It seems like everyone is trying to add more protein to their diet, and food companies have taken notice. Many are now fortifying their products with extra protein and marketing them as “high-protein” options to meet consumer demand. One example is Nature Valley Protein Granola from Costco. I love granola and appreciate the idea of a version that adds a little extra protein to my day. But is this granola a smart choice for anyone craving a crunchy breakfast with a protein boost? Read on to find out.
Location in Store
This is located in the cereal and dry goods section at Costco near the Innofoods Keto Granola and the Nature’s Path Coconut Cashew Butter Granola. The item number is 1980428.
Taste
The first thing I noticed was that the bag contains some large clusters of granola, some smaller clusters, and lots of crumbs. The large clusters are very crunchy and hard, which I personally like,I love a crunchy granola.
The flavor isn’t great, though. The granola tastes mostly sweet with just a hint of chocolate, and it’s too sweet for my liking. The worst part is that it’s quite dry and leaves a chalky film in your mouth after eating it. The chocolate flavor also tastes somewhat artificial.
Cost
The 793-gram bag of granola costs $8.99 Canadian, which isn’t bad for such a large bag. There isn’t much to it, though—no nuts or dried fruit so I think the price is fair.
Convenience
The bag is resealable, which helps keep the granola fresh, and the best-before date is about nine months from when I purchased it. I like the combination of yogurt and granola, or you could eat it on its own by the handful. I’ve never had granola with milk, but that’s another way you could serve it.
Nutrition
Calories
One cup of granola contains 440 calories, 13 grams of fat, 65 grams of carbohydrates, six grams of fibre, 28 grams of sugar, 21 grams of protein, and 240 milligrams of sodium. I don’t think many people eat a full cup of granola, so advertising 21 grams of protein on the bag feels a bit misleading. To get that 21 grams of protein, you also have to consume a significant amount of calories, sugar, and carbohydrates, which somewhat defeats the purpose.
Ingredients
The second ingredient listed is sugar, which I don’t love. I’m also not a fan of seeing canola oil, sunflower oil, and natural flavour on the ingredient list. I also wish the protein weren’t soy-based. The granola is nut-free but may contain gluten, soy, and dairy.
Scoring
Taste: 6.5/10
Cost: 9/10
Convenience: 10/10
Nutrition: 5/10
Overall
Walk on by!
I’m a huge fan of granola, but I didn’t enjoy this Nature’s Valley Protein Granola, the aftertaste and the chalky texture it leaves in your mouth made me not want to finish the bag.
Have you tried the Costco Nature’s Valley Protein Granola? What did you think of it?
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).
