It is no exaggeration to say that I’ve been dreaming about a savory vegan snack bar for years now. I love sweet bars , don’t get me wrong: dried fruit and nut bars are a staple of my diet. But I also love salty things, and crunchy things. And the unfortunate fact is that a lot of savory/salty snacks just aren’t as convenient or as easy to pack as sweet ones. When you’ve already got a packed lunch, books, a laptop, and a host of other stuff in your bag, the last thing you want to do is also pack up hummus and veggies, or toast and avocado (as if that’s easily packable to begin with). Bars are just easy. But vegan bars are often pretty one-note: dates & nuts. Rinse. Repeat.
I’ve tried my hand at a savory snack bar, and it was good, but it was also a little crumbly. And part of the fun and convenience of snack bars is, let’s face it, the fact that you can purchase them and throw them into your bag. That’s why I’m so excited to have sampled savory snack bars from Slow Food for Fast Lives. This new line features four bars that feature savory flavor profiles and a modest amount of sweetener. They’re creative, they’re healthy, and they’re really, really good.
The premise behind these bars is, of course, the fact that the bar market is extremely saturated with sweet bars, but not many (or any) savory ones that are also plant based (I’ve seen paleo bars featuring dried meats, but those obviously aren’t suitable for my diet). Each of the Slow Food for Fast Lives bars are made from vegetables, nuts, grains and seeds, and each offers 1-2 servings of vegetables per bar. The bars are also inspired by global flavors: Moroccan, Thai, Indian and Californian. Here’s a list of the primary ingredients/flavors in each:
Moroccan: Pistachio • Currant • Carrot • Ginger
Thai: Peanut • Chili • Brown Rice • Bell Pepper
Indian: Cashew • Cumin • Cauliflower • Coconut
Californian: Almond • Kale • Pomegranate • Quinoa**
**Edited to add: Unfortunately the Californian bar contains honey. I didn’t realize this until a reader pointed it out; I saw brown rice syrup near the top of the ingredients and failed to notice honey at the bottom, and the company didn’t make me aware when the sent it. But the other three bars are totally vegan.**
Additional ingredients include cinnamon, turmeric, lentils, tahini, red pepper, and peas. These really are whole food bars, in every sense of the word. You can see some of the texture in the Thai bar, below:
All of the ingredients in these bars are non-GMO, gluten free, dairy-free, kosher, and low glycemic. I’ve had a chance to get to know the bars since I received my samples, and I’ve been really impressed with the quality, and especially with the ingenuity and care that went into the bars’ flavor profiles. Example: the Moroccan bar contains carrots, tahini, lentils, sesame seeds, lentils, currants, lemon, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, and turmeric. A lot of complexity, but it all works together beautifully. These happen to be flavors I love, so this bar was probably my favorite. Indian would be a second favorite among the vegan flavors, with it’s cashew-cauliflower kick (I tried the Californian accidentally and really loved it, so hopefully there will soon be a variation of that flavor that’s honey-free).
The Thai and the Indian bars are also really bold and flavorful. I will confess that the garlic in the Thai bar felt a bit prominent to me; if you’re someone who loves garlic, then it won’t be a problem. In general, these bars are not for folks who don’t care for bold spices. They are heavily spiced and incredibly flavorful. But the flavor combinations work, and they do really evoke the cuisines that the bars are named after.
It’s also worth noting that none of the bars are 100% un-sweet. In fact, “savory-sweet” would be my way of describing all of the bars. They contain some brown rice syrup, but the quantities are small, just enough to add a hint of sweetness, but not enough to mask the savory nature of the bars. As a lover of all things sweet and savory (it’s probably my fave flavor profile), the bars were directly up my ally in this regard.
So sure, I’m a target consumer. But would I recommend the bars to pretty much anyone who’s tired of the standard array of snack bars out there? Definitely. If only because they’re creative, and it’s nice to try new and interesting foods. I also think that the ingredient labels on these bars are pretty impressive, and that the ingredients are very nutrient dense.
Slow Food for Fast Lives bars can be found with the store locator on the company website, though for the time being the easiest way to get your hands on a box is to shop online. The bars retail for about $2.50 per bar ($29.99 per box). You can purchase a sample pack or shop for individual flavors. To hear more about how the brand grows (and more about where you can find the bars), you can check out the company’s Twitter account or Facebook page. I hope you find this product as interesting as I do!
Speaking of products, I’ll be featuring a new smoothie/milkshake on Friday that puts some of my fave protein powder from NuZest to use (but which you can make without protein if you wish to). It’s tasty, and I hope you’ll like it. Till then, I wish you a happy Wednesday.
xo
This review was sponsored by Slow Food for Fast Lives. All opinions expressed are my own.
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I can’t believe I stumbled upon this review! Just last week I bought one of each flavor of these bars (I also missed the honey in the ingredients for the Californian flavor until I got home – grrr!). I was SO happy to find another savory bar, as I just can’t handle most of the sweet bars on the market (my sweet tooth is almost nonexistent). I don’t know if they’re still around, but awhile back I tried Journey bars (another “savory” bar brand), and was NOT a fan. I haven’t tasted any these Slow Food bars that I bought yet. I’ve been kind of scared to try them based on my experience with the Journey bars, but after reading this review, I’m now excited! : )
So interesting…I am skeptical about the flavor of these for some reason! But at the same time I want to try them. I tried a savory seaweed bar on a recent trip to Seattle and really loved it! Thanks for keeping me in the loop with all these cool new products:)
These all sound delicious! Not sure about the garlic situation but the indian flavor and california one sound great- i’ll eat anything with figs!
I keep making savory roasted chickpeas as a snack, wonder how i could turn those into a savory snack bar though…..
Really love all the input. More flavors are coming!
Sadly we are not yet in the UK, but planning to find out way there soon!
I loved it…I blog at http://spiqy.com/native-remedies
if you want another savory bar, KIND has a bunch! theyre a bit too nut heavy for me to eat all at once, but they have a lot of flavors! i tried the jalapeno and it was pretty good, there was also chili & hickory, from what i remember, plus more.
i was looking for a savory bar, so these seem a LOT more up my alley. (wish there was less sweetener though!)
All Kind bars have honey- many vegans avoid honey….
this is a late reply, I know, I was going through my subscriptions. but sorry about that! I didn’t realize they all had honey :/
i would love to try these! have you ever had these: http://www.seaveg.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14 they are delicious! the perfect sweet meets savory crunch in my opinion.
These look great. I was just thinking the other day that I wish there were savory vegan snacks available (besides kale chips, which are very expensive), so I just might try these out. It’s much harder to make savory food into an easy, portable snack.
Sweet & savoury is my thing too so I bet I’d like these. Let’s hope the company (or a similar concept) makes it over here!
These look great! wish we could get them in the UK… maybe I could try making them? I have made oat based savoury bars before, but these look so much better!
Finally! A savoury bar. Do you know if anyone is shipping these to Europe yet? Or if they have a UK or European distributor? I would love to get my hands on some.
These sound so flavorful! I like that they’re focused on types of cuisine rather than specific flavour.
What an innovative idea! I can definitely see myself trying these. I do love bold flavors so these would be perfect for me.
I did want to note that the Californian bar contains honey.
Thanks for introducing us to this product!
Robin, thank you! And, ugh, I didn’t see. The company didn’t let me know that there was a non-vegan flavor, and when I gave the ingredients a cursory glance all I saw was the brown rice syrup ๐ Anyway, no excuses, and a good reminder to always check ingredient labels. But I will let Slow Food For Fast Lives know that I should have been made aware!
So appreciate your noting this. I edited the post to mention it.
Awesome. I’m just surprised not more companies are producing savory bars. Have you tried KIND bar’s newest savory bars as well? Hickory flavour is quite good.
Sounds like an interesting concept, but honestly I’m sad to see there’s garlic in them. Not that I don’t like the taste of garlic (though the thought of an overwhelmingly garlic-tasting snack bar turns me off), but that I can’t eat it (FODMAPs – onions and garlic are my irritants). It’s a bummer to me that onion and garlic are in every savory prepared food or seasoning mix. It really limits what I can buy!
I have that problem too but from spiritual practice rather then irritation- though I find onions indigestible these days if I do happen to get something with them in. Making your own seems the only solution; you could drop by my blog, The Yogi Vegans for plenty of onion and garlic free recipes.