Protein Puck
Wanderlust
TL:DR
In 2 Sentences
A short, kitchen‑pantry ingredient list—peanut butter, gluten‑free oats, seeds, coconut, and cranberries—with no emulsifiers, sugar alcohols, or artificial sweeteners. It’s fully plant‑based and gluten‑free, and it eats like trail mix in bar form.
When to choose Protein Puck Wanderlust
Choose this if you want a vegan, gluten‑free snack that’s genuinely filling and made from recognizable foods, especially if you avoid sugar alcohols or chalky textures. Better for coffee runs, hikes, and the 3 p.
m. slump than for hitting a high protein target after a heavy lift.
What's in the Protein Puck bar?
Protein Puck’s Wanderlust reads like trail mix pressed into a bar: peanut butter, gluten‑free oats, almonds, coconut, seeds, and ruby cranberry pieces.
Its protein is entirely plant‑based (from peanuts, oats, flax, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and almonds), so you get 8g—lighter than most protein bars—paired with fats that sit on the higher side thanks to nuts and coconut.
Carbs skew wholesome from oats, but the sweetness comes from agave and cane‑sweetened cranberries, so it eats like a real‑food snack with staying power rather than a zero‑sugar bar. Flavor-wise, think salty‑nutty peanut butter, toasty coconut, and pops of tart cranberry.
- Protein
- 8 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Carbohydrates
- 18 g
- Sugar
- 11 g
- Calories
- 240
Protein
815LOWProtein here is all plant‑based, coming from peanut butter, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, flax, oats, and almonds—no isolates or whey in sight. At 8g, it lands below most protein bars; the amino acid mix is gentler than dairy, so think satisfying snack protein rather than post‑lift powerhouse.
Fat
159HIGHMost of the 15g of fat comes from peanut butter, almonds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, with a flavorful assist from coconut. That translates to plenty of unsaturated fat plus some saturated fat from coconut, and even a touch of plant omega‑3 (ALA) from flax; the cranberries’ light coating of refined sunflower oil is typical for dried fruit.
Carbs
1820MIDOf the 18g of carbs, the steady part comes from gluten‑free oats (a whole grain with beta‑glucan), while the quicker part is from “Agave” and the sweetened cranberries (cranberries with cane sugar). The result leans wholesome but still sweet; the bar’s fat and fiber matrix helps smooth the rise compared with straight sugary snacks.
Sugar
114HIGHAbout 11g of sugar shows up mainly via “Agave”—which on labels usually means agave syrup—and the sweetened cranberries (cranberries with cane sugar), plus a little from the fruit itself. No artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols here; expect a pleasant pop of sweetness that the bar’s fiber and fat help cushion.
Calories
240210HIGHAt 240 calories, most of the energy is fat‑derived (15g ≈ 135 calories), with carbs and a modest 8g protein filling in the rest. It’s on the higher side for bars and eats like a real‑food mini‑meal built from nuts, seeds, oats, and coconut.
Vitamins & Minerals
No single micronutrient clears 10% Daily Value on the panel, so there’s no fortified headline. Still, the nuts and seeds naturally bring vitamin E and magnesium, with small contributions of iron (8% DV) and potassium (4% DV).
Additives
A short, kitchen‑pantry list: whole nuts, seeds, oats, coconut, and dried cranberries. The refined touches are the agave syrup and a little sunflower oil on the cranberries to prevent sticking—no emulsifiers, gums, sugar alcohols, or artificial sweeteners.
Ingredient List
Groundnut plant seeds
Agave plants
Oat grain
Flax plant seeds
Sunflower plant seeds
Pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita spp.)
Coconut palm fruit flesh
Almond tree seeds
Cranberries
Sugarcane stalks
What are people saying?
Sources
Range
“My favorites are protein puck and nature valley chewy. I know nature valley is known for the really dry bars but chewy fixes that.”
Main Praise
Taste and texture lead the praise parade. Fans call Protein Puck delicious, fresh‑tasting, and not overly sweet—more like a soft, nut‑and‑oat cookie than a manufactured “protein brick.
” Several reviewers say it actually keeps them full, which tracks with the nut‑and‑seed fat plus oat fiber combo. Ingredient quality is another theme: people like that it reads like something you could throw together at home and that there are no sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners.
The brand has local‑legend vibes in some corners, with a newspaper profile crediting flavor and chew as the reason it took off. Across platforms, the consensus is simple: it tastes like real food and satisfies like a snack‑sized mini‑meal.
Main Criticism
The biggest knock is the protein‑to‑calorie trade‑off. At 8 grams of protein and 240 calories, this is not a lean protein play; some shoppers want more protein per bite.
Sweetness is another talking point: with 11 grams of sugar from agave and cane‑sweetened cranberries, it’s not a low‑sugar bar—fine for many, a pass for those minimizing added sugar. A few reviewers mention dryness or even the occasional hard puck, which sounds like batch variation more than the norm but is worth noting.
Price comes up, too; whole‑food bars often cost more, and some buyers wish it were cheaper.
The Middle Ground
So where does the truth land? Wanderlust is a whole‑food snack that happens to include protein, not a high‑protein bar dressed as trail mix.
The fats from peanuts, almonds, and seeds plus the oats’ slow‑burn carbs give it staying power, and 11 grams of sugar will taste pleasantly sweet without veering into candy territory—especially since there are no sugar alcohols to upset sensitive stomachs.
If your goal is maximizing protein per calorie or crossing a leucine threshold post‑workout, this won’t be your closer. If your goal is a vegan, gluten‑free bar that tastes like what it’s made from and keeps you steady through the afternoon, it hits the brief.
One r/Protein commenter described the larger, original “puck” as more of a mini‑meal; this Wanderlust bar sits in that spirit but at a smaller 240‑calorie size.
As for the occasional tough texture review, most feedback points to chewy and fresh—so either there was an off batch, or someone got a puck that took its hockey name a little too literally.
What's the bottom line?
Protein Puck Wanderlust is for people who value real‑food ingredients and crave a bar that eats like trail mix: peanut buttery, toasty, and punctuated by tart cranberries. It’s vegan, gluten‑free, soy‑free, and dairy‑free, with a short list you can pronounce and no sugar alcohols, gums, or emulsifiers. The trade is clear: you get 8 grams of plant protein and satisfying fats in a 240‑calorie package—great for steady energy, less great if you’re chasing 20g of protein from a bar.
If you want a high‑protein, low‑calorie, barely‑there sweetness bar, look elsewhere. If you want a tasty, portable, real‑ingredient snack that keeps you full and won’t read like a science experiment, Wanderlust is an easy yes. Just note the allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, coconut) and the naturally sweet profile from agave and cranberries, and you’ll know exactly what you’re getting: a bar that behaves like food.