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    • Quest for the Best
  • Meal Prep
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  • Product ReviewsI’ll be posting a series of my “Quest for the Best” health, fitness and meal prep products here, as well as any cool products I find along the way so you can get the goods too.  If you’re interested in seeing any particular product recommendations, comment below!
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Recipes Product Reviews

Quest for the Best – Natural Protein Bar

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Author:

Erin

Published:

June 21, 2017

Updated:

November 20, 2024

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for details.

As promised when I published the original version of Quest for the Best: Protein Bar, here’s the follow-on comparison of 19 different organic, vegan, grass-fed or otherwise natural protein bars.  Like I said in that blog post, these bars don’t necessarily compete in the same market as your run of the mill bro protein bars.  I was pleasantly surprised to find some really tasty bars in this category – hopefully you will be too!

  • Scoring and Ranking the Bars
  • Protein Bars Comparison Chart
  • Highly Recommended Bars
    • NuGo Slim Vegan Protein Bar
    • Cliff Bar Builder’s Protein Bar
    • Simply Protein Crispy Bars
    • PROBAR BASE Protein Bar
  • Recommended with Reservations
    • TRUBAR Vegan Protein Bar
    • Luna Whole Nutrition Bar
    • think! Plant Based Protein Bar
    • Lenny & Larry’s Cookie-fied Protein Bar
    • RxBar Protein Bar
    • Aloha Organic Plant-Based Protein Bar
    • Clif Bar Nut Butter Filled Bar
    • No Cow Dipped Bar
    • No Cow Bar
    • Siren Protein Bites
  • Not Recommended
    • Raw Rev
    • Truvani The Only Bar
    • goMacro Macro Bar
    • Perfect Bar Original Refrigerated Protein Bar
    • Truth Prebiotic + Probiotic Bar
  • Protein Bars Comparison Chart
  • Find More Great Products

I’ve been doing this Quest for the Best series since last October and I think the posts have slowly improved, but this time around, I’ve completely changed up how you can view and compare these products against one another.  You’ll notice a lot less text in the rank list and a link to a separate spreadsheet with everything listed together.  I also decided to add a little pie chart to more easily compare the macro ratios of each product, which I think is especially helpful with these bars since many of them are different sizes.  I’m hoping to go back and update my old posts with this format as well, so keep an eye out!

Scoring and Ranking the Bars

When I first started this series, I would rank the different brands based on taste and texture alone. While those are still the 2 most important factors I care about when deciding whether to buy a bar, I’ve also incorporated scoring for macros, ingredients, and value.

  •  Taste – Scored out of 10 possible points. 
  • Texture – Scored out of 10 possible points.
  • Macros – Scored out of 5 possible points. Bars that come in at less than 200 calories with at least 30% of calories from protein scored highest.
  • Ingredients – Scored out of 5 possible points. This one is more challenging to score objectively than macros or value, but bars lost points for things like ingredient lists that are a mile long or tons of added fiber from stuff like “soluble corn fiber.” Including excessive sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners like Sucralose or acesulfame potassium (Ace-K) also contributed to lower scores. 
  • Value – Scored out of 5 possible points. Bars that were less than $2 scored highest, and bars that cost over $3 got no points in this category.

While I tried to be as objective as possible when scoring these bars, at the end of the day, we probably care about different things when it comes to our protein bars. Feel free to consider all the details for yourself and come to your own conclusion!

Quick rundown of different colors you’ll see below:

  • Yellow (on the macro ratio) indicates carb content.
  • Blue (on the macro ratio) indicates protein content.
  • Green (on the macro ratio) indicates fat content.

see all the reviews:

Protein Bars Comparison Chart

Want to see all my reviews in one spot? Check out the full spreadsheet, including reviews of all the flavors I tried for each brand!

check it out

Highly Recommended Bars

NuGo Slim Vegan Protein Bar

Dark Mint chocolate chip

This bar has great macros, especially for a vegan bar.  I would buy it again despite it being a bit hard to bite in to. Check out the full spreadsheet for my review of one other flavor – Crunchy Peanut Butter!

  • Taste: 9/10. Really nice chocolate and refreshing mint flavor.
  • Texture: 8/10. There’s a nice chocolate coating on this bar surrounding a crunchy middle with chunks of what seems to be soy crisps.  It lost some points for being a little too hard to bite into.
buy it

Cliff Bar Builder’s Protein Bar

chocolate peanut butter

Check out the full spreadsheet for my review of the Chocolate flavor too!

  • Taste: 8.5/10. I think the peanut butter was a little distracting in this bar when you put it up against a stack of all chocolate bars (I know, I know – I can’t believe I’m saying it either). The PB flavor was just a touch bland, but I did really like that it wasn’t too sweet.
  • Texture: 10/10. This bar overall is a little bigger than most of the others but has some nice layers and crunch to it.
buy it
simply protein

Simply Protein Crispy Bars

peanut butter chocolate

  • Taste: 8/10. The peanut butter and chocolate flavors are a little faint, but they’re there.  Bonus that this bar isn’t overly sweet!
  • Texture: 7.5/10. This is a really crunchy bar, I’m not even sure where they put all the protein!  Even though it’s full of crisps, it’s not dry and still eats easily.
buy it
pro bar base

PROBAR BASE Protein Bar

cookie dough

This bar is a little bigger than a lot of bars on the list (70 grams vs a typical 50-60 grams) and it has the calorie content to show for it.  But, the texture of this bar is top notch, the ingredients list is pretty innocent, and the flavor is great too. 

  • Taste: 8.5/10. Just a touch sweeter than I would like, but I definitely pick up the cookie dough flavor.
  • Texture: 10/10. This bar has it all…a thin chocolate coating, a creamy layer of cookie dough, and a big layer of crunchy bits to keep things exciting.
buy it
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Recommended with Reservations

These bars are still worth trying, but haven’t earned a “highly recommended” mark because of taste/texture, macros, or ingredients that are likely to cause GI upset.

TRUBAR Vegan Protein Bar

smother fudger peanut Butter

While this bar has solid macros for a vegan option, the first ingredient is tapioca fiber, which causes me GI issues if I eat a whole bar. Check out the full spreadsheet for my reviews of 3 other flavors – Daydreaming About Donuts, Oh Oh Cookie Dough, and Zamn Good Zesty Lemon!

  • Taste: 8.5/10. The chocolate is nice but the peanut butter flavor is a little lackluster and tastes almost burnt?
  • Texture: 8.5/10. These bars have a great coating and are soft and chewy, but there’s not much textural interest inside the bar itself.
buy it

Luna Whole Nutrition Bar

nutz over chocolate

  • Taste: 8.5/10. I didn’t get a lot of peanut butter flavor in this bar, but I like that it wasn’t overly sweet. 
  • Texture: 7.5/10. Depending on the flavor, there’s a nice chewy chocolate layer on top of the bar with a drizzle of chocolate and a thin coat of chocolate on the bottom. The bar itself can be a little dry, but has nice texture and chew – a great option if you don’t like soft bars.
buy it

think! Plant Based Protein Bar

sea salt chocolate almond

  • Taste: 8.5/10. There’s a nice flavor to this bar that reminds me of a chocolate peanut butter bar (except this one is almonds)…I just wish it wasn’t so sweet!
  • Texture: 7/10. Although this bar has a nice chocolate coating, the inside is somewhat dry and crumbly.  The tiny bits of almond inside give me a little bit of extra texture.
buy it

Lenny & Larry’s Cookie-fied Protein Bar

cookies & Creme

Check out the full spreadsheet for my review of 1 other flavor – Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip!

  • Taste: 8/10. I get more cookie flavor from this bar than the other flavor I tried, and I really like the cookie crumbles on top. 
  • Texture: 6/10. I found this bar simultaneously sticky and crumbly, but it does have some chips in there to keep things a little interesting.
buy it

RxBar Protein Bar

Chocolate sea salt

Check out the full spreadsheet for my review of 1 other flavor – Blueberry!

  • Taste: 7.5/10. This bar has a nice, deep chocolate flavor that’s set off by the sea salt.
  • Texture: 5/10. Really sticky…it got stuck in my teeth and I found myself chewing for a while to get through it.  There are some nice chunks of almonds to give it some textural interest as well as visible flakes of sea salt on top of the bar.
buy it

Aloha Organic Plant-Based Protein Bar

chocolate fudge brownie

Check out the full spreadsheet for my review of 1 other flavor – Peppermint White Chocolate!

  • Taste: 8/10. There is a decent chocolate flavor to this bar, but a bit of an almost alcohol-like aftertaste?
  • Texture: 7.5/10. Although it looks a little dry and crumbly in the picture, it’s not really. It has a great chocolate coating and is relatively soft to chew.
buy it
back to top ↑

Clif Bar Nut Butter Filled Bar

chocolate peanut butter

Check out the full spreadsheet for my review of 1 other flavor – Chocolate Hazelnut Butter!

  • Taste: 8.5/10. Great peanut butter flavor, though it bordered on too sweet.
  • Texture: 7.5/10. The oatmeal outside is easy to bite into and has a nice chew, but the filling isn’t enough to keep it from feeling slightly dry.
buy it

No Cow Dipped Bar

chocolate peanut butter cup

Check out the full spreadsheet for my reviews of 2 other flavors – Birthday Cake and Chocolate Salted Caramel!

  • Taste: 7/10. I thought this bar was a little too sweet and I didn’t get much peanut butter flavor.
  • Texture: 6/10. The chocolate coating is really nice, but the inside of the bar is a bit crumbly and gritty.
buy it

No Cow Bar

chocolate fudge brownie

I don’t love that the 2nd ingredient in these bars is soluble corn fiber, which means I really can’t eat a whole bar without causing GI issues.

  • Taste: 8.5/10. Deep and fudgy flavor. It’s not overly sweet, although it does toe the line pretty closely.
  • Texture: 6/10. This bar doesn’t have a coating on the outside and was dry, crumbly, and a little gritty.
buy it

Siren Protein Bites

dark chocolate brownie

While not a bar, these are a fun snack with 12g protein per bag.

  • Taste: 8/10. I definitely get the brownie flavor but I still get a hint of pea protein.  I could also use a little bit more sweetness.
  • Texture: 7.5/10. These have an interesting texture because they’re not your typical bar.  They’re slightly crumbly but not dry and they chew easily.
buy it
back to top ↑

Not Recommended

Raw Rev

peanut butter dark chocolate & sea salt

  • Taste: 6.5/10. Not much chocolate in this bar, the dominating flavor is an average peanut butter. I do like that this bar isn’t too sweet.
  • Texture: 6/10. The texture of this bar is kind of similar to the No Cow bar with a slightly crumbly texture. There are a lot of chia seeds in this bar too, which adds a crunchy seed texture that got stuck in my teeth and I didn’t enjoy.
buy it

Truvani The Only Bar

chocolate brownie

Don’t mistake this one for a protein bar! It only has 7 grams of protein and has more fat content than anything.

  • Taste: 7.5/10. Not a ton of brownie flavor, but the sweetness and flavors taste nice and natural. 
  • Texture: 6/10. I found this bar simultaneously sticky and crumbly, but it does have some chips in there to keep things a little interesting.
buy it

goMacro Macro Bar

peanut butter chocolate chip

GoMacro makes a lot of other bars, but there are only 4 varieties that boast a higher protein content.

  • Taste: 6/10. Not much flavor to speak of here and the bar borders on savory.
  • Texture: 7/10. While there are chunks of chocolate in there, I thought it was too tough to bite into and overly chewy.
buy it

Perfect Bar Original Refrigerated Protein Bar

chocolate chip peanut butter with sea salt

  • Taste: 6/10. This bar almost has a burnt peanut butter flavor with next to zero chocolate taste (even though you can see the chocolate swirls).
  • Texture: 6/10. Texturally, this bar is very strange…it feels almost chalky when you chew it and kind of crumbles apart when you take a bite (if you can manage to bite through it).
buy it

Truth Prebiotic + Probiotic Bar

dark chocolate coconut raspberry truffle

The old formula of this bar included 10 grams of protein and I totally missed that they stripped the protein content from the formula!

  • Taste: 7.5/10. The raspberry flavor comes through strong in this bar and it’s pretty tasty, though it’s hard to detect the coconut flavor.
  • Texture: 7.5/10. Although this bar doesn’t have a lot of texture going on inside, it does have a good balance of softness and chewiness without being too much of either. The chocolate coating on the outside is nice and thick.
buy it
back to top ↑

see all the reviews:

Protein Bars Comparison Chart

Want to see all my reviews in one spot? Check out the full spreadsheet, including reviews of all the flavors I tried for each brand!

check it out

Note: I was not provided any compensation or samples to endorse these products.  The views expressed here are my own.  The Amazon links contained in this post are affiliate links, meaning that if you buy anything from Amazon after clicking through these links, I’ll earn a small commission (usually just a few pennies) from your purchase.  Your purchase price will be the same whether you use my affiliate links or navigate to Amazon independently.

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  • Quest for the Best – Non-Dairy Ice Cream

    Quest for the Best – Non-Dairy Ice Cream

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About Erin

Erin is the author behind Peanut Butter and Fitness. She started this website in 2013 as a way to keep track of her favorite healthier kitchen creations and meal preps. Today, she still loves playing with her food and camera while helping others strike a balance between indulgence and well-being.

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3 responses

  1. SD
    June 21, 2017

    Thank you for doing these posts. I LOVE them. Your comparison chart is amazing and has everything I want to know. The pie charts are also super helpful. I’ve been endeavoring to find a good-tasting, healthy protein bar and it’s so difficult – either they have a horrible protein aftertaste or the macros are bad. Good to know you’ve found some good ones. I love square bars and RX bars too! Keep up these posts. They’re great.

    Reply
    1. Erin
      June 21, 2017

      Thanks for the feedback SD!! I’m glad these posts are helpful, I actually really enjoy testing the different products and writing about them. I think the next edition will be protein ice cream! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Linear Bar
    December 14, 2024

    Great review of Quest’s natural protein bar! I’ve always been curious about their ingredients, and it’s awesome to see a focus on cleaner, more natural options. I love how they keep the macros balanced without compromising on taste. Do you have a favorite flavor from their natural line? I’m definitely considering giving them a try based on your review!

    Reply

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Hey, I’m Erin!

I like to describe PBF as a healthy eating blog with a dollop of indulgence. Here you’ll find high protein and veggie-packed meals with a side of cocktails and desserts.

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