Best Protein Bars of 2025: Heathy, Fueling & Actually Tasty

Protein source: whey, milk
Nutrition info: 340–360 cal, 20 g protein, 10 g fat, 39–42 g total carb
Ingredients: Whey protein crisp made of whey protein concentrate, corn starch, and calcium carbonate; caramel with glucose syrup, sugar, palm oil, nonfat milk, glycerin, butter (cream salt), dry whey, corn starch, salt, mono and diglycerides, natural flavor, and soy lecithin in it; chocolate-flavored coating made with sugar, vegetable oil (palm kernel and palm oil), whey protein isolate, cocoa processed with alkali, soy lecithin, and natural flavor; corn syrup; brown sugar; glycerin; milk protein concentrate; invert sugar; vegetable shortening with palm kernel oil, palm oil, and citric acid; water; salt; natural flavor; mixed tocopherols (or preservatives); citric acid

According to contributor Nicki Campo in her 2021 review, the Perfect Bar completely lives up to its name. Made by Perfect Snacks, it vaguely resembles a chewy candy bar and also kind of tastes like one. With a powdered blend of 20 superfoods that include things like tomato and carrot, the bar keeps things healthy with lots of vitamins and minerals that’s balanced with an addictively sweet taste reminiscent of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup courtesy of some freshly ground nut butter—which Campo also calls one of the brand’s secrets to “perfect texture.”

Protein source: egg, rice
Nutrition info: 330 cal, 15 g protein, 20 g fat, 24 g total carb
Ingredients: Peanut butter; honey; nonfat dry milk; dark chocolate made of chocolate, cane sugar, and cocoa butter; dried whole egg powder; rice protein; sea salt; dried whole food powders like kale, flaxseed, rose hip, orange, lemon, papaya, tomato, apple, alfalfa, celery, kelp, dulse, carrot, and spinach; flaxseed oil; sesame seed oil; olive oil; pumpkin seed oil

For Those Seeking a Superfood Kick: Send

Send’s superfood protein bars have earned their place as a steady staple in my office desk drawer. They’re gluten- and dairy-free, sweetened with dates, and have real ingredients that you could find in your pantry: nuts like almonds and cashews, seeds like hemp and chia, and spices like Ceylon cinnamon and turmeric. The bars have 8–10 grams of protein (thanks to pea protein), so they actually provide me sustenance for a mid-afternoon hunger pang. Plus, I love how the brand adds in functional mushrooms like reishi and cordyceps and an added dose of nutrients from ingredients like cacao and spinach (which makes the bar taste more savory). You can’t go wrong with any of the flavors, but my go-to is a tie between the banana bread and peanut cacao crunch. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager.

Protein source: pea protein
Nutrition info: 230–240 cal, 8–10 g protein, 9–12 g fat, 26–30 g total carb
Ingredients (banana bread flavor): Zahidi Dates, Cashews, Bananas, Pea Protein , Hemp Seeds, Walnuts, Cacao Nibs (Cacao, Coconut Sugar), Ceylon Cinnamon, Spinach, Coconut, Sunflower Lecithin, Organic Reishi Mushroom Powder, Cordyceps, Kosher Salt, Turmeric

We love the texture of Barebells. While the interior is chewy like most other high protein bars, it’s got a crunchy coating covered in a delectable layer of milk chocolate. The Cookies and Cream is particularly good, coated in ‘crunchy cookie crispies’ reminiscent of the chocolate crunchies you might have gotten on ice cream truck soft serve growing up. It’s worth noting some of that sweetness is courtesy of sugar alcohols.