Grenade
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Protein Bar
TL:DR
In 2 Sentences
Layers on layers—a dark chocolate coat, a swipe of white chocolate, crunchy nibs and crisps—delivering 20g of dairy protein with just 1g of sugar. It leans confectionery in texture while keeping macros in check.
When to choose Grenade Dark Chocolate Raspberry Protein Bar
Post‑workout or late‑afternoon sweet cravings when you want real chocolate flavor without a blood‑sugar spike. Best for people who tolerate sugar alcohols and who eat milk and soy.
What's in the Grenade bar?
Dark chocolate meets tart raspberry here, with real cocoa nibs, cocoa powder, and raspberry powder doing the flavor work (and a touch of blackcurrant and carrot concentrates for color). Under the hood, 20g of dairy protein—mostly casein and whey, including a hydrolyzed portion—puts this bar well above average for protein.
The sugar stays very low because sweetness leans on maltitol‑sweetened chocolate plus added fiber and a tiny bit of sucralose, while crunch comes from soy cocoa crisps. Fats skew toward palm fat and cocoa butter, so the overall profile reads like a dessert‑style bar engineered for protein and low sugar rather than a minimalist, whole‑food recipe.
- Protein
- 20 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Carbohydrates
- 18 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Calories
- 219
Protein
2015HIGHThe 20g of protein comes from a dairy blend: calcium caseinate (slow and steady), whey isolate (fast, leucine‑rich), and hydrolysed whey (partially pre‑digested). That combination delivers high‑quality, highly digestible protein with relatively little lactose compared with regular milk. Great for muscle repair, but not a fit if you avoid milk.
Fat
109MIDMost of the 9.7g of fat is from palm fat and cocoa butter in the dark/white chocolate coatings and cocoa nibs, with a smaller lift from dairy. This tilts more saturated than nut‑ or olive‑oil‑based bars; cocoa butter’s stearic acid is relatively cholesterol‑neutral, while palm’s palmitic acid is more LDL‑raising. Amount‑wise, it sits around the middle of the pack.
Carbs
1820MIDAt 18g, the carbs come largely from formulation ingredients rather than whole grains: maltitol‑sweetened chocolate, added fiber (polydextrose), glycerol for softness, and small amounts of refined starches (tapioca/maltodextrin) in the crisps and raspberry powder. This keeps sugar low and generally smooths blood‑sugar swings versus straight sugar, though sugar alcohols and certain fibers can bother sensitive stomachs. Expect mostly steady energy with a small quick hit from the starches.
Sugar
14LOWOnly 0.9g of sugar, mostly naturally occurring from dairy and berry ingredients. Sweetness instead relies on sugar alcohols (maltitol in the chocolates) plus a tiny amount of sucralose—both keep sugar low but can cause GI rumbling for some at higher intakes. If you’re sensitive to sugar alcohols, test your tolerance with a smaller portion first.
Calories
219210MIDAt 219 calories, this lands in the middle of the range: roughly split between protein (~80 kcal), fat (~87 kcal), and the remainder from carbs. Because some carbs are fiber or sugar alcohols, total calories stay moderate for a chocolate‑coated bar. It’s satisfying without tipping into meal‑replacement territory.
Vitamins & Minerals
No standout vitamins or minerals are listed above 10% DV. You’ll likely get modest calcium from the dairy, a sprinkle of iron/magnesium from cocoa, and a touch of vitamin C from raspberry/blackcurrant, but not enough to count on for micronutrition. Think of this as a protein snack, not a multivitamin.
Additives
This recipe is intentionally engineered: glycerol keeps the bar soft, polydextrose adds fiber and bulk, lecithin smooths chocolate, and sucralose plus maltitol provide sweetness with little sugar. These are widely used and regulator‑approved, but they’re more refined than whole‑food binders or sweeteners. The payoff is a dessert‑like bite with very low sugar, at the cost of a longer, more processed ingredient list.
Ingredient List
Cow's milk casein
Cow's milk whey
Cow's milk
Cow’s milk or cream
Cacao tree seeds
Oil palm fruit
Cow's milk
Soybeans
Defatted cacao bean solids
Cassava root
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
Taste is the headline.
Across reviews, Grenade bars are repeatedly praised as candy‑bar‑adjacent, with several Redditors calling them top‑tier and an Amazon reviewer highlighting that the mixed textures and chocolate coating avoid the dreaded ‘lump of whey’ feel.
Editorial write‑ups from The Independent and The Standard echo the surprise factor: indulgent flavors with very low sugar. The layered build is the secret—chocolate outside, softer core, crunchy bits throughout—so each bite changes a little.
In this flavor, the dark chocolate adds a real cocoa bite and the raspberry brings a tart snap that keeps it lively rather than cloying. Add 20 grams of complete dairy protein and 219 calories, and you’ve got a sweet‑leaning snack that still plays nicely with fitness goals.
Main Criticism
Not everyone is smitten. A vocal minority finds the texture too chewy or edging toward ‘cardboard‑y,’ especially if eaten cold.
Sweetness relies on sugar alcohols, and a few people report stomach rumbling or even mouth itch—signals to steer clear if maltitol, dairy, or soy have bothered you before. Flavor wins vary across the line; some bars don’t nail the name for every palate.
And while it’s minor, the flex‑heavy branding isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
The Middle Ground
How can one person call it “a top‑three bar” while another swears it tastes like “chewy talcum powder”? Two things usually decide it: temperature and tolerance.
The same low‑sugar, high‑protein formula that delivers steady energy also makes the core firmer; eat it chilled and the chew ramps up, eat it at room temp (or warmed 5–10 seconds) and the layers relax and the chocolate shows better.
Then there’s maltitol: many people do fine, others get gassy if they stack multiple bars—if you’re new to sugar alcohols, start with half. On flavor, Grenade’s track record is strong but not bulletproof; Reddit tends to crown a few flavors as standouts while rating others ‘pleasant enough.
’ Dark Chocolate Raspberry plays to contrast—crunchy cocoa nibs and a tangy berry note—so it should click if you like chocolate‑covered fruit, but it won’t mimic a bakery brownie. The truth sits in the middle: indulgent for a protein bar, engineered rather than minimalist.
What's the bottom line?
Think of Grenade’s Dark Chocolate Raspberry as a candy‑adjacent protein bar that mostly delivers on the promise: 20g of quality dairy protein, 219 calories, and a genuinely satisfying dark‑chocolate‑meets‑tart‑berry bite. It’s built for pleasure without a sugar spike, and most tasters agree the layered textures keep it from the dreaded ‘whey brick’ experience. It is, however, an engineered snack.
The sweetness leans on sugar alcohols, the ingredient list runs long, and the chew can be firm straight from a cold bag. dessert swap.
If you want short‑list, whole‑food ingredients—or your gut objects to sugar alcohols—look elsewhere. Condensed listicle take: Dessert‑leaning, low‑sugar bar with 20g protein and a tart‑chocolate snap; great post‑workout or for sweet cravings if you’re fine with sugar alcohols and dairy/soy.