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With plant-based eating on the rise, the days of eating chalky store-bought vegan protein bars or spending endless time in the kitchen making homemade vegan snacks are behind us.
There are now endless options of vegan protein bars that taste like desserts but contain nutritious, satiating ingredients.
As opposed to traditional protein bars that contain whey protein or egg whites, vegan protein bars typically get their protein punch from hemp, brown rice, pumpkin seed, or pea protein.
Healthy plant-based protein bars will ideally contain high amounts of fiber and protein, low sugar levels, and a majority of ingredients from whole food sources.
Check out our list of six of the best vegan protein barsโfrom our top pick, ALOHA Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, to five others, including the best keto, high-protein, high-fiber, and nut-free options.
Best for: Vegans looking for a hemp-based protein bar; people wanting a sustainable and environmentally friendly bar.
Hemp is a great source of sustainable protein as the plants use very little water and donโt need any fertilizer or pesticides to grow, and the Evo Hemp Lemonbar is one of the best to offer this protein source.
Made from hemp seeds grown at small family farms in Colorado, Evo Hemp bars provide 12g of proteinโand only 4g of sugarโper bar.
Evo Hemp also utilizes regenerative farming practices to restore soil quality, and all of their products are third-party tested for consistency, quality, purity, and potency. In addition to their fan-favorite Lemon flavor, Evo Hemp also offers Double Chocolate Brownie, Cookie Dough, Birthday Cake, and more.
Allulose can cause digestive problems in some people
Best for: Keto vegans; people wanting a zero-sugar protein bar.
Although โvegan ketoโ sounds like an oxymoron, there are plenty of people out there who follow both a plant-based and low-carb/high-fat dietโand Good! Snacks are the perfect fit.
With 13g of fat from almond butter and 10-11g of pea protein, these bars provide energy without any potential blood sugar crash.
The Good! Bars are sweetened with allulose and have zero sugarโbut while allulose is considered a safe sugar substitute, some people can have digestive issues after eating it.
All of the AMRITA bars are made from whole-food ingredients, such as dates, brown rice protein, mango, quinoa, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, and chia or flax seeds.
Contains probiotics, adaptogens, superfoods, and functional mushrooms
Cons
Expensive
Best for: People looking to splurge on a protein bar; vegans looking for a high fiber and low sugar protein bar.
For those wanting a high-fiber vegan protein bar with low sugar, R.E.D.D. has an excellent selection of nutritious and delicious flavors.
Each bar contains a beneficial blend of probiotics, adaptogens like maca and turmeric, superfoods like acai and goji berry, and the functional mushrooms chaga, cordyceps, and reishi.
As their name suggests, R.E.D.D. bars are โRadiant Energy Deliciously Delivered.โ
With up to 16g of fiber, 10g of protein, 2g of sugar, and tasty flavors like Mint Chocolate and Oatmeal, R.E.D.D. bars are a great plant-based protein bar choiceโthe only downside is their high price point.
Best Nut-Free Vegan Protein Bar: GoMacro Sunflower Butter and Chocolate
Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified and Certified Gluten-Free
Low-FODMAP
Cons
Higher in sugar (11g)
Best for: Vegans with nut allergies; people on a low-FODMAP diet.
Whereas many vegan protein bars utilize nuts to increase their protein and fat content, GoMacro Sunflower Butter and Chocolate instead uses sunflower seed butter, brown rice protein, and flax.
Although many of GoMacroโs other flavors do contain nuts, they have two other nut-free flavors that use sunflower seed butter, including the Maple Sea Salt and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip.
Plus, this GoMacro flavor is FODMAP-friendly, allowing people on low-FODMAP diets to enjoy this bar.
However, GoMacroโs bars are higher on the sugar side, with an average of 11g of sugar per bar from organic brown rice syrup and organic coconut sugar.
FAQs About Vegan Protein Bars
What Is the Best Vegan Meal Replacement Bar?
With an average of 200 calories per bar, vegan protein bars should typically be considered a snack rather than a meal replacement.
However, many vegan protein bars are higher in protein and fiber, which would make them more suitable for replacing a small meal.
Examples of high-protein and high-fiber vegan protein bars include AMRITA, R.E.D.D., and ALOHA bars.
Are Vegan Bars Healthy?
Like all protein bars, vegan protein bars can be healthy or unhealthy.
Healthy vegan protein bars will contain lower amounts of sugar (ideally less than 6-8g per bar from natural sources), good amounts of fiber and protein, and minimally processed ingredients.
Unhealthy vegan protein bars may include artificial sweeteners or preservatives, high amounts of sugar, or too-low amounts of fiber and protein to be satiating.
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