I recently reviewed the Kind Breakfast Bars and Kind Whole Fruit Bars, but lets not forget that delicious array of classic Kind Bars. In our home, these are the holy grail of snack bars.
Before we get started, I want to clear up some confusing issues on the dairy-free status of the classic Kind Bars. They do occasionally come out with a couple “yogurt” and/or “milk chocolate” flavors, and often, one or two of their caramel flavors contains milk. But they also make a caramel flavor that doesn’t contain milk. Also, some of the dairy-free Kind Bars I’ve purchased are Certified Kosher Pareve while some were Certified Kosher Dairy (made on equipment shared with dairy, but no dairy in the ingredients). However, the Kosher certification didn’t seem to have any rhyme or reason. For example, some of the dark chocolate varieties were actually Pareve, while some were Kosher Dairy. They seem to use different facilities or different lines for many of the bars. Definitely contact the company if you want specifics.
Kind Bar Tasting Notes: The Dairy-Free Varieties
Now, onto the tasting! Tony and I sampled a smattering of the “most popular” dairy-free Kind Bar flavors. Naturally, that included several dark chocolate-drizzled varieties. I’ve included details for each of them below, followed by a quick list of the remaining classic Kind Bars currently available.
Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt
The texture of these bars is boldly chunky. So chunky in fact, that you can even see holes in it. Not surprisingly, those whole nuts provide a good deal of crunch, but are bound together for a chewy finish. In terms of flavor, it had very assertive bites of sea salt, and was surprisingly low on the sweetness scale, but still pleasant. We thought it was tasty, fulfilling, and more like a low-sugar sweet snack than a dessert.
Ingredients: almonds, peanuts, chicory root fiber, honey, palm kernel oil, sugar, glucose syrup, rice flour, unsweetened chocolate, alkalized cocoa, sea salt, soy lecithin, natural flavor, cocoa butter. contains almonds, peanuts and soy. may contain tree nuts and sesame seeds.
Nutrition (per bar): 180 calories, 15g fat, 16g carbs, 7g fiber, 5g sugars (includes 4g added sugars), 6g protein.*
Almond & Coconut
These were stickier and chewier than the Dark Chocolate varieties, and had prominent honey and coconut shard flavors. I truly enjoyed the slightly more homemade taste, and the chew that lets you savor all of the interesting notes in each bite. Despite being the first ingredient, the almonds tasted like more of an accent than a full-bodied star. To note, I’m not usually a fan of “low sodium” bars, but it worked with this flavor.
Ingredients: almonds, coconut, honey, glucose syrup, rice flour, soy lecithin, chicory root fiber, sugar, sea salt. contains almonds, coconut and soy. may contain peanuts, tree nuts and sesame seeds.
Nutrition (per bar): 180 calories, 12g fat, 21g carbs, 2g fiber, 13g sugars (includes 8g added sugars), 3g protein.*
Blueberry Almond Pecan
This super-sticky bar is for true almond lovers. It has whole almonds throughout with pecans, crisp rice and sweet blueberries bound together with sweeteners like honey. It’s surprisingly sweet for being relatively low in sugar and flavorful enough without a load of sodium.
Ingredients: almonds, pecans, cashews, chicory root fiber, raisins, blueberries, honey, rice flour, glucose syrup, sugar, soy lecithin, sea salt, natural flavor, citric acid. contains almonds, pecans, cashews and soy. may contain peanuts, tree nuts and sesame seeds.
Nutrition (per bar): 170 calories, 13g fat, 18g carbs, 5g fiber, 8g sugars (includes 4g added sugars), 4g protein.*
Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew
These are quite sticky on the inside, like the other fruity bars, but the dark chocolate dunk and drizzle make them easier to handle. Despite the cashew name, big almond chunks are also ever-present. They’re complemented with big tender bites of dried cherry, and a small smattering of crispies. It isn’t my favorite, but mainly because I haven’t loved cherry and chocolate together lately. Nonetheless, it’s a good, solid, unique bar.
Ingredients: cashews, cherries, chicory root fiber, almonds, sugar, peanuts, honey, palm kernel oil, sugar, glucose syrup, cranberries, rice flour, raisins, unsweetened chocolate, alkalized cocoa, soy lecithin, sea salt, natural flavor, cocoa butter. contains cashews, almonds, peanuts and soy. may contain tree nuts and sesame seeds.
Nutrition (per bar): 160 calories, 10g fat, 22g carbs, 6g fiber, 11g sugars (includes 6g added sugars), 4g protein.*
Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond
When the Kind Bar folks say almond, they don’t mess around. Big whole almonds throughout make this bar a workout to eat. I’m not a coffee fan, so this will never be my go-to flavor. Even so, the java isn’t as in your face as some mocha bars tend to be. It’s notable and a little grainy from the bean. But overall the taste is mellow and not too sweet, for a very snackable bar. You almost wouldn’t guess it’s coated in chocolate.
Ingredients: almonds, chicory root fiber, palm kernel oil, sugar, honey, glucose syrup, unsweetened chocolate, alkalized cocoa, rice flour, cocoa nibs, coffee powder, soy lecithin, natural flavor, sea salt, cocoa butter. contains almonds and soy. may contain peanuts, tree nuts and sesame seeds.
Nutrition (per bar): 170 calories, 15g fat, 16g carbs, 7g fiber, 5g sugars (includes 4g added sugars), 5g protein.*
Dark Chocolate Almond & Coconut
I wanted to compare this flavor to an Almond Joy, but it’s so much fresher, chunkier, and far more wholesome than the popular candy bar. Each bite contains big pieces of almond, large shards of coconut, a sticky but perfectly sweet binder, and a pleasant semi-sweet dark chocolate coating. For Kind Bars, this one leans more toward the dessert side, but it is still well balanced in terms of sweet and savory.
Ingredients: almonds, coconut, honey, glucose syrup, palm kernel oil, chicory root fiber, sugar, unsweetened chocolate, alkalized cocoa, rice flour, soy lecithin, sea salt, natural flavor, cocoa butter. contains almonds, coconut and soy. may contain peanuts, tree nuts and sesame seeds.
Nutrition (per bar): 180 calories, 12g fat, 21g carbs, 2g fiber, 13g sugars (includes 8g added sugars), 3g protein.*
Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt
The warm maple sort of smacked me in the face on first bite, but quickly mellowed into a lightly sweet bar with generous hits of sea salt. It is stickier than some of the others, but also a bit softer and easier to chew. This may be one of my favorites for its intriguing snack-like flavor and big whole pecans and almonds.
Ingredients: pecans, almonds, peanuts, chicory root fiber, honey, glucose syrup, rice flour, maple syrup, sea salt, natural flavor, soy lecithin, sugar. contains pecans, almonds, peanuts and soy. may contain tree nuts and sesame seeds.
Nutrition (per bar): 160 calories, 10g fat, 22g carbs, 6g fiber, 11g sugars (includes 6g added sugars), 4g protein.*
Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan
I’m really liking this flavor. Something about the warm underlying cinnamon, rich but earthy pecans and sweet dark chocolate is just so cohesive and harmonious. This could easily be my favorite of the chocolate-dipped varieties. Just add a sprinkling of coarse sea salt and I’d be swooning!
Ingredients: pecans, peanuts, almonds, chicory root fiber, cashews, honey, palm kernel oil, sugar, glucose syrup, rice flour, unsweetened chocolate, alkalized cocoa, cinnamon, soy lecithin, sea salt, natural flavor, cocoa butter. contains pecans, almonds, peanuts, cashews and soy. may contain tree nuts and sesame seeds.
Nutrition (per bar): 200 calories, 16g fat, 16g carbs, 7g fiber, 5g sugars (includes 4g added sugars), 5g protein.*
More Dairy-Free Flavors of Classic Kind Bars (Nut Bars)
- Extra Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt
- Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate
- Cranberry Almond
- Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Nut
- Pomegranate Blueberry Pistachio
- Blueberry Vanilla Cashew
- Madagascar Vanilla Almond
- Dark Chocolate Almond Mint
- Almond & Apricot
- Fruit & Nut
- Raspberry Cashew Chia
- Apple Cinnamon Pecan
- Honey Roasted Nuts & Sea Salt
- Dark Chocolate Chili Almond
- Peanut Butter Strawberry
They also have seasonal flavors pop up often. In prior years, we’ve tried Cashew Ginger & Spice and Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Spice (shown below).
At last check, the following varieties of Kind Bars CONTAINED MILK: Peanut Butter, Caramel Almond Pumpkin Spice, Caramel Almond & Sea Salt, and all Milk Chocolate varieties. Their flavors do change often, so read the labels carefully.
The Facts on Kind Bars (Dairy-Free Varieties)
Price: $1.29 per 1.4-ounce bar
Availability: Kind Bars are sold in most major grocery stores and natural food stores in the U.S. You can also order them online from Amazon and Vitacost.
Certifications: Some of the dairy-free Kind Bars are Certified Kosher Pareve and some are Certified Kosher D (for dairy equipment, not ingredients; see our Understanding Kosher Guide). See the packaging for batch certifications.
Dietary Notes: By ingredients, the dairy-free Kind Bars are dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian. They are not strictly vegan as they do contain honey.*
For More Product Information: Visit the Kind website at www.kindsnacks.com.
*Always read the ingredient and nutrition statement prior to consumption. Ingredients, processes, and labeling are subject to change at any time for any company or product. Contact the company to discuss their manufacturing processes if potential allergen cross-contamination is an issue for you. No food product can be guaranteed “safe” for every individual’s needs. You should never rely on ingredient and allergen statements alone if dealing with a severe food allergy.
Great bars but a question: How much caffeine?
The Kind bars are great, the best of the bars like this. Always high quality.
Curious though if their dark chocolate and extra dark chocolate have caffeine and if so how much. Nothing on the label but if you are sensitive to caffeine wondering if these might not be a good idea before bedtime.
Response from Go Dairy Free
Chocolate naturally has a small amount of caffeine. 1 ounce of dark chocolate has about 12mg of caffeine. That’s less than half the amount in a cup of green tea. These bars have much less than an ounce of chocolate (just a fraction of an ounce). I would guess there is maybe 2 or 3 milligrams in one of these bars.
Very helpful and informative
I just started dairy-free eating and was thrilled to learn one of the two kind bars I had in my house was already dairy-free! I like having the list of the many flavors I can try.
Delicious
Really tasty full of goodness not naughty but really nice
A huge assortment of flavors
Though known as their “classic” line, traditional Kind Bars now come in a huge assortment of flavors within three major categories: Fruit & Nut, Plus, and Nuts & Spices. Tony took to these bars years ago at a trade show where he needed a gluten-free snack, and they’ve become a go-to during travel for him ever since. They’re all rather chunky, sticky, and wholesome, but the flavor profiles and nutritional make-up of each bar varies a good bit. See our tasting notes for select dairy-free varieties in this post.
18 Comments
Are your new Kind Bark Snacks Gluten free? Your site claims ALL SNACKS are gluten free. But the package ingredient list has a disclaimer that they MAY contain wheat. Would you please clarify? This conflicting information can be confusing for folks with Celiac. Especially newly diagnosed Celiacs, who rely heavily on the information on your web site and trust that the information advertised correct. If things have changed and information on your website is no longer applicable, then it needs to be updated with the disclosure. Otherwise, your putting people at risk. I assumed they were GF until I brought them home a d noticed there was no gf labeling. So I thought I would double check. Then noticed the disclaimer.
Hi Kim, this isn’t the Kind Bar website. It’s a third party, unbiased, unpaid, unaffiliated review on Go Dairy Free. We do not make any product claims. The only note here is that the ones listed are gluten-free by ingredients – with a note for those who are concerned about cross-contamination. You need to contact the company directly about their processes and any claims they have made.
I love Kind bars! As I have a milk allergy, they are a blessing. I order them by the case. I just wish they’d take the milk out of all of them. I would love to try the caramel spice one.
You and me both BB!
Kind bars are a great grab and go snack! I am quite fond of the dark chocolate almond and coconut flavor.
KIND bars are my go to bar! The Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt flavors are my absolute favorite!
It’s hard to beat that flavor combo!
So many delicious flavors to choose from with these Kind bars! Great for when you need a quick snack!
Hands down the Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond is my favorite KIND bar! I love that there are whole almonds in there too- amazing flavor there!
I really should buy that one more for my husband – he loves coffee! Thanks Elizabeth.
Kind Bars are a favorite in our house. We got burnt out on them a couple years ago but now we rotate them in with some other favorites. The Kind Pressed Fruit Bars are one of the products I was most excited about at ExpoWest this year and couldn’t wait to buy for my girls. They love them as much as I do so those so I purchase those as well.
I know what you mean about getting burnt out on bars. We go through waves, too!
i loooooove kind bars for all of our hiking and I was so thrilled when they made the chocolate dairy free!
Me too! They only have I believe 2 random flavors left would dairy. I’d love to see all of them go parve!
We love the different gluten-free varieties of Kind bars! So handy to keep a few in the car or in my purse for my gluten-free kiddos. Their breakfast bars are also really good. Our favorite flavors are the peanut butter and honey oat! 😉
We love Kind bars! The dark chocolate nuts and sea salt is my favorite!
These are some of my favorite bars, I just wish they had less sugar
Some of them do Cricket! One that we tried had just 5 grams of sugar. Several others have less than 10 grams.