I I have a confession to make: I’ve eaten a lot of protein bars in my life. When I worked in the hospitality industry, I used to carry things in my backpack in case of emergencies. Emergencies were when a staff member’s meal was unlikely to be eaten, or there was not enough time to take a break and the stomach needed something. They were a means to an end. I didn’t put much emphasis on registering edibility.
Thankfully, protein bars have come a long way. They are no longer super sweet logs of cardboard, but come in many more varieties, derived from protein sources from whey to soy. Does that mean protein bars are now delicious? Hmm, I doubt it.
For this taste test, we selected a bar labeled as a protein bar, as well as some energy bars to add variety to the mix. I chose an energy bar that has a higher protein content than your average muesli bar. FYI, I once told a nutrition coach that unless a bar contains at least 40% protein, it’s technically an energy bar.
These bars were rated by taste and texture, and macros were taken into account but did not contribute to the overall score. We also chose chocolate flavors from each brand to standardize our testing, so you can taste the goodness of real chocolate much more than you think.
Overall the best and best value
Musashi Protein Crisp Bar Chocolate Peanut, 60g, $4.50 ($7.50 per 100g), available in leading supermarkets
Score: 8/10
This surprised me. At 20g per serving, it contains the highest amount of protein and goes against the general rule that the more protein a bar contains, the less enjoyable it tastes. The better score is probably because this is a crunchy treat made with soy protein “nuggets” rather than trying to imitate a chocolate bar. As for the texture, they fall apart quickly when you bite into them, and the protein nuggets become chalky in your mouth after one or two bites. What saves this experience is real chocolate (even if they use sweetener instead of sugar), peanuts, and peanut butter. In other words, fat. Fat solves everything. Will it make me think I’m not eating a protein bar? no. But is it worth a try if you want to increase your protein? Absolutely. You still get fitness, but at least it’s not completely uncomfortable.
best energy bars
Hillcrest On-the-Go Boost Protein Bars Triple Choc, 200g (5 bars), $3.99 ($1.99 per 100g), available at Aldi
Score: 8/10
If you like eating real food instead of compressed bars of protein powder, this is for you. It doesn’t contain much protein (only 10.3g per serving), but one-third of its ingredients are roasted peanuts, and it’s topped with real chocolate. Despite being made with real sugar, it wasn’t as sweet as some artificially sweetened bars I’ve tried, which was a welcome change. Having actual chewable food was a plus, but it had a dusty aftertaste of soy nuggets (also with nuggets!). Although it’s not technically a protein bar nutritionally speaking, it’s an easy way to increase your protein intake. It is cheating even if you are not actually cheating.
rest
Fiber Boost Cold Pressed Protein Bar Chocolate Chocolate Chip, 60g, $4.95 ($8.25 per 100g), available in health food stores and online
Score: 6/10
Sacred fiber, Batman! With 26g of corn-derived fiber per serving (I’m resisting the urge to joke that you’re just borrowing corn and your body isn’t actually digesting it), this bar lives up to its name. Not only is it unashamed, but it also has the same amount of fiber. That’s the amount an average person eats in a day, or more. About 15 years ago, I was living with a bodybuilder, and he confessed to me that all the protein he took was supporting his body. I believe this product was developed to solve that problem without ingesting excess calories. The protein content is also noticeably high at 21g per bar, with negligible amounts of fat and carbohydrates. It was the softest bar I’ve tried, sticking to the foil wrapper and then to my teeth. The chocolate chips were artificially sweet and not unpleasant. All in all, it ate like a functional fudge cake (so kind of stale). For hardcore shredders.
Muscle Nation Custard Protein Bar Chocolate Fudge Brownie, 60g, $4.50 ($7.50 per 100g), available in leading supermarkets
Score: 6/10
In the center of this bar is a gooey layer made with Muscle Nation’s custard powder, which strives to trick you into thinking it’s a chocolate bar with its soft, crunchy, and chewy texture. It’s almost a success. Where does crunch come from, you ask? It’s more of a chalky soy protein crisp. All artificial sweeteners (which come in large enough quantities to come with a warning that “excessive consumption may have a laxative effect”) are at least balanced with salt. It didn’t stick to my teeth as much as other bars, but it left my mouth covered in a film of fat. You get 16.5g of protein per serving, which wasn’t enough to rock my world.
Cranked Protein + Energy Bar Chocolate Mudcake, 60g, $4.50 ($7.50 per 100g), available in leading supermarkets
Score: 5/10
Do you know someone who eats for function rather than pleasure? That’s what I picture them eating. The packaging claims this is both a protein and an energy bar, but the nutrition panel shows that the energy comes from stimulants rather than carbohydrates. Caffeine and guarana to be exact, but the amounts are so small that you can get more energy out of a cup of coffee. It tastes like an old-fashioned protein bar in that it’s soft and powdery from the first bite. It turned into a paste in my mouth and had a strangely tangy aftertaste. Exactly what you’d expect a bar to taste like with 20g of protein in it.
BSC Soft Protein Bar Double Chocolate, 55g, $4.50 ($8.18 per 100g), available in leading supermarkets
Score: 5/10
Even though it tasted like double chocolate, I was surprised at how strong the chocolate flavor was. On the tenderness scale, it fell somewhere in the middle and ate like a firm milky. Texture-wise, it was as sticky as a high-end protein bar, but it only provides 16g per serving. The very definition of mid. If the texture was better, it might make you think it’s not a protein bar.
True Protein Bar Rich Chocolate, 63g, $5.50 ($8.73 per 100g), available at Woolworths, health food stores and online
Score: 5/10
This bar came with the shortest ingredient list. Comprised primarily of almonds and dates, it claims to be an “excellent source of dietary fiber” and has a content of 11.4g. For a full-fledged food bar, it’s also surprisingly high in protein (17.2g per serving). It’s sticky like dried fruit, doesn’t stick to your teeth, just has some added protein, and it’s a lot like those fruit and nut balls everyone was crazy about making a few years ago. Perhaps it’s the most “health food aisle” of whole foods: tasting protein bars. almond mom method. Depending on your childhood trauma, you may not like it.
Tasty Protein Fix Triple Choc, 225g (5 bars), $5.99 ($2.34 per 100g), available at Aldi
Score: 5/10
As you eat this, it becomes increasingly clear that the main protein-boosting ingredient is the dreaded chalky soy protein crisps/nuggets/puffs. At least in this bar, it’s covered in chocolate, hidden among peanut rubble, and suspended in a super sweet chocolate-flavored syrup. Still, that dustiness remains. This bar is flavor-assisted by a generous amount of 33% real milk chocolate and real sugar, but it’s too shakey and too sweet.
Hillcrest Protein Oat Bar Chocolate Chip Coconut, 200g (5 bars), $4.49 ($2.24 per 100g), available at Aldi
Score: 4/10
For a product with such a low amount of protein (5.6 g per bar), I expected this to perform much better. In fact, I was shocked at how dry and flaky it was. When I took a bite, more of the bar fell to the floor than in my mouth. It tastes like the “rum” balls sold at school fairs, which don’t contain rum and are made from coconut, condensed milk, crushed biscuits, cocoa powder, and children’s fingerprints, but… Except in severe cases. When I managed to swallow the chunks of dry oats, it left an unpleasant layer of fat on the palate that I could only describe as margarine in the ingredients.
Quest Protein Bar Dip Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, 50g, $4.80 ($9.60 per 100g), available at major supermarket
Score: 3/10
Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Quest bars were once the gold standard for flavor and macros, but they fall short when compared to newer options on the market. As the sweetest bar of the batch, it was clearly an American product with lots of artificial sweeteners. It had all the characteristics I fear from protein bars: chalky, plasticky, sticky. The chocolate coating disappeared as soon as it hit the tongue, leaving an unpleasant and persistent caramel flavor. I wanted to brush my teeth immediately after taking it.
