bars from Costco! But do these crispy protein bars deliver on taste and texture? Read my review below to find out what I thought!
Location in Store
This is located at the front of the store in the snack section, near the Unreal Dark Chocolate Coconut Minis and the Golden Island Korean Jerky. The item number is 4440923.
Taste
The Costco SimplyProtein Crispy Bars come in two flavors: Peanut Butter Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Almond. The first thing I noticed about these bars is how crispy and crunchy they are! They remind me of a Rice Krispies Square, but with an even crunchier texture. Of the two flavors, the Peanut Butter Chocolate bar doesn’t have a particularly strong peanut butter taste.
Instead, it’s more chocolate-forward, with just a mild hint of peanut butter. The Dark Chocolate Almond bar is okay, but it has a somewhat artificial chocolate flavor from the sweetener. Both bars are slightly chalky and dry, which takes away from the overall eating experience. While I really enjoy the crispy, crunchy texture, I found the flavors to be just okay. They’re not bad protein bars, but they didn’t completely win me over in the taste department.
Cost
The box contains 16 individually wrapped 40-gram bars and costs $19.99 CAD, which works out to about $1.25 per bar. That’s a fairly reasonable price for protein bars! If you can find them on sale, you may be able to save $5 on the box, making them an even better deal.
Convenience
The box contains eight Dark Chocolate Almond bars and eight Peanut Butter Chocolate bars. Each bar is individually wrapped, making them easy to toss into a purse, lunchbox, glove box, or gym bag for a convenient snack on the go. The bars should be stored in a cool, dry place, and the best-before date is about a year from the date I purchased them, so there’s plenty of time to enjoy the whole box!
Nutrition
Calories
One dark chocolate almond bar contains 160 calories, seven grams of fat, 17 grams of carbohydrates, eight grams of fibre, two grams of sugar, 13 grams of protein and 200 milligrams of sodium.
One peanut butter chocolate protein bar contains 170 calories, eight grams of fat, 15 grams of carbohydrates, eight grams of fibre, two grams of protein, 13 grams of protein and 180 milligrams of sodium.
Ingredients
The protein in these Simply Protein Crispy Bars comes from soy protein, which isn’t my favorite, but I’ve found that many crispy, crunchy protein bars contain soy crisps. The bars contain soy and peanuts, along with almonds, and may also contain other tree nuts, milk, egg, and sesame. On the plus side, they’re made with gluten-free oats, which is good news for anyone who needs to avoid gluten. I appreciate that the bars do not have any artificial sweeteners in them.
Scoring
Taste: 6/10
Cost: 7/10
Convenience: 10/10
Nutrition: 8.5/10
Overall
Walk on by!
Overall, I didn’t love the Simply Protein Crispy Protein Bars enough to buy them again. They’re not bad protein bars, and I really enjoyed their crispy, crunchy texture, but the flavors just weren’t amazing. While I appreciate having a crunchier option, I don’t think these bars will become a regular purchase for me. My go-to protein bars from Costco are still the RXBAR Protein Bars, which I prefer overall.
Have you tried the Costco Simply Protein Crispy Protein Bars? What did you think of them?
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
