While we don’t eat protein bars every day, we do find them to be a convenient addition to meals or quick snacks we can take with us anywhere. The problem with protein bars is that there are literally hundreds to choose from! If you’ve visited a grocery store lately, chances are you’ve been met with a wall of protein bars and energy bar options to sort through.
In this post, we’re helping you cut through the mass of options by sharing our favorite protein bars we’ve vetted, as a team of registered dietitians, and enjoyed over the years. While we haven’t tasted every single protein bar out there, we have tasted quite a few. Here’s what we recommend, based on taste, nutrition, ingredients, certifications, and protein quality.
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How We Vetted The 8 Best Protein Bars of 2023
Our best protein bar review started by inspecting ingredients on bar wrappers and websites. We eliminated bars that contained unwanted additives as well as those that have high amounts of added sugar, highly processed carbs, artificial sweeteners, and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) that leave a yucky aftertaste in your mouth. We focused on bars that contained short and wholesome ingredients that supply energy and a good amount of protein.
We looked for solid and well-balanced macronutrient content (calories, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and sugars), as well as those that contain high-quality ingredients and the best protein sources. Most importantly, the bars we selected had to taste good, have good chewy and crunchy textures, and be something we would actually want to eat. In short, we ate a lot of protein bars and inspected a lot of protein bar wrappers to get to these top picks.
A Whey Protein Bar We’ve Loved For Years: G2G
G2G Bars have been a favorite of ours for many years. Due to their higher calorie count and significant amount of protein (18 grams per bar), we use them as a hearty snack or small meal replacement from time to time. These bars contain the most protein of the top picks we recommend in this post.
We Love This Organic 100% Plant-Based Protein Bar: GoMacro
There’s so much that we love about GoMacro MacroBars, first and foremost the many certifications they have and the high-quality ingredients used in these bars. These certified organic bars are also certified vegan, non-GMO, soy free, and FODMAP friendly, too. While these aren’t the highest protein bars, they offer a good balance of nutrients and can help you increase your daily protein intake when worked in as a healthy snack or meal addition.
You likely see RXBars in many places, which is one of our favorite things about these whole food protein bars. We find these bars to be similar to a LaraBar but with more protein and fiber. We like RXBars as a Paleo-friendly choice, since they don’t contain grains or dairy.
The Keto High Protein Bar We Recommend: Epic Bar
The Epic Bar is unique among protein bars, in that it is a meat-based bar. It’s a great choice for people who are looking for a bar that doesn’t contain common allergens, such as grains, gluten, wheat, eggs, nuts and nut butters, or soy. It’s also one of the few keto and Paleo-friendly bars available and very low-carb and low-sugar for protein bars. We love to incorporate these bars as an easy addition to on-the-go lunches and as post-workout snacks.
These Best Tasting Protein Bars Are A Team Favorite: HoneyStinger
You may know HoneyStinger for its energy chews and gels, but the company also makes some good protein bar options. HoneyStringer is known for fueling endurance athletes and creating energy products that are sweetened with honey. We especially like the HoneyStinger Nut & Seed bars as a protein bar that tastes so good, a lot like a salted nut roll.
A Protein Bar Created By Registered Dietitians: Zing Plant-Based Bar
We have loved Zing Bars for many years and have even chatted personally with the creator and founder, a fellow registered dietitian. These 100% plant-based bars are nutritionally balanced, contain up to 5 grams of fiber, are dairy-free, gluten-free, and soy-free, and contain some of the lowest amounts of added sugars.
These Clean, Whole Grain Protein Bars Taste So Good: JAMBAR
This fairly new company was created by the inventor of the original PowerBar in 1985. The JAMBAR is their premium organic artisan energy bar that is USDA Organic certified and made from Fair Trade certified ingredients. True to their name, the bars are reminiscent of that peanut butter and jelly combo, and also exist to support the healing art of music (“jammin!”).
A Budget-Friendly Vegan Protein Bar: Lenny & Larry’s
Lenny & Larry The Complete Cookie-Fied Bar is our top pick for a vegan protein bar that is good and costs less than the rest. These gluten-free bars are low-sugar and on the low side for total fat and saturated fat, too. The company also has a variety of popular protein cookies and wafers.
3 Healthy Protein Bars For Kids
Our search for the best protein bars didn’t just stop at options for adults. We also wanted to share our favorite protein bars for kids, which are all bars that our own kids approve of. We tuck these snack bars into their lunches and keep them on hand in our bags for when that hunger hits and we need a convenient, healthy snack for our kids. Each of these bars contains enough protein to tide them over.
GoMacro Kids MacroBar: Our kids love these small bars, which come in 5 flavors and contain 100-110 calories, 4 grams of protein, and just 6 grams of sugar each. We love that they don’t have any artificial flavors, preservatives, or highly processed sweeteners.
Registered Dietitian Jessica’s Favorite Protein Bars
How To Choose A Protein Bar
With so many options, it can be overwhelming to find the best protein bar for you. Here is a 3-step process that can help you narrow down your search.
Recipes To Make Your Own Protein Snacks
What are the best protein bars?
As registered dietitians, we recommend G2G Bars, GoMacro MacroBars, Honey Stinger Nut & Seed Bars, Rx Bars, Epic Bars, Zing Bars, JamBars, and Lenny & Larry’s The Complete Cookie-Fied Bar.
As registered dietitians, we recommend G2G Bars, GoMacro MacroBars, Honey Stinger Nut & Seed Bars, Rx Bars, Epic Bars, Zing Bars, JamBars, and Lenny & Larry’s The Complete Cookie-Fied Bar.
Is it OK to eat a protein bar a day?
Yes, it is OK to eat a protein bar a day as long as you are also eating other foods throughout the day and meeting your requirement for daily calories and other essential nutrients.
Yes, it is OK to eat a protein bar a day as long as you are also eating other foods throughout the day and meeting your requirement for daily calories and other essential nutrients.
What bars are the most healthy?
The most healthy protein bars are those that are made from more whole foods and low- processed ingredients, such as nuts and nut butters, seeds, egg whites, protein powder, dates, and/or honey, as well as those that are made from fewer highly processed ingredients and artificial sweeteners.
The most healthy protein bars are those that are made from more whole foods and low- processed ingredients, such as nuts and nut butters, seeds, egg whites, protein powder, dates, and/or honey, as well as those that are made from fewer highly processed ingredients and artificial sweeteners.
What are the best protein bars for weight loss?
Epic bar (a savory meat protein bar) and RXBars are good choices for weight loss. Any of the bars listed above could be used as small and occasional meal replacements as part of a weight loss plan.
Epic bar (a savory meat protein bar) and RXBars are good choices for weight loss. Any of the bars listed above could be used as small and occasional meal replacements as part of a weight loss plan.
Which protein bars taste the best?
HoneyStinger Nut & Seed Bars, GoMacro MacroBars, and Zing Bars rate high on our list for good taste.
HoneyStinger Nut & Seed Bars, GoMacro MacroBars, and Zing Bars rate high on our list for good taste.
Which protein bars have the least sugar?
Of our top picks, Epic Bar, Zing Bars, and Lenny & Larry’s The Complete Cookie-Fied Bars contain the lowest amount of total and added sugars.
With common flavors like chocolate brownie, chocolate chip cookie dough, crunchy peanut butter fudge, mint chocolate, salted caramel, and even birthday cake, it can seem like the protein bar options are just a bunch of candy bars with added protein. And many of them are. We wrote this post to help you sort through all the options so you can quickly find a better choice the next time you need a healthy protein bar.
Of our top picks, Epic Bar, Zing Bars, and Lenny & Larry’s The Complete Cookie-Fied Bars contain the lowest amount of total and added sugars.
With common flavors like chocolate brownie, chocolate chip cookie dough, crunchy peanut butter fudge, mint chocolate, salted caramel, and even birthday cake, it can seem like the protein bar options are just a bunch of candy bars with added protein. And many of them are. We wrote this post to help you sort through all the options so you can quickly find a better choice the next time you need a healthy protein bar.
