Price: $32.99 for 12 Bags ($2.75 each)
Nutrition: 180 Calories, 13g Fat, 23g Carbs (3g Sugar, 1g Fiber, 13g Erythritol), 10g Protein
Quest Nutrition likes to sneak new products onto shelves before promoting them publicly, and that is precisely what we have here.
On a recent trip to Vitamin Shoppe, I was checking the shelves to see if anything new had been released, and these Chocolatey Peanut candies caught my eye.
Quest already has protein candy bars (which I quite like), but these new high-protein M&M’s make the candy lover in me extremely excited.
Years ago, Muscle Pharm had their own version of “protein candies,” but their version was simply regular M&M’s with a tiny bit of protein added. Each bag contained 280 calories, just 10 grams of protein, and nearly 30 grams of sugar.
Needless to say, Quest’s version is much more impressive than that.
As a protein source, these candies won’t get you hot and bothered, but they’re certainly decent. 10 grams of protein is less than I’d like at 180 calories, but these are an overall solid choice.
If you’re a low-carb or keto dieter, these should get you really excited. With only 4 grams of net carbs, if they can deliver on the taste, then you’ll be a home run.
The serving size is not huge, but I’d consider this a fair amount for 180 calories (especially considering there are peanuts inside).
The colors are noticeably duller than real peanut M&Ms, and the coating almost looks like it has a matte finish instead of that beautiful glossy finish you find in M&Ms.
But that’s pretty nitpicky- none of that matters if these actually taste good.
One small thing that DOES bother me a bit is just how much these candies vary in size. With peanut M&Ms, you definitely expect some variance because peanuts are not all the same size. But when I started digging through this bad, I couldn’t help but notice that the size differences were pretty drastic.
But, again, that’s just me being nitpicky for the purposes of an honest review.
Does the fact that these vary in size affect the enjoyability of these candies? No, not really.
Putting all of these silly things aside, once you bite into these protein candies, you’re immediately reminded of peanut M&Ms.
The overall texture is nearly identical to that of peanut M&Ms: the candy coating gives the outside a crunch, the chocolate layer is soft and pleasant, and you obviously have the peanut interior.
On texture alone, you would not know that these are a high-protein & low-carb option.
The main difference here is that you can definitely taste the erythritol. It’s not enough to make these unpleasant by any stretch, but there’s a slightly bitter aftertaste you get as you eat them.
I had my wife try these protein candies as well, for two reasons: one, she very much hates the taste of artificial sweeteners, and two, she will always be 100% honest because she has no reason not to be.
She told me that these taste nearly identical to peanut M&Ms. When I asked about the artificial taste, she said it’s barely noticeable and doesn’t bother her at all.
I’ll take that as a huge win.
So, what’s the final verdict? These Quest Chocolate Coated Peanut Candies are the real deal.
As a protein snack, of course, I wish these had a bit more protein, but as a healthier alternative to peanut M&Ms, you really can’t ask for much more.
To date, I haven’t met a Quest product that I felt missed the mark, and these candies keep that streak alive.
