Canstar Blue’s muesli bars review has seen Uncle Tobys, Be Natural, Nature Valley, Tasti, Carman’s, Nice & Natural, Hillcrest (ALDI), Coles and Woolworths compared on taste, texture, variety, value for money, packaging design and overall satisfaction.
Uncle Tobys has been rated best in Canstar Blue’s inaugural muesli bar review, earning five stars for variety and overall satisfaction. It got four stars when it comes to taste, texture, packaging design and value for money.
Where do oats go out for a drink? The Muesli Bar. OK bad dad jokes aside, muesli bars are a good snack option to drop into kids’ lunch boxes or take to work for that 3pm slug. In fact, 14% of respondents in our survey said they primarily buy muesli bars for their children, while over a quarter (28%) admitted they keep one on hand in case they get hungry during the day.
Aussies take their muesli bars cereal-sly, with over half of survey respondents (52%) admitting to having tried multiple brands. But which is best? To find out, Canstar Blue asked 1,150 shoppers to review the brands of muesli bars they’ve bought from a supermarket or grocer in the last three months. Brands were rated based on important factors like taste, texture, variety, value for money, packaging design and overall satisfaction. So, what did we find?
Uncle Tobys came out on top (out of nine brands rated) with five stars for overall customer satisfaction and variety, with four stars in all other categories. Read on for all the details.
Here are the best muesli bar brands in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s latest review:
Uncle Tobys topped the muesli bar ratings as the only brand to achieve five stars for overall satisfaction. Hillcrest (ALDI) gave Uncle Tobys a run for its money in scoring five-star ratings for taste, texture, value for money and packaging, but landed towards the bottom of the scoreboard for overall satisfaction. Nice & Natural also scored top marks for taste and variety, but came last in the ratings for overall satisfaction. The remaining brands received four and three stars across all categories.
Everyone knows Uncle Tobys, as a brand associated with many childhood memories. Uncle Tobys is one of Australia’s original cereal makers circa 1861, first operating under the brand name Parsons Bros, with their products now sold all over the word. Uncle Tobys has a wide range of healthy snacks and breakfast cereals, spanning over 50 different products. Here’s a product selection from its muesli bar range:
A pack of Uncle Tobys muesli bars cost about $3 for six bars (185g).
Be Natural is all about plant power. That’s why its snacks are made with mostly plant-based ingredients, with no artificial colours, flavour or preservatives. So, with every bite of Be Natural, there’s a real food philosophy at work. Be Natural offers a simple range of wholesome muesli bars which includes three flavours:
Prices for Be Natural muesli bars start from $4.00 for a pack of four (160g).
Coles private label offers a range of household essentials and groceries at low prices, including seemingly healthy snacks like muesli bars. Here are some options from its home brand range:
Prices for Coles muesli bars star from $2.70 for pack of six (210g).
Nature Valley makes wholesome treats with real ingredients you know, minus any nasties like artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Nature Valley has a wide range of muesli bars with crunchy, protein, and nut butter options. Here are some of the products:
A pack of Nature Valley muesli bars can set you back $5.30 for four bars (160g).
Tasti’s foray into nutritious snacks began in the 1930s when two kiwis started the business, first producing crystallised ginger treats. Its products are sold in most major supermarkets across the ditch and in Australia. Tasti also serves up a wide range of health snacks, including nut bars, wholefood balls, muffin bakes, ‘fruitsies’ and ‘milkies’. Here are some products from its muesli bar range:
Prices for Tasti muesli bars start from $5.50 for a pack for five bars (175g).
Woolworths Essentials is the supermarket’s range of essential home and kitchen items. The low-price range has different pantry staples and snacks, including nut bars, cereals and long-life products. Here’s a product selection from the range of muesli bars:
Prices Woolworths Essentials muesli bars start at $1.90 for pack of eight (248g).
Carman’s is proudly Aussie-owned, with a premise is to make snacks with real passion and food. The brand claims to do things differently with an uncompromising commitment to quality, because food should come from the kitchen not the chemist. Carman’s offers a wide range of breakfast cereals and snack bars, including porridge oats, granola, bliss balls, crunchy clusters and more. Here are some options from its muesli bar range:
A pack of Carman’s muesli bars could set you back $6 for a six-pack (270g).
Hillcrest is exclusive to ALDI. It’s the German discount supermarket’s own brand of snack bars, featuring a variety of flavours and options of protein and oat bars, sesame snaps and muffin and nut bars. Here’s a product selection from the range:
Prices for Hillcrest (ALDI) muesli bars start from $1.90 for an eight-pack (250g).
Nice & Natural products are made with ingredients inspired by nature, which means no added artificial colours, flavours and fillers. That’s why they’re called nice and natural. The brand offers a wide selection of nut, muesli and protein bars. Nice & Natural’s muesli bars contain a blend of wholegrain oats and fruit and ancient grain combinations. Products from its Supergrains & Superfruits muesli range include:
A pack of Nice & Natural muesli bars costs about $3.00 for a six-pack (192g).
Not all muesli bars are created equal. Some contains nuts, other are made with oats, granola or other cereals. Some have chocolate or yoghurt toppings; others contain more fruits and seeds. You get the gist. Once you’ve worked out your fav flavour combo, you should do a deep dive into the nutritional value of your favourite snack.
Generally speaking, muesli bars have a healthy image, but the truth is they’re often full of added sugars and high in saturated fats. If you’re looking for an alternative that won’t impact your waistline, look at the nutrition information panel on the back of the packet. Look for calories, wholegrains, protein and fibre per serve. Ideally, you’ll want an option that has the least amount of sugar, but that tastes great and offers value for money.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s home & lifestyle journalist, Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito. She’s an expert on household appliances, grooming products and all things grocery and shopping. In addition to translating our expert research into consumer-friendly ratings reports, Tahnee spends her time helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services, while highlighting the best deals and anything you need to be aware of.
Canstar Blue surveyed over 3,000 Australians across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased (from a supermarket or grocer) and eaten muesli bars in the last three months – in this case, 1,150 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfactory rating of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.