What top brands sell the best-tasting flavored protein bars and snacks you can find? Quest? Barebells? David? Prime Bites? Or someone else? After reviewing dozens of protein-based bars and snacks from various companies, many of which offer different variations and lineups, I believe I have a clearer idea.
Well, at least for me.
You can find many of my protein treat tier lists, reviews, and more here.
Protein Brand & Bar Tier List
1. Pure Protein
Want a protein candy bar? No? Then turn away, because Pure Protein makes the best-tasting protein bars that taste like actual candy bars. So much so, I often find myself eating several in one setting without realizing it. I know, it’s bad, but even their oldest line of bars is an absolute hit. They didn’t stop there, either; they eventually introduced cereal-based flavors, snack cake copycats, the Ammmaze line, and more.
Pure Protein bars are chunky, thick, sweet, and best replicate the experience of eating a candy bar. Don’t like that? Oh well, I do!
These are, hands down, the best!
2. Barebells
This was a particularly challenging brand to rank because it’s so closely related to a few others!
On one hand, I’ve had better tasting individual protein products from other companies, on the other, Barebells not only sells a few different product lineups like their regular bars and Soft line, but their flavor profiles are also expansive, and honestly, for the most part, I haven’t had a single terrible Barebells bar. I’ll always find something I’m in the mood for, and you know what? I’ll be good. I don’t have to worry.
What also gets to me is their composition. Other protein bars seemed to have even copied it, but Barebells has done it the best so far! Barebells have literally everything in one bite, at least, with their regular protein bar line. Crispy, crunchy, soft, thick, chewy, and chunky! Many of their flavors even feature a more marshmallow-like center, resulting in an amazing mouthfeel seldom found elsewhere! Flavor-wise? Authetic, on the sweeter side, yet you can still find flavors that offer more subtle flavors. These are, overall, highly desirable premium bars for a reason!
So, I can not only find a tasty flavor I will love and enjoy, but the eating experience is also amazing!
3. Quest
Quest has improved drastically throughout the years. Their original lineup is the most generic “first edition” protein bars I’ve ever tried, and despite them still selling it, for some reason, I don’t mind grabbing one. Or two… or three. It’s almost frustrating because when I look objectively at many of their original bars, I see, taste, and feel “artificial chewy goo wrapped into a bar.”
They didn’t stop with that original lineup, though, which is key to my eventual love for them. They’ve come out with Dipped, Crispy Hero, Overload, Bakeshop, and generally updated versions throughout time. In fact, they make one of my favorite bars of all time: the Blueberry Cobbler Crispy Hero. Then right behind that one, their Overload flavors go absolutely crazy with flavors and overall eating experience!
4. Prime Bites
These don’t even have the best-tasting product here; it honestly comes down to the texture. They’re so darn chunky, thick, and a pleasant eating experience that will make you hastily grab “just one more.” Flavor-wise, I found them to be mildly artificial at times, but that is quickly overlooked by the fact that you’re literally eating perhaps one of the biggest brownies ever!
And I didn’t even mention that they also have a newer Muffin line and have since introduced even more flavors into their expansive range of regular brownie-based protein bar treats, either.
They haven’t perfected the dessert lineup, however, in due time, I suspect they will!
5. Legendary
A rival to Prime Bites, Legendary creates a variety of dessert-based protein treats that come alive. Interestingly, I find many of Legendary’s products to be better tasting and more authentic, although it’s hard to beat those giant Prime Bites monster brownies. Nonetheless, their pastries are a must-try, particularly their Sweet Rolls and Pop-Tart copycats, which I often crave on a daily basis (although I avoid their mediocre donuts).
What pastry are you craving?
6. Alani
These are candy bars if I’ve ever had one. While each bar has a similar makeup (yet different enough to enjoy), you cannot deny the fact that most of their bars genuinely taste like they were made with real sugar and authetic flavors. In fact, some were too sweet, yet they managed to reveal real, bold, nuanced flavors due to the combination of all the tastes and mix-ins they incorporated.
7. Anabar
At the time of this writing, they don’t have many products, but at the time of this writing, I have found them to be actually as advertised: yup, these are just like candy bars! So much so, they are one of the most authentically sugary-tasting bars on the market; however, that shows in their deplorable macros.
In the protein brand lineup, these are on the sweeter side, and the big takeaway, at least to me, is that they nailed the sugar candy bar taste wonderfully, too much at times, which occasionally overwhelmed their flavors. Unfortunately, the big downside is that they aren’t the most fun to eat; instead, they opt for more boring and bland compositions and textures.
8. Misfits
I didn’t think a vegan bar could be this good! If I had to compare it to anything here, it definitely gives Barebells vibes–just the vibes, though. These are less dense and, moreover, significantly less sweet, with a noticeable protein powder flavor that plagues all the flavors too much. This ultimately results in duller-tasting bars, though; again, like Barebells, these have multiple compositional layers, which at least make the eating experience decent enough.
9. Robert Irvine’s FITCRUNCH
These are the knockoffs of Barebells. They’re similar in appearance and composition; unfortunately, the artificiality in their bars stands out more prominently. That aside, they’re still good protein bars, and in fact, FITCRUNCH has a ton of other products in their lineup too, such as Wafers, Loaded Cookie, and Delights. And the caveat with those, at least to me, is that in general, none of them are as good as they’re advertised–you’ve been warned!
Why get a FITCRUNCH-anything when you can have a Barebells bar?
10. Nick’s / N!CK’S
I want to love N!CK’s. Not only do they have my favorite ice cream, but their bars are really not bad at all. They all tend to have authetic tastes and even a decent eating experience. Unfortunately, it’s plagued by its lack of sweetness. You can have a genuine tasting protein bar with no artificial gunky taste, but if it’s not sweet enough, what’s the point?
Further, at the time of this writing, their lineup is very limited in the protein bar space. A few flavors are good enough, but I’d like to see them expand their lineup and improve on what they already have (hint: more sugar!).
11. ONE
So many flavors, yet here they are. Bad bars? Not by any means.
What drags them down here is not only that most are more mildly sweet, but the eating experience is lackluster. I get it, though, if you’re a boring person and want a uniformly chewy bar with authetic light tastes, this is for you. Unfortunately, I love sweetness, and I adore it when bars have a lot going on.
If anything, I give these the “I never had a protein bar, I’m scared to try one, what’s safe” award.
12. BUILT Puff
They’re good, all of their flavors, in fact. And heck, if you love marshmallows–which I do, by the way–you’ll definitely enjoy these… to a degree.
They need more sweetness to take them to the next level. By relying on their inner, nearly uniform textures, they do just become boring to eat. Coupled, again, with the lesser sweet tones, I find myself asking, “I can get something better.” In a sense, it’s weird; they are so unique compared to other bars, yet they fall short of varying their own.
13. Ghost
Ghost protein bars are still new, so I’m hesitant.
Long story short, though, unfortunately, these all have more or less the same texture: yeah, kind of boring, although the flavors are represented decently, but (yes, another caveat) there is a light protein-bar taste with each one that does hamper the flavor to a degree. They’re all moderately sweet.
Essentially, kind of your average bar. Notably, the “wafer” filling is quite unique, with a mouthfeel reminiscent of a chewy protein filling and wafer — somewhat like an airy, less dense marzipan.
14. JiMMYBAR
If you want to go for some combination of a decent oat and protein bar, give these a try; otherwise, in my opinion, I’d go for a more traditional, better-tasting protein bar (or dedicated oat bar)–many other protein bar brands have sweeter, more pronounced flavors that are more worthy in my opinion.
Essentially, these are what I described earlier: premium oat-protein-combo bars with interesting takes, such as infusing caffeine into many of their flavors.
15. MOSH
These are very middle-of-the-road protein bars. They are on the thinner side, with a lightly chewy taste, embedded crispie bits that provide an equally mild crunch, and authetic flavors and average sweetness levels to match. These, in my opinion, are a good starting point for beginners who don’t want anything too crazy or fancy yet want just enough to be satisfied and perhaps explore the better brands for more interesting combinations and flavors.
16. David
Very similar to MOSH but worse. They are literally what you dream of when you think “protein bar” and have never had one before. They’re all unsweet, the compositions are noticeably “generic protein bar,” and from all that, both the taste (which in and of itself doesn’t come across as artificial) and mouthfeel remain unexciting.
Like the MOSH bars, though, these might be a good starting entry for a beginner or someone craving a bar that is the least offensive.
17. IQBAR
I just don’t want an organic oat bar, and that’s exactly what these represent. They’re still okay, but as a personal preference, when I want a protein bar, I want something that will hit me with sweetness and have a texture with a lot of nuance. These lean more towards an organic, oat-bar-based side with some protein macros thrown in; flavors are subtle, the chewy, oaty texture is similar across all of them, and, well, they just aren’t my jam. Give me a “normal” protein bar, please!
18. Hormbles Chormbles
I love candy bars, yet these are candy bars. Authetic all the way around, from composition to flavor. Unfortunately, they’re paper-thin and on the crunchier side, due to the embedded rice bits, resulting in more of a crunch and unfulfillingness than I personally enjoy.