Protein is essential whether your goal is to build muscle, lose fat, or just stay full between meals. While a protein bars will never be nutritionally as good as a piece of chicken or steak, when you're in a rush, grabbing a protein bar can be one of the easiest ways to stay on track.
But not all protein bars are created equal. Some taste good but are low in protein. Others are high in protein but also really high in calories. Yet others are very affordable but don't have nearly enough protein.
To help you choose better, I reviewed six of the most popular protein bars you can find at your local grocery store:
Power Crunch
and Builder Bar.
I judged each bar using four key criteria:
I also ranked them overall based so at the end of the video I will tell you which one is my #1 choice of protein bar.
Let’s get into the details.
You won’t stick to a protein bar habit if you dread eating it. Taste and texture matter. Here's how the bars ranked:
Barebells delivers candy-bar-level taste with 20 grams of protein. The texture is smooth with a slight crunch, and there are so many different flavors. My current favorite is peppermint bark which is probably seasonal (it is December when I'm writing this), peanut butter and white chocolate almond.
Check out my review of the Barebells White Chocolate Almond here:
I like the David bar and their Fudge Brownie flavor. I've heard people having very mixed thoughts on this bar: While some like it, others say that it's too dry or too dense to get through a single bar without a whole bottle of water. I like it though, and I don't find it too dense or too dry. And I like the crunch a lot.
One Bars land in the middle. I review the Lemon Cake bar specifically, and they also have many other flavors. The texture is chewy but not too dry, and also some flavors like pumpkin pie and chocolate almond are excellent. Others, like donut and birthday cake, are way too sweet to my taste.
Quest bars have greatly improved their flavors over the years. I remember when I first tried a Quest bar (it was the cookies and cream flavor), I couldn't eat it. I thought it tasted horrible! But they've come a long way and many of the current options are quite nice. The double chocolate chunk that I reviewed in this test and the favorite chocolate explosion, are quite good.
Check out my review video of the Quest Chocolate Explosion bar.
These bars are more like wafers—light, crunchy, and not very filling. Taste is okay, but they lack the density of a true meal replacement. They're more like a light, airy dessert. In my opinion, they're ok — but then again, my husband loves these because of their taste. Everyone's different!
These bars are more filling due to their higher calorie count, but taste-wise, I'm just not a fan. It just doesn't have the right combination of taste and texture that I like. It's also a little too sweet.
Taste matters, no question about it. But if I’m eating a protein bar, it’s because I want protein — not just something sweet and convenient. That’s where the protein-to-calorie ratio comes in and this is what I look at really closely.
Here’s the rule I go by: a protein bar should give you at least 10 grams of protein per 100 calories. Most bars are somewhere around 200 calories, so 20 grams of protein is the sweet spot.
So I looked at each bar to see how they meet this criteria. Some hit the mark. Others don't even get close.
This one totally surprised me. The David Bar has a massive 28 grams of protein — and just 150 calories. That’s a really high ratio. Part of the reason is that it includes collagen protein (listed 2nd on the ingredients list), which, to be fair, isn’t a complete protein source. Collagen doesn’t have all the essential amino acids like for example whey does, so it’s not as ideal for building muscle. But if you’re just trying to up your daily protein intake, it’s still valuable. Just be aware of what you’re getting.
Quest hits that 10g per 100-calorie benchmark easily. It gives you 20 grams of protein for only 170 calories, which is a great ratio. If you’re tracking macros or just really want a high protein bar on lower calories, this is a good choice. It’s also one of the more filling options, especially if you pick one of the chunkier flavors like Chocolate Explosion (my favorite from Quest's selection) or Double Chocolate Chunk.
Barebells is just a bit over the ideal calorie count, but nothing too crazy. You’re still getting 20 grams of protein for 210 calories. Considering how good these bars taste — they're just so much better than others — I the small calorie bump is insignificant.
The One Bar has the same amount of protein as Barebells and Quest, but it’s a bit higher in calories at 220. Not a dealbreaker, but if you’re being strict with your intake, it’s just something to be aware of, especially if you compare it with David (150 cal) and Quest Chocolate Chunk (170 cal). Still, it has decent flavor and texture.
This bar is not very good when it comes to calorie and protein ratio. Yes, you still get 20 grams of protein, but you’re also eating 290 calories to get there. That’s a lot. As you saw before, there are many other bars that give you the same 20g of protein but at much less calories. It doesn't matter to everyone, but if you are cutting your calories, 100 calories more than other bars is noticeable.
Last on the list is Power Crunch. I like the light wafer texture and the taste is decent, but the numbers don’t lie. There are just 13 grams of protein in 220 calories. That’s just under 6 grams per 100 calories. I’d consider this more of a light snack than a proper protein bar.
Most people don’t get enough fiber, and if you’re tracking your intake, you probably know how hard it is to hit that 25-gram daily target. Protein bars can help close the gap but some help more than others.
Here’s how they stack up:
So if fiber’s something you care about, Quest is the clear choice. But no matter which bar you choose, you still need your fruits and veggies as the main sources of fiber. Whole foods always first.
Let’s talk cost. Protein bars can add up quickly if you’re eating them often. I compared the average prices in-store and in bulk online. Here’s how it breaks down:
David Bars are pricey — no way around it. You’re paying for that massive protein content in a low-calorie package. Whether that’s worth the cost depends on your goals (and your wallet).
In the end, taste and protein content are the two things I care about most. If a bar doesn’t taste good, I’m not going to eat it. If it tastes good but has weak protein numbers, then it’s not really doing its job.
Here’s my personal ranking:
This one was a no-brainer. Barebells tastes amazing, has a solid protein profile, and the texture is on point. It’s not the cheapest, but for me, the quality makes it worth it.
This bar is packed with protein — more than anything else I tried. The only downside is that it's so expensive compared to others. But if you're prioritizing pure protein and calorie numbers, it's great.
Quest doesn’t blow me away with taste — it's okay but it's not Barebells or David. It's just a good average bar when it comes to taste. But excellent fiber, good protein-to-calorie ratio, pretty affordable, and a bar that you can find what it seems like every store, including small convenient stores and gas stations.
One Bars aren’t bad. In fact I was going back and forth for a while between Quest and One. One tastes good, but it's less filling and more expensive and that's why it ended on the 4th place.
These two didn’t make my final list. The protein-to-calorie ratio is too low, or the taste isn’t that great. I rarely buy them.
Protein bars can be a helpful tool — especially when you're on the go or need a quick boost post-workout. But they’re not magic. Eating protein without lifting weights, sleeping well, or eating real food won’t get you the results you’re after.
Real food always comes first. If it grew in the ground or had a mother, that’s the stuff to build your nutrition around. Bars like the ones I reviewed here are a backup. Use them when you need them but don’t rely on them.
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