Huel
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
TL:DR
In 2 Sentences
A vegan, cookie-dough-style bar that pairs only 2g of sugar and 178 calories with a robust vitamin-mineral blend—no artificial high-intensity sweeteners.
When to choose Huel Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Best for plant-based snackers who want a not-too-sweet bridge between meals and prefer lower sugar. Skip if you avoid gluten or sugar alcohols.
What's in the Huel bar?
This Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar leans into a fully plant-based protein blend—wheat gluten for chew, then pea, soy, and rice proteins to round out the amino acids—paired with a chocolatey coating and real chips for the cookie-dough moment.
At 178 calories (lighter than most bars), 13g of protein, and just 2g of sugar, it gets sweetness and structure from modern food tech: soluble corn fiber, sugar alcohols, and a touch of glycerol keep it soft and low-sugar without going the artificial-sweetener route.
Fats come from refined sunflower oil, cocoa butter, and a bit of ground flaxseed, so the profile skews mostly unsaturated with a hit of stearic-rich cocoa butter. What may surprise you is the vitamin-and-mineral density—Vitamin D, C, E, K, and a suite of minerals show up at multi–10% DV levels thanks to a comprehensive fortification blend.
In short: vegan protein, lighter calories, low sugar achieved with polyols, and a cookie-dough flavor built from cocoa coating, chocolate chips, natural flavor, and crispy soy-protein pieces.
- Protein
- 13 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 19 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Calories
- 178
Protein
1315MIDThe 13g of protein comes from a plant blend: wheat gluten high on the list for structure and chew, then pea, soy, and rice proteins to fill in the amino-acid gaps. Gluten on its own is lysine‑limited, so pairing it with legume proteins (pea/soy) is a smart way to balance quality in a vegan bar. It’s a modest, snack‑level protein hit compared with the heaviest lifters, but fully dairy‑free and easy to digest for most.
Fat
79MIDFat (7g) is mostly from refined sunflower oil and cocoa butter, with a small whole‑food lift from ground flaxseed. That means a mix of unsaturated fats plus stearic‑rich cocoa butter (a saturated fat that’s relatively neutral for LDL in studies). It’s a lighter fat load than many bars, with the usual note that refined seed oils are highly processed even when they help keep textures consistent.
Carbs
1920MIDCarbs here are engineered more than rustic: soluble corn fiber (a refined, digestion‑resistant fiber), the sugar alcohol maltitol, and a bit of glycerol provide bulk and sweetness, while a touch of tapioca starch sits in the soy crisps. This combo typically blunts sharp blood‑sugar spikes compared with regular sugar, delivering steadier energy. If you’re sensitive to polyols, one bar is often fine—but stacking several can cause bloating for some.
Sugar
24MIDOnly 2g of sugar shows up because sweetness mainly comes from sugar alcohols (maltitol) and glycerol rather than cane sugar. Any residual sugar likely comes from chocolate components and starch‑based ingredients, not fruit. That keeps sugar low, but remember: maltitol still contributes some calories and, in larger amounts, can be gassy for sensitive guts.
Calories
178210LOWAt 178 calories—well below the norm for protein bars—the bar stays light by keeping fat moderate and swapping much of the sugar for fiber and sugar alcohols. You’re getting a balanced spread of energy from protein and carbs without the heft of a high‑fat formula. It lands in “snack” territory rather than a full meal replacement.
Vitamins & Minerals
Those double‑digit %DVs aren’t from chance—they’re from a fortification blend that includes vitamin D3 (from a plant‑derived source), vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin E, K2 (MK‑7), and a suite of B vitamins plus minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, chromium, and molybdenum. In other words, the micronutrients are added, not just coming from cocoa or flax. If you already take a multivitamin, this bar will stack with it.
Additives
This is a modern, formulated bar: sugar alcohols (for sweetness with fewer sugars), soluble corn fiber (for fiber and structure), glycerol (to keep it soft), and lecithins (to keep chocolate smooth) do the heavy lifting. Electrolyte salts and calcium carbonate help with stability and nutrition, and a robust vitamin–mineral blend supplies the big %DV numbers. It’s a longer, highly refined ingredient list by design, trading whole‑food simplicity for low sugar, consistent texture, and added micronutrients.
Ingredient List
Corn or wheat
Cocoa beans
Ground roasted cocoa bean nibs
Sunflower seeds
Corn bran and starch
Wheat grain
Vegetable oils and animal fats
Rice grain
Soybeans
Cacao tree seeds
What are people saying?
Sources
Range
“I love the Huel protein bars. I've eaten about a dozen of the selection boxes so far. I have a subscription of 5 boxes each time and I get through all of them in about 1-2 months. They're so convenient (I'm on a calorie deficit and maintaining my protein) at only 200 calories (together with 20g of protein) each bar. I like all of the four flavours. I wasn't fond of raspberry initially but my tastes have changed and now it's my 2nd best flavour. For me, in order of preference (best first), it would be peanut butter, raspberry, salted caramel and finally banoffee. The Huel protein bars all use real flavours (though with the raspberry, it means raspberry pips) - nothing artificial. As a society, we're accustomed to food with too much sugar but once your taste buds adjust, the Huel bars taste fine.”
“Just tried the caramel one and it's pretty great Haven't tried the old bars I don't think there's too much caramel. It's a good amount. Sweet but not overly sweet As a vegan these are amazing. Vegan chocolate is relatively expensive as well Will be using as an occasional treat rather than something daily”
“I like them. They are surprisingly filling and, for this type of product, taste pretty good. I've tried a lot of protein/nutrition bars and the ones that aren't loaded with sugar usually taste like dirt.”
Main Praise
What wins people over is how satisfying this bar is for the calories. The combo of 13g of plant protein and plenty of fiber has a knack for closing the hunger gap longer than you’d expect from something this light.
Taste lands in a friendly pocket—sweet, chocolatey, and cookie-ish without tipping into syrupy—so even folks who usually dislike low-sugar bars find it pleasantly dessert-adjacent. Multiple reviewers call out the lack of chalky protein aftertaste, and some even compare certain Huel bars to classic candy experiences in spirit.
The texture gets credit for being more chewy-biscuity than the dense, dusty bars of yesteryear, and the fact that it’s fully vegan is a big plus for plant-based eaters tired of settling.
The kicker is the micronutrient fortification (vitamins D3, K2, C, E, B-complex, and minerals), which makes it feel more purposeful than a chocolate-coated snack.
Main Criticism
Texture is the big swing: some people find it dry or even firm, especially if the bar’s been sitting somewhere cold; a few Redditors used words like brick. Sweetness strategy is another sticking point—because the bar relies on maltitol, sensitive stomachs can experience bloating or gas if they eat more than one in a sitting.
Finally, 13g of protein is solid for a snack but won’t satisfy someone chasing a heavy post-lift 20–25g target. A handful of tasters also feel Huel bar flavors can blur together, which dulls the excitement for variety seekers.
The Middle Ground
So where does the truth land between “Twix-adjacent treat” and “construction brick”? Likely in the middle.
Taste is personal, and a few factors tilt the experience: temperature (cold bars feel firmer), your tolerance for sugar alcohols, and whether you want a modest-protein snack or a recovery bar.
The low sugar comes via maltitol—a sugar alcohol that tastes like sugar but provides fewer calories and can cause GI grumbling for some people—so if your gut is sensitive, one bar with a glass of water is usually fine, but stacking them isn’t a great idea.
On texture, Women’s Health UK flagged dryness, while others describe a softer, biscuity chew; both can be true depending on batch and storage. And Reddit’s “acquired taste” commenter isn’t wrong: many people report warming up to Huel bars after a few tries as their palate adjusts to lower-sugar profiles.
If you want a lush, candy-bar-soft bite and zero risk of tummy drama, a higher-sugar bar is safer; if you want a steadier, plant-based snack that won’t wallop your daily sugar, this is the better bet.
What's the bottom line?
Huel’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bar is a modern snack with a clear point of view: vegan protein, low sugar achieved through fiber and sugar alcohols, and a surprisingly comprehensive vitamin-mineral boost. It’s designed to keep you steady between meals rather than serve as a post-workout protein bomb, and it does that well—especially if you prefer a dessert-leaning flavor that isn’t syrupy. The trade-offs are texture (some find it dry) and the possibility of GI irritation if sugar alcohols don’t agree with you.
Also note the allergens: it’s not gluten-free and it contains soy. Quick take for a listicle: A light, plant-based cookie-dough bar with 13g protein, only 2g sugar, and a legit micronutrient boost.
holdover when you want sweet-but-not-sugary. Pass if you’re gluten-free or sensitive to sugar alcohols.