Best Protein Bars UK

Hitting your daily protein goal isn’t easy. It takes serious planning, alongside the will-power to eat when you sometimes aren’t hungry.

Fortunately, for the thousands of bodybuilders out there, there’s a convenient way to smash your macronutrients and enjoy tasty food whilst doing so.

I’m quite amazed that they’ve only really gained traction in the last 5 years, you’ve probably guessed it by the title I’m talking about Protein Bars.

The good thing for your tastebuds, is that there’s an absolute tonne of protein bars on the market now. There’s even a sub-category known as protein snacks, due to how popular the bars became. I’ve taken an in-depth look at the very best protein bars, providing you with all the information so you can find your next tasty treat.

As always, I’ll also provide a detailed guide on different types of protein bar, the benefits of taking them and also any potential drawbacks. Don’t worry if you have specific dietary needs, as I’ve also flagged up a vegan protein bar, gluten free & a low in sugar bar which will be perfect for a summer cut.

20/01/2021 Important Update
Notice from the HGR Team:
We have recently adjusted this review due to the product changes at MyProtein & The Protein Works. Check what’s changed below.

1

Grenade Carb Killa High Protein Bar

The Best Tasting Protein Bar
  • Product
  • Features
  • Photos

Grenade Carb Killa High Protein and Low Carb Bar, 12 X 60...

& Free shipping
Last update was on: March 16, 2024 7:44 am
£21.49 £30.99
Nutritional InformationPer 60g Bar
Energy (Kcal)218 kcal
Fat9.5g
(Fats) of Which Saturates5.5
Carbohydrates20g
(Carbs) of which Sugars1.4g
(Carbs) Of which Polyols15g
Fibre2.5g
Protein20g
Salt0.29g
Nutritional Information of the Grenade Carb Killa Protein Bars

Grenade Carb Killa Review

Carb Killa has risen quickly through the ranks fast. The first Carb Killa bar was produced in 2015, which helped Grenade to reach new heights as a protein supplement company. Their Protein bars were fantastic, offering the best flavours which are yet to be matched.

I have tried every single flavour of these bars & I can’t get enough of the taste. With some brands of protein, you get a nice taste which is then followed by a powdery consistency which completely ruins the taste of the bar. This isn’t the case with Carb Killa.

I stick to the Jaffa Cake or Birthday Cake selections, as they actually taste like a ‘cheat meal’, which definitely tricks my brain and helps me to avoid snacking during the rest of the day.

They definitely aren’t the cheapest protein bar available on the market though, I’ve seen these for around £3 per bar in supermarkets. However, on Amazon you can get a box of 12 for less than £20. Much cheaper.

Carb Killa is marketed as the Ultimate High Protein Snack. Grenade have definitely hit the spot with the flavours, which are:

  • Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel
  • Apple Rumble (Limited Exclusive)
  • Birthday Cake
  • Caramel Chaos
  • Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
  • Cookies & Cream
  • Dark Chocolate Mint
  • Dark Chocolate Raspberry
  • Fudge Brownie
  • Jaffa Quake
  • Peanut Nutter
  • White Chocolate Cookie
  • White Chocolate Salted Peanut

It’s also worth adding that you can order a ‘selection box’, if you’re concerned you might get bored of the same taste for your daily snack. For your first order it may be worthwhile to order a selection box, so you can have the pleasure of being spoilt for choice. You’ll also have a good range and be able to find your favourite flavour.

Each Bar is Triple Layered and coated in chocolate. Surprisingly, the Sugar and Carbs content is extremely low, as you can see above it has a miniscule 1.4g of sugar content. If I had to blind taste these bars, I would honestly think that there’s around 15g of sugar content. 20g of Protein also means this is high protein and able to help you increase your muscle mass.

The bars have been fully certified, passing the Informed Sports Testing Process. This means that the bar has passed specific standards as required.

If you’re considering ordering a specific flavour, my personal preference would be the Birthday Cake option as my number one choice. I’ve classed this as the best protein bar,

2

Ridiculous Vegan Protein Bar by TPW

A Great Vegan Alternative

Ridiculous Vegan Protein Bar

What Is Ridiculous Vegan Protein Bar? Named after the countless reactions we’ve seen from people after they try this nifty plant-based protein snack - this is a vegan bar designed ...
in stock
£12.09 £21.99
Nutritional InformationPer Bar
Energy (Kcal)197 kcal
Fat9g
(Fats) of Which Saturates3.8
Carbohydrates10g
(Carbs) of which Sugars0.8g
Fibre7.6g
Protein15g
Salt0.33g
Nutritional Information of the Ridiculous Vegan Bar by The Protein Works

Ridiculous Vegan Bar Review

I don’t follow a Vegan diet, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t eat a vegan protein bar. I had to include this one, which is produced by The Protein Works. They’re a giant in Protein supplements, competing alongside myprotein for the crown of best protein company.

TPW stated that they’ve named this bar ‘Ridiculous’, due to that being the typical response when they were doing taste test studies during the Research & Development stage. It’s completely plant based, made to be palm oil free which means that TPW are doing their bit for wild habitats.

15 grams of protein isn’t the highest that you’ll see in a protein bar, but you should also appreciate that the calories are significantly lower, alongside less than 1 gram of sugar. The sugar content amazed me, as it’s usually where protein bars fall short of the mark with high sugar amounts of sugar included.

If you’re on the strictest of diets, you’ll still be able to squeeze this bar into your macros, due to it being less than 200 calories. With the high fibre content in this bar, you’ll also find yourself full & satisfied for longer. This will help you to banish those demons, that are telling you to go and grab a quick chocolate bar!

It’s really great to see a company that’s so focused on doing their bit for the environment. I’m no Eco-warrior myself, but TPW have found room for improvement and decided to act upon it.

It comes in two flavours, Chocolate Caramelicious or Wild Chocolate Peanut. I didn’t try the latter, due to not being the biggest fan of peanuts. The Choc Caramel one was enjoyable though! If it was a blind taste test, I would have never guessed that it was a Vegan bar.

3

MyProtein Layered Protein Bar

Best Value Protein Bar
  • Product
  • Features

Myprotein 6 Layer Bar, Birthday Cake, 12 X 70g

Last update was on: March 16, 2024 7:44 am
Nutritional InformationPer Bar
Energy (Kcal)219 kcal
Fat7.8g
(Fats) of Which Saturates2.4g
Carbohydrates16g
(Carbs) of which Sugars2.4g
Fibre8.2g
Protein20g
Salt0.35g
Nutritional Information of the Ridiculous Vegan Bar by The Protein Works

MyProtein Layered Protein Bar Review

Labelled as the Treat without the Cheat, MyProtein have developed a Protein Bar which can satisfy your urges for junk food without needing to waste your calories.

I ordered the Birthday Cake flavour, as I’m sure you all know by now that I love anything Birthday Cake flavoured. Including Birthday Cake.

It’s packed with 20g of protein, meaning that it matches up to the likes of the Carb Killa I featured earlier on. Around 20g is the limit that manufacturers put in their bars, as it’s the sweet spot. I’ve tried some bars with 26g of protein, but it just felt like I was chewing them for weeks before I actually managed to swallow it.

Where MyProtein have an advantage over Grenade, is that they can squeeze in 20g of protein whilst keeping the fat content lower. It’s 2 grams lower in fats than the Carb Killa, but you have to battle with the fact it’s one kcal higher than it too.

The Layered Protein Bar doesn’t have a super-wide variation of flavours, but the ones that they offer are certainly varied. They have; Birthday Cake, Chocolate Sundae, Cookies & Cream, Matcha & Peanut.

MyProtein bars are a little cheaper than the competition, thanks to the amount of discounts they tend to run.

They taste great too & I can fully understand why they call this the Treat without the Cheat. If you have extra calories left over in your macros, I’d definitely experiment with some Low Fat Custard, to make it an ultimate protein pudding!

Should I Eat Protein Bars?

The Benefits of Protein Bars

You probably know the benefits of eating protein bars, as they’re quite obvious & in many cases they’re the reason that you’re looking for them! (So apologies if what you’re reading, you already know).

Protein Bars are an easy way to hit your Macros. I’ve been there before, trying to find a way to squeeze in almost 200g of protein on a daily basis whilst bulking up. On paper, you can say yeah I’ll have eggs for breakfast, chicken and rice for lunch & then Salmon/Turkey for your evening meal.

The truth is, that will probably give you around 120g of protein, depending on the serving size. Typically, you’d be required to also drink 2-3 protein shakes througout the day. Whilst I’m a big fan of specific flavours of shakes, sometimes I just can’t bring myself to drink them.

A Protein Bar carries around 20g of protein, which would almost replace a protein shake. At the same time, it will also refresh your tastebuds as you’re tricked into thinking you’re eating a proper dessert, instead of yet another vanilla protein shake.

It’s also sometimes just not possible to find the time to eat three full meals. If you work at home that’s ok, but for many they’re in an office & unable to cook on their lunch. Musclefood actually have a great alternative for meal prep, but this doesn’t come cheap.

Your protein bar will be ready to eat, whenever you fancy it. I find that they actually perk me up too, but I think this is due to the joy that I’ve not had to endure yet another ordeal with a protein shake. (Shakes aren’t that bad, but 3x a day for a whole week and you really deserve your cheat meal!).

Will they replace Protein Shakes?

Protein Bar Drawbacks

I’m not trying to finish the Whey Protein Powder, with this article. There’s absolutely no chance that Protein Shakes will ever be replaced by Protein Snacks, Protein Bars or Protein Pancakes etc.

The reason for this? Protein Shakes are far too economical. What I am offering as an alternative though, allowing you to drop one of your protein shakes & replacing it with a Protein Bar that can reset your tastebuds.

Protein Bars aren’t cheap, when you look into the costs against a bag of whey powder. On offer, the MyProtein bar is £1.70 per bar. Forgetting about the other nutritional information, that gives us 20g of protein.

Their Impact Whey Protein range offers 20g of protein from a single serving, but only costs £0.58 per serving. The bigger sized pouch you buy, the cheaper that becomes, too.

Who are they suitable for?

Who should eat them?

Protein Bars can be consumed by men and women, any individual that’s looking to increase their protein intake. Typically, children don’t eat them and they are classed as a workout meal supplement.

They have been created because so many people struggle to hit their daily protein target, so they offer a convenient way to up your protein.

It’s probably not cost efficient to eat these on a daily basis, as the cost is significantly higher than a protein shake. However, it can become boring drinking shake after shake, so they offer a nice change once every so often.

I like to eat a protein bar after a moderate to difficult training session, as they provide the post workout energy boost that gym goers need.

What makes a Protein Bar Good?

Inside a Protein Bar

There’s quite a few companies now that specialise in making protein bars. However, they are all created with different nutritional information & some are targeting specific markets. For example, the Vegan bar is marketed clearly for Vegans. Other bars may have a low sugar content, or low carbs.

Ideally, the best protein bars are going to be one which you can eat, without it being hard work. In addition to this, it’s important that the ingredients included aren’t going to provide huge sugar contents, as this will mean it’s nowhere near as healthy as it should be.

The price of a protein bar is also a huge factor. Nobody wants to overspend on a protein bar, so it’s important to ensure that you check this out. Most protein bars are around £1.50 each, but my personal aim is to spend no more than £2 per bar. I don’t eat them regularly, so it’s not too bad.

I’ve provided the three best protein bars on the UK market at the moment. As I perform more taste tests, you can expect this list to get a little longer!

We will be happy to hear your thoughts

Leave a reply

Home Gym Review
Logo