We Tried Every RXBar Flavor and Ranked Them
This past January, when I did my first round of Whole30, I stumbled upon RXBars. While you’re not really supposed to eat snacks or anything that feels like a “treat” during the 30 days, many of these protein bars were on the “approved” list because of their compliant ingredient lists.
Now, I’ve had many a snack bar in my day — the KIND bars, the CLIF bars, what have you — but RXBars were something totally different. Most of the bars only had a few ingredients (dates, egg whites, nuts, fruit or chocolate, sea salt, and some natural flavoring), they are super chewy and not very sweet, and they all have great texture — especially when you leave them in the fridge (pro tip). I had found my snack bar match.
But here’s the deal: Not all the RXBars are worth getting. Some are better than others. I knew I had to try them all and find the best (and worst) one.
How I Chose the Flavors
There are currently 11 different RXBars available, according to the company’s website, along with two seasonal bars (gingerbread and pumpkin spice). Because the seasonal bars are harder to find and not always around, I decided to skip them in this taste test. I also left out the new kids’ RXBars for the taste test.
The RXBar Taste Test
In order from worst to best, here’s my ranking of the 11 RXBars you can currently get your hands on.
11. Coffee Chocolate
This bar tastes like coffee that’s been sitting in a pot for too long. The chocolate chunks are nice, but the coffee still overwhelms everything. Hard pass.
This bar has a lot of great texture because there are almonds, cashews, and chocolate chunks, but the coconut tastes a little too artificial for me. I wish there was actual shredded coconut instead of the natural flavoring.
The saving grace of this bar is the sea salt, which is very good. But the maple is totally overwhelming, and not in a good way. If you are like, obsessed with maple, then maybe you will like this bar. Maple is, after all, the new “it” flavor.
Nothing too exciting going on with this bar, but there are lots of chocolate chunks, which are good. RXBars do chocolate chunks right. The ingredient list indicates that there is “natural vanilla flavor,” but that’s not something you really taste in this bar. If you want to avoid more of the artificial-tasting flavors, however, this is a good option.
When I initially saw this flavor, I was worried it was going to taste like a Yankee candle or one of those bad bathroom air fresheners. But I was pleasantly surprised! The apple flavor is a little artificial tasting, but not too bad, and the cinnamon isn’t overwhelming. It’s a balanced bar.
This bar tastes like a scoop of peanut butter after it’s been sitting in the fridge for a little bit. That means it’s good. Really good! But it doesn’t have a ton else going on for it.
This bar has peppermint oil in it and it’s strong, but I like it a lot. If you want to eat something that will also make you have better breath (potentially?) this bar is for you. The chocolate chunks, again, are great.
It’s as if the people who make RXBars knew what was missing from the plain peanut butter bar. It’s a much better version, of course, because there is chocolate. And the texture! Way better texture.
3. Mixed Berry
This one tastes like strawberry fruit leather, but it’s not overly sweet. The bar contains actual cranberries, strawberries, and raspberries and has a nice, seedy texture. I was really surprised by how much I liked this one.
2. Blueberry
This is a very controversial second pick, and I’m sorry to all the haters. This tastes like one of those greasy blueberry muffins you’d find at the grocery store. But in the best way possible! It has a concentrated flavor. I couldn’t eat this all the time, but it’s very good in small portions. Very good.
This is the most perfect snack bar on the planet. It’s almost hard to believe it’s not just a candy bar? (Please don’t tell me it is, I’ll be devastated.) Put it in the fridge for an hour and it has the same texture as a cold brownie. The bits of salt and chocolate chunks are enough to make me weep with joy.
Have you tried RXBars? Do you have a favorite flavor? Let us know in the comments!