ALOHA Bar
Vegan Dream Snack or Does ALOHA Mean Goodbye? (Nutritionist Reacts)
Could a bar this tasty really be good for you?
What do you look for in a vegan snack bar? Do you prefer fruity, sweet, salty, or nutty flavors?
Is it enough for the snack to be nutritious even if it tastes like a piece of cardboard?
Well, taste is subjective, and you could argue that there is no such thing as a dream snack bar. But once in a while, a treat comes along that both vegan and non-vegans can’t resist.
Fiber-rich, fully organic, packed with nutritious ingredients, and undeniably tasty—could the ALOHA Bar be the perfect vegan snack for you?
And the most important question: are Aloha Bars as healthy as they seem? As any saavy shopper knows, just because it’s vegan and organic doesn’t mean it’s good for you.
Let’s dig in and find out!
Psst! Got a moment?
If you're reading this, you came here for one my many protein bar reviews, which means you're a fellow bar eater.
If you found my article helpful, I hope you'll take a look at Human Food Bar, which I created after testing over 100 bars.
The bar's unique formulation can help you cut cravings, lose weight, sleep better, have more energy, regulate digestion, and more. It does this by balancing your gut biome.
Human Food Bar comes recommended by New York Times best-selling author Dr. Steven Gundry, MD.
Scroll through the gallery to learn more!
“I’m 100% plant based and an athlete who has tried just about every bar on the market! These bars are incredible. They are very low sugar, have high quality ingredients and an outstanding flavor (esp. given how low the sugar is).”
Meet the ALOHA Plant-Based Protein Bar
The founders of ALOHA had a philosophy in mind when they started their company: to make plant-based products that are good for you and even better for the environment.
The result? Non-GMO and organic certified protein bars that are gluten, dairy, and soy-free.
ALOHA Bars are for anyone who wants to enjoy a tasty snack without sacrificing nutrition.
Add the versatile range of flavors into the mix, and it’s easy to see why customers love this snack.
ALOHA Bar Nutritional Macros
A full-size (56 g) ALOHA Bar contains 220–260 calories and provides the following macronutrients to the body:
- Protein: 14 g
- Carbohydrate: 22–26 g
- Fat: 8–13 g
- Saturated Fats: 1.5–7 g
- Dietary Fiber: 6–10 g
- Sugars: 3–5 g (with 2–5 g of added sugars)
So is this protein bar just a light snack or can it replace an entire meal?
Well, it depends on you.
You can eat ALOHA Bars as a breakfast snack, a meal replacement, or as a pick-me-up between meals.
Because of their high carbohydrate and protein content, ALOHA Bars also make great pre- and post-workout snacks. They’re a great energy source that will help to boost your performance as well as build and repair muscle.
Are ALOHA Protein Bars Good for You?
Yes, ALOHA Bars are healthy and therefore good for you. However, nutrition and taste preferences vary from person to person.
Let’s see how the ALOHA Bar rates based on multiple criteria.
Texture and Taste
ALOHA Bars offer something for everyone in terms of taste.
If you want to try one of each flavor, ALOHA offers a 12-bar sampler pack which contains two bars of each flavor (excluding the Caramel Sea Salt flavor).
The available ALOHA Protein Bar flavors are:
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
- Chocolate Mint
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Chocolate Fudge Brownie
- Caramel Sea Salt
- Vanilla Almond Crunch
- Coconut Chocolate Almond
Even with a wide variety of flavors, ALOHA Bars excel at maintaining a rich texture and taste—except when they don’t.
“I have tried two flavors of ALOHA Bars. Chocolate Fudge Brownie was dry, chalky, flaky (the chocolate coating flakes off everywhere and can be very messy), and just meh. I’d give that one 2-3 stars. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough was soft, moist, chewy (without being sticky) and delicious. I’d rate that one 5 stars. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought they were made by two very different companies.”
We recommend that you buy the sampler pack first to see which flavors appeal to you.
Nutritional Macros
To recap, a full-size (56 g) ALOHA Bar provides an average of:
- 14 g protein
- 10 g fat
- 24 g carbohydrates
The high fiber content and 10 g of fat means the snack will keep you full for about 2 to 3 hours while preventing you from overeating before your next meal.
ALOHA Bars are also low in trans fats and sugars, making them great for paleo-friendly diets. The protein bars, however, are not keto-friendly as they contain carbs like tapioca fiber, which is sometimes an umbrella term for isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMO) on nutritional labels.
With less than 20 g of protein, ALOHA Bars are not perfect for building muscle, but they are an acceptable pre-and post-workout snack.
Plant Protein or Fiber Content
ALOHA Bars contain an organic blend of brown rice protein and pumpkin seed protein, which are also great sources of healthy fats and nutrients. Depending on the flavor, ALOHA Bars also come with a healthy serving of peanuts, tree nuts, and roasted pumpkin seeds.
The plant-protein content in these bars is sufficient to keep you full for long, ensuring you don’t overeat during the day.
Quality of Ingredients
All ALOHA Bar ingredients are organic and plant-based. The snacks are gluten-free and therefore perfect for those with celiac disease.
However, the bars do contain cane sugar (if only a little) which is a high-carb sweetener that can upset your blood sugar levels in sensitive individuals.
ALOHA also uses vegetable glycerin as an additive to make the bars softer and sweeter, which doesn’t sit well with consumers who are sensitive to corn-derived products.
Lastly, cashews are legumes that contain lectins, plant proteins that can permeate the gut wall and cause systemic inflammation in some people.
Value for Money
ALOHA Bars are well-priced for the nutrition and sustained energy they offer.
However, ALOHA uses some low-quality ingredients, like tapioca fiber and cane sugar, that take away from the value of the bar.
Yet they make up for it with the bar’s high calorie count and healthy protein content.
Remember to try the sampler pack first so you don’t waste your money on a flavor that doesn’t appeal to you.
Low Sugar
You wouldn’t expect it given their sweet taste, but these snack bars are incredibly low in sugar. This makes ALOHA products friendly to paleo and kosher dietary restrictions.
You can expect less than 5 g of sugar per serving with between 2–5 g of added sugars.
All the sweetness in ALOHA products is sourced from organic cane sugar and tapioca syrup. However, the bars contain no artificial ingredients, stevia, or sugar alcohols.
Some flavors, including the ALOHA Vanilla Almond Crunch Bar, also incorporate healthy organic monk fruit as a sweetener.
Comparison to the Human Food Bar
Full of multiple prebiotic fibers and resistant starch, the Human Food Bar sets the standard for healthy and low carb snack bars.
A closer look in this table reveals the major differences between the Human Food Bar and ALOHA Protein Bars.
| ALOHA Bars | Human Food Bar | |
| Dietary Fiber | Contains sub-par fiber from a single source (tapioca fiber) | Contains a diverse variety of fiber including prebiotic fiber and resistant starch |
| Weight Loss | Not the best for weight loss diets | Can support weight loss |
| Low Sugars | Contains 2–5 g added sugars per serving | Has zero added sugars and uses zero carb sweeteners like chicory root, allulose and monk fruit |
| Superfood | No | Uses a variety of rare superfoods like baobab, cacao, tiger nuts, and green banana flour |
With healthy vegetable fats, low sugar, and amazing health-boosting properties, you’re guaranteed to get good value for your money with Human Food Bar.
Is ALOHA Your Vegan Dream Snack?
With an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5, the ALOHA Bar has a lot to offer in terms of nutritional value, but is it really a vegan dream snack?
You decide!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do ALOHA Bars need to be refrigerated?
No. ALOHA Protein Bars don’t need refrigeration. However, eating your snack chilled could enhance its taste (particularly with the chocolate mint flavor).
Are ALOHA Bars nut-free?
No. ALOHA uses nuts, such as peanuts, almonds, and cashews, as a source of plant protein and healthy fats.
Is ALOHA product packaging recyclable?
Yes. The protein bar boxes and wrappers can be recycled with other mixed paper goods.
Are ALOHA Bars healthy?
Yes. They’re low in sugar, have strong macros and don’t contain any particularly harmful ingredients. In a sea of Fake Food nutrition bars, ALOHA Bars stand out as healthier than most.