These Protein Bars Taste Just Like Churros—but Without All the Sugar

If you're anything like us, you are seeking out any way possible to channel an experience reminiscent to passport-worthy travel right now (from the safety of your home, of course).

To cure our wanderlust until it's a better time to pack our suitcases and jet, we've been taking our taste buds on a tour to a new land each week. So far we've "visited" Rome with grilled pizza, took a brief detour to Paris for ratatouille and stopped over in Korea for steak and kimchi cauliflower rice bowls.

Next up, thanks to a new line of protein bars, snack time will transport us to Mexico for warmly spiced churros....with about 50% less sugar than those you'd find in a typical fast-food churro order. Sign. Us. Up.

Launched in March, California-based UNiTE Food was founded by American immigrant Clara Paye, "who didn't see herself represented in the nutrition bar aisle."

To feed her cravings for a taste of home, she decided to develop a line of gluten-free, dairy-free protein bars that represent her friends and neighbors of different backgrounds. (Including those born and raised here in the States, since one bar is all-American PB&J-flavored.)

We're most excited to get our hands on the Churro protein bar. Each one has a well-balanced 190 calories, 9 grams of fat, 10 grams of protein and 19 grams of carbs. (These nutrition facts mean UNiTE totally falls within our dietitian-approved range for the healthiest protein bars.)

There are also 6 grams of fiber and only 4 grams, or 1 teaspoon, of added sugars since they get a nice dose of natural sweetness from date paste and almond butter. Egg whites, almonds, cashews and hemp seeds account for that protein, and cinnamon and vanilla make the flavor sound a lot like the crunchy cinnamon-sugar street food you know and love.

Find the bars online for $2.42 each ($29 for a 12-pack box, unitefood.com). That's not a bad price to pay for a "vacation." If you prefer something that looks more like the classic—or to tide you over until your order arrives—try our Baked Churro recipe dunked in cocoa- and cinnamon-spiked Greek yogurt.