It has been a long time since I’ve posted about a protein snack here. Way back in 2016 when I started the skillet it was a pretty regular occurrence to review protein bars and odd snacks, both here and in brief on Instagram. Now I mostly toss those onto my IG stories for a quickie, and even that is rare — but these new Protein Sweet Rolls from Legendary Foods need a post of their own.

I am a big fan of the Legendary Foods Protein Pastry (Brown Sugar Cinnamon, Chocolate Cake, and Red Velvet are the standouts), which is one of the rare products that actually has a decent enough macro/calorie split and flavor to be worth the cost. Protein Sweet Rolls continue on that trajectory, delivering a wallop of satisfying flavor at approximately 200 calories (depending on flavor) with 20g of protein and 9g of fiber. I tried all three flavors and they’re all on varying levels of delicious. I ate them room temperature straight from the wrapper as well as warmed up, and while I like Legendary Foods’ Protein Pastry’s room temp, these new rolls should 100% be hit with some microwave lovin’. But that’s how I feel about essentially all cinnamon rolls, so it makes total sense.

Cinnamon: 

This is where all rolls began and I am impressed. You’re not going to get Cinnabon-level decadence here but it tastes almost identical to a Pillsbury Grand, straight from the can to oven. The texture is a bit denser and less flaky than an actual roll but the flavor is all there — pop it in the microwave and it’s one of the most delightful 20 grams of protein you will ever eat.

Tons of gooey cinnamon-y filling with a nice saltiness to back it up. For a protein snack I have virtually no complaints, as the flavor emulation and nutrition are so on point. Fantastic.

Rating: 10/10

Wild Berry:

Wild Berry is the weirdest of the bunch, and as a result the least successful. The berry flavor is nondescript and sweet, with the most blatant fake sugar taste of the three. I won’t lie, it’s still pretty decent, especially warmed up, but it’s not a flavor I find myself craving or wanting to really revisit. The more intense erythritol on the finish makes it less desirable, but the textures are still extremely impressive.

I would have loved to see the fruit flavor for this line follow in the Pillsbury footsteps and go orange, or a more traditional real fruit like blueberry, or even a hybrid blueberry orange. The “Wild Berry” Pop Tart style fruit flavor feels out of place in the roll context and falls short of the lofty expectations set by Cinnamon.

Rating: 6.5/10

Chocolate:

I will almost always choose a cinnamon roll over a chocolate roll, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t another fantastic execution for the most indulgent and high calorie of the three. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because both the Chocolate Cake and Hot Fudge Sundae Protein Pastry’s are really good, but this Chocolate Roll HITS. It has an undeniably delicious layer of chocolate frosting on top that reminds me of the icing on a chocolate yeast doughnut. The filling is a little less dense than the first two but the heftiness on top more than makes up for it. The inside has a nice dark chocolate taste that balances out with the fluffy and truly bread-y dough wonderfully.

Through and through this “roll” is a lot more like a doughnut, and it’s the best protein doughnut I’ve ever had. I could see this one easily satisfying a sugary craving for someone who’s trying to not indulge, but for me it’s just a damn tasty 20 grams of protein. Impressive.

Rating: 10/10

Found at: Vitamin Shoppe ($3.79 each)