CLIF
Chocolate Peanut Butter Flavor Protein Bar
TL:DR
In 2 Sentences
Twenty grams of complete soy protein in a bar that actually tastes like dessert, with no high-intensity or artificial sweeteners—just cane sugar, brown rice syrup, and a polished, candy-bar texture. It’s vegan and gluten-free.
When to choose CLIF Chocolate Peanut Butter Flavor Protein Bar
Reach for it after training or as a substantial on-the-go snack when taste matters and you want a reliable protein hit. Skip it if you’re chasing ultra-low sugar, palm-oil-free, or super-short ingredient lists.
What's in the CLIF bar?
Chocolate peanut butter shows up honestly here—cocoa, cocoa butter, peanut butter, and real peanuts—wrapped around a plant‑protein core.
The 20g of protein comes from soy protein isolate and concentrate, putting it near the top of the pack, while carbs and sugar also run high for a protein bar thanks to cane syrup/sugar and brown rice syrup.
Expect quick energy with some buffering from chicory root fiber and the fats from peanuts; those fats are joined by palm kernel and cocoa butter, giving a mix of unsaturated and saturated oils.
Vegan, gluten‑free, and engineered for texture, this reads more like a performance snack than a minimalist ingredient list.
- Protein
- 20 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Carbohydrates
- 29 g
- Sugar
- 17 g
- Calories
- 290
Protein
2015HIGHProtein comes primarily from soy protein isolate and soy protein concentrate, with small assists from soy flour and peanuts. Soy is a complete plant protein—digestibility is solid, if a notch below dairy—so 20g lands you in a confident, vegan‑friendly range. The firm, nougat‑like bite is part protein, part binder doing double duty.
Fat
119MIDFat comes from peanut butter and peanuts (mostly unsaturated) plus palm kernel oil and cocoa butter (more saturated), with a touch of sunflower and/or soybean oil. That blend delivers creamy texture and shelf stability but skews higher in saturated fat than bars that rely only on nuts or olive‑style oils. If you’re minding your fat mix, add omega‑3‑rich foods elsewhere in the day.
Carbs
2920HIGHMost of the 29g of carbs are fast‑acting: cane syrup and cane sugar bring straightforward sucrose, while brown rice syrup—made by breaking rice starch into simpler sugars—adds more quick fuel. Chicory root fiber syrup contributes soluble fiber with a gentler blood‑sugar impact, but the overall profile leans toward rapid energy rather than slow release. Expect a quick lift more than an all‑afternoon trickle.
Sugar
174HIGHSeventeen grams of sugar place this on the sweeter end of protein bars, driven mainly by cane syrup and cane sugar rather than fruit. Brown rice syrup adds additional carbohydrate and sweetness, though not all of it counts toward the “sugars” line; vegetable glycerin keeps things soft and slightly sweet without being labeled as sugar. There are no high‑intensity or artificial sweeteners here, so the sweetness is old‑school—and you’ll taste it.
Calories
290210HIGHAt 290 calories, this is closer to a small meal than a light snack. Calories are spread across all three macros—roughly 80 from protein, about 100 from fat, and the rest from carbohydrates (syrups and starches included). Translation: substantial staying power, but portion size matters if you’re watching total energy.
Vitamins & Minerals
Iron (about 20% DV) and phosphorus (about 15% DV) stand out, largely from the soy protein ingredients, with smaller contributions from cocoa and peanuts. Vitamin E shows up modestly—likely from peanuts and soybean/sunflower oil—but stays under 10% DV. If you lean on bars for minerals, soy is doing the heavy lifting here.
Additives
This recipe uses the usual bar‑builder helpers: vegetable glycerin to keep it moist, soy lecithin to emulsify, mixed tocopherols to protect oils, and natural flavors to round out the chocolate‑peanut profile. Chicory root fiber syrup is a refined prebiotic binder that adds fiber while helping the bar hold together. It’s a fairly engineered formula—common in performance bars—rather than a short, whole‑foods list.
Ingredient List
Defatted soybean flakes
Sugarcane juice
Sugarcane stalks
Brown rice
Oil palm fruit
Vegetable oils (palm, soy)
Milled soybeans
Rice grain (Oryza sativa)
Chicory root
Groundnut plant seeds
What are people saying?
Sources
Range
“Another vote for builders bars. They are so so good. Definitely the best I've tasted, and I have tasted a lot.”
“Builder bars are THE BEST! I love them.”
“Oh the cookie dough is my fav! I like that it has a little caffeine boost too.”
Main Praise
Taste comes up again and again. Redditors call Builders “THE BEST” and “so so good,” and Business Insider’s grocery-store taste test slotted it at No.
2 for flavor—chocolatey, crunchy, and satisfying without a weird aftertaste. Many buyers say it’s genuinely filling and steadying, helped by the hefty 20g of complete plant protein from soy.
Reviewers also note it’s consistent and sturdy; one Amazon customer joked it survived days in a backpack and still emerged edible and substantial. Dietitians featured by outlets like Eat This, Not That!
also give it a nod for post-workout recovery, precisely because of the combination of protein quality and accessible carbs.
Main Criticism
The sweetness and size are the sticking points. At around 290 calories with about 17 grams of sugar, it sits on the sweeter, more energy-dense end of the protein-bar spectrum.
Some folks call out the saturated fat from palm kernel oil and prefer bars that rely solely on nuts for fat. Texture divides people, too—one Redditor said you practically drool trying to bite it, while others describe it as pleasantly nougat-like.
And if you want a minimalist ingredient list, this isn’t it: you’ll find standard bar helpers like glycerin (keeps it soft) and soy lecithin (helps it hold together), plus chicory root fiber, which some sensitive stomachs notice.
The Middle Ground
So who’s right—the “candy bar with benefits” crowd or the “great-tasting protein bar” camp? Both.
Builders tastes unusually good for a 20g plant-protein bar, and multiple sources—from Business Insider to BarBend testers to enthusiastic Reddit threads—back that up. But the sweetness and quick-hit carbs are deliberate: they make more sense after a workout, when faster fuel supports recovery, than as an all-afternoon desk snack.
As for texture, Reddit user complaints about it being hard may have met a bar straight from the cold; others praise the same density as part of its satisfying chew.
The fat blend does include palm kernel oil, which increases saturated fat and raises sustainability concerns for some shoppers, while the soy base delivers a complete amino acid profile that’s hard to find in vegan bars.
In short, it’s engineered for performance and pleasure, not for minimalism—so expectations matter.
What's the bottom line?
Think of CLIF Builders as a performance snack that happens to wear a very convincing chocolate-and-peanut-butter disguise. You’re getting 20g of complete soy protein, a candy-bar-like texture, and quick energy from cane sugar and brown rice syrup, plus enough calories to qualify as a small meal. If post-workout recovery or a substantial, vegan, gluten-free protein hit is your priority, it’s a strong, time-tested pick.
If your goals lean toward ultra-low sugar, palm-oil-free fats, or very short ingredient lists, look elsewhere. Condensed takeaway: A tasty, vegan, gluten-free bar with 20g of complete soy protein and a candy-bar bite—excellent after training or when you need a portable mini meal; less ideal if you want low sugar or a minimalist ingredient deck.