30 Best Protein Bars of 2023 [Tested and Reviewed]

Pure Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter is gluten-free. The entire bar is covered in chocolate, and inside you'll find peanut butter-flavored cream and soy crisps. The chocolate coating tasted slightly artificial, yet sweet, and the smooth peanut butter flavor was popular among our taste testers. The entire bar has a persistent firmness accentuated by the crunchy texture of the soy crisps scattered throughout. 

This bar is considered high protein at 20 grams per bar, but also low calorie at only 200. Even more, ithas zero grams of trans fat and only four additives. However, the lack of raw whole foods and use of artificial sweeteners is not ideal. It's fairly low in sugar, as one bar only contains 16 grams. With few calories on top of being high in protein, this bar features fantastic balance for anyone dieting.

Quest's Chocolate Peanut Butter is a gluten-free protein bar made with a protein blend of whey and milk protein. Inside you'll find crushed peanuts and huge chocolate chip chunks. The combined cocoa butter and peanut flavor wasn't at all bad, but there was an excessively sweet and oddly sour aftertaste that lingered. 

The texture of this protein bar offers variety because of the chocolate and nuts, but overall, it has a somewhat tough chewiness. You'll need to put some power into your bite to finish one. These bars have an adequate 20 grams of protein and only 200 calories in each. Although no raw whole foods are used, it contains no artificial sweeteners and only four additives. Also, it has no trans fats and a miniscule three grams of saturated fats.

This protein bar rated well when tested for amount of sugar with only 11 grams per bar. In fact, everything, besides the lack of whole food, was rated excellently. There may be some slight concern over the sticky texture or lingering flavor, but if you pick your protein bar based on ingredients, then it's a good choice.

Brownie Crunch by think! is a protein bar that is non-GMO and gluten-free while also having a low glycemic index (GI). The outer coating and batter are both chocolate-flavored, and the inside has crushed almonds spread throughout. This protein bar tasted very similar to a brownie while also not tasting artificial or overly sweet. The overall texture wasn't too chewy, and we enjoyed the contrast between the moist dough and crunchy almonds.

This Birthday Cake flavor by No Cow is a dairy-free and vegan-friendly bar. It is naturally sweetened with the sugars from stevia leaf and monk fruit. While the cake-like aroma and light sweetness were well received by our taste testers, the overall flavor was quite artificial. Our testers were also not fond of how easily it bar broke into pieces and the soft, sticky texture that made it difficult to eat. 

One bar contains 20 grams of protein and only 190 calories, and thus scored excellently in those areas. Although it's made with no raw whole foods, it has zero trans fats, no artificial sweeteners, and only four additives included in it. With only 11 grams of sugar, it ranked well compared to most other reviewed products. They're both high protein and low calorie, and therefore fulfill the conditions to be suitable as a post-workout protein supplement or as a diet snack.

While being on the upper end for protein at 20 grams, this bar is also on the lower end for calories at only 170 and has zero trans fats. However, it's quite a shame that this product is made using eight additives, artificial sweeteners, and zero whole food ingredients. This protein bar ranked well for its exceedingly low sugar content compared to other bars, as it only contains 12 grams. It also contains a generous 12 grams of fiber to keep you feeling full, and can be helpful if you get hungry while dieting.

BSN's Protein Crispy Bar, Salted Toffee Pretzel flavor, is made by blending together various milk-based proteins. This product is gluten-free and great for anyone trying to avoid wheat-based products. There was a wonderfully balanced flavor of modestly sweet caramel mixed with salted pretzels added in. There was plenty of crispiness throughout the entire thing, and the occasional crunchy almond made this protein bar fun to eat.

Although highly rated by us for having 20 grams of protein and 200 calories in each bar, it contains artificial sweeteners and over 10 additives, while being made with no whole food ingredients. Furthermore, the amount of trans fat wasn't listed, and because this protein bar has 4.5 grams of saturated fats, it rated low for nutritional value. Just one of these bars contains 18 grams of sugar, which is slightly on the lower end compared to the other protein bars we reviewed. The large number of additives might put you off a little, but anyone fond of sweet and salty flavors should give it a try.

Builders Peanut Butter flavor is a gluten-free, non-GMO protein bar by Clif that sources its protein predominantly from soy. The inside has a peanut butter base, while the outside is coated with chocolate. The flavors match well, with the fragrant peanuts and rich peanut butter mixing together to create a bar without excess sweetness or odd taste. We thoroughly enjoyed the balanced texture, too, as the overall chewy softness of this bar is offset by crunchy peanuts and crispy soy bits.

It's rich in protein with 20 grams, has zero artificial sweeteners, only four additives, and is even made with raw sugar cane. However, a drawback is the high calorie count of 300 per bar, as well as six grams of saturated fats. This protein bar also has a total of 27 grams of sugar, putting it on the high end for sugar and calories, and thus is not very fit for dieters. But because they're delicious and have a good amount of protein, they'll make for a great energy boost before your workout.

Acheta Salted Caramel Protein Bar by Exo is both dairy- and gluten-free. It's also sugar-free and even contains vitamin B12. Along with the slightly intense sweetness, the unique and fruity sourness different from the caramel flavoring was striking. The texture is quite similar to taffy, which means you'll need to work your jaw harder to eat this bar.

It was unfortunate to see that it only contained 14 grams of protein, slightly less than others, and was made with no raw foods. However, we still scored it high in the ingredient evaluation, because one bar only contains a low 160 calories, it has zero trans fats, no artificial sweeteners, and the only additives are natural sweeteners. In addition to being low-calorie, the sugar content per bar is 19 grams, which is modest among the protein bars we tested for this guide. You'll be able to feel full from just one, which makes it suitable as your diet snack.

The protein amount is less than we'd like at only 14 grams, and this bar is also high calorie at 220. It has no whole food ingredients and contains over 10 additives. But on the other hand, this protein bar has zero trans fats and was rated well for this aspect. Another area where it scored highly compared to others was in its low 10 grams of sugar per bar. If you're someone fond of white chocolate-covered wafers, you should give these protein bars a chance.

This is a protein bar by Rise made using almonds, honey, and whey protein isolate. Rise reduced the number of ingredients as much as possible to achieve a bar that is non-GMO, soy-free, and gluten-free. This bar lacks any overpowering sweetness or artificial flavors, and tastes only of the natural sweetness of honey and fragrant almonds. The moderately chewy texture was popular among our taste testers, although it did have a slight stickiness to it.

The bar has a satisfying 20 grams of protein and contains no artificial sweeteners or additives. In addition, there are no trans fats and only a single gram of saturated fat. However, at 280 calories per bar, it's on the higher end for amount of calories, and is unfortunately made with no whole foods. There are only 17 grams of sugar per bar, which is lower compared to other protein bars reviewed. They would work well for anyone trying to build muscle or tone given the high protein content with zero additives or artificial sweeteners.

The Protein Energy Bar, Peanut Butter Fudge, is a bar by Power Crunch with high-DH hydrolyzed whey protein isolate, which is said to be the easiest for your body to take in. Each one is stuffed with peanut butter and coated in chocolate. Besides just peanut butter, the salty flavor underneath the chocolate also helps to accentuate the taste. There is a nice wafer-like crisp throughout its entirety, and with a velvety texture on the inside, we were able to thoroughly enjoy the contrasting mouthfeels.

It has slightly a lower protein content of about 13 grams, and an average amount of calories at 215. While it's great that this is made using no artificial sweeteners and has zero grams of trans fat, this bar contains many additives and no raw whole foods. There are 11 grams of sugar per bar, which is low compared to the other products in this review. Although it doesn't have too much protein, you should give it a try if you're a fan of slightly salty flavors or wafer-like textures.

The Complete Cookie-fied Bar Cookies and Cream flavor by Lenny & Larry's is free of gluten, GMOs, dairy and soy. This bar is sprinkled with sweet white chocolate chips and specially-made crushed cookie bits. Although the overall flavor is a little artificial and potently sweet, just as the product name suggest, the texture and flavor of this protein bar makes you think you're eating a cookie. It has no sticky or gummy textures, allowing you to enjoy the crispness like that of a real cookie.

While it only contains 12 grams of protein per bar, it has a low 160 calories and zero grams of trans fats. Additionally, this protein bar contains only three additives, no artificial sweeteners, and is even made using raw sugar cane and organic whole-grain oats. There are only 17 grams of sugar per bar, which is lower than other protein bars reviewed. If you're thinking "I really want a snack" even if you're on a diet, the taste and texture, with five grams of dietary fiber to help keep you feeling full, could satisfy your cravings.

However, this protein bar scored excellently for its 20 grams of protein, decently low calorie count at only 220, and the fact that it has zero trans fats. The main factors that caused this product to receive lower ratings for ingredients lie in the six grams of saturated fats, and from this bar being made with artificial sweeteners and 10 additives. This bar is slightly lower in sugar compared to the other reviewed products, given there are only 20 grams in each. With that said, if you're someone that can't handle a powerful sweetness or artificial taste, it's best to skip this one.

Almond Bliss is a gluten-free bar by One made using a blend of milk and whey proteins. The inside is filled with crushed almonds and coconut shavings, while the entire bar is coated in chocolate. The coconut flavoring and subsequent excess sweetness was too much for our testers, and they said it gave this bar an artificial taste. While a highlight of this bar was the crunchy almonds, overall, it felt like it would stick to your teeth easily.

It has 20 grams of protein per bar, which is plenty, and a moderate 240 calories. It features zero trans fats and a relatively small five additives. However, we were sad to see that it made use of artificial sweeteners but no raw whole foods. We judged it reasonable for the amount of sugar with only 19 grams per bar. It's great that it contains a proper amount of protein, but if you can't handle the taste of coconut or sugary foods, it's best to pass on Almond Bliss.

We were disappointed to see that there were only 12 grams of protein, which felt a little insufficient for a protein bar, and that this product uses no raw whole foods. However, this is a low calorie choice, at only 180 calories, and has zero trans fats. It also cuts out most of the unnecessary ingredients as it contains no artificial sweeteners and only five additives. One bar has only a meager three grams of sugar. You get 10 grams of fiber, too, so it definitely suits anyone looking for a protein bar that'll keep them feeling full.

Carb Killa Caramel Chaos is a whey protein-based bar by Grenade. Chocolate coats the entire outside, while the inside is flavored with caramel.While the chocolate coating had a semi-sweetness to it, the caramel flavoring inside tastes artificial and left a chemical-like aftertaste. However, the mouthfeel was well received by our taste testers, who enjoyed the combination of crispy and soft.

There is an abundant 20 grams of protein, and with 226 calories, this bar is perfect as a pre-workout energy booster. Although there are no whole foods included in the ingredients, the fat content isn’t listed. Furthermore, it uses artificial sweeteners and over 10 additive ingredients. Each one contains 17.5 grams of sugar, which is somewhat low compared to the other protein bars in this buying guide. Being able to enjoy the two textures of soft and crispy is certainly a merit, but for anyone looking to avoid too many additives, it's best to pick a different product.

This gluten-free, non-GMO bar from Kind gets its flavors from ingredients like almonds, peanuts, and unsweetened chocolate. There's a good harmony between the moderately sweet dark chocolate and slight saltiness, and you'll experience no overpowering sweetness or odd flavors. There's a great amount of two different kinds of nuts packed in with a wonderful crunchiness to make you feel easily satisfied.

This bar has no whole food ingredients and is lower in protein with only 12 grams per bar. However, on top of the zero grams of trans fat, one bar is only 230 calories, which is reasonably low. There are no artificial sweeteners used and it contains only two additives. It's also low-sugar when compared to other products in this review with only 13 grams. It's wonderful that you can get five grams of fiber, too, but it's disappointing that the most vital aspect, protein is lacking.