Best Protein Bars Overall – Uncut Bars by Transparent Labs
Best without Artificial Sweeteners -Uncut Bars
No matter what type of protein bar you are looking for you will find it on this list.
Best Tasting Protein Bar
Authentic Bars by Jacked Factory
Quick Stats:
Calories: 280
Carbs: 26 grams
Protein: 16 grams
Fiber: 2 grams
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Stats may vary slightly depending on the flavor of the bar
In a world full of protein bars that taste like dirt, sometimes just finding one that tastes good can be a victory in itself.
If you want the best-tasting protein bar out there, the Authentic Bars from Jacked Factory are a great place to start.
Authentic Bars feature whey protein isolate and do not use any artificial flavoring or sugar alcohols.
Authentic Bars are made in the USA in a cGMP facility so you know they are made at a certain standard. Much better than being made in a garage in China.
They have seven delicious flavors to choose from. We tried the Mint Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Candy and the Birthday Cake. All three flavors were very good, but the Peanut Butter Candy and Birthday Cake were slightly better than the Mint Chocolate Chip.
There are some negative reviews on the Candy Apple flavored bars, we didn’t try that flavor, but you might want to avoid it just to be safe.
The price on these bars is pretty nice as well, which doesn’t suck, but there is no discount if you buy in bulk, so make a note of that.
On the negative side, some people might say there is too much sugar in these bars. We didn’t think so, they seemed pretty well balanced, but we can see where they are coming from. Also, the ingredients weren’t quite as basic as the Uncut Bars; basic is better when it comes to protein bars.
Stats may vary slightly depending on the flavor of the bar
When it comes to low-carb protein bars, there aren’t many options, at least not many good ones.
The EPIC Protein Bars are a bit different from the other bars on this list; because they are meat-based. Yes, you read that correctly; these protein bars are made out of meat.
These bars use all-natural ingredients like beef, chicken, garlic powder, sea salt, onion powder, cultured celery powder, paprika, and black pepper. No weird ingredients you have never heard of before.
I know what you are thinking; a protein bar made out of mear sounds pretty gross. But if you think about it like eating a piece of beef jerky instead of a meat bar, it becomes a lot less awful.
They have a nice variety of flavors, including Beef Barbacoa, Chicken Sriracha, Venison Sea Salt, and more. We tried the Chicken Sriracha, and it was actually pretty decent. It was pretty spicy, though, so you should probably try a different flavor if you aren’t a fan of spicy food.
After looking at reviews online, it looks like the Chicken Sriracha is one of the best bars, along with the Chicken Barbecue and the Uncured Bacon Bar. Some of the others don’t fare as well. The Salmon Bar should be avoided. One review said it “Tastes and smells like vom. Even the cats were offended and wouldn’t try it.”
If you are a meat lover, you will most likely enjoy these bars. If you aren’t a fan of having the full-on meat taste in your mouth, you might want to pass.
We should also mention these are pretty low-calorie options here as well. The Chicken Barbecue Seasonen Bar comes in at just 90 calories, so that could also be a plus for those looking to keep the calories down.
Stats may vary slightly depending on the flavor of the bar
Building muscle requires calories and protein. The Fit Crunch Bar by Robert Irvine can deliver on both of those.
These bad boys will make bulking up easy with 30 grams of protein and 380 muscle-building calories.
They have four different flavors of bars; I tried the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and the Chocolate Peanut Butter. I liked them both about the same, some might think they taste too much like a candy bar, though and I can see their point.
I also tried the Met-rx bars, and they are very comparable in every way. The taste was just a tiny bit better with the Fit Crunch Bars.
On the negative side, this bar contains corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and palm kernel oil, none of which are healthy choices.
Stats may vary slightly depending on the flavor of the bar
The texture brings food to life, so we sought protein bars with just enough crunch and landed on Promix.
The Promix bar is a tasty snack that lets you enjoy the flavors of your favorite childhood treats without all those pesky calories. These bars are made using premium ingredients like raw cacao and cocoa, grass-fed whey dairy products in addition to coconut oil for creaminess.
There are four different types available: Snickerdoodle, Vanilla, Mint Chocolate and Chocolate Chip; Each flavor comes with 150 calories and 15 grams of protein per serving. I tried all four, and they were all pretty good, but I like the Vanilla thee best.
94% of the ingredients are sourced from North America and the bars are made in a GMP Certified facility that uses batch testing to be sure each batch is up to their standards.
Pros
Above average in taste
Lower sugar content
4 Flavors available
Low sugar content
Non-GMO
Cons
Some reviewers felt the Rice Crispie part was strange
Stats may vary slightly depending on the flavor of the bar
Looking for a good vegan protein bar is not easy. We tried a few, including the popular plant-based No Cow Bars. They were not good at all.
Luckily we found the Vega Bars. They were by far the best vegan bars that I tried.
Vega Bars feature 10 grams of plant-based protein and each bar has about 190 calories.
The bars come in 6 flavors. We tried the Blueberry Oat and Chocolate Caramel. The Chocolate Caramel was the better of the two, but both were above average especially compared to other vegan bars.
One negative with these bars is that they use Palm Kernal Oil which many organizations have recommended not consuming due to its artery-clogging capabilities.
Stats may vary slightly depending on the flavor of the bar
Those on the Keto diet will enjoy the Keto Bar by Genius Gourmet.
These bars have 10 grams of protein along with 2 net grams of and 170 calories.
Keto Bars come in 4 different flavors; we tried the Chocolate Chocolate and Salted Caramel. I thought both of the flavors were equally as good.
The bars do have a bit of a different texture than the other bars on the list. It was a softer texture that is hard to describe, but I didn’t mind it. I actually kind of liked it.
One negative on these bars is that they use Palm Kernal Oil and are pretty high in saturated fat. They are also pretty expensive.
Stats may vary slightly depending on the flavor of the bar
If you want a bar with some fiber in it to keep things regular, then the Naked Bars by Naked Nutrition would be the top choice.
Each bar has 8 grams of fiber along with 15 grams of protein and 190 calories.
A nice thing I found about these bars is that while they have 8 grams of fiber, they don’t give you a lot of gas. Some bars with fiber in them will have you farting non-stop all day long. These bars don’t do that, at least not to me they didn’t.
Naked Bars come in 2 flavors, Chocolate Protein and Peanut Butter Protein.
We tried the Peanut Butter Protein, it was decent tasting, not the best tasting bar, but it definitely was above average. The consistency was good, it had some little white crispies on the inside that were tasty as well.
Overall the Naked Bars are solid, as are most products from Naked Nutrition.
Stats may vary slightly depending on the flavor of the bar
We’ve all been there; you are in a hurry and want to grab a quick bite from a gas station. We all know gas station food typically sucks, so you look to the protein bars for something decent, but which should you choose?
Honestly, gas station protein bars usually aren’t the best either but if you want one with some decent protein and doesn’t taste like crap, the Whey Protein Bars by Gatorade are the way to go.
These bars have 20 grams of protein and 330 calories, and they will fill you up pretty decently.
On the negative side, these bars are high in saturated fat and have a lot of sugar and fillers. They taste good, but I wouldn’t exactly call them healthy.
These are a decent choice if you are in a pinch and need a gas station protein bar. I wouldn’t make eating them a habit, though.
The best flavor, in my opinion, is the Chocolate Caramel. That’s my go-to flavor with these bars. The other flavors are decent too, but not as good, in my opinion.
Numbers will vary slightly depending on the flavor
If you are looking for bars that aren’t all processed and weird, then the RXBARs are the ones to choose.
I can’t believe we have made it this far down the list without even mentioning RXBARs, which is easily one of the best bars out there.
RXBARs are made with simple and natural ingredients. For example, the ingredients for their Chocolate Raspberry bar are – Dates, egg whites, almonds, cashews, raspberries, chocolate, cocoa, natural flavors and sea salt. And the best part is it tastes great!
They have a pretty wide assortment of flavors to choose from. We tried the Chocolate Raspberry, Peanut Butter Berries, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Blueberry, and Chocolate Sea Salt, and Chocolate Sea Salt. They were all good, but I felt like the Blueberry and Chocolate Raspberry were clearly the best two flavors; both were delicious.
Overall these bars are very good, and I strongly considered them for best bars overall and best tasting. RXBARs are the real deal.
Numbers will vary slightly depending on the flavor
Amazon has a pretty wide selection of protein bars and it’s pretty easy to get burned, especially since Amazon reviews are so unreliable. Think about it, when was the last time you saw something on Amazon with a rating lower than four stars? Kinda strange, isn’t it?
Anyway, if you want a safe bet when buying protein bars on Amazon, then the Pure Protein Bars are a solid choice.
These bars feature 20 grams of protein and have 200 calories per bar.
They have nine flavors, I tried the Birthday Cake and the Chocolate Peanut Butter. I liked the Chocolate Peanut Butter a little better, but both were above average in taste.
These bars are on the less expensive side, so if you are looking to save some cash, these bars might be a good option.
They have a large variety of flavors and even some seasonal ones like Gingerbread and Pumpkin Spice.
I tried 5 different RXBARs and really liked the Raspberry Chocolate and the Blueberry ones.
Some people reviewing these bars said the bars expired too quickly. But, the bars I bought don’t expire for eight months. I would imagine that falls more on the people that sold you the bars rather than the manufacturer.
Overall, if you want a healthy protein bar, these are bars that you will be happy with.
Stats may vary slightly depending on the flavor of the bar
Topping off our list, we have a great all-around protein bar with the new Uncut Bars from Transparent Labs.
The Uncut Bars are high in protein at 16 grams per bar and have a 2:1:1 ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
Some of the key ingredients they use are a high-quality whey protein isolate, honey, roasted almonds, chocolate chips, cocoa butter and chocolate liquor.
You won’t find artificial flavors, fatty creamers, soy protein, palm kernel oils or sugar alcohols.
The Uncut Bars come in 2 flavors, and we tried both of them. The two flavors are Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Coffee.
Just by the name alone, you would think the Chocolate Chip would be better, but it wasn’t. The Chocolate Coffee was clearly better, and it was easily one of the best-tasting bars we tried. The Chocolate Chip flavor was still decent, though. We thought the texture was good for both bars, not too chalky or gooey, just as it should be.
The bars are a little on the small side, not puny but slightly smaller than average.
Overall the Uncut Bars checked all the boxes. Solid ingredients, tasted great and none of the BS you find in other bars out there.
One negative some may not like is the calories from the chocolate and honey. We didn’t think it was too much, but that’s a matter of personal preference.
Pricewise the Uncut Bars are about average. You can save money when you buy multiple boxes, though, and you can use the coupon code TL10 at checkout, which will save you 10% on your order as well to help save you some of that hard-earned cash.
Pros
Coupon code TL10 can save you 10% on your order at checkout
Buying multiple boxes lowers the price
Good taste, especially the Chocolate Coffee flavor
Solid ingredients
No added sugar
Cons
Some may not like the sugar from the honey and chocolate
Only available on the manufacturer’s website
No longer available (Update 1/11/23)
Best Without Artificial Sweeteners
Uncut Bars by Transparent Labs
Quick Stats:
Calories: 290
Carbs: 23 grams
Protein: 16 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Stats may vary slightly depending on the flavor of the bar
If you are looking for a good protein bar that doesn’t have any sweeteners or anything else artificial, then the Uncut Bars from Transparent Labs are at the top of the list.
Uncut Bars are made with simple, all-natural ingredients also. None of those weird ingredients that you have no clue what they are,
For example, the entire ingredient list for their Chocolate Coffee Bars is as follows: Almonds, honey, whey protein isolate, chocolate chips, almond oil, coffee, and natural flavoring. That’s it! As it should be. And they taste great, which is why we put them at the top of our list for the best protein bar overall.
The bars come in 2 flavors, Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Coffee. We tried both and felt the Chocolate Coffee was a bit better.
You can save money on the Uncut Bars when you buy in bulk. Buying two boxes will save you $4, and if you buy three boxes, they will knock $10 off the price.
You can also take another 10% off the price when you use coupon code TL10 at checkout.
Pros
Nothing artificial
Simple and natural ingredients
Good taste
Cons
Only available at the manufacturer’s website
Above average in price
No longer available
How We Decided
I Tried Them All
I have eaten more protein bars while researching this article than I probably have in my entire life up to this point.
At first, I was chowing down bars left and right. By the end, I was only taking one bite of each as I had gotten pretty sick of them.
One thing is for sure, though, I know more about protein bars than just about anyone at this point.
Ingredients
The ingredients are obviously the most important thing to look for. In my experience, the shorter the ingredient list, the better, especially if they are all-natural ingredients.
You should avoid things like artificial coloring, sugar alcohols, artificial flavors, and palm kernel oils.
The wrong ingredients can turn your healthy snack into something that isn’t very healthy at all. Keep it as natural as possible, and you will be better off.
Money doesn’t grow on trees, so the cost was a consideration. Not a huge factor but we did look at the cost per bar and determine what kind of value you get with each bar.
Calories and Macronutrients
The number of calories in protein snacks can vary. The number of calories in the bars I tried ranged from 90 to 380. I considered the calories along with the category of the bar. For example, a good bar for muscle building would need to have a lot of calories, while the Best Bar for Weight Loss would be better, having fewer calories.
For those who are looking for the best of all worlds, we suggest choosing bars with moderate fat (5-10 grams) and carbs (20-30g). These will provide you enough energy post-workout or anytime throughout your day without weighing down. The amount of protein in each bar was also a big consideration.
Which Bars Would I Recommend to my Own Family?
I know there are 15 bars on this list but there are only about I would recommend to my own family. The ones I would recommend are the ones that are the most natural and least processed. Also the ones without palm kernal oil and all the saturated fat.
The ones I would recommend to my family include Uncut Bars, Authentic Bars, Epic Bars, Naked Bars and the RX Bars. Those are the best of the bunch.
The Wrap Up
I hope you like this list, I put a lot of work into it, and probably ate enough protein bars to make a billy goat puke.
That said I think it turned out pretty good. Let me know if I missed any good bars in the comment section below and I will give them a try.
Ryan is a former college wrestler and lifelong fitness fanatic. He has run half marathons, done mud runs, placed in body transformation contests, coached wrestling, and now coaches girls’ soccer. Not to mention he has also tried literally hundreds of supplements over the years and has a vast and thorough supplement knowledge. He has written for Muscle & Strength, Testosterone Junkie, The Sport Review and other publications. He is also the editor-in-chief of this website and has over 25 years of experience in the fitness industry. Feel free to connect with him on his LinkedIn page below.
