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Quest Bars have been around long enough that everyone has an opinion on the flavours. Some people swear by one flavour for years. Others bought a box of the wrong one and never went back. If you want to get it right the first time, here is our honest ranking.
The short answer
- Safest first buy: Choc Chip Cookie Dough. It is the classic Quest flavour for a reason.
- Best for chocolate fans: Cookies N Cream or Choc Brownie.
- Most divisive: Birthday Cake. Very sweet and very fun, or too much, depending on who you ask.
- Want more of a dessert? Step up to an Overload bar.
Taste is subjective, so treat this as a guide rather than gospel. The ranking reflects general popularity and consensus on each flavour.
Why Quest Bars are worth caring about
Quest built its name on a simple idea: a protein bar that does not rely on sugar. Each bar gives you around 20g of dairy protein and a big hit of fibre, with under 1g of sugar. Where most snack bars get their carbs from sugar, Quest uses prebiotic fibre instead.
That makes them a handy desk-drawer or gym-bag snack when you are trying to hit a protein target. The trade-off is texture. Quest Bars are dense and chewy, which some people love and others take a few bars to get used to.
The fibre is also worth knowing about. Most people are fine, but a few find high-fibre bars a bit hard on the stomach. If that has happened to you before, read our guide on sugar alcohols in bars to see what to look for, and start with one bar a day.
The flavours, ranked
Top tier: order these with confidence
- Choc Chip Cookie Dough: buttery dough base with little choc chips. It tastes the most like its name and is the easiest to recommend.
- Cookies N Cream: creamy with cookie crunch through it. A safe bet for anyone who likes chocolate but does not want something too rich.
Solid middle: you will be happy with any of these
- Choc Brownie: deep chocolate and a bit fudgy. Best for people who want the richest bar in the box.
- S'mores: chocolate and marshmallow with a hint of graham cracker. Good if you find the plain chocolate bars a little one-note.
- White Choc Raspberry: sweet and fruity. A nice change from all the chocolate, but the raspberry is not for everyone.
Wildcard: love it or leave it
- Birthday Cake: sweet, vanilla frosting flavour with sprinkles. Fans rate it as the best Quest ever made. Others find it too sweet after a few bites. Try one before you buy a box.
The microwave trick. Put a Quest Bar in the microwave for about 10 seconds. It softens up and tastes more like a fresh cookie than a protein bar. It works especially well with Choc Chip Cookie Dough and S'mores. Just watch it, since the middle gets hot fast.
Where Overload fits
If a classic Quest Bar feels a bit small or a bit plain, Overload is the upgrade. Overload Chocolate Explosion is a 61g bar with 20g of protein, 11g of fibre and 1g of sugar. It is packed with dark and milk chocolatey chips and chocolatey cookie pieces, so it eats more like a chocolate slice.
Overload Sundae Funday takes the same idea in an ice cream direction, with toffee, chocolatey chips, peanuts and rainbow sprinkles. Both come in boxes of 12.
For a proper side-by-side on texture, size and when to choose each, read Quest Bar vs Overload. This post sticks to flavours.
How to pick your flavour
| If you want | Go for |
|---|---|
| A flavour you will almost certainly like | Choc Chip Cookie Dough |
| Chocolate without being too rich | Cookies N Cream |
| The richest chocolate hit | Choc Brownie |
| Something fruity | White Choc Raspberry |
| Something very sweet and fun | Birthday Cake |
| A bigger dessert-style bar | Overload Chocolate Explosion |
Where NZ Supps fits
We carry the full Quest range of bars, plus the wider Quest NZ line of snacks. If you are building a snack stash, it pays to mix a few flavours rather than committing to one. If you like the idea of Quest in a chocolate form, Quest peanut butter cups are worth a look too.
Want to compare Quest against other brands? Browse all our protein bars or read our guide to the best protein bars in NZ. Not sure bars are the right fit at all? The Find Your Stack quiz matches products to your goal in a couple of minutes.
FAQ
What is the best Quest Bar flavour? Choc Chip Cookie Dough is the classic and the safest first pick, with Cookies N Cream close behind. Taste is personal, so if you are unsure, buy a few single bars in different flavours before committing to a box.
How much protein is in a Quest Bar? Around 20g of dairy protein per bar, with a big hit of fibre and under 1g of sugar. That makes it one of the easier ways to add protein between meals.
Should you microwave a Quest Bar? It is worth a try. About 10 seconds in the microwave softens the bar and makes it taste more like a fresh baked treat. Keep an eye on it, since a few seconds too long makes it very hot in the middle.
Why do Quest Bars upset some people's stomachs? Quest Bars are high in fibre, and some people are sensitive to large amounts of fibre or the sweeteners used in bars. Start with one bar a day and see how you go. Our guide to sugar alcohols in bars explains more.
What is the difference between a Quest Bar and a Quest Overload bar? Overload is the chunkier, dessert-style bar. Chocolate Explosion is a 61g bar with 20g of protein, 11g of fibre and 1g of sugar, loaded with chocolatey chips and cookie pieces. It eats more like a chocolate slice than a classic protein bar.
