I have recently started to find myself being a bit more active throughout the day. I am walking a lot more, including more work outs and just being a bit busier than normal. I wanted to find a tasty snack that would keep me full and energised but was super convenient and I could easily find while I was out and about.
Solution: the vegan protein bar.
Protein bars can be a really convenient snack that help you meet your protein requirements, keep you full and aid in gaining muscle. If you pick the right bar, they can be a tasty pre or post workout snack.
I used to not really look at the protein bar section in the supermarket as it was dominated by bars that contained animal products. However, recently I have noticed a rise in vegan protein bars.
I’ve now tried quite a few protein bars ranging from absolutely delicious to would never touch again. These are my top 4 picks. Each bar has been reviewed based on protein content, sugar content, price and most importantly taste.
The Tastiest One -> The Tribe Triple Decker (my fave is the vegan honeycomb)
Nutrition Info:
Energy: 184kcal
Protein: 7.5g
Carbohydrate: 14g
Sugar: 5.8g
Fibre: 3.2g
Fat: 12g
Each bar contains 10 vitamins and minerals, including iron and zinc.
Ingredients: peanut butter, vegan chocolate, pea protein, vegan honeycomb, buckwheat, chicory fibre, coconut sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower seeds, date syrup, peanuts and almonds
Price per bar: £1.83
I feel that this tastes least like a protein bar more of a tasty sweet snack. There is none of that classic dry crumbly texture I usually associate with a protein bar. It is not the highest in protein, but it is by far the tastiest option. They come in a wide range of flavours and I have found them to be widely available, even in little shops like a small WHSmiths. You can also bulk buy from their website and get a taster pack of 6 bars for a tenner.
The One Highest in Protein -> Misfits Plant Powered Protein Bar
Nutrition Info:
Energy: 183kcal
Protein: 16g
Carbohydrate: 5.4g
Sugar: 0.8g
Fibre: 9.3g
Fat: 9.2g
Ingredients: (Pea Protein Isolate, Soya Protein Nuggets (Soya Protein Isolate, Cocoa, Tapioca Starch), Soya Protein Isolate), Chocolate Flavoured Coating with Sweetener (21%): (Cocoa Butter, Soya Flour, Sweetener: Xylitol, Cocoa Mass, Emulsifier: Sunflower Lecithin, Natural Flavouring), Chicory Root Fibre, Beet Fibre, Emulsifier:Sunflower Lecithin, Peanut Paste, Humectant: Vegetable Glycerine, Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter, Natural Flavouring, Water, Thickener:Gum Acacia, Green Tea Extract, Sweetener: Stevia Extract (Steviol Glycosides), Himalayan Salt, Acidifying Agent :Citric Acid.
Price per bar: £1.99
These suddenly popped up all over my insta feed and then in every food shop I have been into recently, so naturally I had to give them a try.
These are definitely more of a classic protein bar than the tribe bar. It does have that slight dry protein taste to it but they come in a wide range of flavours and has a high protein content. They also have a high fibre content and are one of the lowest in carbohydrate and sugar content, as well as the lowest calorie protein bar on this list if that is something you are looking for.
As a plus the company is also carbon neutral.
The Good All Rounder-> Barebells Vegan Protein Bar
Nutrition Info:
Energy: 211kcal
Protein: 15g
Carbohydrate: 21g
Sugar: 0.7g
Fibre: 6.6g
Fat: 9.3g
Ingredients: protein blend (soy, pea, rice), humectant (vegetarian glycerol), bulking agent (polydextrose), sweetener (maltitol, sucralose), cocoa butter, oligofruktose, cocoa mass, hazelnuts, soy nuggets (soy protein, cocoa powder, tapioca starch), sunflower oil, rice flour, flavour, cocoa powder, emulsifier (soy lecithin)
Price Per Bar: £2.49
This bar only comes in two flavours: salty peanut or hazelnut and nougat. Both are tasty although my preference is the peanut one. At 15g protein, they are slightly lower than the misfits, however I find them to be a good all rounder. They have decent fibre and protein content and I definitely prefer the flavour of these bars than the misfits ones. I get less of the taste of the dry protein powder and a strong flavour of the peanut and chocolate.
The negative of these is that I have found them to be harder to find in the shops and they only come in two flavours. They can also be one of the pricier vegan protein bars. However, with all the bars on this list depending on where you are shopping, they are frequently on offer and this brings the price down. For me if they are full price, it is more of a treat than a daily purchase.
*Both the misfits and barbells protein bars are lower in sugar than the tribe or Trek bar. This is due to them using sweeteners instead of sugar. Which is completely fine but they do note this can cause a laxative effect on some people and some people also find these sugars harder to digest. I wouldn’t recommend having more than one a day.
The Most Affordable – Trek Cocoa Oat Flapjack
Nutrition Info:
Energy: 227kcal
Protein: 9.2g
Carbohydrate: 21.9g
Sugar: 14g
Fibre: 1.9g
Fat: 11g
Ingredients: Gluten free oats 25%, rice syrup, soya protein crunchies 15% (soya, tapioch starch, salt), vegetable oils (palm, sunflower, coconut, rapeseed), dark chocolate flavoured coating 13% (sugar, palm oil, cocoa powder, emulsifier: sunflower lecithin), soya flour, raw cane sugar, salt, natural flavourings
Price Per Bar: £1.00
Trek bars are the easiest protein bar to find. Perhaps not the highest in protein but they will definitely keep you full and have no artificial sweeteners that might upset your stomach. There are a range of bars by Trek and each one has different flavours and different protein contents ranging from 9-15g of protein. However, I am adding this specific bar to my favourites list as it contains no protein powder. It has zero dry protein powder texture, just a delicious chocolate crunchy flapjack. This also the cheapest protein bar I have found. They are available in loads of different shops and will not break the bank.
I will note it is not especially high in fibre and does have the highest sugar content of all the bars I have mentioned.
Those are my current favourite vegan protein bars but there are still loads I have yet to try. Let me know in the comments what your favourite bar is!
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