Flavors Tried: Peanut Butter Creme, Triple Chocolate, French Vanilla Creme, Peanut Butter Fudge
Price: $16 for box of 12 ($1.33 per bar)
Nutrition: 220 Calories, 13g Fat, 11g Carbs (5g Sugar), 14g Protein
Power Crunch Bars have been around for a very long time, which should say a lot about how well-received they are.
We see protein bars come and go every year, so the fact that these have been around for as long as I can remember tells me they must be a decent enough option.
I first tried Power Crunch Bars many years ago, and to be completely honest, I barely remember the experience. I know for a fact that I used to enjoy them, but since I’ve tried so many protein bars since then, I have no idea where they stack up against the current competition.
My goal with this review is to figure that out.
I love the idea of a wafer protein bar. We’ve seen this type of bar before with Optimum Nutrition’s wafer bars, but it’s still a unique angle for a protein bar.
Nutritionally, Power Crunch Bars are not extremely impressive. 220 calories and 13-14 grams of protein per bar is certainly not bad, but that’s less protein than you’d hope for in a protein bar.
These bars are low sugar, with about 5 grams per bar, but they’re not necessarily a good low-carb or keto option.
Most protein bars, like Quest and ONE, aim to target the keto demographic, but that’s not the case here. It’s still lower carb than other protein bars, like Anabar, but not necessarily a keto option.
Power Crunch has a bunch of flavor options, but I was able to find 4 at my local grocery store for this review, so those are the four flavors I’ll be reviewing here.
Power Crunch also now has Power Crunch Pro bars, which contain more calories and protein per bar, but I have yet to give those a try. When I do, I’ll be sure to add a separate review for those bars.
Triple Chocolate Power Crunch Bar
The very first thing you notice with every Power Crunch Bar is how generous the size of the bar is.
The large size is very appealing, especially for just over 200 calories. It’s very light and airy, but I always appreciate a little more volume when it comes to high-protein snacks.
I really love the texture of these bars. They are crispy, light, and airy, and there are layers of cream between each wafer layer. The soft cream against the crispy wafer makes for a really pleasant experience.
Taste-wise, I find this particular bar to be pretty bitter. That might please fans of bitter dark chocolate, but as someone who prefers milk chocolate, I find myself wishing this bar was sweeter and smoother in flavor.
The good news is that it doesn’t taste like protein, so the flavor is still pleasant enough. The texture of this bar is enough to make it enjoyable, it just doesn’t have that rich chocolate flavor I was hoping for.
French Vanilla Creme Power Crunch Bar
Just like Triple Chocolate, I absolutely love the texture of this bar. Optimum Nutrition’s Protein Wafer tasted quite stale, but these wafers are as good as any other wafer I’ve had.
There’s a great vanilla flavor to this one, but it definitely resembles vanilla protein powder.
It’s certainly vanilla, but if you’ve ever tasted vanilla whey protein before, this has a very similar flavor profile.
I love the cream filling against the crispy wafer, so it’s definitely a pleasant experience, but the flavor doesn’t blow me away.
Still, as far as vanilla protein bars go, these are a solid option, because most companies really whiff on plain vanilla.
Peanut Butter Creme Power Crunch Bar
For me, the flavor profile of this bar is much closer to peanuts than it is to actual peanut butter.
I know those two things are obviously very similar, but there’s a clear difference in taste. As a peanut butter fan, I wish the peanut butter filling was more prominent, as it currently feels like an afterthought.
Just like the other bars, it’s an awesome texture, but it just misses the mark on flavor for me as a peanut butter flavor
If the cream filling tasted like creamy peanut butter and not just a generic cream filling with some peanut flavor, this would be leaps and bounds better.
Peanut Butter Fudge Power Crunch Bar
If you’re hoping for a bar that is going to resemble peanut butter cups, prepare to be disappointed.
You can definitely taste both the chocolate and peanut butter flavors, but it has a very “fake” flavor to it. The peanut butter interior definitely does not resemble actual peanut butter.
Much like the Triple Chocolate bar, the chocolate coating also leans toward the bitter side.
Honestly, this bar kind of took the worst parts of the triple chocolate and peanut butter creme bars and combined them into a new protein bar flavor.
While I haven’t tried all of the flavors that Power Crunch offers, this is definitely at the bottom of my list out of the bars I did try.
Overall Thoughts: Power Crunch Bar
I remember trying these bars many many years ago, before I tried most other protein bars out there. At the time, I remember really enjoying them.
But since I’ve tried so many other protein bars since then, these have definitely taken a step down.
They are certainly decent, and I enjoyed them enough to eat the bars I purchased, but I won’t be running out to buy these bars again.
In terms of texture, Power Crunch Bars knock if out of the park. They’re light and airy, and the cream-filling inside pairs perfectly with the crispy wafer.
If you love wafers, this is the clear choice above others like Optimum Nutrition or Lenny & Larry’s.
Since these bars are incredibly inexpensive and widely available, it seems like the kind of bar that the average person could enjoy as an energy bar without going to the extreme of trying a super high-protein bar.
If you just want some extra protein in your life, and you don’t want to spend top dollar, I could see grabbing this as a snack at a convenience store or grocery store.
But the flavors of Power Crunch Bars aren’t spectacular, and the macros are certainly a step down from other options out there, so these are just a slightly above-average option in my eyes.
