A ranking and review of Barebells Vegan Protein Bar line. Flavors will be ranked based on taste, composition, and the overall experience.
Overall Review & Verdict
These all look uniform: a thin chocolate shell encases the filling, and on the inside, there is a filling part and either some goo or chocolate chip pieces. The composition is nuanced enough to have good mouthfeel, though if I had to compare it to regular Barebells, these aren’t quite as good.
Also, the flavors are unfortunately completely masked by the bitterness and sharpness of the stevia. Yes, these bars do taste artificial because of this, ruining what was an initial experience when you bite in. It really feels like they added too much stevia, giving it a weird combination of being overly sweet and overly sharp and stinging at the same time.
The verdict? I would avoid these and get regular Barebell protein bars, or heck, any other protein bars, even other vegan-based ones. Sure, these have some nuanced textures, but they aren’t nearly as good as regular Barebells in this realm, and even more so, these are way too artificial as a whole. Compared to other protein bars, they fall well below average overall — they really need to fix that overpowering stevia taste.
Flavor Tier List
1. Caramel Peanut
On the inside, this has a white, brownish-orange filling with a few tiny peanut pieces, and right above that, a very thin layer of gooey caramel. This top layer of caramel does provide a nice, soft contrast when you bite in, eventually leading to that more solid filling and peanut pieces.
Needless to say, Caramel Peanut tastes like the least artificial flavor here. There’s an equal part caramel and peanut, and overall, the bar is quite sweet. Still, while I did say it’s the least artificial here, both caramel and peanut don’t necessarily taste very authentic because there are still clear traces of a bitter, stevia-like flavor; it’s just not as prominent as the others on this list. So, for that sole purpose, this ranks higher.
2. Caramel Chocolate Chip
On the inside, it’s a darkish orange filling with a top layer of goo and some chocolate chip pieces spread throughout.
Biting in, I’m met first with a soft layer of goo, then hit with a thick, chewy filling. The few chocolate pieces are also noticeable and provide a soft crunch. It’s a good combination overall and provides a good eating experience.
Taste-wise, it’s sharp and sweet, like too much stevia was added. The flavor is definitely a sweet, darker chocolate with some caramel in the background. The artificial bitterness really brings it down, though, and detracts from the flavor. Overall, this is mostly a chocolate bar that’s too sharp on the tongue, warping the chocolate’s and caramel’s flavors.
3. Fudge Brownie
This supposed fudge brownie flavor has a soft, lightly chewy, solid chocolate center with a few dark chocolate pieces inside. Its mouthfeel feels thick when you bite into it, and the chocolate pieces are just a touch of contrast.
The flavor is definitely bitter and sweet, as if they added too much stevia. Of course, it’s also quite chocolately, something between milk and dark, but that bitterness detracts from it, unfortunately. Compared to the others here, its sharp stevia-like taste is very prominent.
This is basically, or could be, your typical sweet protein chocolate bar; however, the stevia taste detracts from the experience and messes up the chocolate flavor.