Hello! I got back home super late last night. LAX was super busy and it took longer than ever for my ride to pick me up. They were stuck in the traffic for 45 minutes trying to get from the off-ramp to the terminal. Luckily there was no traffic on the freeway and I zoomed home once I got my car and was in bed just before 1am. That felt super late since I got on east coast time just when I was about to leave. Oh well.
I did a short run this morning and said hello to the ducklings. They’ve grown so much since the last time I saw them!! I want to be their friend, but the momma duck is not about it.
Have you heard that Costco sells their own version of Quest bars now?
Yes. This is true! I heard it from my one friend – Skinny Runner, who moved away from Orange County to the constant drizzle of Washington state. Apparently she traded good weather for a better Costco selection because her WA Costco has the Quest bars but mine here in SoCal doesn’t.
Since she is the best, SR sent me some of them to taste test. She knows I am obsessed with the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Quest Bars and have been for years now. I promise they are so good and taste like a cookie if you bake them.
The Costco version comes in a two flavor pack with their very close match to the Quest bars in Chocolate Chip Protein Bar and Brownie Protein Bar. They are a lot cheaper than the name brand.
I decided to do a side-by-side comparison of the original Quest Bar and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Kirkland Bar.
Nutrition stats:
The nutrition information is very similar. The bars are the same size (2.12 oz) and have the same number of: Calories (190) and Protein (21 grams)
They are practically identical on Fat (2 grams different), Carbohydrates (2 grams different), Fiber (1 gram different) and the same on Cholesterol. Basically I’d say they are the same on nutrition but I know some of you are sticklers out there so I am mentioning the small differences.
Protein bar vs. Protein bar
Both protein bars look very similar and have a similar consistency.
Quest Bars are known for their dough-y, thick, chewy texture. The bars are easy to smash, roll and bake with in addition to eat straight up. The recipe for the Kirkland version appears to be practically the same, it was just a little lighter in color. The ingredients are very similar as well.
Taste:
Both are good and have a good texture and a good amount of chocolate chips. The Kirkland version had a very slight aftertaste to me. But I have heard that recent recipe updates to the Quest Bars received complaints of that too – funny coincidence? (I also saw a note online somewhere that the company updated the formula after getting feedback on that.)
Both are sweetened with stevia. Both are gluten free but contain dairy ingredients.
I cut the bar into 3 pieces and baked a piece of each to see if the Kirkland version bakes well too… it does! Both bars were better baked (I feel like it’s really a cookie that way). They tasted good and had a good texture when baked at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes.
Overall:
Given that the nutrition stats and taste are so similar I would probably just buy which ever one is cheaper – BUT they don’t sell the Kirkland version at my local Costco right now so I’ll continue to get my stash of Quest Bars online or at GNC.
I found this site while I was researching “tapioca starch” named in the Costco protein bars discussed here. I have looked up tapioca starch to find it has NO fiber. I wonder how Kirkland can say it has that huge amount of ‘fiber.’ I imagine the Quest bars do the same.
You might be interested to know that I bought some Kirkland protein bars on February 28, 2018 and they have been re-done. They come in a new box and the texture is no longer hard/chewy, but now just chewy. Everything else is the same including the price.
If anyone knows about ‘tapioca starch’ as being a true fiber, please comment.
From the research I did there are two types of tapioca fiber. One is soluble and the other is not. One big issue with FDA regulations is that manufacturers can label both as a fiber. Where I don’t know what goes into the bars I choose to count calories from all carbs. Same with quest and other bars.
Dear Friends,
I have had a gastric sleeve and I am not able to eat properly regular food. I was directed to eat protein bar and Kirkland worked very well with me. I tried other brands but was not able to accept them. I have a simple question, how many bars am I allowed to eat per day? is there any risk if I eat more than one bar per day?
Many thanks for your feedback.
Costco bars are not made by the same company that makes Quest Bars. The taste and consistency is not the same. Quest is far superior. The Costco Choc Chip Cookie Dough tastes nothing like a Quest Bar in the same flavor. Although I like the Costco Chocolate Brownie better than the Quest brownie. If you haven’t tried the Quest Hero bar, well it is amazing, all flavors. Love them, but I find myself relying more and more on bars for nutrition rather than real food and this concerns me. I am going to try to break the habit after this last batch is done and go back to real and clean food.
Heating the bars in a microwave a few seconds really helps. Has anyone notice if the bars seem smaller?
The costco bars have been hit or miss.. Sometimes they are really hard and sometimes they are soft
Im really curious if they are white labeled quest bars. My guess they are Musclepharm since costco has a pretty good relationship with them.
Does anyone know who actually manufacturers these bars? i know its under the Kirkland brand.
I doubt it is really quest under there. There is a noticeable difference in taste and texture in my opinion. I prefer Quest but am working on finishing a box of the Kirkland.
the secret to better Kirkland bars is to look at their stated “expiration” date. I tend to grab boxes from the stack further down (slightly newer batches) and I have had better luck getting the fluffier bar. YMMV
15g of fiber sounds great, but it’s all insoluble fiber. This caused problems for me even if I ate just 1 bar per day. Apparently Quest figured this out and switch to soluble fiber long ago.
Otherwise I’d probably rate them a 3. I like the cookie dough but not the chocolate. And the price is good.
Agreed. Insoluble fiber, however, is healthier for you. In that – if you drink enough water – you will have normalization of your bowels. Insoluble fiber has also been studied in colon cancer prophylaxis.
Just FYI you can also buy the bars online now for those of you who have Costco memberships but can’t find them in your local store. There’s a chance people without memberships can buy them as well if you pay the non-member price (10% surcharge?) but even so they’re still cheaper than quest if that’s the deciding factor for you.
https://www.costco.com/Kirkland-Signature-Variety-Protein-Bars%2c-40-count.product.100296106.html
They have these at the Costco in Bella Terra in Huntington Beach
I love Quest bars warmed in the microwave, esp Cinnamon Roll! Recently bought the Kirkland ones despite feeling like it was a gamble to buy in bulk without trying first (hooray for being in Costco when nummy samples are set out!) but I was pleasantly surprised how similar they are! Bonus points for the Costco bars not giving me roiling alien-tummy aches either like some Quest flavors do. Make more bar suggestions for me to review on my doodle-bar-blog!
I actually like the Costco bars better than Quest. I haven’t tried baking them but will do that! I try to keep one in my purse for those days you are starving and don’t have a snack. As one reviewer commented, sometimes the Costco bars are hard and sometimes soft (my favorite) but I’ve found that to be true of Quest bars as well. I think it may have something to do with the bars getting too hot during shipping. I’ve noticed if I leave a bar in my car, bring it inside and let it cool it is almost always very hard even if the rest of the box is soft.
They are at Costco in Lake Elsinore now. I wish the box contained Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough only not a fan of the Brownie flavor but cannot beat the price. I will try baking brownie ones. Thanks for the comparison.
Same! I prefer the chocolate chip all the way.
I just bought a box of these babies today in Sacramento. Tasted the cookie dough flavor so far and it was very doable. Less sickeningly sweet than Quest. In fact, more like the GNC Advanced Protein bar, which I reviewed here http://dietskepticdoesmedifast.blogspot.com/2015/04/review-gnc-advanced-protein-bars.html. Quest changed its recipe last year and now uses soluble corn fiber, for which it got slammed. Based on the ingredients list, pretty sure Quest does not make the Kirkland brand.
Sorry reading all the posts I’ve missed so I’m late replying. Costco and other retailers like Trader Joes and Walmart participate in what’s called private labeling. Basically, the same company makes the product but because Costco , Walmart etc.. negotiate the price down and promise to purchase a minimum of say 10 truckloads (or enough to distribute to all their stores, whatever that is). The same company that makes the product , in this case Quest will produce the product but use different packaging. This way Quest can still sell their bars at the regular retail price but they can offer them to Costco at a rock bottom wholesale prices ( that meet their minimum order requirements for private labeling) under the Kirkland label. They in turn make up their profits from the bulk orders they receive from big retailers such as Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Costco etc.. This makes customer’s happy because they feel Trader Joe’s, Walmart , Target etc.. are giving them a good deal…and they are. My husband put it to me this way, which makes sense; Walmart doesn’t have a factory making Great Value bread…another one making Great Value butter, another one making Great Value soap etc… The companies known for making these products make them exactly the same or very close to the same and then just private label them for Costco, Walmart, Target, Trader Joe’s etc..
woops – so to sum up – the Quest Bars and Kirland bars are most likely the same product made by Quest.
Great review! I picked up a box from San Dimas Costco. The cookie dough is my favorite, yumyum
I love them too.. But what about quality off nutrition? Aren’t we supposed to be eating natural stuff?
Yup, I get mine from Marathon Baker (you can search for her on FB) – Zetty homebakes them and they’re amazing!
I am in love with Quest bars! I am stoked to hear they are in select Costco locations. I will have to see if they are in mine. Thanks for the comparison of nutrition facts and the great news! 🙂
Another tip is to try Oh Yeah! One bars 🙂 They are very similar to Quest too, but are around the same price. Just in case you want to switch it up a bit 🙂
I keep seeing these at the store and they look so good. I’ll pick one up soon. Thanks 🙂
I’ve been so afraid to give these a try but so many love them… Do any of you get tummy upset from eating them?
I don’t because I’m super used to high fiber stuff, but I have read other people report having issues with this. I’d only buy one or two bars instead of a whole box to check.
Good idea, thanks for the response!
Quest bars are definitely my favorite, but sucralose bothers me so I only buy the ones without (so sadly no choc chip cookie dough or cookies and cream). I wonder what other flavors Costco will copy?!! We don’t have a Costco where I live, but it still gives me hope that other stores will have their own versions at some point. I spend waaaaay too much on Quest bars. Thank goodness for GNC’s buy 3 get 1 free!
They sell them at the Victorville Costco. Come on up!
On my way!!
Protein bars are my hero when I’m coming home from teaching yoga classes…I used to eat quest bars and LOVED them…they aren’t as convenient for me to get here in Toronto though and my grocery store sells bounce protein bars and I’m obsessed! They totally curb my hunger in time for me to shower when I get home from a sweaty class and prepare dinner…I’ve tried vega and like those too but got so bored of just chocolate and vanilla flavours.
You’ve inspired me to go back to Quest…or at least check out these cost co ones…yum!
Quest bars are good when I am in a pinch. I like the chocolate chip and the apple pie. Maybe it’s just me, but the cinnamon ones are way too sweet. Oh Yeah! ONE bars are good. I’ve only tried the Almond Bliss flavor though. Check it out if you’re into coconuts and almonds!
I love Think Thin Brownie Crunch. I live in Indiana and find them at Kroger and Wal-Mart. I also love Quest but Think Thin are cheaper.
I love Quest Bars (probably a little bit too much)! I have never trying baking them though, but it sounds wonderful. I’ve also never been to Costco (they aren’t as popular in the South I don’t think).
Baking them takes ’em to the next level!
I live in SoCal so I have the same problem as you. When I first started reading this I thought REALLY??? But then got sad.
A few chimed in that they are available in Carlsbad and Tustin – they might have them in your Costco?!
Surprised they aren’t in OC Costcos , we even have them out here in the Inland Empire Costcos.
They finally are now!
Wow, such a thorough comparison! They look identical, so crazy that it is legal to copy another product that way.
https://thedogtribe.com/2016/06/14/10_things_you_should_know/
Yeah, I think it’s kind of the same as when the ‘store brand’ copies lotion or something and it says ‘compare to Oil or Olay’ or something.
I <3 Quest bars, they're my breakfast most days. I'll look for these at Costco because of the price, but I love getting all sorts of different flavors, so maybe I'll just stick with paying the premium. 🙂
I wish they just sold the chocolate chip cookie dough – that’s my favorite. I’m not the biggest fan of the brownie one. What’s your second favorite? I like the Banana Nut if I have one in the morning.
Pumpkin,CookieDough,Smores,OatmealRaisin,Coconut
Although the pumpkin has 220 calories, which adds up.
On my cheat day, I might have 2.5 scoops of banana shake mix 2 cup of ice and two cups of cashew milk. This makes a tasty super big gulp sized shake. 300 calories.
Typically i will also take some Kirkland optifiber and put in a scoop. Quest scoop.
then I nurse this shake for 30 minutes while watching TV or internet. Anything I dont drink fast enough, I pop the rest back in the blender with a couple of ice cubes… good to go for round two.
I used to be pretty crazy for quest bars but not anymore. I find their fiber content to be too high but they do taste really good.
The fiber is super high!
That’s why they are awesome. Eat other protein bars and you are hungry again in 45 minutes. Plus, of the 21g of carbs, 14-15 is fiber. Not sugar… or sugar alcohol.
The have them at the Tustin district Costco
Thank you!!
I’ll need to find a friend with a Costco membership and find out. Love those bars.
Interesting! Ive yet to try a Quest bar–I really need to get on that!
Oh, I microwave Quest bars but I’ve never tried baking it. I need to go shopping and get some quest bars so I can try this!!!! No Costco membership so I can’t try their brand though.
I actually prefer them microwaved… But for more like 50 seconds rather than just warmed up!
You can get the bars online but it’s a giant box (I mean it is costco) and around $50…not sure I’m willing to throw that down even though Costco is infamous for its hassle free returns.
Sadly no quest type bars here yet at the Jersey shore.
So interesting. I bet they’re honestly the same thing, just wrapped differently. Costco has been known to do that.
I thought that too! But I grabbed a box today and a few of the ingredients are different, the main one being the type of fiber.
I might be the only person without a Costco membership:(
The one and only 🙂 Ha! Not really, but you need to find a friend and go with them 🙂
I just picked up a box and tried the cookie dough one today and it’s delish! Our Costco just started carrying it and I’m in central Cali, so maybe they are on their way to you!!
Thanks! I’m going to keep an eye out!!
Try ordering them from Costco online. I think I may order some now. Thanks for the great review!
Try ordering them online from Costco! I think I might try some now! Thanks for the awesome review