I’ve eaten a lot of Bear Naked granola. I think I’ve tried just about every line of their granola as well as some of their other cereals and trail mixes.

Just take a look at this list of my Bear Naked reviews so far: Bear Naked Native, Bear Naked Fit, Bear Naked Trail Mix, Bear Naked Peak Protein.

But today I want to review the regular granola. (I started off by only reviewing the Peanut Butter and Jelly flavor, but it wasn’t long before I had sampled every other flavor from Bear Naked!)

So for those of you who want a complete review of the regular Bear Naked granola, here it is.

Bear Naked Ingredients and Nutrition Facts

I’m looking at the Fruit & Nut flavor for this part, but most of the granolas have very similar ingredients, so this overview applies to basically all the regular Bear Naked flavors.

In general, this is a mix of oats, nuts, and fruit. It appears very natural, which is what I like to see.

Fruit & Nut Ingredients:

Whole Grain Oats, Honey, Canola Oil, Almonds, Raisins (Raisins, Glycerin, Sunflower Oil), Coconut, Sweetened Dried Cranberries (Cranberries, Sugar, Glycerin, Sunflower Oil), Pecans, Walnuts, Maple Syrup, Oat Bran, Ground Flax Seeds, Toasted Sesame Seeds.

For the most part, the ingredients are natural and haven’t been processed too much. You could nitpick if you wanted, but for a pre-packaged granola, this is about as good as it gets.

Nutrition Facts:

The Serving Size is 1/4 cup, which gives you:

Calories 140
Total Fat 7g
Total Carbs 17g
(Sugars 6g)
Protein 3g

As with most granolas, this is calorie-dense and contains plenty of fat and carbs. The sugar is fairly low, though, which is nice.

As I’ve said before, it would be healthiest to avoid all processed snacks (even this Bear Naked,) but that’s usually not practical or enjoyable. So if you want some enjoyment, Bear Naked is a pretty healthy way of getting it.

Bear Naked Granola Taste Test

Here are my thoughts on all the Bear Naked flavors…

Apple Cinnamon

Pictured above, apple cinnamon really drew me in. It has a strong cinnamon flavor and is pretty sweet, but not too sweet. The apple chunks are nice and tasty (note that they are like dehydrated apples, rather than the apple chips you buy in the store.)

Overall, it’s pretty good, but didn’t strike me as something special.

Fruit and Nut

This one is awesome. Soft and sticky texture, sweet flavor. My favorite of the bunch. (Almost as good as the Native granolas.)

Peanut Butter

Pretty soft granola chunks with bold peanut butter flavor, plus peanut halves. Pretty good.

Peanut Butter & Jelly

Pretty good. It’s like the peanut butter flavor, but with little chewy raspberry pieces serving as the jelly.

Banana Nut

Good soft granola chunks with walnuts and banana chips. Sweet, but not too sweet. If you like banana nut bread you’ll like this.

(Sweeter than Peanut Butter, but not as sweet as Fruit and Nut.)

Peanut Butter + Heavenly Chocolate Hybrid

Very good mix. Tastes like you’re eating some good homemade no-bake cookies. (The ones that are basically oats, chocolate, and peanut butter mixed together.)

Maple Pecan

N/A

My final verdict is…

Bear Naked granola is great stuff. One of the healthiest, least processed cereals out there. This is one of my favorite snacks in the world.

If you like sweet flavors, try the fruit and nut types. If you like bold flavors, peanut butter is good, and the chocolate + peanut butter is even better.

Official website: BearNaked.com

The Simbree company, makers of the Simbree Bites I reviewed before, also make some good granola. One new flavor is Cocoa Almond Cherry Granola, which I am reviewing today.

I got really excited about this because two of my favorite treats in any sort of snack food are dried cherries and cacao nibs (which are like natural chocolate chips, but not really “chips,” and just plain better.)

As expected from a natural company such as Simbree, the granola is packed with healthy ingredients, which are listed below:

Organic buckwheat flakes, organic quinoa, organic agave, dried unsulfured cherries, almonds, cacao nibs, sunflower oil, pure vanilla extract, cocoa powder.

Judging by the natural ingredients, and the use of buckwheat and quinoa rather than wheat and oats, I’d say this granola is very low on the Glycemic Index. Even the agave sweetener is a low GI sweetener.

Another cool fact – this is made in the USA.

A 1/2 cup serving of granola gives you:

Calories 230
Total Fat 9g
Total Carbs 35g
Dietary Fiber 4g
Sugars 14g
Protein 5g

It’s also important what you’re not getting:

Sodium 0mg
Cholesterol 0mg
Trans Fat 0g

Overall, this is about as healthy as any cereal or snack food can be.

So let’s do a taste test of the Simbree Cocoa Almond Cherry Granola…

I remember my parents always growing buckwheat when I was growing up, and I think I even planted some of my own buckwheat. Unfortunately, I never liked the buckwheat pancakes my dad made. I still don’t like buckwheat stuff like that.

But the buckwheat flakes used in this granola are great! Both the buckwheat and quinoa provide their own unique, tasty flavors. I can’t say I prefer them over oats, but it’s a good change of pace.

And of course, I love the cherries and cacao nibs!

I can’t really compare this to anything else, as I’ve never had a cereal or granola based on buckwheat or quinoa. All I can say is that it has a unique taste, and it’s good.

I tried this with and without milk, and it was good both ways. It does not get soggy in milk.

(I didn’t try it in yogurt or as a hot cereal because it was so good plain that I finished the entire container rather quickly.)

There are only a couple downsides, but these apply to all high-quality snacks.

First, granola is calorie-dense and easy to overeat. One of these containers holds six 1/2 cup servings. I would consume it as one 3 cup serving! As healthy as it is, you could easily get fat if you buy this all the time and don’t ration it appropriately.

But I won’t be buying it all the time, because the second downside is the price. Amazon.com sells 3-packs of Simbree granola for about $20, which comes to about $0.85 per serving. (In the current economic climate, I have to give up certain luxuries like high-end granola to make sure I have fresh, high-end parts on my racing bike.)

Compared to Bear Naked, is the price outrageous? Not at all. It seems a little more expensive, but that’s probably because the ingredients used in this stuff are expensive. Plus, stores like Giant, Wegman’s, and Whole Foods carry plenty of other granola that is even more expensive than Simbree.

My final verdict is…

This is not your ordinary granola. If you are sick of regular cereal, or just want something unlike any granola you’ve ever had before, try this Simbree granola. I won’t be making it an everyday meal, but it’s good for an occasional snack (especially since it’s more natural than your average processed cereal.)

Official website: www.Simbree.com

While regular Bear Naked granola is a natural, whole food made with healthy ingredients, it does contain quite a few calories – 140 in a 1/4 cup.

I eat at least one cup at a time, which would be four servings, or 560 calories. And sometimes I eat the entire 11-serving bag!

So Bear Naked stepped in with Bear Naked Fit, a lower calorie version of their granola.

How much lower? A 1/4 cup serving of Bear Naked Fit contains 120 calories, 2.5g fat, and 3g sugar. Those values are slightly lower than usual (with an emphasis on slightly.)

The Fit granola still contains the typical healthy ingredients (don’t worry, they don’t add sucralose or anything dumb,) but it seems they use less honey and fewer of the calorie-dense ingredients.

For a better idea, continue reading for my taste test of each flavor.

Bear Naked Fit Granola Taste Test

There are two flavors specific to the Fit granola…

Vanilla Almond Crunch.

This flavor consists of granola chunks, whole almonds, and a little spritzing of vanilla.

The granola itself is a little harder and crunchier than usual. After checking the expiration date (which was still months away,) it hit me – the flavors have “Crunch” in the name and they mean it! Even with milk, this granola is crunchy!

As for the flavor, it was pretty plain – not quite as sweet as usual since there’s no honey coating on the granola. You know, the whole “Fit” thing with fewer calories…

The almonds turned out to be the best part. They were good, especially the ones that had a strong vanilla flavor, which is what made it worth eating.

Triple Berry Crunch.

This flavor is based on the same crunchy granola as before, and this time it has some freeze dried fruit (raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries) added in.

I like freeze dried fruit, but overall there isn’t much to this flavor. It’s just dry granola with dried berries. It’s not bad, but it’s not special like the other Bear Naked flavors.

Overall it seems the Fit granola is slightly less sweet, but crunchier than usual. If crunchy is your thing, this could be for you.

The Fit flavors didn’t inspire the same love and affection I have for the regular and Native flavors, but it started to grow on me, so it’s “pretty good.” (The regular Bear Naked is “great” and the Native line is “beyond compare!”)

And this stuff is still best eaten straight out of the bag. Milk just doesn’t add to the flavor or texture.

My final verdict is…

I like the regular Bear Naked granola more than this. This wasn’t that bad, but I doubt I’ll eat any again. If I’m paying this much for a small bag of granola, I’m getting the best tasting, highest-calorie flavor I can find!

But if you’re counting calories and don’t mind a slightly bland flavor and very crunchy texture, this could be right for you. But I’d still encourage you to try the regular flavors instead.

Official website: BearNaked.com

Buy online: at Amazon.com

I’m no stranger to Bear Naked granola. I’ve taste tested and reviewed their PB & J, Peak Protein, and Fruit and Nut granolas, recycled the bags, and got the free t-shirt to prove it.

It’s good enough that I keep going back for more. And when they launch a new line, I can’t wait to get my hands on it! Today, that new line is the Bear Naked Native granola, which uses interesting ingredients “native” to certain parts of the world (that we don’t usually get in granola.)

Each flavor has a story behind it, which you can find printed on the back of the bag. Plus, the bags have a really cool, natural look to them, so this line appeals to your eyes and taste buds!

Health and Nutrition (The Usual)

Not much changes in the health and nutrition department. Bear Naked remains the poster child for natural, unprocessed (or “bearly processed” as they say) ingredients.

With Bear Naked, there are no preservatives, no cholesterol, 0g trans fat, no hydrogenated oils, no artificial flavors, and no high fructose corn syrup. You can’t beat that!

Here are the ingredients for the Mango Agave Almond flavor:

Whole grain oats, agave glazed almonds (almonds, sugar, agave nectar, palm kernel oil, salt, natural flavor, rosemary extract), canola oil, sweetened dried mangos (mangos, sugar, glycerin), oat bran, evaporated cane juice, agave nectar, coconut, whole grain crisp rice (whole grain rice, barley malt), brown rice syrup, honey, ground flax seed, cinnamon.

Does any other great-tasting cereal have ingredients like that? I doubt it.

Bear Naked Native Taste Test

Here are my thoughts on the two Native flavors…

Mango Agave Almond

In one word, awesome. I love mangoes, almonds, and agave (as a sweetener), so it’s no surprise I absolutely adored this flavor. The granola was what you’d expect, with some sweet mango chunks in there.

But, as if that’s not enough, this granola also contains “agave glazed almonds” which were out of this world! Basically, each almond is coated with a thick layer of agave nectar, which is kind of like honey, but sweeter. Think honey roasted almonds but with more texture and even sweeter!

Best almonds I’ve ever had! So yeah, this stuff rules.

Yumberry Goji Currant

I wasn’t sure if I’d like this flavor that much, but it impressed me quite a bit! The granola is great, as usual, and it includes dried yumberries, goji berries, and currants. Each tasted great!

If you like blackberries, blueberries, and/or raspberries, you’ll like these berries. The taste isn’t too far off a typical berry, but it’s different enough to be enticing and refreshingly new.

The dried goji berries were probably the best. So skip those over-hyped goji juices and get some of this granola instead!

To sum that up: both of these flavors from the Bear Naked Native line are awesome!

The only thing missing (in both flavors) were the bigger chunks of granola found in some of the regular varieties. The grains seem to be mostly loose in these Native granolas, making it harder to eat with your hand. It still tastes great with a spoon, but sometimes I love to grab the big chunks straight out of the bag.

(That was the best I could come up with for a downside to this granola!)

My final verdict is…

Bear Naked Native granola is the best granola ever! It’s a lot better than the regular Bear Naked, and that’s an accomplishment, because the regular stuff is still awesome. And it’s still healthy as ever.

You absolutely have to try the Native line! (Both flavors are amazing, but I give a slight edge to the mango agave almond.)

While I’m usually hesitant to purchase Bear Naked granola due to the price, the Native line is so good it’s easily worth the price tag. “Affordable luxury” at its finest!

Official website: BearNaked.com

Buy online: Amazon.com

I got a chance to grab some more Bear Naked granola the other day. After trying the Peak Protein and Peanut Butter & Jelly flavors, it was nice to try something more traditional, like this fruit and nut flavor.

It looks like a collection of oats, almonds, pecans, and raisins, all covered in a light, sweet coating of honey. And that’s exactly what it tastes like. It’s almost more of a trail mix.

The flavor didn’t surprise me, but it was a solid flavor. The interesting point was how sweet it was. I found “wildflower honey” and “maple syrup” in the ingredients, which must be how this flavor gets that sweet and sticky taste.

That sweetness is what really what sets this apart and gives it just a slight edge over other “fruit and nut” granola you can find on the store shelves.

Here is the full ingredients list:

Whole grain oats, wildflower honey, expeller pressed canola oil, almonds, raisins, sweetened cranberries, coconut, walnuts, pecans, maple syrup, oat bran, whole grain flax meal, sesame seeds

A variety of healthy, natural ingredients – no surprise!

I thought it was cool how Bear Naked comes in 2oz bags. Yes, I guess it is more wasteful than buying it in the bigger bags, but these 2oz bags fit perfectly in a jersey pocket and could be a decent energy bar replacement!

(The granola is definitely less-processed than every energy bar I’ve used, aside from the Larabar, so it would be a neat snack.)

There’s not much more to say about this that I haven’t said already – it’s just a great granola all around.

My final verdict is…

As with everything else I’ve tried from Bear Naked, this is healthy and tastes good, so it gets my full recommendation. (Of course, healthy food that actually tastes good is kind of expensive, so see if this fits your budget.)

Fruit and Nut might not sound like the most exciting flavor, but Bear Naked does a great job at exploiting this traditional flavor to be the best it can be, and it’s probably the best flavor to try if you like to keep things simple.

Official website: bearnaked.com

* Click here for a free sample!