Grenade
Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Protein Bar
TL:DR
In 2 Sentences
A genuinely candy‑bar‑like, triple‑layer bite that still delivers 21 grams of fast‑and‑slow dairy protein with very little sugar; many flavors in the range carry Informed Sport certification (check the wrapper for your flavor).
When to choose Grenade Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Protein Bar
Best for dessert‑leaning, post‑workout or 3 p. m.
snacking when you want high protein without a sugar surge—and you tolerate sugar alcohols. Note: this flavor includes bovine collagen, so it isn’t vegetarian.
What's in the Grenade bar?
This Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel bar leans on a dairy-led protein blend—calcium caseinate and whey protein isolate—with a smaller boost from bovine collagen.
The chocolate chip character comes from real cocoa mass and cocoa butter (plus fat‑reduced cocoa powder), while the caramel impression is built with natural flavor and a pinch of sea salt.
Big picture nutritionally: high protein (21 grams; top decile among bars), middle‑of‑the‑pack carbs (largely from low‑sugar sweeteners and added fiber), very low sugar, and a chocolate‑style fat mix that keeps the coating snappy.
It’s engineered for a low‑sugar, high‑protein bite rather than a whole‑food carb experience.
- Protein
- 21 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Carbohydrates
- 20 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Calories
- 222
Protein
2115HIGHProtein comes primarily from milk proteins—calcium caseinate for slower, sustained release and whey protein isolate for fast uptake—supported by a smaller amount of bovine collagen peptides. That means most of the 21 grams are complete, highly digestible amino acids from dairy, with collagen there for texture more than quality (it’s incomplete). The result is a top‑tier protein count with both quick and steady digestion.
Fat
99MIDMost fats come from cocoa butter and palm fat, with a little from whole milk powder. It’s a more saturated profile—stearic and palmitic—balanced by some oleic acid, which delivers that firm chocolate snap and creamy bite. If you closely limit saturated fat, note this isn’t an olive‑oil or nut‑butter bar.
Carbs
2020MIDCarbs skew ‘engineered’ rather than whole‑food: maltitol (a sugar alcohol) provides sweetness, polydextrose (a synthetic soluble fiber) adds bulk, and glycerol helps keep the bar soft, with a little lactose from milk. This keeps sugar low and generally blunts big glucose spikes compared with sugar‑based bars, though polyols can bother sensitive stomachs. Middle‑of‑the‑pack carbs here translate to steady snack energy, not a quick sugar rush.
Sugar
14MIDSugar is very low at 1.3 grams, mostly from naturally occurring lactose in the dairy ingredients. Sweetness instead comes from sugar alcohol (maltitol) and a touch of glycerol, which cuts blood‑sugar spikes versus regular sugar but can cause GI discomfort for some if eaten in large amounts. If you prefer fruit‑derived sweetness, this isn’t that style of bar.
Calories
222210MIDAt 222 calories, energy is split largely between protein and fat, with the remainder from carbs. Because maltitol and polydextrose carry fewer calories than table sugar, the carb share is lighter than it looks on paper. Overall, calories sit slightly above average for bars—consistent with the chocolate coating and strong protein hit.
Vitamins & Minerals
No standout vitamins or minerals cross the 10% daily value line. Expect small contributions of calcium and B vitamins from the milk ingredients and a trace of magnesium from cocoa, but this bar is built for protein and flavor, not micronutrients.
Additives
To deliver low sugar with a soft, chewy texture, the recipe uses several refined helpers: maltitol for bulked sweetness, polydextrose for fiber and body, glycerol to retain moisture, and soy lecithin to keep the chocolate smooth. These are common, highly processed tools in modern low‑sugar bars—useful for texture and stability, though not whole‑food ingredients. Polyol‑sensitive readers may want to gauge tolerance.
Ingredient List
Cow's milk casein
Cow's milk whey
Vegetable oils and animal fats
Corn or wheat
Cattle hides, bones, connective tissue
Cocoa beans
Ground roasted cocoa bean nibs
Cow's milk
glucose
Oil palm fruit
What are people saying?
Sources
Range
“Recently, Grenade (protein bar brand) have released an official Oreo flavoured protein bar. It's absolutely incredible. Tastes like a full-fat Oreo dessert with 50g or more of sugar, but only has 1g. I can't tell at all that it's a workout/diet bar. Has no weird aftertaste. Just tastes like what you'd expect a chewy Twinkie/Cadbury bar to taste like.”
“These are SO GOOD! Only protein bar I don’t suddenly find disgusting when I’m half way through the box”
“Probably a top 3 protein bar honestly. Great macros, low sugar, amazing variety of flavors which taste like an actual candy bar.”
Main Praise
Across gyms, offices, and Reddit threads, the most consistent love letter to Grenade is taste. People don’t just finish a bar—they finish the box.
The layered build (crisp bits, caramel, chocolate) keeps it from tasting like a chalky block of whey, and several flavors—Oreo, White Chocolate Salted Peanut, Dark Chocolate Mint—come up again and again as “how is this low sugar?
” standouts. Reviewers also like the macro math: roughly 20–21 grams of protein in a bar that still feels like a treat, not a compromise.
Variety helps too; if one flavor isn’t your thing, another often is. For athletes, the brand’s common Informed Sport certification is a confidence booster, and the dairy protein blend lands well for recovery.
Main Criticism
Not everyone is smitten. A vocal minority calls some flavors too chewy or a little cardboard‑y, and one memorable Redditor went with “chewy talcum powder.
” The Oreo comparisons can set expectations sky‑high, so if you’re expecting a carbon‑copy cookie experience, you may feel let down.
The low‑sugar formula leans on sugar alcohols, and a subset of people report GI grumbles; one commenter even mentioned an itchy mouth response—likely an individual sensitivity to an ingredient such as dairy proteins, soy lecithin, or the sweeteners.
Finally, if you prefer short‑label, whole‑food bars, this engineered, chocolate‑coated approach won’t scratch that itch.
The Middle Ground
So where does the truth land?
For most palates, Grenade’s layered texture and chocolate shell deliver on the “tastes like a candy bar” promise—hence the steady stream of fans who say it’s the only bar they don’t grow tired of.
But texture expectations vary; if you want nougat‑soft, some flavors read firmer and chewier, which can come off as dry to a few folks. The low sugar is a double‑edged sword: fewer rapid spikes for many people, but maltitol and polydextrose can bother sensitive stomachs.
Start with one bar and a glass of water to see how you do. From a protein perspective, the casein–whey combo is excellent, and while collagen shows up here, it’s more for texture; the muscle‑relevant protein is still the dairy.
If your north star is minimal processing or fruit‑sweetened bars, look to a date‑and‑nut style bar instead. If you’re chasing a dessert‑like protein hit with steady energy, this is squarely in the bullseye.
What's the bottom line?
Grenade’s Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel bar is a crowd‑pleaser for a reason: it feels like a treat but functions like a protein snack. 3 grams of sugar, wrapped in a layered, candy‑adjacent texture that makes “I forgot this was a protein bar” a common reaction. The trade‑off is modern food engineering—sugar alcohols and refined fibers for sweetness and chew—which some guts dislike and ingredient minimalists won’t love.
This specific flavor includes bovine collagen, so it’s not vegetarian. If your priority is indulgent taste with strong macros and you’re comfortable with the low‑sugar toolkit, Grenade belongs on your shortlist, especially for post‑workout or mid‑afternoon cravings. If you want fruit‑forward sweetness, ultra‑simple ingredients, or you’re polyol‑sensitive, try a different style of bar.
For everyone else, this is one of the more convincing candy‑bar imitations that still lifts like a protein bar. 3 grams of sugar, and a layered crunch that keeps you coming back—so long as sugar alcohols agree with you. Great for post‑workout or sweet‑tooth moments; not for strict minimal‑ingredient purists or vegetarians.