The 12 Best Tasting Protein Bars of 2023, According to a Dietitian

Best Overall

RXBAR AM Protein Bar Honey Cinnamon Peanut Butter

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RXBAR AM Protein Bar Honey Cinnamon Peanut Butter is our top choice for a delicious and well-balanced protein bar. With 10 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, this bar is a great choice for a snack or as part of your post-workout recovery. It is made with whole food ingredients including oats, honey, peanut butter, egg whites, and pumpkin seeds, and is sweetened with honey and coconut sugar. We like that it doesn’t contain artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols, as these can cause stomach upset in some.

With 29 grams of carbohydrates per bar, this bar is a bit higher in carbohydrates when compared to others. London suggests this can be beneficial when you’re looking for a post-workout protein bar, since carbohydrates are necessary for recovery. They help restore glycogen stores, or stored forms of carbohydrates, after exercise.

Many RXBARs are date-based, but these bars are made primarily with oats and peanut butter. This allows for a texture that is more reminiscent of a granola bar. You can break it into pieces and sprinkle it on top of yogurt for a higher-protein snack. Note this bar is not vegan and not suitable for those with a tree nut, peanut, egg, soy, or milk allergy.

Price at time of publication: $22 ($1.83 per bar)

Best Budget

KIND Protein Bars, Double Dark Chocolate Nut

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If you’re looking for a tasty protein bar that won’t break your wallet, consider KIND protein bars. These bars contain 12 grams of protein mainly from soy protein isolate, making them suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

All of the KIND protein bars contain 12 grams of protein, and they come in a variety of flavors. In addition to double chocolate nut, these bars come in crunchy peanut butter, almond butter dark chocolate, and caramel nut flavors. They contain 17 grams of fat, and due to the almonds and peanuts it is mostly heart-healthy fats.

London says, “I’m keen on KIND bars for the transparency factor. They’re made from real food (you can actually see), simple ingredients, provide protein and fiber from nuts, and are committed to keeping added sugar in check (most provide less than 2 teaspoons of added sugar per serving). Plus, they’re super tasty!” These bars are artificial sweetener free and are sweetened with glucose syrup, honey, and sugar.

Price at time of publication: $17 ($1.46 per bar)

Best Texture

Perfect Foods Perfect Bar Dark Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter

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Perfect Bar Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter is made with organic whole food ingredients including peanut butter, honey, and nonfat dried milk. The makers of these bars say you should refrigerate them or you can enjoy them for one week on the go. When refrigerated, the texture is similar to cookie dough—making these bars taste like a delicious treat.

These bars have 15 grams of protein from nonfat dried milk, dried whole egg powder, and rice protein, so note they’re not suitable for vegans. Perfect Bars contain around 330 calories each and 20 grams of fat mostly as heart-healthy fats.

They also contain a dried whole food powders blend with kale, flax seed, rose hip, orange, and others, which may or may not suit your preferences. The variety of whole food ingredients helps make this a nutrient-dense bar that is a good source of many minerals. 

In addition to dark chocolate peanut butter, Perfect Bars come in flavors such as chocolate mint, chocolate hazelnut crisp, coconut peanut butter, dark chocolate almond, almond butter, salted caramel, and peanut butter. These bars also come in snack sizes, which can be a good choice when you want a lighter snack.

Price at time of publication: $25 ($2.50 per bar)

Best Flavor Varieties

Go Macro Dark Chocolate + Almonds

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Flavor is of course subjective, so finding a tasty choice is challenging when a protein bar comes in only one or two flavors. GoMacro produces protein bars in a variety of delicious flavors, making it easier to appeal to a wide range of tastes.

Whether you tend to go for chocolate flavors or fruity ones, GoMacro likely has an option for you. Some flavors include dark chocolate and almonds, peanut butter chocolate chip, salted caramel and chocolate chips, banana and almond butter, oatmeal chocolate chip, lemon and lemon, blueberry and cashew butter, maple sea salt, cashew caramel, and more.

In addition to the wide range of flavors, we like that GoMacro bars are made with organic non-GMO ingredients and are suitable for vegans. The dark chocolate and almonds flavor contains 10 grams of protein from sprouted brown rice protein and pea protein.

These bars are also higher in carbohydrates, with 37 grams per bar, and a moderate amount of fiber (3 grams), making them a great choice before a workout. They could also be used as a post-workout snack to help restore muscle glycogen.

Price at time of publication: $34 ($2.87 per bar)

Best Vegan

Papa Steve’s No Junk Raw Protein Bars Wild Blueberry

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Papa Steve’s No Junk Raw Protein Bars Wild Blueberry are an excellent option if you follow a vegan diet. These tasty bars are made mainly with raw almonds, hemp seeds, and oats. Pea protein, dried wild blueberries, tapioca fiber, and natural blueberry flavor make up the rest of the seven ingredients.

We like that Papa Steve’s bar has 12 grams of protein along with an impressive 14 grams of fiber. This higher fiber content can help keep you full and satisfied, and high fiber foods can help support digestive health, heart health, and healthy blood sugar levels. 

These bars do not contain added sugars, but rather get their sweetness from dried wild blueberries. The blueberries and the oats provide a total of 25 grams of carbohydrates, which could make this bar a good pre-workout or post-workout option as well. Just keep in mind the higher fiber amount may not be best for everyone before certain workouts like running.

This bar comes in other flavors including apple cinnamon pecan, almond coconut crunch, banana oat choco chip, cranberry almond, and others. Papa Steve’s also makes a non-vegan option made with whey protein which could be a good option if you want a higher protein option with 20 grams per bar.  

While these bars are dairy, soy, and wheat free, note they are processed in a facility that processes these ingredients along with egg and peanuts. Papa Steve’s recommends storing these bars at room temperature no longer than 45 days and or in the refrigerator for up to three months. They can be stored in the freezer for up to six months.

Price at time of publication: $35 ($3.50 per bar)

Best Nut-Free

88 Acres Banana Bread Protein Bar

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If you have a nut allergy, finding a protein bar can be a challenging task, as many bars use nuts as a main ingredient. But 88 Acres makes bars that are seed-based, so you get the convenience of a protein bar without worrying about allergic concerns with nuts. Their bars are made in a bakery that is dedicated to being allergen-friendly, so you don’t have to be concerned about potential cross-contamination.

The Banana Bread Pumpkin Seed Protein Bars from 88 Acres have a short ingredient list from whole foods: pumpkin seeds, banana, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, cinnamon, sea salt, and expeller-pressed sunflower oil.

They contain 12 grams of protein from the pumpkin seeds, which also provide a source of zinc, magnesium, and iron. These bars have 15 grams of carbohydrates, 7 of which are from sugar, which may or may not suit your preferences.

These bars are suitable for vegan and gluten-free diets, and they have a soft and chewy texture. One drawback is 88 Acres vegan bars only come in two flavors, banana bread and dark chocolate brownie. They do, however, make other oat and seed bars in different flavors that have 5 to 6 grams of protein per bar.

Price at time of publication: $29 ($3.22 per bar)

Best Gluten-Free

Health Warrior Pumpkin Seed Bars

4.8

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If you follow a gluten-free diet, Health Warrior bars can be a tasty protein bar snack. In addition to being gluten-free, some may appreciate these bars are made with organic and non-GMO ingredients. Plus, the first ingredient in these bars is pumpkin seeds.

London says she likes to check what ingredient is listed first on a label: “The first ingredient listed is the one with the most predominance by weight in the food itself, so you’re automatically closer to what you might eat if you had time to sit down and have a proper snack.” 

Note these bars are somewhat lower in protein when compared to others, with 7 grams per bar, making them a bar with one of the lowest protein amounts. They also have 11 grams of carbohydrates with 2 grams of fiber and 7 grams of sugar. These bars are sweetened with honey, giving them a subtly sweet flavor. This means they are not however suitable for vegans.

Health Warrior also makes pumpkin seed bars in honey sea salt, dark chocolate peanut, and dark chocolate coconut almond flavors. These crunchy bars can be added to your gym bag for a tasty, lighter snack on the go.

Price at time of publication: $16 ($1.33 per bar)

Best Whey Protein Bar

Rise The Simplest Protein Bars 12 Pack

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Rise Whey Protein Bars have many things we like in a protein bar. They are high in protein, are made with whole food ingredients, and don’t contain any artificial sweeteners or preservatives. 

We particularly like that these bars contain 20 grams of protein, which can be hard to come by in a bar. They also contain 20 grams of carbohydrates and 16 grams of fat, making this a more well-rounded bar that can help keep you full until you’re able to have a regular meal.

This bar comes in a variety of flavors including chocolate banana, chocolate chip almond, mint chocolate chip, mocha almond, and snickerdoodle.

This bar has a short ingredient list: It is made with only almonds, honey, and whey protein isolate. Whey protein isolate is a form of whey, a protein from milk, that is lower in fat and lactose, and is typically easy to digest.

Because of the whey protein and almonds, each bar provides 15 percent of your daily calcium needs and 6 percent of your daily iron needs.

While that means this bar is not appropriate if you’re following a vegan diet or have a dairy allergy, it may be suitable if you are lactose intolerant depending on your level of sensitivity. Note Rise does make vegan versions of their bars using pea protein, which come in lemon cashew, sunflower cinnamon, and coconut carob flavors.

Price at time of publication: $28 ($2.37 per bar)

Best Pre-Workout

Skratch Labs Anytime Energy Bar Cherries and Pistachios

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Skratch Labs Anytime Energy Bar is a high-carbohydrate, moderate-protein bar that can be ideal before exercise. When choosing a pre-workout snack, consider snacks that are high in carbohydrates, low in fat and fiber, and moderate in protein. 

Most people do better with lower amounts of fiber and fat before exercise because fat and fiber can take longer to digest. Getting too much of these nutrients before exercise can lead to stomach upset during exercise. Including low to moderate amounts of protein along with carbohydrates before and after exercise can help build and repair muscle.

Skratch Labs bars fit the considerations of a pre-workout snack, as they are lower in fat and fiber, higher in carbohydrates, and have 5 grams of protein. They are made with whole food ingredients such as nut butters, oats, dried cherries, and pistachios.

Skratch makes bars in other flavors as well such as chocolate chips and almonds, peanut butter and strawberries, raspberries and lemons, and peanut butter chocolate. We also like that these bars are suitable for those following vegan diets.

Price at time of publication: $30 ($2.50 per bar)

Best Post-Workout

Clif Builders Chocolate Mint

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Following a workout, you should aim to consume both carbohydrates and protein to help promote recovery. Carbohydrates are needed to restock glycogen stores, while protein is needed for muscle repair.

While other protein bars contain both carbs and protein, we like that Clif Builders protein bars are higher in both nutrients with 20 grams of protein and 31 grams of carbohydrates per bar. You can throw these bars in your gym bag to help you kickstart your recovery right away.

The protein in Clif Builders comes mainly from soy protein isolate, which is derived from soybeans, making them suitable for vegan or plant-based eaters. They also contain 4 grams of iron, which is 20 percent of your daily needs. This is notable, since individuals who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet are at greater risk of iron deficiency.

In addition to chocolate mint, Clif Builders protein bars come in vanilla almond and cookies and cream flavors. While these bars are gluten-free, they are not soy-free and may contain peanuts, tree nuts, or milk from manufacturing.

Price at time of publication: $20 ($1.65 per bar)

Best With Collagen

Vital Proteins Performance Protein Bar Chocolate Almond

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If you are looking for a tasty protein bar that also is a source of collagen, we recommend Vital Performance Protein Bars. Each bar contains 20 grams of protein including 10 grams of collagen sourced from grass-fed cows. 

Collagen is a protein our bodies produce that is a main part of skin, cartilage, muscles, bone, and connective tissue. As we get older, we stop producing as much collagen, which can contribute to wrinkles. Some research shows that consuming collagen may improve skin appearance and joint pain.

Vital Performance Protein Bars get their protein from a mix of collagen peptides, milk protein isolate, whey protein isolate, and whey protein hydrolysate. These bars are therefore not suitable if you follow a vegan diet or have a dairy allergy.

Collagen on its own, such as in powder form, is low in the amino acid leucine, which is necessary for muscle building after exercise. But this bar also contains whey protein, which is high in leucine, making it a good post-workout option for encouraging muscle repair.

Note this bar is lower in fiber compared to other protein bars, as it only has 1 gram per bar. It only provides 3 grams of sugar, so it may be a good choice if you are looking for a lower-sugar protein bar choice. Note it does have 4 grams of sugar alcohols, which in large quantities could cause digestive discomfort for some.

Price at time of publication: $30 ($2.50 per bar)