4 Costco Protein Bars You Should Buy And 4 To Leave On The Shelf

When you walk into Costco, you'll find the shelves lined with tons of snacks claiming to be "high protein" sources, and it can be overwhelming to choose which is right for you. Not all protein snacks are created equal, and certain protein bars even have more sugar than some candy. While a protein bar can be an excellent grab-and-go snack for when you're in a rush, it's important to know which ones are actually good for you. The calories, macronutrients, and ingredients all play a role in making a high-quality protein bar that will keep you satiated, help you refuel, and support muscle growth.

Labels can be misleading, so we took a deep dive into the nitty-gritty of some of Costco's most popular protein bars to find out which are well worth the purchase and which are not worth your time. Of course, no protein bar is perfect, and the right one for you has a lot to do with preference. Whether you're most concerned with finding a bar that's tasty, without that chalky texture, one that has only clean ingredients, or one that has macros to fit into your calorie deficit, we've got you covered.

Ranking protein bars can be difficult, so to figure out which protein bars are worth purchasing, we looked at three key variables: the macros, the ingredients, and the taste. For macros, we focused mainly on the protein-to-calorie ratio as well as the fiber, fats, carbohydrates, and sugars. To be considered a high-protein snack, a bar should have at least 10 grams of protein for every 100 calories, in what's known as the 10:1 protein ratio. To be considered a lean protein source, it should have less than 10 grams of fat and less than 4 grams of saturated fats.

When looking at ingredients, we evaluated the protein source, additives, and artificial sweeteners to establish which bars use the highest quality ingredients. And of course, taste is a matter of preference, but we gathered a consensus from consumers online as well as my own experience with some of these bars, to provide some insight into the taste and texture of these protein bars. The information in this article comes from a combination of insights from customers online, health professionals, and personal anecdotes to provide a comprehensive picture of the best and worst protein bars available at Costco.

Fit Crunch was created by celebrity chef Robert Irvine, and the bar is often praised for its sweet taste. Costco carries various flavors, including Chocolate Peanut Butter and Mint Chocolate Chip. Customers say the bar tastes more like a candy bar than a health bar, with a reviewer at Fit Women's Weekly writing that it's "like eating a Snickers bar." However, the candy bar taste comes at the cost of high-quality ingredients and balanced macronutrients, giving it a place among the unhealthiest store-bought protein bars. To start, the bar has three different types of vegetable oils and is packed with artificial sweeteners, which disrupt your microbiome.

The macronutrient ratio is not ideal on these bars either. Despite a whopping 38 ingredients in one bar, the Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor has just 16 grams of protein per 190-calorie bar, so it doesn't reach the threshold for being considered a high-protein source. You're better off leaving these on the shelf.

Costco has gotten in on the protein bar game itself with its Kirkland Signature brand, and the macros in these bars are impressive. They're often compared to the Pure Protein bars because the macronutrients are similar, but where the Kirkland bar shines is with the fiber. Each bar has 10 grams of fiber in addition to 21 grams of protein for 190 calories. The protein comes from milk protein isolate and whey protein isolate, which are both considered high-quality protein sources, meaning they're good for muscle growth. Plus, the fiber makes the bar more filling, and customers online agree.

The bars come in two different variety packs: Chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate brownie or chocolate peanut butter chunk and cookies and cream. The macros in these are great, satisfying a sweet craving despite having only two grams of sugar. These bars also have a firmer texture than the Pure Protein, but if that's not your thing, one Reddit commenter recommends microwaving a bar for about 10 seconds to soften it up and give it more of a "cookie like texture."

The Build puff bars gained popularity for their unique marshmallowy texture and candy bar taste. As well as being delicious, at a glance, it would appear that the macro ratio checks out at 17 grams of protein for 140 calories. However, upon closer inspection, these bars aren't quite as healthy as they seem. The protein source is partly from whey but mostly collagen — this is considered a low-quality protein source because it lacks many of the essential amino acids (EAAs).

Whey is considered a higher-quality protein source, with a profile including those EAAs to help you build muscle. While collagen has other functions, like promoting hair, skin, and nail growth, it's not as effective for building muscle, so it's not your best option as a protein bar. Additionally, the sweet flavor that these bars have comes from being loaded up with sugar alcohols, which can have a negative impact on your digestive health, causing bloating and gas.

Pure Protein has been around since 1995, and has stood the test of time after 30 years in the protein industry. There is a lot that this bar does right. It's comparable to the Kirkland Signature brand, with a chocolate coating and softer inside to make it more appetizing — the main difference between the two brands usually comes down to price. These bars are sold at Costco in a triple variety pack of chocolate peanut butter, chocolate deluxe, and chewy chocolate chip.

The Pure Protein bars are considered a lean protein source, because they have less than 10 grams of total fat and less than 4 grams of saturated fats. The protein mainly comes from whey and milk isolate, which are high-quality protein sources that fuel muscle growth. If your goal is excellent macros, good ingredients, and you have a sweet tooth for chocolate, this one is a great option.

The Kirkland chewy protein bars are not to be confused with the other Kirkland protein bars already mentioned. These bars look almost identical to the Quaker chewy granola bars you might recognize from childhood. Despite being advertised as a gluten-free protein bar, these only have 10 grams of protein per 190-calorie bar. One food reviewer on Facebook says, bluntly, "Stay away from these Kirkland chewy bars. They aren't even a protein bar... That's a granola bar."

Other food reviews online tend to agree. A reviewer at Costcuisine writes that they taste like a "nutty granola bar and candy bar hybrid," explaining that they're simply too unhealthy to eat regularly. In addition to the low protein, there are 11 grams of fat and 6 grams of sugar. In other words, this bar simply has too many calories and too few grams of protein to be considered a legitimate source of protein, and with so many other high-protein snacks you can buy from Costco, this ranks alongside the other Kirkland Signature products best left on the shelf.

Rx bars set themselves apart by having an extremely short ingredients list of only whole foods. Each bar has only 3-5 ingredients, including things like egg whites, almonds, dates, and cashews. Despite having slightly less protein than some of the other bars on this list, the clean ingredients make them stand out, and the sweetness comes from real fruit, with no sugar added. These are great protein bars to bring on a hike or keep in the car for when you need a pick-me-up that's easy on the stomach.

One customer on Reddit gave these bars a glowing review, writing, "I love the texture and how chewy and satisfying they are, and their clean ingredients." These whole food protein bars are rated as the best nutritional bar by Fit Women's Weekly because they have "No artificial colors, weird protein blends or gas inducing artificial sweeteners." Costco carries the variety pack, which comes with chocolate sea salt and blueberry.

Think! protein bars have 20 grams of protein, and the source is a combination of soy protein and whey, which are both high-quality protein sources. However, compared to most of the bars on this list, they're also extremely high in calories. For 240 calories, the bar should have at least 24 grams to reach the 10:1 protein ratio that we're after. Additionally, it has very little fiber and 10 grams of fat, meaning this isn't a lean protein source either.

In a taste test and comparison of the most popular protein bar brands, Jacob Zemer actually spat this bar out during his YouTube review, saying, "Not even worth it. No way. Skip it." Another reviewer described the interior of the bar as being cakey, leaving them desperate for water after just one bite of the creamy peanut butter flavor. Lastly, the second ingredient behind protein is malotol, which is an artificial sweetener that can cause stomach upset in large quantities.

Quest bars have one of the most impressive macronutrient profiles on the market, with high-quality ingredients to match. At 17 grams of fiber, they have the highest fiber content of any brand on this list, and any protein brand out there, so if you're looking for ways to add more fiber to your diet, this bar is an excellent choice. The protein source is 100% whey, and each bar has between 20 and 21 grams of protein (depending on the flavor). The Costco variety pack includes chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate brownie, and a fan-favorite, cookies and cream.

Despite the impressively low sugar content (1 gram per bar), most of the flavors receive high praise for their taste from customers online. In his review of the most popular protein bars on the market, YouTube reviewer Jacob Zemer said, "This is an awesome bar with awesome ingredients in my opinion." We have to agree. If these bars are available in-store, they're typically the ones we gravitate toward. The high fiber content will keep you feeling full for longer, and they're a great post-workout snack to bring your energy back up.