Rise Bar Foods - The Simplest Protein Box Lemon Cashew 12 163102

I like the flavor of these, considering that they are vegan and pretty healthy. I do wish they had 5-7 more grams of protein.

I don't usually eat protein bars/granola bars, but I'm vegetarian and about to leave to do a month of fieldwork with mostly non-vegetarian colleagues, so I wanted some plant based protein bars to supplement my diet. The flavor and texture of the lemon cashew bar is lackluster. There is a hint of lemon, but not nearly enough for my taste. I was hoping these bars would be more refreshing because of the lemon compared to most bars which are chocolate or peanut butter flavored (I dislike chocolate and PB because they're so heavy and sticky), but that was not the case. These bars have a powdery taste, probably because of the the protein powder in them. I was hoping for a smoother, more creamy texture. Instead, I needed to drink a bunch of water because these dried out my mouth. Not ideal for eating while doing fieldwork in the middle of the desert in 100+ degree heat with no shade. I couldn't finish the bar that I tested when the package arrived, so I gave it to my partner and he had the same critiques. Not worth the money, so disappointed.

These bars are fantastic for a snack bar. Great protein, low sugar, and barely any ingredients! I'm a huge fan of the minimalistic ingredients. It makes me wonder why other companies use so many ingredients when you can get a good tasting bar with less! The Lemon Cashew is my favorite flavor by far. It's chewy and tasty. The cinnamon flavor tastes good too, but much drier and more cake like than the others that I've had from Rise. Pros: - Easily packable protein bar - Wholesome ingredients - Very few ingredients - Pretty good macronutrient profile. Can't complain much about that. Cons: - There is very little fiber. I eat a lot of salads, and I still notice a difference after eating one of these. - Oils start leaking out of the packaging after a few weeks of sitting in a bag (or shorter if it's hot out). After a few months of having plant oils leak out into the cloth of my backpack, they start to get a little smelly. I've had to wash my backpack to get rid of the odd semi-rancid smell. As long as you eat them right away, it isn't a big deal. Keep in mind that these aren't the best bar to store in a bag and forget about. Overall, I like these bars and have been buying them for the last year or so. Very low in carbs so I can eat them close to b​edtime and not feel bad. They also help me boost my protein intake when I'm traveling a lot. Just remember to eat them with water and you'll be fine!

Update Oct 2025— tried more bc so nutritious. They do “melt” in hot water, basically come apart, powder mixing into the water and the remaining chunks soften some. And chewing and swallowing with water helps some too. But, they got even drier by about 2 months before expiration, almost impossible even with water. And by 6 weeks before expiration, the nice lemon flavor disappeared. So we thought we would avoid buying these in September, October, and November, since the last couple orders expired in November. But then, biggest problems are that we read that coconut nectar is NOT coconut juice, it is sweet sap, and there is SO MUCH of it compared to other simple-ingredient bars, any health benefits prob go to zero. And these are not available on EBT. So, even though we hoped these would be great, there are too many problems, some quality and some that could worsen health. So we will try Trubars and Larabars, even though they have less protein and silly flavor names. The other brands that we could find, MacroBar, Lenny-Larry, and Aloha, are on EBT, but are flat-out candy, even worse, so those are out too. Update — after this review was published, the manufacturer sent us an amazon message based on it and offered a full refund. Thank you, that was very nice. Original review — Hoped to love these. We have allergies, chewing, swallowing, and digestion problems. So good nutrition is hard to find. These seem so nutritious, and simple ingredients. The flavor of the lemon cashew is gentle lemon, but the bars are pretty hard and VERY dry. The one we managed to try wasn't gritty, no nut pieces, skins, or shells, just a hard-packed powder brick that slowly broke apart in the mouth when chewed carefully to avoid choking. We think anyone would find them too hard to chew and swallow. Anyone would need lots of liquid or fat to be able to swallow these. They are so dry, microwaving prob wont soften them since there is nothing to melt. They really need cashew butter (not powder), fat or more liquid mixed in to make them less risky. We might chat with amazon customer service to see if they will refund without return.

THE BEST ON THE MARKET..