Aloha Bars Review & Comparison

I’m trying to add more protein to my diet. As a vegetarian, I’m always looking for plant-based options. Over the last year, I’ve tried Built Bars, GoMacro Bars, Misfits Bars, and Aloha Bars. Find out more about what I think about Aloha protein bars and if I’ll continue buying them.

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What are Aloha Bars?

Aloha Bars are organic plant-based protein bars, with nothing artificial added.

Aloha was founded in 2013 by Austrian entrepreneur and Hawaiian resident Constantin Bisanz, originally from Austria. In 2017, Aloha rebranded and named Brad Charoon as CEO.

Aloha means “sharing the breath of life” and its mission was to share healthy food with the world. Aloha’s most popular products include protein powders, drinks, and bars.

Where Can You Buy Aloha Bars?

You can buy Aloha Bars in nearly every supermarket across the United States from Target to Whole Foods. You can also buy Aloha Bars directly from their website.

I ordered the variety pack from Amazon.

Aloha Protein Bar Sampler Pack from Amazon

I always like to order variety packs so I can try out a bunch of flavors.

The variety pack I ordered contained 12 bars, 6 flavors, 2 of each:

• Chocolate Mint
• Vanilla Almond Crunch
• Chocolate Fudge Brownie
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
• Coconut Chocolate Almond

Are Aloha Bars Healthy?

I have a love-hate relationship with protein bars in general. I try to avoid processed foods and so when I do choose a protein bar, I want it as healthy as possible.

Aloha Bars contain whole food ingredients.

Dietary Restrictions

They are gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free. Best of all for me, they are vegan.

No Artificial Sweeteners

They use no artificial ingredients, no sugar alcohols, and no stevia. Avoiding stevia in healthy foods is not always an easy task. Instead of stevia, Aloha uses organic monk fruit and organic coconut sugar.

While monk fruit is considered a healthy alternative to sugar, there is some controversy around coconut sugar. True, it’s less refined but the jury’s out whether it’s truly healthier for you.

Aloha also does not use any form of sugar alcohol. Sugar alcohols are used to sweeten foods while adding fewer calories. These additives go under the names of xylitol, sorbitol, maltitol, and erythritol. Some people experience gastrointestinal issues from these including bloating.

Calories

Aloha bars range from 220 to 260 calories.

Fat

Most Aloha Bars are low in saturated fat around 3g. The Vanilla Almond Crunch protein bar had the least at just 1.5 grams but the Coconut Chocolate Almond protein bar has 7 grams.

Protein

All Aloha bars have 14 grams of protein.

Main Ingredients

The main ingredients are:

• protein blend (brown rice protein, pumpkin seed protein)
• tapioca fiber
• vegetable glycerin
•  sunflower lecithin
• sea salt
• nut butters (sunflower butter, cashew butter) or cocoa butter
• almost all contain sunflower oil and vanilla powder
• two of my flavors have chocolate chips
• the dark chocolate bars use real chocolate and cane sugar
• some have tapioca syrup

Nut-Free

Aloha Bars are not nut-free. All of the bars I ate contained peanuts, cashews, or almonds.

How Do Aloha Bars Taste?

This is obviously the most important question. You can watch my video below.

I find most protein bars taste somewhat similar to one another. None have truly tasted like a candy bar to me before.

During my live tasting, the Chocolate Mint flavor stopped me in my tracks. It has a chocolate coating and gooey chocolate mint inside. It may be the tastiest protein bar I’ve had.

It tastes like a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie.

Despite not having artificial sweeteners, all of the bars are sweet. I may even say the dark chocolate bars are too sweet for my liking. I’m the person who orders an alcoholic drink or dessert and asks how sweet it is, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

I found none of the bars chalky or having an aftertaste.

How Do Aloha Bars Compare to Other Protein Bars?

I’ve done reviews on Built Bars, GoMacro Bars, and soon-to-be-published review on Misfits Bars.

Aloha Bars vs. Built Bars

Protein

Built Bars have about 17-19 grams of protein vs. Aloha Bars which have 14 grams of protein.

Fat

Built Bars and Aloha Bars rank similarly in terms of saturated fat. Although the Coconut Chocolate Almond Bar does have 7 grams of saturated fat, most fell between 1.5 and 3g.

Net Carbs

Built Bars have fewer net carbs than Aloha Bars. Here’s how to calculate net carbs (total carbs= fiber – sugar alcohols).

Fiber

Aloha Bars have more fiber than Built Bars. All of the bars I had contained 10g of fiber vs. the 6 grams in Built Bars.

Calories

Aloha Bars have a lot more calories than Built Bars. While Aloha Bars had 220 to 260 calories per bar, Built Bars come in at only 130 calories.

Artificial Sweeteners

Aloha Bars does not use any artificial sweeteners including sugar alcohols. Built Bar also does not use artificial sweeteners, however, they do use erythritol.

Dietary Restrictions

Nuts

Aloha Bars are not nut free while most Built Bars do not contain nuts, some do (for example, peanut butter brownie).

Vegan

Unfortunately for me, Built Bars are neither vegetarian or vegan while Aloha Bars are plant-based.

Gluten

Both Built Bars and Aloha Bars are gluten-free.

Taste

Built Bars taste better frozen or refrigerated in my opinion. Aloha Bars taste great right out of the box.

Winner: So which tastes better? For me, Aloha Bars are the clear winner.

Aloha Bars vs. GoMacro Bars

Protein

At 14g, Aloha Bars have more protein than GoMacro Bars which only have 10 to 12 grams.

Net Carbs

GoMacro Bars are very high in net-carbs. For example, the Dark Chocolate and Almonds bar has a whopping 34g net carbs vs. 16g for Aloha’s Coconut Chocolate Almond Bar.

To meet standard keto guidelines, a food must have under 25g net carbs.

Fiber

GoMacro bars are low fiber, generally 1-3g vs the 10g in an Aloha bar.

Calories

Aloha Bars and GoMacro Bars are comparable in calories.

Artificial Sweeteners

Neither Aloha Bars nor GoMacro bars use artificial sweeteners.

Dietary Restrictions

Nuts

Neither Aloha Bars nor GoMacro bars are nut-free, although GoMacro Bars do have three nut-free flavors.

Vegan

Both Aloha Bars and GoMacro bars are vegan.

Gluten

Both Aloha Bars and GoMacroBars are gluten-free.

Taste

I like the taste of both bars. GoMacro Bars have a more stretchy consistency. Aloha bars have a more solid consistency. Both are great tasting. If you prefer a chocolate coating, go for the Aloha Bars.

Winner: this is a close one but I’ll go with Aloha Bars. Plus, it has more protein for the same amount of calories.

Aloha Bars vs. Misfits Bars

Protein

Misfts Protein Bars have more protein than Aloha Bars. All of the flavors I tried had 15-16g. Aloha Bars have 14g.

Net Carbs

Misfits are lower in net-carbs than Aloha Bars coming in at around only 6g.

Fiber

Most of the Misfits Bars I tried had slightly more fiber than an Aloha Bar, averaging around 11g.

Calories

Misfits Bars are lower in calorie than Aloha Bars but they also seem much smaller.

Artificial Sweeteners

Misfits Bars use Stevia. Aloha bars do not.

Dietary Restrictions

Nuts

Like Aloha Bars, Misfits Bars are not nut-free.

Vegan

Both Aloha Bars and Misfits bars are vegan.

Gluten

Both Aloha Bars and Misfits Bars are gluten-free.

Taste

Misfits Bars have three layers: protein bar, crispies, and vegan chocolate. The crunch is nice. It reminds me of a Nestle Crunch.

Winner: if we’re going strictly by taste, I’ll go with the Aloha bars. Something about the Misfits bars tastes artificial to me and the protein bar itself is kind of dry.

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Favorite Flavors of Aloha Bars

My favorite flavor was definitely the Chocolate Mint Bars followed by the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars and then the Coconut Chocolate Almond Bars. I found the Chocolate Fudge Brownie bar too sweet for me.

Out of all the bars I’ve tried, Aloha bars are my favorite brand in terms of flavor. It’s true Built Bars and Misfits Bars both have more protein and fewer calories, but I prefer the flavors and consistency of Aloha. Also, I’m still waiting for Built to introduce a vegan option.

Final Thoughts

I like that everything you need to know about Aloha Bars is clearly listed on the product packaging:

• 14g protein per bar
• plant-based protein
• allergen content (free of gluten, soy, and dairy)
• non-GMO
• organic
• no stevia
• nothing artificial
• vegan
• Flavors

I’m excited to try new flavors. Have you tried Aloha Bars? Which are your favorite flavors? Comment below.

If you’re intermittent fasting, you may be interested in reading my review of ProLon’s Fast Bars.