Are you looking for a protein bar with just a few simple, clean ingredients and no added sugar? The Costco RXBAR might be just what you’re in search of. The bars are full of nutritious ingredients and have 13 grams of protein. Find out below how these RXBAR taste and if they’re worth your hard-earned money!
I’m trying to review a few more healthy finds from Costco for people who are trying to watch their weight or be mindful of their health. There are so many different diets right now: low-carb, high-fat, high-protein, paleo and keto just to name a few.
I originally reviewed these protein bars up these RXBAR Protein Bars in 2019 and picked them up at Costco because I liked the sleek packaging and also appreciated the “No B.S” ingredients list. The “No B.S.” slogan is used by RXBAR in marketing these protein bars.
I’ve now been eating them regularly for almost three years and they were a staple snack item during my recent pregnancy! Costco has added an additional peanut butter flavor bar in the box, so I want to update my review.
Other snack and protein bars I’ve reviewed from Costco are the Costco MadeGood Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, Costco That’s It Mini Fruit Bars, Costco No Sugar Company Keto Bars, Costco Quest Protein Bars, Costco Kirkland Signature Soft & Chewy Granola Bars, Costco Kirkland Signature Protein Bars, Costco Clif Kid ZBar and the Costco Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars.
Location in Store
You can find the RX bars in the snack section near the checkout lines with the other protein and snack bars. The item number is 3305275.
Taste
There are two different boxes you can purchase at Costco and each box comes with two flavors. Chocolate sea salt and chocolate coconut in one box. Chocolate sea salt and peanut butter chocolate in the other.
First, I’ll start with a quick warning. If you’re like me and have a wire on your teeth from when you had braces, be prepared for this seriously sticky chewy bar to get nice and stuck to it! Seriously though, metal wire or not, these protein bars will stick to your teeth and also give you quite the mouth/jaw workout. They’re very, very chewy and sticky!
Now that I’ve informed you of how chewy these bars are, let’s talk about taste. The bars taste basically like the simple ingredients listed on the package melded together and formed into a bar.
The chocolate sea salt is lightly sprinkled with, of course, sea salt, and the chocolate flavor is quite mild The taste of dates is most noticeable and they’re quite sweet.
The coconut chocolate has chunks of chocolate and a strong coconut flavor. You can taste the notes of dates and egg whites slightly, but not much.
The peanut butter chocolate has a nice strong peanut butter flavor with mild hints of chocolate, it kind of tastes like a more healthy sweet version of a candy bar. I think it’s my new favorite.
The nuts add some nice crunchy texture to the bar and compliment the chocolate. In terms of sweetness, these protein bars aren’t overly sweet. The sweetness in the bars comes from the dates. Dates are naturally quite high in sugar.
Don’t expect the RX bars to taste similar to some protein bars that taste like cookie dough or a brownie, those ones don’t contain just a few natural ingredients.
Cost
The box contains 14 bars (seven of each kind) and costs $23.99 Canadian. That’s less than $2.00 Canadian per bar. These definitely aren’t cheap, but unfortunately not a lot of foods marketed as being healthy or “clean” are. They’re not as expensive as some protein bars which can be about $3.00 per bar or more!
Convenience
You can’t beat any sort of bar-type snack for convenience. As a healthy protein bar, these are perfect for a snack or breakfast on the go! They’re also great for refueling after a workout or as a junk food replacement to curb cravings.
I wanted to try to eat healthy during my pregnancy but also get in enough calories and fat and the RX bars were my go-to snack or dessert. The best-before date listed on the box is six months from the date we purchased the bars and each bar is individually wrapped.
Because the bars are wrapped individually it’s convenient to put them in your purse, desk at work, diaper bag or bring them when you travel!
Nutrition
Calories
The chocolate sea salt RXBAR contains 200 calories, eight grams of fat, 23 grams of carbohydrates, three grams of fibre, 14 grams of sugar, 12 grams of protein and 160 milligrams of sodium.
The coconut chocolate RXBAR contains 220 calories and 170 milligrams of sodium, and the other information is the same as for the Chocolate Sea Salt bar.
The peanut butter chocolate RXBAR has 210 calories, nine grams of fat, 23 grams of carbohydrates, five grams of fibre, 15 grams of sugar, 12 grams of protein and 320 milligrams of sodium.
Ingredients
The ingredients list is very simple and I know what each and every ingredient is! That’s really the main selling feature of these protein bars.
The bars are gluten-free as well as dairy-free which is a major bonus! They may contain tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, milk, soy and wheat. I like that they have healthy fats from the nuts and protein from egg whites.
Scoring
Taste: 7.5/10
Cost: 6/10
Convenience: 10/10
Nutrition: 9.5/10
Overall
Must buy!
I’ve eaten a lot of RXBARs since I first tried them, and the taste has grown on me. I find when I’m eating mainly healthy, things like an RXBAR tastes like a treat. When I’m overdosing on junk food (especially chocolate!), I find bars like this don’t taste as great.
If you’re trying to eat healthily and want a pretty tasty, healthy snack bar option, I’d recommend that you check these out.
Do you have a favorite brand of protein bars?
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).
I’ve been eating Rx bars for over 10 years now and have always loved their approach with “no BS” ingredients and tasty bars. They fit well into our healthy eating and active lifestyle. Recently, my wife bit into a bar that was months away from its expiration date that cracked her front teeth. We took pictures of the bar, the wrapper, expiration dates, product code, my wife’s now chipped teeth, and copy of a $2,000+ emergency dental bill. We contacted Rx bar on their site to which they responded promptly and gave us information to submit a claim. All they seemed to care about was finding out who in their facility was responsible for making this defective product. We followed all of their instructions, gave a detailed description to only be told 45 days later that because we threw out the defective product (the bar), they would be not help us at all. It was a very callus and uncaring response that showed zero empathy for our situation. All they did was send me two coupons for Rx bars that expired 30 days later…This has been extremely disappointing from a long time customer that will be telling every single one of my friends, gym members, and online communities what type of company Rx bar and Kellogg truly is.
This seriously helped our school project! Thanks mommy.
Just got my first box and really love the RX bars from my very first bite. Little pricy, but I’m trying to eat healthier and believe these bars are much better than some that I use to eat. I eat them for desert. Just hope Cosco keeps them in stock.
I eat these all the time and they definitely help with my sweet tooth!
I’ve considered buying these in the past, but haven’t tried them or know anyone that buys them. I will pick some up next time I’m in Costco, after reading your review. Thank you!
Also, congratulations on the birth of your baby girl!
Thank you so much Debra!
I tried these last year. Wasn’t crazy over them at first, but like you, when I cut down on candy they started tasting better and I ate all of them! Looking forward to trying the new one.
That’s exactly it. If you cut out processed sugar and things like cookies and cakes, these start to taste like a treat.
I was misled while being in a hurry to shop. Looked at the daily value line and it listed nothing for sugar and 0 for added sugar. Got the product home and found it includes 13 grams of SUGAR, what a bummer. So angry I was easily misled.
It’s because of the dates! Dates are natural sugars.
Not sure how you were “misled”. (sic).
The label clearly indicates that the product contains dates, which by their nature, contain a significant amount of sugar, that there are -15 grams of sugar in each bar, and that amount contributes a significant portion towards your daily sugar allowance. i. e. DV > 15%
13 grams of sugar is not outrageous. There is no bar available that provides you with a reasonable flavor profile that does not contain some form of sugar, be it natural or otherwise. Sure, there are artificial sugars if you prefer that route but with this one you know what you are getting. It just helps to know that the dates provided the sweetness exclusively.
You need to try the Blueberry RXBar. Seriously! You will change your opinion on the taste department. They are simply perfect!
I must admit I’m now obsessed with RXBars and eat them almost daily. Time for an update! I tried the blueberry recently, so good!