Before you splash out on a full box, you might be wondering what the best nutrition bar on the market right now is. There are plenty of things to take into consideration, including price, taste, macros and any special dietary needs. Thankfully, we have plenty of high quality options from vegan protein bars, high protein bars, candy bar style nutrition bars and more!

Best nutrition bars comparison chart (top 10 highest rated products)

 

What are the different types of nutrition bars?

• Protein bar
• Meal replacement
• Vegan
• Wholefood
• Flapjack
• Cereal bar
• Keto
• Gluten-free
• Weight-gainer bars
• Paleo

What are the best nutrition bar ingredients?

The best nutrition bar ingredients depend on your personal goals and dietary needs. We would look for bars that contain ingredients you recognize (oats, whey, peanut butter), and avoid those with with lots of sugar, sweeteners or sugar alcohols.

1. Whey Protein

Look for bars that include mostly whey protein (especially an isolate) over milk protein. This is the highest quality and purest option. Whey isolate contains more grams of protein gram for gram than a milk concentrate and digests better to avoid any bloating or flatulance.

2. Fruits (blueberry, goji...)

If you are swapping a small meal for a bar... it's unlikely you're serving it up with salad or veggies! It is some consolation if the bar contains micronutrients from ingredients in it. Dried fruits not only add a delicious taste and texture but contribute important vitamins and may add an addition few grams of fiber to support gut health.

3. Nuts or coconut oil

These natural, healthy fat sources are great to find in a bar for satiety and health benefits. Pumpkin seeds, cashew and chia seeds are some that you might find. These contribute fatty acids for a different energy source to what you might get from a high sugar, basic flapjack, for example.

4. Meat, Fish or Egg/Egg Whites

Redcon1 MRE bars are one example of a product that uses protein sourced from chicken, salmon and more. If you are using a bar to replace a wholefood meal, this is as close as you can get to the real thing! It also adds variety and different amino acid profiles. These proteins can be expensive and you may not be able to eat them daily, or you might already be topping up your intake with a lot of whey or dairy based products.

5. Oats, Brown Rice, Sweet Potato

Wholegrains and complex carbohydrates are ideal for a bar that needs to keep you going for hours. Look for a bar with as little added sugar as possible and find one that mimics a hot, cooked meal!

What are the best nutrition bars on the market? Here’s our 2021 top 10 list:

Here are our top 10 best nutrition bars in 2021. Each of these come with their own unique benefits and selling points so that there is something for everyone! We've listed some of their key ingredients and information on when to eat. Find your next favorite healthy snack here.

1. RX Bar (best nutrition bar overall)

RX are probably our 'cleanest' bars. The ingredients list is short and easy to understand - you can pretty much count the ingredients in each flavor on your hand! If you want something like a clif bar, but without the fillers and better macros, this is the one for you.

Ingredients:

• egg whites
• almonds
• cashews
• dates

RX Bar Review:

'These taste great and are a proper treat with no nasty ingredients and nothing artificial at all. Nice texture with a good mix of carbs and protein.'

2. Quest Bar (best low carb bar)

Quest Bars changed the protein bar game when they first burst onto the scene. With unbelievably low carbs and sugar and a unique nougat like texture, these are simply iconic in the nutrition bar space.

Ingredients:

• whey protein isolate
• almonds
• coconut oil
• stevia

Quest Bar Review:

'There’s a dazzling array of protein bars on the market now but I can tell you that Quest still win the prize. Typically they contain a respectable 20g of protein, a ‘just right’ 8 or 9g of fat (neither decadently high nor faddily low), virtually no sugar, and a healthy helping – between 12g and a whopping 20g – of soluble fibre (the best kind). They’re chewy and substantial texture and they come in a mind-boggling array of flavours. And they contain only 200 calories! What more could you want??'

3. Redcon1 MRE (best meal replacement bar)

MRE Bars probably contain the highest quality ingredients of any bar in this list. With protein from meats, salmon and eggs, and carbs from sources like sweet potato, these are a nutritionist's dream! They're a pretty large and well balanced bar so perfect to have around when you don't have a prepped meal with you.

Ingredients:

• beef protein isolate
• gluten-free rolled oats
• sweet potato
• dehydrated blueberries

MRE Bar Review:

'I have tried at least 20 different protein and meal replacement bars over the past year, always try to find the best combination of low sugar, low fat and high-quality protein and carbs in a bar that still tastes good. Not only does the MRE bar have the best ingredient profile I have ever seen but the macros are spot on and the taste and texture is superb.'

4. No Cow (best vegan bar)

Of course, we had to include a vegan option! No Cow bars are free from soy protein, instead using an advanced vegan protein blend. Each bar contains around 20g protein, the same as we'd expect from a non-vegan bar, and flavours include chocolate fudge brownie and vanilla caramel.

Ingredients:

• brown rice protein
• pea protein
• almonds
• monk fruit

No Cow Bar Review:

'I prefer vegan bars as they digest well and no cows bars did not disappoint. Lovely, tasty and great macros!'

5. Outright Bar

Outright Bars are completely natural protein bars straight out of the US complete with delicious flavors to suit anyone. They provide a balanced profile of macros to keep you full for hours.

Ingredients:

• peanut butter
• honey
• whey protein isolate
• cocoa

Outright Bar Review:

'These seem small compared to other bars but they're full of nutrients, all that can be used by the body and they're actually satisfying. I've loved all of the flavours so far and I've tried most of them!'

6. Carb Killa (best tasting)

Carb Killas taste so good you might think you've opened a real chocolate bar! With a mix of soft and crispy textures, these certainly don't get boring. Grenade are always releasing new flavors, so look out for the latest additions from white chocolate to birthday cake.

Ingredients:

• whey protein isolate
• calcium caseinate
• cocoa mass
• milk chocolate

Carb Killa Review:

'Love the grenade protein bar... you feel like your having a CHEAT meal rather than a protein bar!'

7. Barebells

Swedish company Barebells have had a huge impact in the fitness industry since they first released their bars. They combine incredible taste and texture with premium quality ingredients. Not one to be missed!

Ingredients:

• milk protein
• milk chocolate
• cocoa powder
• cocoa mass

Barebells Bar Review:

'These are my new favorite bars! Tastes just like a candy bar. Macros are great too!'

8. Combat Crunch (best candy bar style bar)

Combat Crunch Bars deliver an impressive amount of protein (20g), but with minimal sugar. Combat Crunch Bars feature a chocolate coating and multiple layers. The ideal craving killer!

Ingredients:

• whey protein isolate
• whey protein concentrate
• almonds
• freeze dried raspberries

Combat Crunch Bar Review:

'Love combat crunch bars, great flavors and very satisfying!'

9. Carb Crusher

Dark chocolate sea salt and strawberry cheesecake are just 2 flavors on offer from My Protein with their Carb Crusher bar. These are relatively low in fat, making them one of the better options for a quick post-workout.

Ingredients:

cocoa mass

whey protein

milk protein

milk chocolate

Carb Crusher Review:

'The peanut bar together with dark chocolate are my two favorite by a mile from MyProtein. Top top quality bars.'

10. Warrior Raw (best budget option)

Warrior Raw flapjacks might not use as high quality sources of protein as something like the MRE bar, but they make a great budget option for those who want to save on their snacking!

Ingredients:

• rolled oats
• honey
• milk protein
• cranberries

Warrior Raw Review:

'Tasty, filling, nice texture. Slight hint of the stevia sweetener, but I’m used to that now so I don’t mind. One of the few bars out there that taste good and actually have very low sugar and fat content.'

Our conclusion

We'd couldn't choose just one, but we hope that our list of the top 10 best nutrition bars for snacking and meal replacement was helpful!

FAQs

What are the healthiest nutrition bars you stock?

The healthiest nutrition bars we stock are arguably RX Bars. These contain only 'real' ingredients, with no preservatives. RX Bars are made entirely from egg whites, nuts and dried fruits like dates, without compromising on taste. We have all flavors including US exclusives available here!

Are nutrition bars good for weight loss?

If you want to consume a nutrition bar within your daily calorie goals, it can certainly be a good addition to your diet. Bars don't require any prep so are great to have when you get caught out without a meal. They can also kick a sweet craving.

What nutrition bars are keto?

Not many nutrition bars are truly keto however some can be incorporated into a ketogenic or very low carb diet if only tracking net carbs. Our recommendation would be Quest Bars which come in a whole range of flavours from chocolate chip cookie dough to chocolate peanut butter.

Which is the best tasting nutrition bar?

While this is person dependent... our most universally liked bars on this list would probably be Carb Killa. These are so popular that they've made it into convenience stores and supermarkets! With an impressive ingredient list to support, you can't go wrong with these bars.

Can I eat nutrition bars while pregnant?

While most wholefood style snack bars should be fine to consume while pregnant, you should always run through changes to diet with your GP or midwife. Some sports bars might have added ingredients that are unsuitable, or total grams of sugar or protein content might be excessive.