No Cow Bars: High Protein, Low Sugar, Dairy-Free Fuel

What were you doing at age 18? What about 12? Daniel “D” Katz started his first business at 12 years old, launched several other ventures during high school, and perfected his craft well enough to successfully found D’s Naturals in 2014, at the ripe old age of 18. I discovered Daniel thanks to the playful and obviously dairy-free name for his first batch of products: No Cow Bars.

I met this extremely motivated teen at Expo West and he was not only the most friendly, outgoing and young CEO I’ve ever met, but he was also SUPER FIT!

Not surprisingly, No Cow Bars reflect Daniel’s active passions with a lean, super high protein, super low sugar formula. Each bar has a whopping 20 to 22 grams of plant-based protein, and just 1 gram of sugar. They are also spiked with a big dose of prebiotic fiber (18 grams).

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Tasting Notes for No Cow Bars

These are protein-packed bars, and the texture reflects it. Each bar is thick, soft, and just a little chewy with a notable protein powder finish. If you are used to protein bars, than this consistency might seem normal to you. If not, you might want to buy just one bar or get a sample pack of the flavors to start and see how they go over.

I’m not someone who tends to have “textural” issues, and I actually enjoy variation in the mouthfeel of my food. So these bars work for me. But I did have definite favorites when it came to the taste.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip (#3 Flavor Pick)

The flavor of this bar is pleasant and seamless. It’s peanutty and sweet, but the sweeteners don’t overtly assert themselves. In fact, I didn’t even detect any stevia bitterness, which I can usually note. The little roasted cacao nibs throughout are a nice rich contrast in texture and flavor. I wouldn’t call it dessert, but enjoyed every filling bite. And it definitely left my appetite satisfied for several hours.

Ingredients – protein blend (brown rice protein, pea protein), isomalto-oligosaccharides*, peanut butter (peanuts, salt, palm oil**), glycerine, cocoa nibs, palm oil**, cooca butter, peanut flour, natural flavor, water, salt, erythritoll, almonds, monk fruit, stevia extract. Contains peanuts and almonds. Produced on equipment that also processes soy, milk, wheat, egg and tree nuts. *prebiotic fibers derived from plant sources ** sustainably sourced

Blueberry Cobbler

The prior formula used freeze-dried blueberries, but the new formula uses natural flavor. I’m guessing this was to get those sugars way down to 1 gram, but I did prefer the version with actual blueberry. This has a striking blueberry scent when you open the package, but the taste becomes un-distinctively sweet. It’s not bad, but seems like it could be almost any flavor and does have an aftertaste that is just a little too sweet for me.

Ingredients – protein blend (brown rice protein, pea protein), isomalto-oligosaccharides*, glycerine, almonds, palm oil**, cocoa butter, natural flavor, salt, erythritol, water, monk fruit, stevia extract. Contains almonds. Produced on equipment that also processes soy, milk, wheat, egg and tree nuts. *prebiotic fibers derived from plant sources ** sustainably sourced

Chocolate Fudge Brownie (#2 Flavor Pick)

The reformulation of this bar worked for my taste buds. It’s less “coffee” than I remember and has a nice, deep, chocolaty flavor. I wouldn’t have expected this variety to be one of my top picks, but it’s quite good – pleasantly sweet with rich cocoa undertones. It is spiked with cacao nibs which is the only part I’m not a fan of. In this case, I think they add just a touch too much bitterness to the cacao backdrop.

Ingredients – protein blend (brown rice protein, pea protein), isomalto-oligosaccharides*, cocoa nibs, glycerine, almonds, palm oil**, cocoa butter, cocoa powder (processed with alkali), natural flavor, water, salt, water, erythritol, monk fruit, stevia extract. Contains almonds. Produced on equipment that also processes soy, milk, wheat, egg and tree nuts. *prebiotic fibers derived from plant sources ** sustainably sourced

Mint Cacao Chip

The mint chocolate scent as I opened the package was subtle, yet divine. This bar is similar to the Chocolate Fudge Brownie in consistency, but with a very different flavor. In fact, each bite was bursting with a bold minty taste. But I think they did tone down the mint from their  prior formula. It used to be a little too potent for me, but now it’s right at the top end of my minty tolerance. Overall, it’s a cocoa-based flavor with a lighter freshness than the more fudgy brownie bar. As a heads up though, the stevia is a little more notable in the aftertaste, and can be detected by the stevia-sensitive.

Ingredients – protein blend (brown rice protein, pea protein), isomalto-oligosaccharides*, glycerine, almonds, cocoa nibs, palm oil**, cocoa (processed with alkali), cocoa butter, natural flavor, salt, water, erythritol, stevia extract, monk fruit. Contains almonds. Produced on equipment that also processes soy, milk, wheat, egg and tree nuts. *prebiotic fibers derived from plant sources ** sustainably sourced

Lemon Meringue Pie

This has a nice lemon oil type zest. But I couldn’t really decide if this flavor was for me. Somehow, the standout, bright lemon flavor wasn’t melding with the hearty, protein-packed backdrop. I still devoured every last bite, but think my loyalties might lie with the peanut butter and chocolate flavors.

Ingredients – protein blend (brown rice protein, pea protein), isomalto-oligosaccharides*, glycerine, almonds, palm oil**, cocoa butter, natural flavor, salt, erythritol, citric acid, water, monk fruit, stevia extract. Contains almonds. Produced on equipment that also processes soy, milk, wheat, egg and tree nuts. *prebiotic fibers derived from plant sources ** sustainably sourced

Carrot Cake

This flavor is surprisingly sweet, but still doesn’t shout “stevia” in the aftertaste, which is nice. I think it’s hard to capture carrot flavor without actual carrots, so I’d be remiss if I said this tastes like carrot cake. The flavor is pleasant, and perhaps has the sweet vibe of cake in general. And I do taste a little spice. But it would be great if they infused actual cinnamon and nutmeg for a fresher spice taste. Nonetheless, I liked the flavor overall and thought it worked with the dense protein powder-y consistency.

Ingredients – protein blend (brown rice protein, pea protein), isomalto-oligosaccharides*, glycerine, almonds, palm oil**, cocoa butter, natural flavor, salt, erythritol, water, monk fruit, stevia extract. Contains almonds. Produced on equipment that also processes soy, milk, wheat, egg and tree nuts. *prebiotic fibers derived from plant sources ** sustainably sourced

Raspberry Truffle

The bite of this variety was a little drier, less chewy, and more protein powder forward than the others, but it’s still quite soft. I was expecting a chocolate-forward bar, but it’s actually more of a raspberry-flavored based with crunchy cacao nibs. Again, I think powdered, freeze-dried raspberries would infuse more deliciousness. But I’m sure they have their reasons for going with a flavor infusion instead. My only genuine complaint is that the sweetness of this bar is just slightly off key, with notes of bitterness chiming in. If you aren’t sensitive to bitter flavors, then it might be seamless to you!

Ingredients – protein blend (brown rice protein, pea protein), isomalto-oligosaccharides*, cocoa nibs, glycerine, almonds, palm oil**, cocoa butter, natural flavor, water, salt, water, erythritol, monk fruit, stevia extract. Contains almonds. Produced on equipment that also processes soy, milk, wheat, egg and tree nuts. *prebiotic fibers derived from plant sources ** sustainably sourced

Chunky Peanut Butter (#1 Flavor Pick)

This bar is seriously peanut butter and protein packed. The peanut butter flavor is rich and the aftertaste is deliciously sweet without smacking of stevia. It’s filled with little peanut bits, too. This isn’t dessert, but for those of us with a sweet tooth it’s a really fulfilling functional bar snack, recovery food, or even breakfast on the go.

Ingredients – protein blend (brown rice protein, pea protein), isomalto-oligosaccharides*, peanut butter (peanuts, salt, palm oil**), glycerine, peanut flour, palm oil**, cooca butter, natural flavor, water, salt, erythritol, almonds, monk fruit, stevia extract. Contains peanuts and almonds. Produced on equipment that also processes soy, milk, wheat, egg and tree nuts. *prebiotic fibers derived from plant sources ** sustainably sourced

The Facts on No Cow Bars

Price: $2.50 per hefty 2.12-ounce bar.

Availability: No Cow Bars can be found in supplement shops, natural food stores, and fitness retailers across the U.S. They are also available via their website (below) and on Amazon.

Certifications: No Cow Bars are labeled as Vegan, Gluten-Free and Non-GMO, but I did not note any certifications at our time of review.

Dietary Notes: By ingredients, No Cow Bars are dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian. Nonetheless, always read the ingredient statement and check with the company on their manufacturing processes for all varieties if potential allergen cross-contamination is an issue for you. Processes and labeling are subject to change at any time for any company / product.

For More Product Information: Visit the No Cow website at nocow.com.