5 Snack Bars At Costco, Ranked Worst To Best

If you're a Costco cardholder, you're likely already familiar with the treasure trove that is the Kirkland Signature brand. The membership club's private label is teeming with value and quality bulk-buy deals and is the epitome of everything Costco stands for — which, in a nutshell, is to save people money. A few items in this exclusive category, like the famed $5 rotisserie chickens, bakery-style croissants, alcohol, and even toilet paper, garner a great deal of attention. But, there are plenty of other Kirkland gems (over 300, to be exact) hiding across each department of the store, including in the snack section.

In this larger-than-life aisle full of pantry foods and dry goods, shoppers can find five different styles of Kirkland snack bars tucked in beside big-name brands, including Quaker, Nature Valley, and Clif. We're talking about everything from granola bars to protein bars and even chocolatey-dipped creations that are all sold in bulk and perfect for those who thrive on the ability to grab and go.

Today, we're putting each of these distinct bars to the test, evaluating them on their taste, texture, and overall enjoyability since, as Kirkland products, we already know the price and value of each are bound to be unmatched. Which bars will crumble under pressure, and which will prove themselves worthy of your colossal Costco cart?

Gym rats and avid protein trackers will rejoice knowing that they can purchase a 20-pack of Kirkland Signature protein bars for a total of $19.99 at Costco. That comes out to just about $1 each and, at one bar per day, 20 whole days of gains. It sounds like a sweet deal. But, unfortunately, your taste buds will pay the ultimate price for this cart addition, not your wallet.

The bars come in two separate variety packs (at least they do at my local Costco), including a chocolate peanut butter chunk and cookies and cream duo, and a chocolate chip brownie and chocolate chip cookie dough coupling. I opted for the latter, and what I found hiding within the lustrous blue and purple wrappers can only be described as protein-packed bricks. Both flavors share a lack of moisture while also sticking to your teeth and the roof of your mouth. Although appearance-wise, it could pass for a cosmic brownie — sans the colorful candies — the brownie bar exudes a bitter taste of pure cocoa, with the only highlight being the texture relief offered by sporadic chocolate chips. As for the cookie dough, the sensation was akin to munching on a straight scoopful of whey protein with mere hints of cookie flavoring in the background. Neither were the experiences I was hoping for. But, if you're willing to sacrifice taste for the 21 grams of protein, then you're stronger than me (both mentally and likely physically as well).

If this snack selection looks and sounds familiar, it's because it takes after the well-known chewy bars sold by the king of oats, Quaker — a product you can also easily duplicate at home. The two share many similarities, from their skinny rectangular shape down to their ingredient list of whole-rolled oats, rice crisps, coconut, and real chocolate chips. And, I have to say I feel the same way about Kirkland's creation that I do about its name-brand counterpart: indifferent.

Each pieced-together block is chewy as promised but also somewhat difficult to bite through in areas since it's packed so dense. Oats, sugar, and chocolate comprise the majority of the flavor profile and I was thoroughly impressed with the volume of chips sprinkled along the surface like tiny drops of semi-sweetness. On the other hand, you have to really try to pinpoint the coconut notes, but they are there.

When it comes down to it, they're just another breed of mediocre, been-there-done-that granola bars. They're not crave-worthy nor do they offer much in the way of nutritional benefit — they won't even keep you full for long. But, their draw will forever be their astronomically low price point. A cost of 17 cents per bar is hard to resist for any bulk bargain shopper. Just make sure you and your family can stomach them for a while, or else you'll be saddled with a never-ending 64-count box of disappointment and regret.

Considering the fact that high-protein diets are a major trend in today's world, it should come as no surprise that Kirkland has two protein-infused bars on its books. This secondary option, however, is not what you picture when you think of a typical everyday protein bar. Instead, it's reminiscent of a congealed-together batch of trail mix. Peanuts make up the lion's share of this goodie's build, though almonds also make the ingredient list. Semi-sweet chocolate chips are also present yet elusive, and everything is held together with a blend of soy protein, almond butter, and peanut butter — the three add-ins that also presumably bring the bar up to its 10 total grams of protein.

Based on this makeup alone, it sounds like a less appetizing PayDay or a parched fusion of too many nut byproducts. However, a couple of features help to pull it out of the trenches of tastelessness. It has something of a maple syrup flavor that permeates through the bar from end to end — a major step up from the artificial or whey protein tangs that plague the previous Kirkland protein bars. In addition, the dark chocolate layer on the bottom pulls the entire thing together, both literally and in a taste sense, for a more balanced snack. There are a few more appealing products on Costco's shelves, but this isn't a bad one to have stocked in your cupboard.

This Kirkland snack option is sneakily similar to the last in terms of its foundation, but it has an elevated appeal. It is once again nut-centric. This time, though, almonds, cashews, and even bits of pecan lead the charge — all superior nuts to the humble peanut, in my opinion. You taste tiny slivers of each in every bite with each getting a chance to strut their stuff and be the center of attention at different times. With this dynamic trio, the bar is certainly a crunchy one and maybe not ideal for those with sensitive teeth. However, the flavor is worth it.

The saltiness from the nuts mixes with a honeyed, almost nougat-like sticky sweetness, creating a great confluence of tastes. Like the chewy protein bars, this bar is also dunked in dark chocolate just along the bottom portion, adding a touch of welcome decadence and richness into the mix. This variety also takes things a step further by including a bonus drizzle of chocolate along the top — not only a pleasing cosmetic add-on but also a flavor boost. Despite all these confections, the bar doesn't tip the scale sugar-wise and it did leave me feeling quite satisfied — just a few additional reasons why it landed in my top two.

One may assume this Kirkland treat to be just like one of the brand's standard Soft & Chewy bars, just cloaked in a layer of milk chocolate (or maybe that's just what I assumed them to be). However, that's not exactly what's in the 48-count case. These granola bars are made up of the same base of rolled oats and rice crisps, but with a much different ratio that heavily favors the rice crisp to oats. They also ditch the chocolate chips — perhaps to prevent a chocolatey overload, given each bar is already swathed in a coating of the cocoa-based good stuff. And, debatably, the most notable change-up is the inclusion of a caramel fondant which rests in between the oat and rice crisp amalgamation and the top-most chocolate film.

Each sampling is a bit crunchy from the rice puffs. But the rest is soft, succulent, and utterly delicious. The pairing of chocolate and caramel is always a good idea, and here, the combo works flawlessly with the neutral flavor of the inner granola nucleus. With so much defined sweetness, it does eat more like a candy bar than a snack bar — similar to a Snickers or even a Twix. It also comes with a smidgeon of added sugars. But, based on taste alone, the Dipped & Chewy granola bars prevail and join the list as another classic Kirkland must-have.

Kirkland Signature products are known for their value and quality. So, this taste test inevitably began with a check to ensure each bar lived up to these lofty expectations. All five luckily made the cut. From there, I unwrapped my samples even further in order to test for overall consistency — watching out for any product that was too crunchy or, conversely, too soft and fragile — and, most importantly, a balanced flavor. Nutrition played a small role but didn't drive my final decisions and placements. After munching on it for a bit, I ranked all five Kirkland bars in order from those that made me consider making use of Costco's lenient return policy to those that were a real treat for the taste buds.