Every Clif Bar Flavor Ranked Worst To Best

Clif Bars are a delicious granola-style bar for the health set to enjoy, even if they're not the most nutritious. They're comfort food with healthy ingredients. They're soft like a cookie filled with all the lumpy, chewy goodness of a muffin. While they're not the healthiest option, they're great as a portable energy source when you're incredibly active. More than anything, they're a guilty pleasure and meal replacement for fitness fiends hankering for something sweet. With an average of 20 grams of sugar per bar, they're all very sweet indeed.

If you're choosing Clif Bars for enjoyment rather than health, the flavor is a pretty important consideration. And the selection of flavors for these health-energy-dessert-cookie bars is spectacular. There's something on the menu for just about everyone, all modeled after sweet beverages, ice cream, and bakery favorites. But not all flavors are created equal, and not all Clif Bars are loved equally. Which flavors are tops in popularity and which are stuck at the bottom? The ranking that follows tells the story of how they stack up.

Sort of like a blueberry crumble and sort of like a blueberry pie, Blueberry Almond Crisp has an old-fashioned sensibility that doesn't hold up against the more contemporary Clif Bar combinations. Those versions don't include fruit because they know there isn't room for it among the sweeteners. That's because the fruit has to struggle to be tasted over the sweet organic rice syrup and organic cane syrup that holds a Clif Bar together. Food reviewer Crazy Food Dude went so far as to say that the flavor of this bar is unremarkable. 

Plus, adding weirdly squishy ingredients like dried blueberries to an already soft creation just adds extra mush. The overall effect is closer to a poorly-crafted cereal made into a marshmallow crisp bar than a delightful dessert. However, that is what's happening with any item called Blueberry Almond Crisp. Almonds, though? Those are welcome guests at any Clif Bar party. But if the blueberries are tagging along as a plus one, then the sum is less than zero.

If this flavor combo sounds like your grandmother's homemade Clif Bar, it's because it tastes like your grandmother's homemade Clif Bar, only not as fresh. Oatmeal Raisin Walnut is a home-baked cookie flavor that doesn't quite capture its intended profile. It hearkens back to a far simpler time when people ate cookies for the sheer joy of it without pretending they were healthy. This isn't a desirable quality in food for the modern, active human. The texture is already soft enough without adding the extra mush associated with raisins. Even the crunch of walnuts can't rescue this food science mistake.

One reviewer on Influenster said this flavor is their last recommendation among offerings. And a commenter on climbing site 99 Boulders said that this one had an aftertaste they would hope to avoid in the future. And yet, if it was the only flavor left on the shelf and you really needed a hit of a Clif Bar's sugary goodness, you wouldn't say no. But you may hate yourself as soon as the wrapper is empty.

Combining flavors for a Clif Bar like Vanilla Almond Latte is like painting a canvas using white, off-white, and eggshell. The results are overly similar and a bit too bland to make an impact. Vanilla is already a flavor in the basic Clif Bar recipe, mixed in there among the earthy oats and neutral sweeteners. Adding almonds provides a nutty crunch and a bit of depth. With latte as the most unoffensive option in the world of coffee, the inclusion provides an unimpressive general sweetness that leaves you wondering if the real flavors got stuck to the wrapper. A reviewer on the Clif Bar site suggests that the coffee flavor was lacking. 

This representative of the Coffee Collection is the flavor to choose when you don't really care about flavor very much. But if your stomach is rumbling, and you know that the trail isn't going to hike itself, it may be worth a try. You'll feel guilty while you eat it, wondering how your life took such a turn. You may also vow never to make such a careless mistake again. Still, it's better than going hungry.

The neutral comfort of a favorite childhood sandwich joined the Clif Bar pantheon with Peanut Butter Honey flavored bars. This flavor gives a soft sweetness that won't offend a Clif Bar lover's sensibilities, but it also won't set their hearts on fire like other flavors. And because there are already honey-flavored sweeteners aplenty in the Clif Bar pantheon, it makes one wonder why yet another sweetener was needed. On Amazon, a reviewer called out the flavor as too sweet and unappetizing. 

Maybe the added sweetness is meant to offset the sea salt that makes this flavor a member of the Sweet & Salty Collection. When there's this much sugar in one place, it takes a whole lot of salt to balance the equation. If anything, a dark chocolate coating could add something interesting to the formula, a little danger thrown into the wholesome blend. At the very least, Peanut Butter Honey doesn't make the Clif Bar fundamentals any worse. But it certainly doesn't do anything to make them better. 

The combo of peanuts and toffee in Peanut Toffee Buzz calls to mind the playful flavors of French peanut candies, which is where Clif Bar flavor combinations start to make a little more sense. The buttery toffee plays nicely against the peanut butter and whole peanuts, and both are welcome additions to the oatmeal cookie foundation.

These bars included a green tea extract that provided a bit of caffeine to introduce a little extra pep to the energy bar without straying too far from the organic ingredient theme. While you may not need the extra rush in your energy bar, knowing it's there can help you reserve this option for your more active moments, like an extended bike ride or pushing a car up a steep hill for the fun of it. However you use the boost, you won't regret the flavor blend that accompanied it.

Clif Bar comes closer to the flavor target with Caramel Machiatto, their version of the wildly popular coffee drink that helped turn five-dollar coffee from a luxury to a necessity. As part of Clif Bar's Coffee Collection, this flavor does a fine job representing its heritage. Caramel notes hold their own against the rice syrup flavor, and pieces of white mocha lend a creaminess that isn't out of place. And then, there are the chocolate-covered coffee beans, which bring in a blast of mocha-fied flavor that pulls the bar together. The results are a fine-tasting bar that provides as much caffeine as a single shot of espresso, which eliminates the need for a Clif Bar and coffee as a morning meal. A reviewer on abillion said the coffee and caramel marry well and that its portability makes it even better. 

In a world where eating in your car during your commute has become a drudge, Caramel Machiatto Clif Bars will help you take breakfast back as you sail past the coffee drive-thru on your way to better things.

Maybe it's the sophistication of dark chocolate and coffee sweetened by the sugars of organic rice syrup, but Dark Chocolate Mocha is a definite winner among the Coffee Collection. There's chocolate in the bar. There are chocolate chunks in the bar. There are chocolate-coated coffee beans in the bar. It's a lot of chocolate and a lot of bar. A fan who left a review on the Target website points out that their concern about a fake coffee taste was unfounded and that they liked the flavor. SoCalCycling.com noted that this bar is great for cyclers who enjoy a little coffee as part of their regimen. The intriguing combination of dark chocolate and coffee counters the sweetness of the bar itself.

This one is as much a dessert bar as it is a breakfast bar, which is odd considering it's meant to be a caffeinated energy bar. It's that, too, and so much more. With Dark Chocolate Mocha, it seems that Clif Bar is starting to get the hang of this whole flavor game.

Simplicity is key sometimes, like when the standard Clif Bar recipe gets an infusion of chocolate chips. The results make Chocolate Chip a prime candidate for the center spot in the rankings. It's a delightful version of an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with all the dense chewiness and fun crunch of homemade cookies. There's nothing spectacular about this flavor. But there's nothing disappointing about it either.

This Clif Bar is what you reach for when you can't make your mind up about the more complex flavors with their confusing combinations and added elements. You just want a bar that's familiar and satisfying and to know exactly what you're going to get. It's nothing fancy or experimental. It's just a comforting combination of ingredients that have always made you happy and always will. The extra sweetness might offend, though. An Influenster member said that the sweetness and chocolate flavors were a little too much. That is saying a lot for a product with multiple sweeteners in its ingredients list.

If Chocolate Chip is a flavor you can count on, Coconut Chocolate Chip is a dependable favorite with a modest twist. This Clif Bar adds a little extra oomph with real coconut, bringing in a tropical layer to the usual flavor strata. The added texture agrees with the crackle of the crisped rice and the tooth of the oats. And the almost-vanilla taste lends a bit of complexity to the blend. When it comes right down to it, though, there isn't enough difference between this combination and the basic Chocolate Chip version to require both flavors, even with the chocolate drizzle on top.

And then there's the sweetness, which is off the charts even for a Clif Bar. They would be much more appealing if the sweetness was toned down, suggests Amazon Clif Bar fan in a review titled simply "Too Sweet." It may be nice to have options in the chocolate chip family, but not when they're this similar and sugary.

Chocolate Chip gets a glow-up with Chocolate Chunk Sea Salt, another player in the Sweet & Salty Clif Bar game. In addition to the chunks, there's a drizzle of chocolate glaze over the top that adds a frosting texture without overwhelming the bar. The salt is just enough to make itself known and to remind your tastebuds that sweet and salty things are a permanent part of the flavor world now. Considering the extra sweetness added by the chocolate, a little salt brings a welcome balance. Among the chocolate chip/chunk trio, this one presents the most grown-up possibility without trying too hard.

One Walmart customer titled their four-star review "Chocolate CAN get better," which suggests that this bar is definitely for the chocolate lovers. So when it comes down to choosing a chocolate-based Clif bar, and if the sweet-and-salty blend is an attractive prospect, this bar beats out its chocolate chip cohorts by just a nibble.

Another classic dessert flavor, Chocolate Brownie Clif Bars, does an admirable job of providing a true brownie experience. Are there still oats in the underlying recipe? Of course. It wouldn't be a Clif Bar otherwise. But somehow, the addition of cocoa to the formula — plus a bit of chocolate drizzle on top — jazzes up the Clif Bar in an unexpected way. The texture is closer to cake-like brownies than the fudgy kind, but that doesn't damage the experience. One Reddit reviewer ranks this bar at the top of their list.

There's something disarming about an energy bar infused with brownie flavor that doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't. When the word "brownie" is on the label as part of the name, you know exactly what you're getting, whether you're eating this Clif bar for energy, sustenance, or just for the fun taste and texture.

Peanut butter may have been the best thing that ever happened to oatmeal cookies. The same can be said for Crunchy Peanut Butter Clif Bars. The smoothness of peanut butter studded with real peanuts is a brilliant addition that helps amplify the ordinary chewy texture without merely adding more sweetness. Peanut butter lends an earthy warmth to whatever it's included in, and Clif Bars are no exception. The results here feel like eating a warm peanut butter dessert. There would be no shame in the Clif Bar game for anyone who microwaves this bar for 10 seconds and indulges it as an after-dinner treat.

One reviewer at abillion says this flavor is the best, with several exclamation marks. And while they're not at the top of the rankings, these certainly hold their own. It seems as though the addition of peanut butter to the basic Clif Bar mash-up is the start of something special.

The elements really start to come together with Clif Bar's Peanut Butter Banana Dark Chocolate flavor. There's enough of each included, providing a happy, complex taste in every bite. The bananas here are dried organic pieces, which give extra crunch to the organic peanuts that appear in addition to the organic peanut butter. The result is as incredible as the name suggests. If there's anything missing, it would be the addition of chocolate chips or chunks or shavings. Chocolate in a solid form of any kind would enhance the dark chocolate flavor of the bar itself.

That notwithstanding, eating these bars feels like you're sneaking something delicious that you shouldn't be eating — a novel flavor invention. Peanut butter, bananas, and dark chocolate are a combination made in flavor heaven. If a few chocolate chips were thrown into the mixing bowl, this combo could have been higher on the list.

Another player in the Coffee Collection, Espresso Minis, dispense with the frilly hard-to-pronounce coffee house concoctions and get straight to the heart of the matter. These small bites come in a box of 20, each of which packs the caffeine power of a shot of espresso into a rich, coffee-flavored cookie-sized bar. There's a bit of chocolate included for good measure, too. A food reviewer at The Impulsive Buy notes that the flavor is similar to chocolate-covered coffee beans and that a bar replaced their afternoon coffee and provided the same boost.

The fact that they're bite-sized lets you customize your caffeine intake and decide if you want a little jolt, a super-boost, or something in between. So these might be the perfect go-to snack to keep in a desk drawer, purse, or backpack for when a pick-me-up is in order, but a full-sized Clif Bar is more than you can handle.

If you read the name and thought "peanut butter cup," you're not far from the truth. Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch throws a party for your favorite guests: chocolate chips, peanut butter, and real peanuts in a creamy double-crunch whopper of a classic flavor mix. The even distribution and ratio of chocolate chips to peanuts may seem like overkill, but there's a noticeable, balanced blend of all the elements. It isn't like what would happen if you mashed a few peanut butter cups into a homemade oatmeal cookie and pressed it into a bar shape. But it's close. When you're eating on the run or hoping for something tasty on your hike, climb, or bike ride, this flavor is really something special.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch is a crowd-pleaser for everyone who loves the toasty goodness of peanuts and the creamy comfort of chocolate chips snuggling up together in their energy-boosting snack food.

A fusion of GORP and Clif Bar, Sierra Trail Mix turns out to be one of the most popular flavors with reviewers on Amazon. It turns out the addition of organic sunflower seeds, organic pumpkin seeds, and organic peanuts bring new dimensions of taste and texture to the Clif Bar basics. This blend would serve well the climber on the label as he strains to make it to the summit. It's everything you'd hope for in a more natural version of a Clif Bar: an oatmeal bar studded with trail mix for added energy, provided in a healthier form than chocolate or coffee.

So even if Clif Bars aren't the healthiest meal replacement alternative you can choose, Sierra Trail Mix gets you closer than the other flavors on the list. It's a reason to celebrate when you finally reach the peak, even if that peak is just getting past the two o'clock energy drop.

Mint and chocolate are a flavor partnership that works no matter where it appears. From ice cream to Girl Scout cookies to candy bars, the magical flavor blend of crisp and smooth just can't go wrong. And that's true for Clif Bars as well. Cool Mint Chocolate is a powerhouse of flavor for these chewy oatmeal energy bars. As an added bonus, this flavor is caffeinated, which provides a second buzz on top of the sugar buzz provided by the organic rice syrup and organic cane syrup. If you're looking for the same energy and fantastic flavor encountered on a trip to the ice cream parlor or during Thin Mint cookie season but in a form that you can enjoy any time of year, look no further. Cool Mint Chocolate has you covered.

However, as beloved as Cool Mint Chocolate is, there's a bit of contention when it comes to its place on the list. One Reddit commenter suggests that both chocolate macadamia nut and cool mint chocolate are "where it's at." This brings us to our top flavor...

Yes, White Chocolate Macadamia is an out-and-out gourmet cookie flavor. It's of the same quality as those offered by Subway, Panera, and other top-tier cookie creators. It's also a cold drink option on the Starbucks secret menu. The key to this flavor coupling's success may be the mild taste and creamy texture of white chocolate and macadamia nuts. Mixed with a buttery cookie base, they all play nicely on the tastebuds, without one taste overpowering any of the others. The crunchy textures of chips and nuts are a fun addition to the super-soft Clif Bar oatmeal cookie recipe, giving your teeth something to do while your tongue enjoys the mingling of all the smooth flavors.

Since the idea of a Clif Bar as something other than health food has been established with all the other flavors, there's no harm in declaring that a genuine dessert combination is the best flavor of them all. And if eating White Chocolate Macadamia Clif Bars gives you the energy you need to actually climb that mountain or scale that cliff, well ... that's great, too.