It seems like everyone is talking about eating more protein these days. I’m not one to respond when people are raising alarms about arbitrary dietary issues, but I do think this particular conversation is important for a variety of reasons. Whether we like it or not, the truth is that protein is the main macronutrient the muscles in our bodies feed on and, well, muscle is the organ of longevity. When other parts of our body — like our joints, ligaments, and tendons, for example — begin to weaken with age or overuse or because of injury, our muscles can help, at least in small part, make up for their deficiencies.

You don’t have to be a powerlifter or athlete of some kind like me to care about this. The unfortunate fact of living in a body means our muscles are aging, degrading, and sometimes experiencing injury, too, so even doing the bare minimum to care for them will be extremely beneficial as you grow old. And really, the benefits of eating more protein extend far beyond that: Protein keeps you full and satisfied, it provides more energy to your body throughout the day, and it can help balance out your hormones and help keep your bowel movements in check (if you’re into that sort of thing).

The posts, videos, and articles I saw throughout all of March contained tons of helpful tips I have also employed on my macronutrient and powerlifting journey over the last three years and ones I often relay to the friends I’m currently coaching in weightlifting and powerlifting. They all shared the importance of eating protein-rich whole foods like dairy (ultra-filtered milk, cottage cheese, and greek yogurt, in particular), meat and fish, eggs and egg whites, and beans and legumes. This isn’t bad advice, of course — a balanced diet should include mostly whole foods — but when I started powerlifting and tracking my macronutrients in earnest three years ago, I noticed that’s a lot easier said than done. As I’ve learned and grown over this time, I’ve been able to create a routine for myself that allows me to get over 220 grams of protein a day without thinking about it much. But I also recognize there are so many people out there who would benefit from this very practical advice: You need to get your protein where you can, as often as you can.

As I said, so much of the advice out there is great, but it’s also unrealistic to assume that everyone who comes across them has the access or the time to craft perfectly balanced, protein-rich meals more than once or twice a day. I know I don’t always have that time. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned since taking strength training and my general health more seriously is that making changes in our lifestyles doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing deal. We can take many small steps that contribute to a better outcome. And that’s why I continue to find ways to supplement the whole food, macronutrient-rich meals I can make with foods that are high in protein and other macronutrients (like carbohydrates and fiber) and easy to eat in any situation.

With that in mind, I thought a guide to some protein bars and snacks would be useful for people who are trying to increase their protein intake without drastically overhauling their kitchens and their lives. Since I use these snacks as a supplement, a good protein bar or snack has to have some basic qualities for me: They have to have somewhere between 12 and 24 grams of protein, less than 250 calories (ideally, 1 gram of protein per 10 calories), and they need to taste good as hell (because, otherwise, what are we even doing here?). There are tons of bars out there that are considered meal replacements, but you won’t find them on the list because of that specific criteria. Additionally, because there are tons of these kinds of food brands on the market right now, I’ve kept this list to the most accessible brands. Here, you’ll find snacks — supplements, as I said — available almost anywhere that will help you hit your daily protein goal in a matter of five minutes or less.

Bars Attempting to Imitate the Comfort of Other Foods

Quest Bar Apple Pie: Starting strong here. I was so excited when I saw them originally announce these were coming out, and then I had to wait about four months before they got to the shelves near me. They hit that balance of stewed apple and cinnamon flavor so well. There’s even some pieces of pie crust and jammy apple swirl in these. One of my favorites, and I don’t even like real apple pie that much. 10/10

FitCrunch Strawberry Strudel: I want to like these more than I do. I always expect the fruit flavors in these things to taste artificial, but there’s a line of where that’s super tolerable and downright cloying, and these kind of hit more towards the cloying end. But I will say, FitCrunch bars have the most interesting texture, so I’ll give it some extra love for that. 6/10

Gorilla Bar Birthday Cake: This is the only birthday cake flavored anything besides actual cake that I’ll eat in my whole life. I think that says enough. 8/10

Pure Protein Chocolate Mint Cookie, Galactic Brownie, Brookie, and Lemon Cake: I’m throwing these together because they’re all getting the same score. I think Pure Protein bars, for the most part, fall in the C and D range if I was to grade them on the 4.0 scale. These flavors are a solid B and B+ to me with Galactic Brownie really in the lead for best one here. 8/10

One Bar Maple Donut and Cinnamon Roll: One Bars tend to be on the much sweeter end of the scale as far as protein bars go, so I’ll usually grab one on a day when it’s not looking like I can’t get in a real sweet treat for whatever reason. Maple Donut is a solid 9/10, with Cinnamon Roll coming in close at 8.5/10.

Alani Nu Rocky Road: I went into this with high hopes. Probably too high. My dessert palate tends to be on the kid’s side of the spectrum, and Rocky Road ice cream was one of my favorite ice creams of all time for many years of my life. I wanted to like this so bad but it’s so damn chalky. I don’t know how they messed this up. It pisses me off, honestly. 4/10

Power Crunch Lemon Meringue: Power Crunch bars are interesting because they’re a protein bar take on those layered wafer cookies you sometimes would get from the vending machine in middle school and those Quadratini cookies that bang so hard. This has a refreshing combination of not too sweet lemon pie flavor and white chocolate. All I can say is it’s pretty nice. 7.5/10

Quest Bar Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: A classic for a reason, but mostly kind of one note with the exception of the break in texture you get from the chocolate chips. It’s not bad, it’s just boring, and I guess that’s fine. 7/10

S’mores Off

Again, my dessert palate gravitates towards the flavors of childhood that made me love food in the first place. So, naturally, I’ve tried every major brand of this flavor.

Quest Bar S’mores: You’re going to notice a pattern of Quest often sweeping these categories, and that’s not because I’m sponsored (though I wish I was, Quest PR people!). They’re just doing a great job, and this is no exception. The base of this bar is graham cracker and marshmallow flavor, and THEN there’s actual pieces of graham crackers in there and big chunks of chocolate. Magical. 10/10

One Bar S’mores: You’d think this would be better than their Maple Donut and Cinnamon Roll flavors, because S’mores flavor seems much more simple to recreate in a lab but they kind of blew it here. 5/10

Power Crunch S’mores: This is the only one with the actual crunch of a S’mores but the marshmallow flavor is basically absent. I’d still eat it over the One Bar, though. 7/10

Battle Bars S’mores: These come extremely close to the glory of the Quest S’mores bar. They’re hitting all the right notes, and the flavors are all almost there. You just don’t get as much graham because there’s also crisped rice in the bar, which does give it a satisfying texture so it’s not a huge loss. 9/10

Just the Basics: Chocolate and Vanilla and Cream

Power Crunch French Vanilla Creme: Vanilla is technically one of the most complex flavors in the world, and I think they do a good job of pushing that complexity through here. It has a kind of roasted vanilla flavor I haven’t seen any of these other companies doing or trying to do. Plus, it’s nice to have that crunchy wafer bar every now and then. 8/10

Quest Bar Double Chocolate Chunk: Ah, my ol’ reliable. It’s exactly what it sounds like: just a butt load of chocolate flavor with some nice chocolate chunks to break up the semi-soft texture of the bar. It’s nothing special, but it’s good. 8/10

Quest Hero Bar Cookies & Cream: This is the first of a few Quest Hero bars on this list, and that’s because they rock. These have a classic cookies and cream flavor, but it’s elevated by the crispy, crunchy texture of the bar and the smooth white chocolate coating over it. I’ve eaten these almost every day for four months. 9/10

Quest Bar Overload Chocolate Explosion: These are the new kids on the block as far as protein bars go. Quest is doing a little experiment in stealing some tricks from Barebells, which we’ll get to in a little bit. This is a candy bar inspired protein bar that tastes like you’re eating straight up brownie batter with chocolate cookie pieces and chocolate chunks inside of it. I was skeptical about how these were going to go down, but they blew me away. 10/10

Myprotein Protein Wafer Vanilla: These have a less than ideal macronutrient breakdown for me, but they are a little heartier and a little thicker than the Power Crunch bars. The flavor isn’t as complex because this is kind of your standard artificial vanilla flavor, but the texture makes up for that a little bit. 7/10

Assorted Fruits

Battle Bars Lemon and Banana Cream: I bought these when they were on sale for a dollar at the Vitamin Shoppe one day because I figured I had nothing to lose. And I was right. These actually rock so hard. They’re covered in a nice white and milk chocolate coating, they’re crispy as fuck, and they hit the fruit flavors so well without tasting wildly artificial. The Lemon is a solid 8/10 but I would pay full price for a Banana Cream so I’m giving that one a 9/10.

Quest White Chocolate Raspberry: I didn’t think these would be good, but someone I know wouldn’t stop talking to me about them until I tried so I caved. I was shocked at how fresh (?) the raspberry swirl tasted in these. And the white chocolate chunks add a nice textural element to the soft, gooeyness of the bar. I’m here to testify that they’re worth a shot. 8.5/10

Built Bars Built Puff Coconut: I noticed in all my meathead scrolling that these bars are a real hit with the wellness ladies, so I figured I’d try them out to see what the fuss was all about. People describe their “puff” texture as marshmallow-like, and I think that’s dead on. These basically taste like coconut marshmallows dipped in dark chocolate. If they’d messed this up, I’d be shocked. 8/10

The Classic Killer Combo: Nuts and Chocolate and Maybe a Secret Third Thing

David Protein Salted Peanut Butter: This brand kind of just popped onto the scene around the holidays, and everyone was going batshit about the macronutrient breakdown because they pack a whopping 28 grams of protein and only 150 calories per bar. Until recently, it was impossible to find them anywhere but online. I noticed in February they started popping up in all kinds of stores I frequent (even a local 7-Eleven), so I tried them all. This is the only one worth returning to because for the most part, it tastes like semi-solid Skippy Natural peanut butter with some crisped rice inside of it. Definitely a little one-note, but I love peanut butter and you can’t change that. 9.5/10

Quest Hero Bar Chocolate Peanut Butter: Perfect balance of chocolate and peanut butter, crispy rice texture, and a milk chocolate coating on the outside. There was no way in hell this was going to be bad. 9.5/10

FitCrunch Chocolate Peanut Butter: Like the Strawberry Strudel variety, this is also what FitCrunch calls a “bakery bar,” which means there’s layers to this shit. It has nougat, peanuts, a softer peanut butter filling, and a semi-sweet chocolate coating. They’re pretty good but every time I eat one, I wonder what flavor the nougat is supposed to be. 7.5/10

Quest Hero Bar Caramel Pecan: You can see that these are not like the others, but I honestly didn’t know where else to place them on this list. They replicate the classic pecan turtle candy flavor really, really well, and I’m impressed by how much they were able to capture that even with the crispy texture still there. 8.5/10

Barebells Will Turn You Into a Believer

You’ve probably heard of these or seen them around because they’re one of the main protein bars sold at every Trader Joe’s. Barebells are hands-down the best protein bars on the market. The actual bar is a soft texture, and most of them have some kind of crispy or crunchy element in the coating enrobing them. I wouldn’t say every flavor is a 10/10 but they are all, at least, a 9, so I’m going to keep this simple and give you all my 10s.

Barebells Creamy Crisp: The undisputed King of Barebells for me. The flavor of these is hard to describe, but if I had to, I’d say they’re a subtle roasted coconut flavor on the inside. They’re coated in milk chocolate and crispy rice, and they’re a goddamn delight to eat at any time of day. 100/10

Barebells Cookies & Caramel: These are definitely Twix-inspired, and while that might not seem very exciting, I can guarantee you that compared to some of the other protein shit on the market, you’re going to be impressed with how good these are. 10/10

Barebells Salty Peanut: I don’t know how to describe this other than saying this is the service top of protein bars. Maybe you’re used to this combination of flavors or whatever, but it’s not like it’s going to steer you wrong. 10/10

Barebells Salted Peanut Caramel: The closest thing we’ll get to a “healthy” Snickers in this shit ass era of ours. 10/10

Barebells Banana Caramel: Really good artificial banana flavor sometimes feels like a UFO sighting — rare and unlikely. But the Barebells chemists really put their foot in this one, and I commend them for it. 10/10

Barebells Key Lime Pie: As a Floridian and a person with damn good taste, key lime pie is the King of Pies to me. I can tell you where to get the best key lime pie in every major city in the state, and I can tell you where to get the best one ever in existence. I wasn’t sure what to think when they dropped the news of this release, because it seemed like a big risk to take in terms of nailing a flavor. I won’t say they nailed it perfectly — I mean, come on, it’s a fuckin’ protein bar — but it’s very, very good in its own right. And I love the addition of white chocolate to the overall profile. 10/10

Barebells Hazelnut & Nougat: I’m so sorry to the vegans reading this who have noticed a lack of plant-based bars on this list. The reality is that most of the plant-based options either taste like chalk rolled in wet dirt or have less than desirable macronutrients or both. Barebells kind of came to y’all’s rescue with these. They’re the only hazelnut flavor protein bar I’ve ever seen, so I gave them an actual chance. They are awesome enough for me to give them a perfect score. 10/10

Not Really Bars But Not Not Bars, Either

Legendary Foods Tasty Pastries in Strawberry, Hot Fudge, and Brown Sugar Cinnamon: I’m grouping these together because, again, they’re all getting the same score. These Tasty Pastries are a high-protein take on Pop Tarts, but I find that if you go into them without expecting them to taste like actual Pop Tarts, they’re a lot more enjoyable. Truthfully, in the last couple of years, I’ve eaten one of these with breakfast quite a few times, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. They’re good for that, and what are you? The nutrition police? I don’t think so! 8.5/10

Alpha Prime Bites in Banana Nut, Glazed Chocolate Donut, and Glazed Cinnamon Roll: Another case of not being ideal in terms of the macronutrient breakdown but being very good at being a nice little treat. Wouldn’t it be cool if a slice of cake also had 19 grams of protein? They’re kind of attempting to solve a problem no one ever cared to think about here in that way, and I’m glad they are. 8/10

Legendary Foods Sweet Roll in Caramel Sticky Bun: I’ll be honest and say I’m not a huge fan of these “sweet rolls.” They’re kind of dense in a way that can be a little unpleasant in terms of an eating experience. However, I will say this flavor is a much needed improvement for the brand. It has a kind of sticky CinnaBon pecan turtle vibe and the texture is better than the other flavors. 6.5/10

Quest Frosted Cookies in Chocolate Cake and Strawberry Cake: All I’m going to say about these is that they taste like Hostess Donettes in the best way possible. 8/10

Quest Bake Shop Muffins in Chocolate Chip and Blueberry: I really thought these were going to be dryer than a sandbox when I first bought them to test out, but I was wrong. They’re super moist, which is great, but they’re not nearly as flavorful as they should be. Still, it’s not like I’d turn them away if someone offered. 6.5/10

Believe It or Not, They Also Make Protein Chips

Quest Chips in Loaded Taco, Sour Cream & Onion, and Hot & Spicy: God-tier protein snack with an excellent macronutrient breakdown. Plus, they’re sturdy enough to use for dips and burrito bowls. If you’re not eating these already, you should be. 10/10

Legendary Foods Popped Protein Chips in Nacho Cheese: I think these are trying to mimic the texture of Popcorners, but there’s just something off about them. That being said, if I don’t have a ton of options, this classic chip flavor is mostly enjoyable. 6/10

Power Crunch Protein Crisps in Cheddar and Hot & Spicy: My good friend, coaching client, and Autostraddle Managing Editor Kayla bought these one day when they were on sale at the regional grocery store we share, Publix. She told me to try them out and, since I trust her with my life, I did and I was not disappointed. These were definitely created as a protein snack equivalent to Pringles, and honestly, I kind of like them even better than the real thing. 9/10

Wilde Protein Chips in Buffalo and Sea Salt & Vinegar: These are kind of special in terms of the other items on this list because they’re made of chicken and egg whites, not milk or whey protein. I know that sounds absolutely diabolical — and trust me, I felt that way, too — but they are actually so delicious and satisfying. I think the Buffalo (9/10) are the best because it has a chicken wing taste but the Sea Salt & Vinegar (8.5/10) are also really great.

Have you tried anything great you don’t see here? Drop your recommendations in the comments!

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