We taste-tested 26 brands of protein bars you’re likely to find at your local supermarket or online. To find the very best one, we sampled each without knowing which brand was which. Our winner is Trader Joe’s Chewy Chocolate & Peanut Butter Protein Bars, but we also crowned four runners-up.
I’ve never bulked in my life, so the whole protein-packed world feels as foreign to me as the cult fandom behind Love Island. Still, I know a delicious and nutritious bar when I see one. I often snag a few bars before daylong hikes, high-intensity fitness classes, and marathon afternoons at the office. In recent years, protein bars have become a fixture of the checkout aisle: Rows of shiny bars in every flavor and protein level imagination sit alongside candy and gum, daring you to add one to your basket. The question is: Which are worth buying?
To find the very best protein bars, our editors sampled 26 different brands that you’re likely to find at your local grocery store or online. We focused on bars with at least 10 grams of protein, cutting each into quarter-inch cubes and sampling them in random order without knowing which brand was which. After snacking our way through a dizzying number of bars, we tabulated the results and crowned an overall winner, as well as four worthy contenders that we’d happily reach for when we want a nutritious snack.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
The Criteria
While protein content matters, it’s just as important that the bars taste good. A good protein bar shouldn’t taste like protein powder, which can give bars a dry, chalky, and faintly bitter flavor with an odd milky aftertaste. Chunky add-ins, such as nuts or rice crisps, and flavorings, including vanilla and chocolate, can help mask the taste. But when overused, flavorings—natural or not—can result in cloying sweetness or an artificial edge.
Overall Winner
Trader Joe’s Chewy Chocolate & Peanut Butter Protein Bars
“Nutty and salty-sweet. I like!” wrote our senior editor, Genevieve, who gave top marks for its flavor and texture. Similarly, our associate culinary editor, Laila, enjoyed the light, crisp textures of puffed rice and its peanut-forward flavor. Both our associate visuals director, Amanda, and our senior social media editor, Kelli, praised the crunchiness of the protein bar, which stood out in a sea of dense (and at times mushy) contenders. Our editorial director, Daniel, preferred it over most others, since it contained “noticeable whole ingredients.”
Runners-Up
- GoMacro MacroBar, Dark Chocolate + Almonds
- Grab1 Protein Bar, Peanut Butter & Oat
- NuGo Dark Chocolate Pretzel Protein Bar
- Quest Double Chocolate Chunk Protein Bar
Though our editors didn’t enjoy these protein bars quite as much as our winner, they still thought the four below were solid choices and would be happy to eat a full bar on the go.
Best Protein Bar for Candy Bar Lovers: NuGo Dark Chocolate Pretzel Protein Bar
This bar divided our tasters but hit a sweet spot for those craving a salty-sweet, candy bar-like snack. “Minty?” wrote Daniel, who found the overall flavor OK. Both Genevieve and Laila thought it was a touch too salty for a protein bar, but found it paired nicely with the chocolate. Texture-wise, Kelli liked that it was “not too chewy,” and Amanda enjoyed its crunchiness.
Best Protein Bar for Those Who Like To Chew: GoMacro MacroBar, Dark Chocolate + Almonds
“Yes, I would eat a whole one,” wrote Kelli, who praised its slight chew and chocolate flavor. Laila also enjoyed this bar’s mild sweetness and the flavors of coffee and dates, adding that she’d happily eat a whole bar.
Best Crispy Protein Bar: Grab1 Protein Bar, Peanut Butter & Oat
This bar’s texture was far better than its flavor. Our editors, however, would still eat a full one. “Crunchy and airy, with a crisp bite—likely from crisped rice,” wrote Laila. Both Genevieve and Amanda enjoyed its crispiness as well. Still, most editors agreed it was way too sweet, and Laila thought it tasted too much like vanilla.
Best Protein Bar With 20 Grams of Protein: Quest Double Chocolate Chunk Protein Bar
This product has nearly double the protein of most protein bars. While extra protein usually comes at the expense of flavor or texture, this bar struck a happy medium, and most of our editors thought this was just fine. “I could probably eat a whole bar,” said Amanda, who was a fan of its fudginess. Meanwhile, Kelli described the texture as “fine.”
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
The Contenders
- 365 by Whole Foods Market Chocolate Chip Energy Bar
- 88 Acres Banana Bread Pumpkin Seed Protein Bar
- Aloha Organic Plant-Based Bar, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Balanced Tiger Protein Bars, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
- Barebells Protein Bar, Chocolate Dough
- Clif Bar, Chocolate Chip
- Fulfill Protein Bar, Chocolate Peanut Caramel
- Genius Gourmet Protein Bar, Chocolate Dream
- GoMacro MacroBar, Dark Chocolate + Almonds
- Grab1 Protein Bar, Peanut Butter & Oat
- Kellogg’s Special K Bar Protein Bars, Brownie Batter
- Kirkland Signature Protein Bars Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Kirkland Signature Soft & Chewy Granola Bars
- Mezcla Puff-Crispy Bar, Peanut Butter Chocolate
- Misfits Plant-Based Protein Bar, Caramel Fudge
- Nature Valley Protein, Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Protein
- NuGo Dark Chocolate Pretzel Protein Bar
- Power Crunch, Peanut Butter Fudge
- Pure Protein Bar, Chocolate Peanut Caramel
- Quest Double Chocolate Chunk Protein Bar
- Quaker Protein Bars, Peanut Butter & Chocolate
- RXBAR Protein bar, Peanut Butter Chocolate
- Think High Protein Bar, Chunky Peanut Butter
- Trader Joe’s Chewy Chocolate & Peanut Butter Protein Bars
- Trader Joe’s Energy Bar, Chocolate Chip
- TRUBAR Protein Bar, Oh-Oh Cookie Dough
Key Takeaways and Conclusion
With so many different protein bars available, it’s no surprise that there was plenty of variation in the products we tried. Some brands naturally increase the protein content of their bars by incorporating ingredients such as soy crisps, oats, nuts, and seeds, while others rely on protein powders. These protein powders are generally made with a blend of whey, milk, or soy, with each bringing its own distinct flavor. Our winners and runners-up are generally packed with plenty of good stuff—oats, nuts, and dried fruit—to mask the less pleasant flavors of protein powder.
Peanuts, whether as whole nuts, flour, or butter, are in many of our top picks. Peanuts not only add protein but also contribute a satisfying saltiness that balances the sweetness of the bar. Our winner, Trader Joe’s Chewy Chocolate & Peanut Butter Protein Bars, features a combination of peanuts, soy protein crisps, and semisweet chocolate. One of our chewiest runners-up, the GoMacro MacroBar, is predominantly made with brown rice syrup, almond butter, and a proprietary protein blend. Of all the runners-up, Quest’s Double Chocolate Chunk packs the most protein. The brand lists a protein blend of milk protein isolate and whey protein isolate as its very first ingredient.
Most bars use binders—such as cocoa butter, sugar, agave, brown rice syrup, and/or maltitol—to hold the ingredients together and enhance flavor. Our editors preferred bars that rely on cocoa butter, nut butters, and natural syrups, such as agave or brown rice syrup. Conversely, bars that are heavy on sugar substitutes (also known as sugar alcohols) or palm oils were less popular, as they can give the bars an artificial sweetness or a greasy finish.
Our Testing Methodology
All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.
