Best Cleanest Protein Bars

Skout Organic’s Peanut Butter & Jelly Protein Bar sticks to the classics: organic dates bind the bar, peanut flour and peanut butter supply the plant protein, and real strawberries bring the jammy nostalgia, lifted by a hint of strawberry essence.

This is more fruit-and-nut energy than protein juggernaut, with 10g of peanut-based protein. Carbs and sweetness come from whole fruit rather than syrups or sugar alcohols, and fat stays modest and mostly unsaturated thanks to peanuts.

At 200 calories, it reads like a lunchbox throwback—just with better ingredients.

RXBAR keeps it pantry‑simple: whole dates do the sweetening and the sticking, egg whites supply the protein, and peanuts (plus peanut flour) bring flavor and satisfying fats, with real chocolate and a pinch of sea salt.

The result is a dairy‑free, complete protein bar with 12g of protein and 210 calories that leans chewy rather than fluffy. Because the sweetness comes from fruit, carbs (23g) and sugar (14g) are higher than engineered low‑sugar bars, but the fiber and fat help the energy feel steadier than candy.

There are no sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners, gums, or emulsifiers—just a short list rounded out by a touch of natural flavors.

88 Acres Chocolate Cherry leans into plant protein, getting its 12 grams from pumpkin and sunflower seeds instead of isolates. The chocolate‑cherry profile is built from tart dried cherries and dark chocolate, rounded with vanilla and sea salt.

Sweetness comes from familiar sources—maple syrup, brown rice syrup, and the cane sugar in the chocolate—no sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners. With 0 additives (no emulsifiers or fillers) and about 30 percent daily value of iron from seeds and cocoa, it reads more like food than a formula.

It’s also substantial at 270 calories and 17 grams of fat, so it behaves like a mini meal, not a quick nibble.

Dark chocolate, roasted almonds, and a pinch of sea salt set the tone while gluten‑free oats, almond butter, honey, and cage‑free egg whites do the heavy lifting. With no whey or soy isolates, the protein stays lighter and the texture stays oat‑and‑nut chewy rather than taffy‑like.

Carbs come mainly from oats and honey, tempered by soluble tapioca fiber—a cassava‑derived fiber that adds bulk without acting like sugar. Additives are effectively nil—no artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols, or gums—so it reads more like pantry staples than lab fare.

Wanderlust reads like trail mix you can hold—peanut butter, gluten‑free oats, almonds, coconut, seeds, and tart cranberry pieces. The protein is fully plant‑based at 8g, with satisfying fats from nuts and coconut that make it feel more like a real‑food snack than a diet bar.

Carbs lean wholesome thanks to oats, while the sweetness comes from agave and cane‑sweetened cranberries, so it’s pleasantly sweet without the sugar alcohol aftertaste. The list stays short and familiar, steering clear of isolates, emulsifiers, and artificial sweeteners.

Call it an oat-and-nut energy bar with a plant-protein assist. The protein comes from an organic blend of sprouted brown rice and pea, but at 6g it plays backup while higher carbs and nut-and-coconut fats set the pace.

Real unsweetened coconut tops gluten-free oats and puffed brown rice for granola crunch, with walnuts plus almond and sunflower seed butters adding toasty richness. Brown rice syrup and a touch of coconut sugar bind it into a satisfyingly chewy bar.

The ingredient list is short and organic-leaning with no additives like emulsifiers, artificial flavors, or sugar alcohols.

Prima’s Cacao goes old‑school on purpose: protein from grass‑fed collagen peptides (a hydrolyzed protein from cow connective tissue) plus a grass‑fed dairy protein concentrate—the label doesn’t specify whey or milk protein—sweetened with organic raw honey and structured with grass‑fed beef tallow (rendered beef fat) and organic coconut.

The chocolate is the real thing—organic cacao nibs and cacao powder—rounded with vanilla and sea salt. Macros land at 16g protein, 13g fat, 16g carbs, and 240 calories, with a honey‑forward sugar profile instead of sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners.

Short label, familiar pantry items, and a flavor that reads cacao, not candy.

Transparent Labs’ Oatmeal Chocolate Chip bar reads like a pantry recipe: peanut butter, rolled oats, dates, honey, dairy‑free chocolate chips, and a clean two‑protein blend of grass‑fed whey isolate plus egg white.

Sweetness leans on those whole‑food sources with a small assist from tapioca syrup, a cassava‑based binder that helps hold everything together. The macros are unusual for the category—15g protein, 15g fat, 22g carbs, 270 calories—so it eats more like a small, satisfying snack than a feather‑light bar.

You also skip the usual suspects (artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols, a tangle of gums), which aligns with Transparent Labs’ third‑party‑tested, label‑straightforward approach.

This one leans hard into pantry comfort: certified gluten‑free oats, California raisins, dates, cinnamon, and vanilla, lifted by a plant protein blend of pea and brown rice. With 12g of protein, it’s a snack‑level boost, not a post‑lift slab.

Carbs are higher because sweetness comes from fruit plus agave and brown rice syrup, with crisped brown rice for texture; you’ll feel a quick lift that oat and seed fiber helps steady.

Fat stays modest at 7g from sunflower and flax—mostly unsaturated, with a pinch of plant omega‑3. The label stays short and friendly: no gums, emulsifiers, or sugar alcohols, and you snag about 10% daily iron from the grains, legumes, and seeds.