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Luna bars are a staple in nearly every grocery store’s nutrition bar section. For good reason, too — they taste great.
Curious to see how the various flavors compared to one another, I recruited a friend, Amanda, for a taste test. We sat down one afternoon with cups of hot coffee and a variety pack of the best Luna bar flavors.
We then spent an hour tasting, discussing, and ranking the different flavors. Here are the results.
To see how Luna bars compare to options from other top brands, check out our guide to the best energy bars.
12. Chocolate Cupcake
Amanda described the Chocolate Cupcake as having a “weird aftertaste.” I have to agree. It’s not terrible, just a little off.
The flavor is decent, if a little weak. Though the bar is made with organic cocoa and looks like a brownie, the chocolate flavor isn’t that strong.
And let’s be honest, a weak chocolate flavor is unacceptable.
11. Chocolate Peppermint Stick
I used to work in an office that had free Luna bars as snacks. Chocolate Peppermint Stick was one of three flavors available.
I remember trying this flavor early on…and never eating it again. It’s not that good. Amanda described it as “okay.”
The mint isn’t overpowering which we both appreciated because neither of us is a big fan of mint chocolate sweets. If you are a fan you might like this flavor more than we did. Those hoping for Thin Mints in bar form will be disappointed.
10. Cinnamon Almond Swirl
Overall, the flavor of the Cinnamon Almond Swirl is good. The almond and cinnamon flavors both come through. It tastes a bit like a cinnamon roll without the icing and has only five grams of sugar.
But it’s not that strong of a flavor. It’s forgettable. Others were quick to outshine it. Accordingly we both ranked it towards the bottom.
8. LemonZest & S’mores (TIE)
We both had mixed feelings about the LemonZest. Amanda in particular had strong thoughts on it.
“This shouldn’t be a flavor but…I kind of like it,” she said. “If you firmly believe in lemon zest I think you’ll enjoy it.”
To bring up Girl Scout Cookies once again, the LemonZest reminded me of the lesser-known Lemonades.
The LemonZest was one of the other flavors available at my old office. I’d occasionally have one as a snack, but I tired of it quickly. At the end of the day it’s another mediocre flavor.
As for the S’mores, Amanda and I could both taste the marshmallow flavor which we liked. We also liked the chocolate coating.
However, similar to the Cinnamon Almond Swirl (#10), the S’mores tastes fine but isn’t too strong. It’s another forgettable flavor. There isn’t much that distinguishes it from a regular ol’ granola bar.
7. Chocolate Dipped Coconut
“I don’t go for coconut-flavored things and I enjoyed this one,” said Amanda. “It’s not too sweet and the coconut flavor isn’t too strong.”
I on the other hand do tend to go for coconut-flavored things, especially in bar form, and I also enjoyed the Chocolate Dipped Coconut. This was the third and final flavor available at my old office and the one I’d eat most often. I enjoyed it for a time before growing tired of it.
If coconut and chocolate is your combination of choice you’ll like this flavor. If not, keep reading for our top five.
5. White Chocolate Macadamia & Caramel Walnut Brownie (TIE)
“This is really good, and I don’t even normally like white chocolate,” said Amanda about the White Chocolate Macadamia.
It’s sweet and rich and feels indulgent. Fortunately it only has eight grams of sugar and a respectable eight grams of protein.
Also tied for fifth was the Caramel Walnut Brownie. This flavor looks and feels a lot like the Chocolate Cupcake (#12) but tastes much better.
“Love this flavor,” said Amanda. “And it doesn’t have a weird aftertaste like the Chocolate Cupcake.”
The Caramel Walnut Brownie is another flavor that feels indulgent without being overly so. It has a caramel and chocolate coating on top and a chocolate coating on bottom. Yet it only has ten grams of sugar.
Either of these flavors is a great choice for satisfying your sweet tooth. Let your preferred type of chocolate break the tie for you.
4. Nutz Over Chocolate
Most of the Luna bar flavors we tried are all about satisfying your sugar craving. They’re all some sort of sweet.
Nutz Over Chocolate is a welcome change of pace because it mixes the sweetness of chocolate with the savoriness of peanut butter.
Amanda and I both liked it for its well-balanced flavors. It isn’t the strongest flavor nor the best of its kind — Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk (to come) plays the sweet and savory game even better — but it’s a good one nonetheless.
3. Salted Caramel Cashew
Update: It appears Salted Caramel Cashew has been discontinued. Luckily, Luna has come out with a similar flavor, Sea Salt Caramel.
Our top three flavors are head and shoulders above all the previous ones. Honestly, just stick to these.
The Salted Caramel Cashew has only five grams of sugar yet packs a ton of flavor. The sweetness of the caramel coating is balanced nicely with a hint of saltiness. I didn’t taste the cashews but I didn’t really care.
“Very good,” said Amanda, “and unlike the Chocolate Cupcake it doesn’t have any weird aftertaste.”
Even if you aren’t a big fan of salted caramel this flavor is worth a try.
Click for Price (Sea Salt Caramel)
2. Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk
Nearly every bar brand has a peanut butter and chocolate flavor for a reason. And they almost always turn out delicious.
Luna’s take on this classic combo is no exception. The Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk is easily one of the best Luna bar flavors.
The chocolate chunks give it a nice little crunch and the peanut flavor is unapologetically strong. Stay away if you aren’t a fan of peanut butter.
This flavor also has just five grams of sugar. It’s noticeable; it isn’t that sweet. But we appreciated the balance of sweet and savory. This is one flavor I’d happily eat over and over again.
Luna recently came out with another peanut butter flavor, Creamy Dreamy Peanut Butter.
1. Blueberry Bliss
One bite of the Blueberry Bliss and you’ll realize that it is aptly named.
“This one is SO good!” said Amanda. “It’s almost like a Blueberry Pop-Tart.”
She’s right. The fruity coating on top tastes like Blueberry Pop-Tart filling. It’s delicious.
This flavor also has a vanilla yogurt coating on bottom and dried blueberries mixed throughout. It’s so good it makes you wonder why the only other fruity Luna bar flavor is the questionable LemonZest (#8). What’s the deal, Luna?
But at least we have Blueberry Bliss. And as long as we do, I can’t be mad.
Rankings Summary
Here are the best Luna bar flavors:
- Blueberry Bliss
- Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk
- Salted Caramel Cashew / Sea Salt Caramel
- Nutz Over Chocolate
- White Chocolate Macadamia & Caramel Walnut Brownie
- Chocolate Dipped Coconut
- LemonZest & S’mores
- Cinnamon Almond Swirl
- Chocolate Peppermint Stick
- Chocolate Cupcake
Our Overall Thoughts After Tasting 12 Different Luna Bar Flavors
Luna is owned by Clif, and it shows in the flavors. The bars all have similar taste and texture. A number of Luna flavors are near-identical to popular Clif bar flavors.
For a welcome change of pace, however, Luna bars tend to have about half the amount of sugar per bar. Clif bars are designed more as energy bars to “feed your adventure,” so it’s not surprising they have more sugar to help keep you energized.
In that regard Luna bars are better for daily nutrition and snacking. It even says on Clif’s website that Luna bars “are crafted to help keep you nourished throughout your busy day and give you the energy to break through.”
It makes sense why my old office had free Luna bars. They’re perfect as midday snacks to satisfy a sweet tooth or hunger craving.
What’s more, Luna bars are affordable. Nowadays when every hip new bar brand seems set on making their bars as expensive as possible, Luna bars tend to be a buck each.
We appreciate that. Most people, including us, don’t get excited about spending $2-3 on a single energy or nutrition bar.
Check out our rankings for other top bar brands: Clif, Kind, RxBar, Larabar, and Probar.
Eva
March 6, 2022
God the just bought the smores flavor to try and its sucks! It’s plain on top and just chocolate on It doesn’t even taste like smores. I thought it would at least have marshmallow and chocolate drizzle on top and graham cracker mixed with the chocolate base on the bottom. That pisses me off. I’ll be trading it in tomorrow
Alex Beale (Author)
March 7, 2022
Yeah we found it to be pretty plain too.