Food Fight: The Protein Bakery vs. FlapJacked Protein Pancakes

As a vegetarian athlete, I’m always looking for ways to sneak a little extra protein into everything I eat. Sometimes my methods are a bit unorthodox (black bean brownies, anyone?) but often, it’s as simple as adding a scoop of protein powder to a smoothie or pancake batter.
Two companies, FlapJacked ($17.99, 15 servings) and The Protein Bakery (prices vary), have used this very same strategy themselves. Both companies sent samples of their products, and one Saturday morning after six hours on the bike, I was ravenously ready to pit them in a head-to-head competition…in my belly.

FlapJacked Protein Pancake mix comes in three flavors: Buttermilk, Banana Hazlenut and Cinnamon Apple

Nutritional Facts

FlapJacked: One serving, or three 5-inch pancakes, has 200 calories, 3 grams of fat, 400 mg of sodium, and 16 grams of protein.
The Protein Bakery: A mini chocolate-chip brownie has 90 calories 7 grams of fat, 50 mg of sodium, and 4 grams of protein.
Winner: Though the FlapJacked pancakes were higher in protein than the Protein Bakery brownies, they’re also significantly higher in sodium and calories—especially once the pancakes are covered in syrup or fruit preserves, a must to make them more palatable (more on this in “Taste and Texture”).

The Protein Bakery offers multiple flavors of brownies, blondies and cookies.

Ingredient List

The ingredient list for both products have zero additives or preservatives—always a great thing for health-conscious customers! Also, instead of using white flour, FlapJacked and The Protein Bakery use oats ground into a flour.
As for protein, the source used in both products is the same: Whey Protein Isolate. This is a protein source created by filtering milk protein, making it an easy-to-digest protein source that’s great for rebuilding muscles after a hard workout.
Winner: Based on the identical quality of ingredients used, it’s impossible to pick one over the other. Call this one a tie. On a side note: I’d love to see either of these companies offer a product using a plant-based protein source (like hemp, pea or rice) for those who do not eat dairy products!

FlapJacked Protein Pancakes, hot and ready to serve —with syrup, please!

Taste and Texture

FlapJacked: In my opinion, pancakes are always good, no matter what. Even bad pancakes can be made tasty. The secret? Sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. Whether it’s in the form of maple syrup or fruit preserves, many an unpalatable pancake has been made tasty in my home.
And FlapJacked needs sugar. Three flavors were sent over for testing: Buttermilk, Banana Hazelnut and Cinnamon Apple. Though all three flavors cook up soft, golden, melt-in-your-mouth pancakes, the flavor is quite chalky, and there’s a strange protein-powder aftertaste, especially in the classic buttermilk flavor. Banana Hazelnut and Cinnamon Apple mask the protein-powder taste somewhat but not enough to eat on their own. Use syrup. Liberally.
The Protein Bakery: If I had been given any of the Protein Bakery products without a wrapper, I’d have guessed they were homemade goodies. The taste and texture were on par with my mama’s kitchen, especially after a 10-second warm-up in a microwave. The best part? No weird protein-powder taste. In fact, the brownies were so rich, that one mini-brownie actually satisfied my post-ride cravings.

The Protein Bakery offers multiple gift packages, where you can combine different sizes and flavors.

And the Food Fight Champion Is…

Winning two of the three Food Fight categories, The Protein Bakery wins it! Though it was great to try FlapJacked, I think I’ll stick with my own recipe.
What are some of your favorite ways to “sneak” extra protein into your meals and snacks? —Susan