Every Popular Chocolate Protein Bar—Ranked!
It seems like the ultimate answer for the hungry but health-conscious chocoholic: An instant snack that will satisfy all your sweet-tooth cravings while flattening your belly and building muscle.
At least, that’s the promise of that long row of chocolate protein bars, which are starting to crowd out the traditional candy bars at your local drugstore. But more often than not, biting into a protein bar is less like sneaking a Snickers—and more like chewing on chalk. Which one of these allegedly ab-healthy treats really satisfies your chocolate hankering, and which are just overpriced chunks of processed chemicals wearing a health halo?
MORE: 9 Best Protein Bars That Are Actually Good for You
The research team at Eat This, Not That! put their tastebuds on the line in a blind taste test to determine that absolute best, and worst, chocolate nutrition bars, ranking 9 of the most popular. Read on for the eye-opening results—and to satisfy your sweet or salty cravings, naturally and deliciously, click here for The 50 Most Amazing Snacks for Weight Loss Ever!
#9 CHOCOLATE PROTEIN BAR
Vega Sport Chocolate Peanut Butter
Nutrition: 260 calories, 11 g fat, 15 g protein
Natural Ingredients: Organic sprouted whole grains, brown rice protein, pea protein, organic peanut butter
Unnatural Ingredients: Palm kernel oil, cocoa powder processed with alkali
Despite being made from Eat This, Not That!-approved proteins—all plant-based, which reduce bloat—this snack proved hard to swallow for the majority of the panelists. Blame the dry, salty flavor. It tasted “fishy and seaweedy” and “looks smooth but turns to dust in your mouth,” with “a dusty aftertaste reminiscent of a dinosaur bone”—although one person assured us that the peanut butter “saved the day,” even if the chocolate tasted “fake.” (That’s probably because cocoa that’s alkalized has been treated with a chemical agent to balance its natural acidity, which reduces the fat-blasting flavonol and polyphenol content substantially.) No wonder this bar scored the lowest of the nine.
#8 CHOCOLATE PROTEIN BAR
Simply Protein Peanut Butter Chocolate
Nutrition: 150 calories, 5 g fat, 15 g protein
Natural Ingredients: Roasted peanuts, natural peanut butter
Unnatural Ingredients: Soy protein isolate, vegetable glycerine
The Simply Protein bar—an airy concoction made from soy krispies bound by peanut butter and vegetable glycerin (a type of plant oil) —turned off our tasters from the get-go. It has a “flavorless air” reminiscent of a “Chocolate Rice Crispy Treat”—but one that, in the words of another, was “extremely dry.” We dislike it for reasons beyond taste: When you isolate protein from soybeans, it strips out all of the healthy nutrients. Speaking of food that’s been chemically altered, click here for our newly-updated and shocking list of 8 Popular Foods That Should Have Warning Labels!
#7 CHOCOLATE PROTEIN BAR
Pure Protein Chocolate Deluxe
Nutrition: 180 calories, 4.5 g fat, 21 g protein
Natural Ingredients: Almond butter
Unnatural Ingredients: Maltitol, fractionated palm kernel oil, alkali process cocoa, zinc oxide, sucralose
Pure Protein advertises itself as a fitness supplement that helps you attain real results—but unfortunately, our testers found its aftertaste “artificial” and “Crisco-like,” which is why it ranks in lowly seventh place. One taster noted that the bar’s flavor reminded him of a “leather shoe” but at least leather is all-natural; here, the recipe calls for zinc oxide, the chemical responsible for sunscreen’s milky white hue, and almond butter (the only “real” ingredient in the entire protein bar) is the second to last listed in the ingredients list. This is pure something, all right.
#6 CHOCOLATE PROTEIN BAR
Pure Protein Chewy Chocolate Chip
Nutrition: 300 calories, 8 g fat, 31 g protein
Natural Ingredients: Almond butter
Unnatural Ingredients: Maltitol, fractionated palm kernel oil, sucralose, cocoa processed with alkali, soy protein isolate, zinc oxide, xanthan gum, sucralose
Another Pure Protein bar, another middle-of-the-pack ranking. Our tasters called the Chocolate Chip bar’s texture “dry and bitter” with a “strong fake chocolate and vitaminy taste.” What’s worse: it’s not even nutritionally sound. Sure, it packs 31 grams of protein — which is more than many other bars — but it also has 300 calories. You’d be fine with less protein (say, 20 grams) and half the calories. Check out our go-to list of the Best-Ever Nutrition Bars for Weight Loss for some of the best!
#5 CHOCOLATE PROTEIN BAR
Balance Bar Chocolate Craze
Nutrition: 200 calories, 7 g fat, 14 g protein
Natural Ingredients: Sugar, water, nonfat milk, salt
Unnatural Ingredients: Soy protein isolate, sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, fractionated palm kernel oil, maltodextrin
Sugar masquerades under many names—and this bar contains three different types of the sweet stuff including sugar itself along with fructose and maltodextrin, a highly processed plant-based sweetener. As for the taste, reviews were mixed, but still better than most. Comments ranged from “tastes like stale chocolate cake” to “it has a great chocolate taste, similar to a brownie.”
#4 CHOCOLATE PROTEIN BAR
MetRX Chocolate Fudge Deluxe
Nutrition: 320 calories, 10 g fat, 32 g protein
Natural Ingredients: Unsweetened chocolate
Unnatural Ingredients: Maltitol syrup, fractionated palm kernel oil, maltitol, cocoa processed with alkali, caramel coloring, dextrose, zinc oxide sucralose, maltodextrin
Now we’re getting to the good stuff—at least when it comes to taste. Many testers found the MetRX bar pleasing, describing it similar to a “raspberry truffle,” although others found the “chalky aftertaste” hard to overlook. Bear in mind that MetRX goes heavy on the sugar alcohols. Consuming too much of the stuff has been linked to diarrhea and bloating in those with sensitive tummies. You’d be better off indulging in our #3 pick, or eat actual chocolate—get a flat tummy, rapidly, by eating any of these 10 Best-Ever Dark Chocolates for Weight Loss!
#3 CHOCOLATE PROTEIN BAR
KIND Chocolate Cherry Cashew
Nutrition: 180 calories, 9 g fat, 4 g protein
Average Score: 5.8 out of 10 for taste
Natural Ingredients: Cashews, almonds, honey, peanuts, raisins, palm kernel oil, sugar, sugar-coated dried cherries and cranberries
Unnatural Ingredients: None
KIND’s Chocolate Cherry Cashew bar comes in third for taste—but first for nutrition. With 14 grams of sugar, it does have more of the sweet stuff than we’d like to see, but we love that it’s free of artificial sweeteners — something most of the other bars on this list can’t claim. Overall, our testers enjoyed the taste, calling it “naturally sweet” and “natural tasting.” And unlike all the other bars, KIND scored well for its aftertaste, thanks to the fruity cranberry taste that lingered, but “not in a bad way at all.”
#2 CHOCOLATE PROTEIN BAR
Quest Bar S'Mores
Nutrition: 180 calories, 8 g fat, 20 g protein
Average Score: 6.6 out of 10 for taste
Natural Ingredients: Almonds, cinnamon, unsweetened chocolate
Unnatural Ingredients: Erythritol, palm oil, sucralose, steviol glycosides (Stevia), xanthan gum
Though Quest compares their bar to the “melt-in-your-mouth campfire classic” none of our testers could quite figure out what this was supposed to be. Even so, they still uniformly loved its flavor, which they compared to “scones,” “blondies” and “cookies dipped in milk.” Speaking of milk, it might be responsible for your bloated belly—click here to see the 7 Amazing Things That Happen When You Give Up Dairy!
#1 CHOCOLATE PROTEIN BAR
Special K Protein Chocolatey Chip
Nutrition: 170 calories, 4.5 g fat, 10 g protein
Natural Ingredients: Whole grain wheat, almond flour, peanut flour, sugar
Unnatural Ingredients: Soy protein isolate, partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil, cocoa processed with alkali, sorbitan monostearate, soybean oil, dextrose, zinc oxide, polysorbate 60, corn syrup
Well, isn’t that special? This Kellogg’s bar came in #1 thanks to its “Rice Crispy-like” texture and “yummy chocolate flavor.” One even said they wanted to “buy 11 boxes, so long as the sugar count isn’t too high. Please let it be low!“ Coming in at the 15-gram mark, it’s not the best choice for weight loss (and sorbitan monostearate, a sorbitol derivative, could lead to bloating). But if you want a quick hit of protein, hit this up, perhaps for breakfast. And pair it with a cup of tea. Barberry, rooibos, pu-erh and white tea are proven fat-blasters, and we’ve included them in our best-selling diet plan (on which test panelists lost an amazing 10 pounds in one week): The 7-Day Flat-Belly Tea Diet and Cleanse!
SPEAKING OF CHOCOLATE: FOR 20 WEIGHT-LOSS SUPERFOODS YOU NEED TO EAT NOW—including a new fruit that tastes like chocolate pudding—CLICK HERE!
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