The Ultimate Ranking Of Kirkland Signature Protein Bars Available At Costco

Busy schedules always seem to pose a challenge to eating healthily. There are so many prepackaged snack foods loaded with empty carbs and sugars that don't even make you feel full. For those who need food on hand that's convenient but also reasonably good for you, Costco is a great place to shop, especially for snacks high in protein.

Protein bars are all the rage among those who love to stay active but need to fuel their body without spending too much time in the kitchen crafting healthy meals. You can save yourself the time of stressing over meal-prepping snacks and keep these bars in your car, gym bag, purse, or office drawer without worrying about them going bad in the near future.

Ideally, a good protein bar will be both healthy (low in sugar, high in protein) and taste good, but this last task is easier said than done. Protein powder can be gritty, dry, and have odd flavors, so turning high amounts of it into tasty treats can be a bit of a challenge. Costco is a good place to stop by for protein bars, as its Kirkland Signature bulk boxes come at a super reasonable price with quantities that will last you quite a while. I've ranked its signature flavors largely in terms of flavor and texture, while taking into account the serving size of sugar and protein.

My least favorite out of all the Kirkland Signature Protein Bars was the Cookies and Cream flavor. It has an impressive 22 grams of protein and only 2 grams of sugar, but boy do you notice it in the taste. I was surprised at how much I disliked this, considering that it does come with tiny pieces of cookie mixed into the bar. However, they only provided the tiniest amount of pleasant cookie-like flavor. The aftertaste is almost sour, which I suspect comes from the stevia used to sweeten it. 

The first thing you notice about this one is the texture, though, as the whey protein is gritty and noticeable. Its cookie bits are completely lost, and immediately upon biting into the bar, you have to put your jaw muscles to work chewing through the dense block. If you were eating this item solely for the nutrition it contains, then you probably wouldn't mind, but if you're looking for an enjoyable snack on the healthy side, I wouldn't recommend this flavor at all.

I had high hopes for this one. When you read the words "chocolate brownie," it's difficult to lower your expectations to the level this protein bar came in at. Admittedly, I was expecting more chocolate brownie flavor, a perhaps unrealistic expectation considering that this treat is designed to be healthy. With 21 grams of protein and 2 grams of sugar, it's certainly no baked-to-perfection chocolate brownie, although chocolate is the first thing you taste upon biting into it.

Still, I feel that the chocolate flavor could be stronger. It doesn't need to taste like a chocolate bar, but that initial enjoyable flavor only lasts about a split second before being quickly drowned out by the sour protein-and-stevia combo. At least the texture of this one is greatly improved from the Cookies and Cream variety. It's softer and easier to chew and not too gritty.

The flavors slowly improve with the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. It's amazing what little chunks of chocolate can do to boost the flavor of one of these bars, giving you something to cut through the drab flavor of protein. On top of that, they provide a textural relief with a little bit of crunch, and despite being made of sugar-free chocolate, they actually taste pretty good.

Behind all that protein, the bar itself does taste slightly like cookie dough. It's a snack that is just enjoyable enough to distract you from the gritty protein, although it is still obviously a protein bar. Costco seems to realize that this is one of the better-tasting options, as you're able to buy the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar in a bulk box all on its own, while the Chocolate Brownie and Cookies and Cream are only available in a variety pack.

This one was easily the best of the four high-protein bars. Peanut butter goes a long way in masking the taste of whey protein and making it appear natural and enjoyable. The subtlety of chocolate also plays a role in making it seem more like a treat than a chore to consume. Chocolate and peanut butter are a classic flavor pairing that is hard to beat; the smooth sweetness of chocolate is the perfect match to the salty richness of peanut butter, and when it comes to making protein bars taste good, it's a great choice of flavor. 

This one also had, by far, the best texture of the four high-protein bars. It's soft, easy to tear in half, and pleasant to chew. Similar to the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar, you are able to buy this flavor in a bulk box all on its own.

Although these bars have the lowest quantity of protein at 5 grams, they are the most natural in appearance and taste. Made with a mixture of almonds, cashews, and pecans and drizzled with chocolate, this bar is the only one to have a higher sugar content (6 grams) than its protein content, as the nuts are all held together with a sticky mixture of honey, rice syrup, and sugar. Still, if you find the odd taste of stevia a bit off-putting, you might just prefer to opt for the Nut Bar over one of the high protein bars.

I ranked this one second place simply because it tastes significantly better than any of the high protein bars. If you are looking to gain as much protein as possible but with fewer calories, then you may have to sacrifice good flavor in the process. I also enjoy the fact that the Nut Bars are made with whole nuts. If you have a dairy allergy or are lactose intolerant, whey protein is a no-go, as it comes from milk. Although it's typically the main ingredient in protein shakes, that flavor can be too much in a concentrated bar, which is why I largely preferred the Nut Bar as a protein-rich snack.

The winner for me was the Chewy Protein Bar. At 10 grams of protein and 6 grams of sugar, these are the perfect middle ground of being protein-rich but still tasting fantastic. Whole peanuts and mini chocolate chips are intermingled with puffed treats, and the bottom of the whole thing is coated in chocolate. There is a pleasant peanut butter flavor, which totally masks any unpleasantness from the protein powder. The texture is soft and chewy (as the name describes), and it overall tastes like something you want to keep snacking on rather than grimace at while eating.

I believe this is the only protein bar on this list you could get your child to eat without elaborate trickery. Unless you're concerned with maxing out your protein and eliminating sugar, this is a great option for a healthy snack and comes out to about 40 cents per bar when purchased in the 42-bar bulk box from Costco.

For the avid gym-goer or bodybuilder who needs to consume massive amounts of protein in a day, you may care less about flavor and just toss back whatever it is you need to fill your daily nutritional counts. But for the average person, it seems more realistic that even when eating healthily, you want your snacks to taste good. Thus, that was the main criteria I used to judge these Kirkland Signature protein bars. All of the protein bars in this list have a decent amount of protein, relatively low sugar levels, and would be considered a healthy snack — you really can't go wrong. But if you're looking for flavor and enjoyability, some are definitely better than others.