Oat Haus Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Granola

When it rains, it pours! But this is just unambiguously* good. No weird texture issues; the texture is that of granola and the taste is exactly that of chocolate chip banana bread + granola. A lot of companies start out nut free and then pivot (Built Bars, MadeGood, Brownie Brittle) so I hope that doesn't happen here, because I will actually buy this regularly. It's just oats/quinoa/tapioca/dark choco/banana flavor. Banana is having a moment right now, also. Check out Dunkin's new banana cold foam and syrup! (This is a note to me, primarily, since I can't eat fresh banana due to O-A-S but I do really love banana.)]

*Oop, hold on, there is a weird little aftertaste. A bit artificial. But not too strong... just ignore it... 

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [13$ish? but it's 10 servings!]
Taste: 7/10 

MadeGood Apple Cinnamon Granola Bar

I had this today during a long hungry work day, so I was grateful to have a nice portable snack. I like this company because they don't use weird sunflower butter/seeds or sesame or legumes or anything shady like that. Just oats, rice, and random veggie powder (healthy!). Anyway, this was a very slim bar, I could have used more content. But the taste was good, a decent apple cinnamon flavor. I thought it was very dry, but it does have raisins in it and those are fun and help a lot with the texture. Would eat again.


Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

MadeGood Granola Minis (Strawberry)

I really like this company, and I was a big fan of the mixed berry flavor of these. But sadly this package wasn't as good as the mixed berry ones -- these were much harder; not soft or chewy at all. The flavor was "OK" but overall too dry to enjoy and therefore much less delicious. Maybe the heat got to them, or maybe that's just how it goes with strawberry.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Naturalvert Original Crispy Granola

Hmm. No allergy statement, and I couldn't find much info about this company online. I see they also make a macadamia granola, so I'm a little anxious, but also hungry (and not dead yet). This is just plain granola, but rather than just oats, it has puffed rice in it too. It's fairly unique, because it makes the overall texture a little fluffier, which is fun. It's also not super sweet, since there's no mix-ins, just a light flavor of maple syrup, sugar, and salt (but just a little). The packaging is also nice - even though this is what looks like a single-serve bag, it has a ziplock closure, which I appreciate. I think if it weren't for the allergy fear, I might like this even more!


Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

MadeGood Granola Minis (Mixed Berry)

Hey there, fans of peanut-free food! It's been a while, I know. But I got these recently and thought they were really good! Unfortunately, when trying to track them down, it seems that they are a Canadian company with products only available at Whole Foods in the US, or possibly on Delta airplanes (am I crazy, or is that a terrible match for fans of peanut-free food though?)! Anyway, though it may have been a one-time love affair, these granola bites are delicious. They're very sweet and chewy and have nice chunks of fruit in there, but overall the taste is just regular granola - which I think should really be the ultimate goal with these "organic 8x allergen free GMO gluten free etcetc" products. So, they're tasty. And apparently there's vegetables inside, which is hilarious, though you can't taste it at all. They're also really cute and convenient to eat. No crumbs! I'd be very curious to try the other flavors, all of which are nut-free and sound good.

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 8/10

NoNuttin Vanilla Caramel Granola

This granola is safe and good for you(ish), so I want to like it a lot! Ultimately, I think I like it pretty well, but it's still not as tasty as Quaker granola. Still, this is filling (it IS granola) and has a nice gentle vanilla-y oat flavor. The texture is a little soft, but then again, that's probably good for my teeth. Great with fruit and yogurt.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

No Nuttin' Granola Bars (aka Libre Naturals Granola Bars)

OK, bratty secret: I saw that these were egg, dairy, and gluten free (as well as nut free of course) and I thought "man these are probably gonna suck!" True fact: they didn't suck! To be fair, the texture is a little spongy and soft and chewy(?) for a granola bar, but the taste was good (I think! I was pretty drunk and starving, but I inhaled them :P). The Apple Cinnamon one really does taste appley, and it's a cool change of granola-bar-flavor pace. The Double Chocolate Chunk one was chocolatey, as expected, and gave me a good energy boost. I think I might buy some of these in the future. Plus, the wrappers make them look like delicious Easter candies!

2020 Update: These are now called Libre Naturals granola bars, but they tasted pretty similar to how I remember them -- or at least the Apple Cinnamon one did! It now has sunflower oil, but the oil is OK for me. Weirdly soft for a granola bar, still, but tasty and filling. 7/10. The Red Berry flavor was a little less good, I found it oddly savory and definitely soft/chewy. Still filling though. 6/10

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10

Back to Nature Apple Blueberry Granola

This is OK. Basically, I was shocked to see a granola that I wasn't allergic to, so I bought it! And I do like fruit, so it seemed like a good call. however, I don't like it nearly as much as Quaker Granola (probably because it has less sugar, heh heh). It's also very hard to bite into. The taste is good; it is definitely fruity, but more apple than blueberry. The blueberries are just these hollow little dry berry-looking shells, which is unpleasant. It's definitely filling and a decent snack for allergy-havers though! They have a pecan flavor, but no peanut as far as I can tell. And they do have allergy warnings on their other products, but not this one. So I felt pretty safe with it.

Overall
Cost: 3/10
Taste: 6/10