ALOHA organic plant based protein bars and protein power review

REVIEW – I’m always on the lookout for snacks that satisfy both my sweet tooth and my nutritional needs. Enter ALOHA, a brand that’s been making waves (see what I did there?) in the plant-based protein market with their bars and powders. In a world where convenience often trumps nutrition, ALOHA offers an alternative to sugary treats and fast food indulgences. Their protein bars and powders promise to deliver not just a quick energy boost, but also a hefty dose of plant-based protein, all while keeping things organic, vegan, and gluten-free. Let’s see if ALOHA could truly bridge the gap between healthy and tasty.

What is it?

ALOHA makes individually wrapped organic plant-based protein bars and canisters of organic plant-based protein powders.

ALOHA protein bars

Let’s start with the protein bars. ALOHA has quite a few flavors of protein bars including limited time flavors. They sent me a box Peanut Butter Cup bars and a sampler package containing two of each of the following flavors: Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Chocolate Mint, Cookie Dough, Chocolate Coconut Almond, Vanilla Almond Crunch, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip.

Each bar is individually wrapped and offers 14 grams of protein. Some bars are covered in chocolate with a nougat-like interior, and others don’t have a chocolate coating.

The size of the bars makes you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth. I tested each bar as a replacement for breakfast, but they are probably best suited as a snack or healthy dessert.

The bars are certified kosher, 100% organic, non-GMO, and are vegan and gluten free. Depending on the flavor, they all have slightly different ingredients, but I included a picture of the nutritional content of the Chocolate Fudge Brownie bar as an example. I like that the bars have less sugar and more fiber than most bars that I’ve looked at.

Here are my notes after tasting each of the bars. Spoiler, I really liked them, and based on the over 20,000 reviews on Amazon where the bars receive 73% 5-star reviews, many other people love them too.

Chocolate Fudge Brownie – Like a typical healthy protein bar. Chocolate covered chewy centered bar. Good flavor, not too sweet. Not gritty. Held my hunger from about 8am – 11:30am.

Cookie Dough – Not chocolate covered. Chewy with small chocolate chips and and cocoa nibs for a slight crunch. Not too sweet. Not gritty. Held my hunger from 8am – noon.

Peanut Butter Cup – Chocolate covered. Doesn’t taste like a Reese’s Cup, but I did enjoy it.

Chocolate Mint – Chocolate covered with a chocolate chewy nougat center. Good flavor, not too sweet. Mint/cool sensation lasts after chewing and swallowing. Held my hunger from 8am – noon.

Chocolate Coconut Almond – Not chocolate covered. Little bits of chocolate, almond and coconut. I wasn’t that excited about this flavor before I actually tasted it, but once I did, it was easily one of my favorites! It tastes like an almond joy. Really yummy!

Vanilla Almond Crunch – This is another flavor that I wasn’t expecting to like, but I was surprised. It’s not covered in chocolate and has a nice vanilla flavor with crunchy bits of almonds.

Peanut Chocolate Chip – Another good one. I think I like this one better than the Peanut Butter Cup flavor.

At $32.99 for a box of 12 bars, that works out to $2.75 per bar, but the fact that they have good ingredients means that you’ll get what you pay for. I really enjoyed all of the bars and will reorder once I’ve eaten all of them.

I would rather eat an ALOHA protein bar than a regular candy bar any day because it feels like less of a cheat and more of a healthy option that just happens to be sweet and tasty with a nice dose of protein and fiber.

ALOHA protein powder

I had high hopes for the ALOHA vanilla protein powder, but I just didn’t love it. When mixed with 12 ounces of water as directed on the canister, it made a thin, watery shake. Here are the nutritional details for the vanilla flavor.

It mixed smoothly when I mixed it with a shaker bottle, and there wasn’t any grit like most plant protein/pea protein shakes I’ve tasted in the past. The flavor wasn’t overly sweet and there was a slight coconut flavor aftertaste, which is probably the main reason why I didn’t really enjoy the flavor. I love coconut in cookies, cakes, and pies, but I’ve never liked that flavor in a shake. They should have sent me the chocolate flavor which I’m sure I would have liked better.

What I do like about the protein powder is the 18g of protein, for only 130 calories. I plan to use the rest of the powder that I have left with a heavy dose of cocoa powder to mask the flavor that I don’t care for.

What I like about ALOHA protein bars and powder

• Great flavors
• Good ingredients and serving size
• Didn’t cause any stomach issues eating a bar each day like other plant-based protein bars do to me

What needs to be improved?

• Make the shakes thicker. I found that it was too thin

Final thoughts

I’m always looking for protein bars with good ingredients, and I am happy to say that ALOHA bars fit this criteria. There are many flavor options, but the ones I tried tasted good (to me), with great texture, good portion, and the ability to keep hunger at bay for at least 4hrs. The price is in line with other higher-end bars, so I think they are worth their value in flavor and quality.

Price: $32.99 (save 25% if you subscribe)
Where to buy: ALOHA and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by ALOHA. ALOHA did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.