Thunderbird Real Food Bars are Nuts for Fruit and Seeds

Updated – New Formula & Packaging! I love the fruit and nut bar trend, particularly in the options sweetened only with fruit. But, some are so heavy in nuts that they can leave me with a bit of an imbalanced stomachache. Enter Thunderbird Real Food Bars.

When I first reviewed these bars a few years ago, they were known as Thunderbird Energetica Whole Food Bars, and were available in six flavors. The company has since reformulated, changed the packaging, upped the number of varieties, and re-launched with a slightly modified name: Thunderbird Real Food Bars.

Thunderbird Real Food Bars are Nuts for Fruit and Seeds

These bars come in two categories: high-energy Fruit & Nut (cream-colored packages) and lower sugar Nut & Seed (tan-colored packages). Nonetheless, you won’t find anything but fruits, nuts, seeds and/or spices in any of the Thunderbird Real Food Bars. They’re all free of added sugars, preservatives, and protein powders.

The do have a lot of flavors, so I’ve included full details on the ones we’ve tried, followed by a quick list of the rest!

Cashew Fig Carrot

Soft, sweet, and chewy, just like the center of a fig bar. The carrot isn’t ever-present (I wouldn’t have guessed the bar had carrot if it wasn’t in the title), but the spice offers wonderful warmth and is a slightly bold accent to this wonderful figgy delight. The texture has just a few nut chunks and lots of those little popping fig seeds. If you’re a fig bar fan like me, then you’ll love this.

Ingredients: dates, cashews, figs, carrots, nutmeg, vanilla, himalayan sea salt

Nutrition (per bar): 160 calories, 3.5g fat, 31g carbs, 4g fiber, 23g sugars (includes 0g added sugars), 2g protein.*

Chocolate Almond Butter Sea Salt

I was amazed by how soft and richly flavored this bar is. I had it while we were out on a walk, in near 80 degree heat, and unlike other chocolate bars, it wasn’t a melty mess – not the least bit – since it uses cacao and no chocolate chips. The taste wasn’t overtly sweet like a lot of bars, but rather had a sultry, deep vibe. It’s hard to explain, but I loved it.

Ingredients: dates, almonds, cashews, cacao, himalayan sea salt

Nutrition (per bar): 220 calories, 13g fat, 22g carbs, 5g fiber, 13g sugars (includes 0g added sugars), 6g protein.*

Cherry Hemp Turmeric

I really didn’t expect to like, let alone love, this bar. I do really like hemp seeds in bars, and am all for the anti-inflammatory ingredients, but this combo just didn’t sound exciting to my taste buds. Nevertheless, it turned out to be one of my favorites! It has a deep alluring flavor that wasn’t overly “fruity,” and really didn’t shout cherry. Everything melded perfectly into a deliciously unique chewy bar.

Ingredients: dates, walnuts, hemp seeds, sweet potato, cherries, cinnamon, turmeric, hawaiian black lava salt

Nutrition (per bar): 200 calories, 7g fat, 31g carbs, 6g fiber, 22g sugars (includes 0g added sugars), 3g protein.*

Pecans Goji Pistachios

The backdrop of this variety has a unique, lightly salty, just sweet enough, somewhat buttery, flavor that I found rather addictive. The only thing I didn’t like were the nearly whole almond chunks and goji berries. Almonds are not in the name, so I wasn’t expecting them to dominate the scene. And when I hit a whole tangy goji berry, the tartness was a bit off-putting and didn’t meld with the other flavors. That said, the base of the bar was so delicious! Tony didn’t like this one, but take out the big chunks and I’m betting we would both be happy campers.

Ingredients: dates, pecans, almonds, pistachios, himalayan sea salt, goji berries, dried golden berries

Nutrition (per bar): 250 calories, 17g fat, 21g carbs, 5g fiber, 15g sugars (includes 0g added sugars), 4g protein.*

Hemp Sunflower Pumpkin Seed

I think they changed this one since I last had it. It is packed with so much texture! The dates have an almost figgy vibe to me, and add softness. But unlike many date bars, this one is LOADED with all types of crunchy seeds and nuts. It has tons of little and big bites throughout ranging from super-crispy to slightly soft and nutty.

Ingredients: dates, macadamia nuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, macadamia nut butter, coconut shreds, extra virgin coconut oil, cinnamon, himalayan sea salt.

Nutrition (per bar): 250 calories, 18g fat, 20g carbs, 6g fiber, 12g sugars (includes 0g added sugars), 6g protein.*

Texas Maple Pecan

I’m sure this is one of their most popular flavors, and I expected it to be one of my favorites. I mean – Texas + Maple + Pecan – what could be wrong with this? And in fairness, it was good. I would eat it again, no question. But it really didn’t rock my world. I think the use of maple extract, instead of real maple syrup, let my taste buds down a little. I get it, they want to avoid added sugars. But I would have been fine with a few grams of sugar for that pure maple hit.

Ingredients: pecans, dates, himalayan sea salt, maple extract, cinnamon.

Nutrition (per bar): 250 calories, 18g fat, 22g carbs, 5g fiber, 16g sugars (includes 0g added sugars), 3g protein.*

Almond Apricot Vanilla

The flavor isn’t as in-your-face apricot as expected thanks to the use of pure unsulfured fruit. Instead, it has a rich, cohesive flavor that just plain works.

Ingredients: apricots, almonds, vanilla, hemp seeds, himalayan sea salt

Nutrition (per bar): 170 calories, 7g fat, 25g carbs, 4g fiber, 18g sugars (includes 0g added sugars), 4g protein.*

More Flavors of Thunderbird Real Food Bars

• Chocolate Cherry Almond
• Chocolate Coconut Cashew
• Chocolate Raspberry Espresso
• Chocolate Mint Walnut
• Hazelnut Coffee Maca
• Peach Pecan Vanilla

The Facts on Thunderbird Real Food Bars

Price: $2 per 1.7-ounce bar

Certifications: Thunderbird Real Food Bars are Certified Gluten-Free, Certified Paleo, Certified Kosher Pareve, and Non-GMO Verified.

Dietary Notes: By ingredients, Thunderbird Real Food Bars are dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian, and paleo.*

For More Product Information: Visit the Thunderbird website at www.thunderbirdbar.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. 

Broad mix of varieties

Rated 5 out of 5

February 12, 2020

Lighter than your average fruit and nut bars, these pack in a wallop of flavor from dried fruits (including apricots!) and organic spices, and some offer interest with crunchy buckwheat groats. The broad mix of varieties offers something for everyone, but my personal favorites were the Cherry Hemp Turmeric, Hemp Sunflower Pumpkin Seed, Cashew Fig Carrot, Almond Apricot Vanilla, and Chocolate Almond Butter Sea Salt.

Alisa Fleming