Flavors Tried: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon French Toast, Marshmallow Treat
Price: $8 for 4 bars ($2 per protein bar)
Nutrition: 140 Calories, 5g Fat, 18g Carbs (1g Sugar), 12g Protein
ONE Bars have long been one of my favorite protein bars on the market. I love their soft & chewy texture, and the flavors are different from many other bars out there.
I tend to love the limited edition flavors and seasonal flavors, with some of my favorite ONE Bar flavors being Strawberry Shortcake, Fruity Cereal, and Pumpkin Pie (I’ll write up a full ranking of all my favorite ONE Bar flavors and link to that when it’s ready to go).
Naturally, I was ecstatic when I found out that ONE Brands was launching these new ONE Crunch bars.
It feels like most protein bars I try are the same: a dense “nougat” layer, a makeshift caramel layer, and a chocolate coating. Trying something different is wonderfully refreshing.
Since I know that I love ONE Bars, my expectations for these Crunch bars were very high. And when they’re marketed to be a healthier version of a Rice Krispies Treat, that sets a very high bar.
ONE Crunch protein bars are currently available in three flavors: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon French Toast, and Marshmallow Treat. Let’s see if they can live up to the high expectations.
ONE Crunch Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Bar
My worry with this particular flavor was that it would taste like a generic peanut butter protein bar (like the Level-1 Protein Bars I tried).
If you’ve ever had a peanut butter-flavored protein bar, you likely know what I’m talking about: an artificial peanut butter flavor that resembles peanut butter but is distinctly different.
To my surprise, this ONE Crunch protein bar tastes like actual peanut butter. Yes, there are some chocolate chips in this bar, but it’s very much a secondary (and subtle) flavor. This is essentially just a peanut butter bar.
And I am definitely not complaining about that.
Combine that flavor with the Rice Krispies-esque texture, and this is an excellent protein bar. The interior is very light and airy, so you certainly get Rice Krispies Treats vibes from it. You don’t have that soft & gooey marshmallow texture, but it’s very light and airy, which is quite different from most options out there.
ONE Crunch Cinnamon French Toast Protein Bar
Biting into this bar, it was noticeably denser than the peanut butter chocolate chip flavor. I can’t say for sure if it’s always like that, or if each batch turns out slightly different, but this one was not as light and airy.
When it comes to the taste (and smell) I don’t necessarily think this is French toast. You definitely taste cinnamon, and you get a sweetness from the white chocolate coating, but this bar reminds me much more of a cinnamon roll flavor than it does French toast.
Of course, that’s not a bad thing; cinnamon rolls are delicious. But if you’re looking for a maple syrup flavor, you won’t find it in this bar.
Considering ONE Bars makes a Maple Donut protein bar, I know they have maple in their arsenal to make this bar taste more like French toast. That being said, the cinnamon flavor is still really good in this bar.
I do wish this one was a bit less dense, but the flavor is still really solid. If you go into it expecting cinnamon roll instead of French toast, you won’t be disappointed.
ONE Crunch Marshmallow Treat Protein Bar
The marshmallow treat ONE Crunch bar is the real test.
These protein bars are supposed to be a healthier alternative to Rice Krispies Treats, and this is the flavor that mimics that exactly. So, how similar is it to an actual marshmallow treat?
If I had to put a number on it, 1 being not at all similar and 10 being a spot-on replica, I’d give this protein bar a solid 7.5.
The taste is excellent, and if you were doing a blind taste test, you’d absolutely know what they were going for. But, just like the cinnamon french toast bar, I found this to be a bit too dense.
If ONE Bar was able to lighten this protein crunch bar up a tiny bit, this bar would instantly become one of my favorites. As-is, it reminds me more of a cereal bar than a Rice Krispies Treat, but considering cereal bars are delicious, that’s nothing to complain about.
This truly is a great alternative to an actual marshmallow treat. There is another bar out there doing something similar called Ooh Snap! Bars, but they look to have been discontinued as of 2020 (at least, they’re not selling them on their website and they have no social media activity anymore). So if you need a high-protein marshmallow treat, this is a solid option.
Overall Thoughts: ONE Crunch Protein Bars
These ONE Crunch protein bars are a wonderful change from traditional protein bars. If you’re bored with the usual chewy protein bars out there, I can highly recommend giving these a try.
As ONE Brands so eloquently puts it…
You go hard, so why should your protein bar be soft?
These are a bit smaller than other bars, so they may not be quite as filling, but they make a great snack.
Over time, if ONE Bar can improve the texture a tiny bit and make these slightly less dense, I can see these becoming one of my favorite protein bars on the market.
