I want to start off this review of Battle Oats Bars by saying i absolutely love oats, flapjacks, and anything in between.
Long before i started bodybuilding and eating “healthy”, I loved eating porridge, and flapjacks were one of my favourite treats. I remember getting the all butter flapjack trays from Morrissons and Tesco and just pigging out. Good times. Good, good times.
So when Battle Oats wanted me to review their protein fortified flapjack bars, i was going to do so with great scrutiny!
Who are Battle Oats? What are their bars like? Should you eat them? Find out in my Battle Oats Bars Review.
What are Battle Oats?
Battle Oats is a relatively young company that I discovered on twitter. They produce high protein flapjacks with gluten free oats, in a variety of flavours.
High protein snacks have flooded the supplements market over the past few years. High protein peanut and almond butters such as Nuts n More & Go Nutritions’ Whey more nuts have literally flooded twitter. Protein cookies, bars, breads and even pasta’s are common place in supplement stores now.
Battle Oats is slightly different however.
Using all natural ingredients (how natural is protein powder?) along with gluten free oats makes these bars targeted at anyone who leads an active or physical lifestyle.
Battle Oat Flapjack bars are oven baked, cramming in a muscle building 18 grams of protein, with wholesome, natural ingredients for taste.
The biggest factor for me when reviewing these Battle Oats bars was the taste. I’ve made some pretty good high protein flapjack’s following protein baking recipes at home.
Nutritional value is important, as i don’t want a flapjack that is marketed as healthy being full of sugar or too high in fat, however taste was the most important to me when trying Battle Oats Bars.
Taste
I was sent 2 different flavours to try. The Dark Chocolate Chip, and the flavour which i tried in my Battle Oats Flapjack review video, cranberry & blueberry fusion.
Taste wise, both were good, and authentic to their names.
The cranberry & blueberry fusion had dried pieces of fruit throughout the bar. Not an over powering amount, but just enough. The entire bar had a heart warming blueberry essence to it, that complimented the dried cranberry pieces in the bar almost perfectly. Unlike some protein bars or energy bars, this wasn’t full of artificial sweeteners or and over powering chemical taste.
The bar tasted natural and fruity, with just the right amount of sweetness.
The Dark Chocolate chip bar tasted pretty much as i expected. It contained a good portion of chocolate chips throughout the entire flapjack bar. I much prefer the chips baked into the flapjack as opposed to it having a layer of chocolate to overpower my taste buds.
After tasting the cranberry & blueberry fusion Battle Oats Bar, the dark chocolate chip came off as a bit more bland, as it lacked a flavouring to the bar. However it was still enjoyable.
Im more of a fruity person, as opposed to chocolate, so your choice of bar will come down to your own preference. (Although id recommend you try both)
Battle Oats also have a double chocolate brownie flavour, which ive yet to try.
Texture
The taste wins the battle, however the Texture loses the war.
Battle Oats protein flapjacks resembled more of a soft, oaty biscuit, as opposed to a traditional flapjack.
My first bite revealed the lack of moisture in the bars. A probable good sign for the nutritionals, as it likely means that there has been no crap added into them. Unlike the cheap flapjacks i ate when i was a kid.
However the dryness caught me a little bit off guard in my first bite.
Battle Oats were also quite crumbly. Not as much as a biscuit, but more so than a regular flapjack. This is why i describe them as an oaty “soft biscuit”. The bars themselves aren’t soft. However they aren’t quite a flapjack, and aren’t quite a biscuit.
Im not saying that the texture of these Battle Oats Bars are bad. However they didn’t live up to my expectations.
In fairness to Battle Oats however, i don’t believe they label them as high protein flapjacks. It’s the retailers that tend to name them “Battle Oats Protein Flapjacks” or “Battle Oats Flapjack Bars”.
Because of my expectation, I probably judged them a bit too critically in my video review when first trying them. I was, wrongly (probably due to false expectations) expecting a moist, flapjack.
Had I known that Battle Oats bars were not flapjacks, but instead an oat bar, i would have probably enjoyed it a bit more.
Incase i’ve caused any confusion, id like to state that Battle Oats, taste wise, are spot on. I can’t really fault them. The fruit one was a true pleasure to eat.
Texture wise, don’t expect a flapjack. If you do, you’ll be disappointed.
As an “energy bar” , “healthy snack” or “high protein snack” however, I did enjoy Battle Oats. Definitely not the best tasting oat product i’ve ever had. But a one I enjoyed eating.
Where Battle Oats reclaims the battle field however is in its nutritional profile.
Battle Oats Nutrition
For anyone looking for a macro friendly energy bar or protein bar, Battle Oats has you covered.
Battle Oats Cranberry & Blueberry Fusion Nutirional Values
Protein – 15.4g
The Good
- Awesome flavours. Both bars were flavoursome. Neither were overpowering & sickly, nor were they bland. I really enjoyed the cranberry & blueberry fusion flavour.
- The added protein powder did not detract from the taste. Nor did it leave a powdery, artificial after taste.
- A good ratio of carbs to protein, making it a good meal replacement, snack to hold you off between meals.
- Suitable for a pre or post workout snack.
- Surprisingly filling for the portion size.
- Gluten Free, and moderately low in sugar
- Low fat content in comparison with traditional flapjacks, and other high protein oat bars
The Bad
- Does not capture the authentic flapjack texture & feel
- Quite dry
- Dark chocolate chip flavour is not as flavoursome as the cranberry & blueberry fusion bar (however this is my preference)
- Quite crumbly
The Verdict
Whether you’re a male or female looking for a high energy protein bar, Battle Oats is a good choice. They aren’t excessively high in calories, which makes them a fitting choice for females, not just men looking to pack in calories.
The bars are dense, and filling. Having one of these between meals will keep you feeling full, with good clean calories. Not a ton of sugar and fat.
The macro profile on Battle Oats bars are very good, meaning you’ll be able to fit them into your diet relatively easy. Excellent for those who use the IIFYM approach. They’re also gluten & wheat free, so if you suffer from an intolerance, you can include these within your diet.
Would I buy Battle Oats bars in the future? If i saw one in a supermarket, sure. However I wouldn’t go out of my way to track these down online and purchase. The taste was spot on, the nutritional profile is very strong, however the texture didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
If you’re looking for a healthy energy bar, or if you love oats and are looking for a high protein oat bar, then give Battle Oats a try.
You can pick these up over on Protein Pick n Mix, and you can stay up to date with all things Battle Oats over on their twitter profile.
Make sure to check out our cheap supplements discount codes page to get the best deals on all your supplement buys.
Adam Foster is an aspiring bodybuilder, and has been training since a teenager. As the founder of the website & youtube channel 'Shreddybrek' he shares his experiences and knowledge via informative videos and articles. Get in touch if you have any questions!
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