Caveman Foods
Chocolate Salted Carmel
TL:DR
In 2 Sentences
Egg‑white protein and a nut‑and‑seed base deliver dairy‑free, complete protein in a bar that tastes like salted‑caramel chocolate—without sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners. It’s more cleaned‑up treat than muscle bar.
When to choose Caveman Foods Chocolate Salted Carmel
Best as a snack for dairy‑free eaters who want a candy‑adjacent bite with real crunch and 10g protein. Great pre‑workout or as an afternoon bridge; less ideal if you need keto macros or 20g+ protein.
What's in the Caveman Foods bar?
Caveman Foods’ Chocolate Salted Carmel leans into a simple promise: a chocolate–caramel bite built on nuts and seeds, held together with a clean, dairy‑free protein. The protein comes from egg whites (not whey), so you get a complete amino acid profile without milk, plus backup protein from pumpkin, almond, sunflower, cashew, sesame, and chia.
Flavor-wise, cocoa powder, organic tapioca syrup, cane sugar, and a pinch of salt do the “chocolate salted caramel” heavy lifting.
The macro story is snack‑like: protein on the lighter side, fats from whole seeds and coconut with a touch of palm kernel oil, and carbs driven by syrup and sugar, buffered by soluble tapioca fiber.
Expect quick energy with a smoother landing than candy, but more sweetness than you’ll find in ultra‑low‑sugar protein bars.
- Protein
- 10 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Carbohydrates
- 17 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Calories
- 190
Protein
1015LOWMost of the protein here comes from egg whites, a clean, complete protein that covers all essential amino acids without dairy. The seeds and nuts add a little more, but at 10 grams total this lands on the lighter end for “protein bars.” Net effect: high‑quality, dairy‑free protein, better for a snack than a meal replacement.
Fat
109MIDFat is largely from whole nuts and seeds (almonds, cashews, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame) and coconut—satiating sources rich in unsaturated fats—plus palm kernel oil, a very saturated plant fat used to firm chocolatey layers. That mix tilts more saturated than bars relying on oils like olive or canola, but it delivers satisfying texture and stability.
Carbs
1720MIDCarbs come mostly from organic tapioca syrup and cane sugar—refined sweeteners that provide fast energy—tempered by soluble tapioca fiber (a resistant dextrin from cassava) and the naturally low‑GI nut‑and‑seed base. Expect a quick lift, with the bar’s fiber and fats helping smooth the curve rather than the slow‑burn you’d get from oats or sweet potato.
Sugar
84HIGHEight grams of sugar—about two teaspoons—come primarily from organic tapioca syrup and cane sugar, not fruit. There are no sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners, so the sweetness tastes clean but will raise blood sugar more quickly; the fiber and fat matrix helps blunt, not erase, that rise.
Calories
190210MIDAt 190 calories, this is a lighter entry for the category. Roughly half the energy comes from fats in the nuts/seeds and coconut, about a third from carbs (including the syrups), and the rest from egg‑white protein—more of a compact snack than a full meal stand‑in.
Vitamins & Minerals
No single vitamin or mineral is highlighted above 10% Daily Value, but the nut‑and‑seed blend typically contributes small amounts of vitamin E (almonds, sunflower), magnesium (pumpkin seeds), and copper (cashews). Think of these as quiet bonuses rather than headline nutrients.
Additives
Beyond the whole‑food core, a few helpers do the functional work. Soluble tapioca fiber is a refined binding fiber, sunflower lecithin keeps the chocolatey bits smooth, and palm kernel oil provides structure and snap. It’s a short list of common, more‑processed aids alongside largely whole ingredients.
Ingredient List
Pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita spp.)
Almond tree seeds
Sunflower plant seeds
Cashew tree kernel
Sesamum indicum seeds
Coconut palm fruit flesh
Chia plant seeds (Salvia hispanica)
Cassava starch
Eggs
Sugarcane and sugar beet
What are people saying?
Sources
Range
“These are delicious! I’ve been putting off a trip to Costco and knowing this deal is going to make me go”
“These are so good - absolutely delicious and a great grab and go snack.”
“I’ve tried a few of their products (various types of bars) and have yet to be disappointed. Would definitely recommend.”
Main Praise
Across Reddit and Amazon, the chorus is consistent: taste. People call these “absolutely delicious” and reach for them as a grab‑and‑go snack that actually satisfies, not a chalky compromise.
The texture gets love—real nuts and seeds instead of a gummy brick—and the sweetness tastes clean because there are no sugar alcohols to crash the party. Egg‑white protein is a quiet hero here, bringing a complete amino acid profile without dairy, which wins points with folks who avoid whey.
Several reviewers even slot it in as a pre‑tennis or pre‑pickleball bite, which tells you it provides quick energy without sitting heavy.
Main Criticism
The knocks land in three places.
First, the macros: 10g protein is light, and a few reviewers call the bar too sweet for daily use; the 8g of sugar comes from tapioca syrup and cane sugar, so it will raise blood sugar more than a truly low‑sugar bar.
Second, ideology—some r/Paleo commenters argue that added syrups make this “not really paleo,” and anyone eating keto will want to skip it. Third, logistics: the chocolate can soften in warm weather, and a handful of Amazon reviews mention batch variability, from taste tweaks to the occasional stale‑tasting bar.
The Middle Ground
So which is it—smart snack or stealthy dessert? Probably both, depending on your goals.
If you’re chasing 20–25g of protein or strict keto, this isn’t your bar; the sweeteners are real, the protein is moderate, and there’s a touch of palm kernel oil to firm the chocolatey layer.
But if you want a dairy‑free, gluten‑free bite with a short, mostly whole‑food ingredient list—and you prefer real sugar to sugar alcohols—the trade‑offs make sense.
One Redditor warned to “stay away” because of the sugar, yet eight grams is a far cry from the 20‑plus grams in most candy bars, and the fats and fiber from nuts and seeds do help steady the landing.
Messy in heat? Sure—keep it out of a hot car and it behaves.
The recipe‑change grumbles seem to be flavor‑specific and intermittent rather than a universal downgrade.
What's the bottom line?
Caveman Foods’ Chocolate Salted Carmel is a dessert‑leaning protein snack anchored in egg whites, nuts, and seeds. It delivers 10g protein at 190 calories with crowd‑pleasing flavor and no sugar alcohols, making it an easy win for dairy‑free snackers and anyone who wants a treat that still pulls its weight. Treat it as a snack, not a meal replacement, and it shines: quick energy, satisfying crunch, and enough protein to bridge a few hours.
If you need keto macros or a heavy protein hit, look elsewhere; if you want a realistic middle ground between protein bar and candy bar—one that respects ingredients more than marketing—this is a solid pick. Just mind the allergens (egg, tree nuts, sesame) and the summer sun.