Clif Bar Crunchy Peanut Butter

Rating: 8/10

• Served with: N/A
• 🥜 Category: Not nut butter, Snack, Sports nutrition
• Country of origin: USA

For those of you who aren't familiar with them, Clif bars are flavoured, oat-based energy bars, generally with some added soy protein, that are held together and sweetened with some kind(s) of syrup.

They have been getting some flack recently for their macros, because some individuals seem to think they are comparable to a regular whey protein bar. Spoiler alert: yes, they advertise that they contain protein - but they also all have some kind of endurance sport depicted on the packaging (hiking! biking! running! tennis!). There's a time and place for high-carb, high-energy snacks!!! Prime example: me today before my tempo run (200m repeats) (gross). Another example: me on Saturday at a water fountain, mid-18k and overheating because I'm not a summer runner, absolutely needing to smash a chocolate GU Energy Gel (basically chocolate syrup in a sachet), shortly before a brown snake sighting got me fired up and raring to run home very fast anyway (nothing like adrenaline to get you through a long run!) (just kidding - I do not recommend).

With that out of the way, I love a Clif bar. When they are half-price at the supermarket you bet I'll pick up a couple, if there are any left. They are dense and chewy, and I highly recommend you be within reach of some water to guzzle down with it as they are not easy to eat mid-run/cycle. Though that sounds like a drawback, it's also the selling point: it means a Clif bar is really satisfying when I need a more significant pre-workout snack, and I always feel well-prepared to smash a workout.

As far as energy bars go, this one is yummy and very easy to understand. It does what it says on the tin. Like all Clif bars I've tried, it tastes like real food, which I cannot say about many sports supplements. It's got a sweet, peanut butter-y combo going on, and doesn't leave a bad aftertaste. From the ingredients list, it looks like it's sweetened with brown rice and cane sugar syrups as well as date paste, which means that the sweetness is noticeable but doesn't overwhelm you. It decidedly tastes like peanut butter, but isn't as peanutty as personally I would like - I am known to also enjoy a nut bar as a pre-workout snack - but in this context I feel that's understandable.

As far as Clif bars go, this is one of my favourites, my one gripe being the naming of the bar: don't expect crunchy peanut butter. No Clif bar I've ever had has been crunchy. If you want crunchy, just go for a nut bar, but if you want a peanut butter flavoured oat bar, go for this one.

(Bonus: most flavours of Clif bar are vegan/plant-based. No upset tum for me from dairy. Win!)