REVIEW: Nick’s Smak Bars (Refrigerated Protein Bars)

Flavors Tried: Choklad Peanöt Butter, Strawbär Cashew, Hazelnöt Choklad, Peanöt Cacao Nib

Price: $23.95 for 8 bars ($2.99 per bar)

Nutrition (varies by flavor): 180 Calories, 8g Fat, 28g Carbs (6g Net Carbs), 13g Protein

Nicks Smak Bars

It’s no secret that I love Nick’s Swedish-Style Ice Cream. I don’t particularly love most healthy ice cream options out there, but Nick’s is by far the creamiest and best-tasting healthy ice cream I’ve tried.

So, when Nick’s released these “Smak” protein bars, I needed to get my hands on them ASAP.

What are Smak Bars?

Smak bars are described as “the first Swedish-style refrigerated protein bar.” What exactly is a Swedish-style protein bar, you ask?

Great question.

Unfortunately, I have no answer for you. I haven’t quite figured out what makes these protein bars Swedish, but I can explain what these bars actually are.

These Smak bars are a high-protein, low-carb protein bar that is kept chilled, much like a Perfect Bar. They can be kept out at room temperature for one week, so they need to be stored in the refrigerator or freezer over time.

The Nick’s website describes Smak bars as “the world’s first no-added-sugar refrigerated snack bar,” which I can’t confirm as true, but I can confirm that there is no added-sugar in these bars.

Smak bar nutrition facts

These bars do in fact have some sugar, but that is naturally-occuring sugar from the nut butter base that is used.

Thanks to the fiber and sugar substitute used in these Smak bars, they contain only 4-6g net carbs for any keto folks out there!

Here is the full ingredients list for the Strawberry Cashew Smak Bar:

Cashew Butter, Allulose, Dried Whole Milk, Almond Protein Powder, Erythritol, EPG (Modified Plant Based Oil), Whey Protein Isolate, Soluble Corn Fiber, Water, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Freeze Dried Strawberries, Vegetable Glycerin, Natural Flavors, Beet Juice Powder (for color), Sea Salt, Mixed Tocopherols (to protect quality), Steviol Glycosides, Xanthan Gum.

Smak bars currently come in four flavors: chocolate peanut butter, strawberry cashew, chocolate hazelnut, and peanut cacao nib. Let’s get into ’em.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smak Bar Review

Chocolate peanut butter smak bar

I was surprised at just how dense this particular bar was, and it reminded me very much of a Quest bar.

Since these bars are kept refrigerated, they are very firm and difficult to bite into while cold. Once they come to room temperature, they do soften up, but I found this flavor to be unusually stiff.

Flavor-wise, the chocolate peanut butter tasted just like any other chocolate & peanut butter protein bar I’ve ever had. It’s a tough flavor to explain, but it’s very generic across the board.

If you’ve had a chocolate peanut butter protein bar before (Pure Protein sticks out in my mind) then you’ve had this flavor before.

All in all, this is not a flavor I’d be running out to buy.

Strawberry Cashew Smak Bar Review

Strawberry cashew bar

Unlike the chocolate peanut butter bar above, the strawberry cashew version was much softer. Unfortunately, this led to the bar being extremely chewy.

One of the main issues I have with many protein bars on the market today is that they are far too chewy, and this bar falls into that category as well.

However, this bar has really good flavor. The burst of strawberry flavor reminded me of a Nutrigrain bar, which was very pleasant.

I just cannot get into the extremely chewy nature of this bar, but the flavor warrants giving it a try, if I had to choose one flavor out of the bunch.

Chocolate Hazelnut Smak Bar Review

Chocolate hazelnut smak bar

As you can tell by the photo here, this flavor is very similar to the chocolate peanut butter.

The bar itself is extremely firm, and becomes chewy at room temperature.

When I hear chocolate & hazelnut, I expect a Nutella flavor, but that is not what you’ll find with these bars. If you’re a fan of actual hazelnuts, these take on that flavor pretty well due to hazelnut pieces being mixed in, but it’s very far off from a chocolate hazelnut spread.

In fact, this bar tastes much like any other generic chocolate protein bar out there, which was very disappointing.

If you’re a big hazelnut fan, maybe you’ll enjoy this flavor more than I did, but I found the chocolate flavor to be really lackluster.

Peanut Cacao Nib Smak Bar Review

Peanut butter smak bar

I’m not sure if it’s because there is more peanut butter in this bar, but this one was extremely greasy right out of the refrigerator.

While it is definitely not appealing for me to have a protein bar that is covered in oil, it did lead to the softest bar of the bunch:

Peanut butter smak bar

As a lover of peanut butter, I did find this flavor to be very good, but the texture of the bar made it really tough to enjoy.

While soft, the bar was also very thick and chewy. It almost tastes like if you made homemade protein bars by blending together dates and peanut butter (and then added cacao nibs).

I did truly enjoy the flavor, but this Smak bar was so chewy that I couldn’t bring myself to finish the bar in a single sitting.

If a chewy texture doesn’t bother you, this flavor gets a thumbs up from me, but that chewiness is just too much for me to enjoy.

Overall thoughts on Nick’s Smak Bars

I love Nick’s ice cream, but I won’t be buying these Smak bars again.

Nick’s has a keto snack bar that blows these out of the water, which I would choose every single time. The snack bars eat just like a candy bar, which I thoroughly enjoy.

These refrigerated Smak bars were overall just really tough to eat right out of the fridge, and once softened at room temperature, they just became far too chewy for me to enjoy.

I also found that there was a huge inconsistency in the overall look of these Smak bars.

For example, check out the difference between the chocolate hazelnut and the peanut cacao nib:

Smak bar comparison

The peanut cacao nib but is looser, thicker, and much softer.

When you compare the chocolate peanut butter bar to the strawberry cashew bar, the difference is even more apparent:

Smak bar size comparison

The strawberry cashew bar was significantly thicker, and when that is combined with a chewy texture, made it more difficult to eat.

Overall, these bars would be a pass from me, but I’ll still be all over Nick’s other products!

Nicks Smak Bars
REVIEW: Nick’s Smak Bars (Refrigerated Protein Bars)
Summary
I absolutely love Nick's light ice cream, but these Smak bars are a miss for me. The texture is very thick & chewy like a Quest bar, and I find the overall flavors to be subpar.
Texture
3.5
Flavor Accuracy
4.5
Nutrition
6.5
Overall Taste
5
The Good
Great protein-to-calories ratio
Low carb/low sugar
Good size for a protein bar
Stays refrigerated or frozen to last a long time
The Bad
Very thick and chewy
Some of the flavors taste like very generic protein bars
Inconsistent sizes between flavors
4.9
Give It a Try
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