Opinions: Quest Protein Bars

 We were giddy to try all of the fun flavors of Quest Bars, mainly because I was super duper impressed with the nutrition labels on these things.  The bars have no added processed sugar - the regular line of bars are sweetened with Sucralose, but if you're trying to avoid artificial sweeteners altogether, the newer All Natural line is sweetened with either Stevia or Erythritol.  The bars have a whopping 20+ grams of protein and have crazy low net carbs, between 2 and 5 grams.  The ingredient list is impressive... Quest boasts that their bars are free of "junk" ingredients.  They are one of the few true low carb protein bars on the market, as well!

So the big question is, with that A+ nutrition profile, how do they taste?  Let's find out.  Matt and I split up the flavors and added them as our pre-workout snack, so we could properly put them to the test!

Let's start with Apple Pie, a member of the original line of cliff bars.  The bar has big chunks of visible fruit and a great aroma.

The fruit chunks are nice and big, which is a positive, but the apple flavor in general was fairly artificial to me.  It did have a nice balance of apple pie spice flavors with the dense cake texture of the original line.  It was just "okay", but we probably won't purchase this one again.

Quest Bar Apple Pie:  3 out of 5  (Buy this flavor)

Next up was Banana Nut Muffin, one of the All Natural flavors.  I love banana bread and I can't recall ever seeing a flavor like this in a protein bar before.  Being a member of the All Natural line, the texture of this bar was softer and moister than the original line.

To be honest, I'm gonna have to take a pass on this one.  The bar has a good balance of the nutty banana flavor of banana bread, but there's just something about it that doesn't work as a protein bar for me.  The banana was overpowering and kinda stayed with me long after I had finished the bar, and not in a very pleasant way.
Quest Bar All Natural Banana Nut Muffin: 2 out of 5 (Buy this flavor)

Next is Chocolate Brownie!

I really enjoyed this one.  It has a dense chocolate cake texture which is a little more crumbly than the All Natural line, which I think worked in this one's favor.  The cocoa flavor was nice and strong and was just overall yummy.  There are little bitty almond pieces sprinkled throughout, which were a nice addition.  This one is a winner!
Quest Bar Chocolate Brownie :  5 out of 5 (Buy this flavor)

It seems like every line of protein bar has some version of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.  I liked the appearance of this one.  It's from the original line, so the bar is thick and dense, with visible marbled chocolate throughout.

While overall this one wasn't bad, I was surprised at how mild the chocolate flavor was, since it's such a visible part of the bar.  The cookie dough itself has a good flavor.  It has a similar dense cake-y texture to the Chocolate Brownie, and the flavor got better once I was a few bites in.  So yeah, it's not bad, but I do have other versions of cookie dough bars that I prefer, so I'll probably give this one a pass in the future.
Quest Bar Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough  3.5 out of 5 (Buy this flavor)

Now we're talkin' - Chocolate Peanut Butter!  This one is from the All Natural line and has the softer texture, which really reminds me of a Tootsie Roll.  This one only has 160 calories per bar which is one the lowest calorie counts of all of the Quest Bar varieties, so that is a plus.

There's little peanut pieces speckled throughout, and I loved the chocolate flavor.  In fact, it's fantastic as a chocolate bar, but the peanut/peanut butter flavor was a bit light.  I'm gonna put this one at a 4, because it is a tasty bar, but if you're looking for a strong peanut butter flavor, this one isn't it.

Quest Bar All Natural Chocolate Peanut Butter:  4 out of 5 (Buy this flavor)

Another All Natural flavor, let's take a look at Cinnamon Roll!  Don't you love the different food photos on each of the labels?  I'm all about the visuals.

The softer, more moist bar works well for this one, so good call there.  I don't think it would have been as good as a member of the denser original line.  This one has a nice strong cinnamony sweet flavor and is an all around pleasant bar.

Quest Bar All Natural Cinnamon Roll:  4 out of 5 (Buy this flavor)

I was pretty jazzed for Coconut Cashew - I have a blanket love for anything with coconut, and cashews are one of my favorite nuts!  The two paired together has to be a slam dunk, yes?

The texture of this one is flippin' awesome.  I happen to be one of those people that loves the texture of raw coconut, and this bar is packed with it.  It was chewy but not dry or crumbly, and the low sugar content of these bars works with this one as I didn't feel it was missing any sweetness at all.  I'll buy this one again!
Quest Bar All Natural Coconut Cashew:  5 out of 5 (Buy this flavor)

Yet another member of the All Natural line, let's give Lemon Cream Pie a whirl!

The main thing I appreciated about this bar was that the lemon flavor was fresh and natural, not artificial and chemical-y.  The strength of the lemon needed some more punch, however.  Oddly, the flavor seemed to decrease with each bite, and by the end of the bar it tasted pretty plain.  I'll probably give this one a pass in the future, but other than needing a bit more flavor, it's not too bad.
Quest Bar All Natural Lemon Cream Pie: 3 out of 5 (Buy this flavor)

 Mixed Berry Bliss from the original line.  What struck me about this one is the huge chunks of fruit and nuts!

I'm a sucker for bars with lots of textures and big chunks of ingredients, and this one delivers on both counts.  There are big ole chunks of almonds and freeze-dried blueberries and strawberries.   This one has 200 calories, which is one of the higher calorie counts in the Quest line.  There are other flavors with fewer calories that I liked much more than this one, so for that reason I'm gonna bump this one down to 4.  Would I buy it again?  Sure, but there are other flavors I'd go for first.

Quest Bar Mixed Berry Bliss:  4 out of 5 (Buy this flavor)

Peanut Butter & Jelly, come on down!  The first thing that hit me about this one was the smell - it's amazing!  I also noticed the big chunks of nuts and little bits of jelly.

Loved this one!  The thicker bar from the original line works well and it is packed with peanuts, almonds, peanut butter, and bits of what I think is strawberry jelly.  It has the perfect balance of peanut butter and fruit flavor.  One of my very favorites!!
Quest Bar Peanut Butter & Jelly:  5 out of 5 (Buy this flavor)

Peanut Butter Supreme!  Again with the sinful food photos on the label.  Excuse me, I need to go bake a peanut butter pie...

Look at those giant hunks of peanuts!  This one doesn't skimp on the peanut flavor, and paired with the denser, crumbly texture of the original line of bars, it's pretty darn good!

Peanut Butter Supreme:  4 out of 5 (Buy this flavor)

The last flavor in the All Natural line, Strawberry Cheesecake!

 I appreciated the little dried strawberry bits in this one.  The soft texture works well and the fruit flavor is natural without any weird after tastes.  As a strawberry bar, it's really great, though I was missing the cream cheese aspect which would have it nailed as a strawberry cheesecake flavor.  At 160 calories, this bar has one of the lower calorie counts - always a bonus!
Quest Bar All Natural Strawberry Cheesecake:  4 out of 5 (Buy this flavor)

Vanilla Almond Crunch.  As you guys have figured out right now, I appreciate the visible big ole chunks of almonds.

 Vanillas and almonds are, historically, a favorite flavor combo of mine.  This one, being a part of the original line, had a softer texture than I expected, and the flavors melded nicely together.  The crunchy almond chunks were a nice complement to the rest of the bar.  This one?  Yeah, I'll buy this one again.

Quest Bar Vanilla Almond Crunch:  4.5 out of 5 (Buy this flavor)

Saving one of the best for last!  White Chocolate Raspberry.  You guys, I'm powerless to white chocolate.  I know it's one of those things that people either love or loathe, but I just can't get enough.

This flavor does not skimp on the white chocolate - do you see those massive chunks?  I loved everything about this bar.  It was a good call include such concentrated pieces of white chocolate - it breaks up the texture of the "protein" part of the bar.  The dried bits of raspberry are plentiful and sprinkled throughout the bar rather than being in big chunks.  The flavor balance was spot on.  This was one of my favorites!

Quest Bar White Chocolate Raspberry:  5 out of 5 (Buy this flavor)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overall Impressions: I've already bragged about the nutrition label and ingredients of these puppies, but if you want more information, you can get a breakdown for every one of the flavors right here on the Quest website.  I was surprised that I found many delicious varieties in the diverse line up, with my favorite flavors being Coconut Cashew, White Chocolate Raspberry, Chocolate Brownie, and Peanut Butter & Jelly.  I would be happy to add any of those flavors to our usual protein bar line up.  My least favorite flavors were Banana Nut Muffin, Lemon Cream Pie, and Apple Pie.  Give 'em a try for yourself and let me know what you think - do you agree or disagree with our reviews?

Disclosure:  We’re dedicated to honest, unbiased reviews.  View our product review information right here!