Who is comparing these bars?

Calorie-conscious gym-goers

If you want a portable snack after training, compare kcal and protein for the whole bar. A low-sugar claim answers a different question from how many calories a bar contains.

Plant-based snack buyers

If you need a vegan bar, check that the exact flavour is labelled suitable. Tesco lists its 44 g TREK High Protein Choc Caramel bar as vegan, with 12 g plant protein per bar.

Shoppers checking ingredients closely

Allergens and sweeteners can differ between bars and flavours. Read the current ingredients, allergen information and any excessive-consumption warning on the pack you plan to buy.

What should you compare?

Start with the whole-bar serving, decide what role its protein will play alongside your other food, then check the ingredients for the exact flavour.

Priority What to check Your needs
Calories per bar Compare kcal for a complete bar, not just per 100 g. Myprotein UK lists 152 kcal per 45 g Cookie Dough Lean Protein Bar; Tesco lists 159 kcal per 44 g TREK Choc Caramel bar. I want a snack whose whole-bar calorie figure fits with the rest of what I plan to eat after training.
Protein per bar Read protein grams alongside the serving size. Tesco lists 12 g for TREK Choc Caramel, Myprotein UK lists 18 g for Cookie Dough Lean Protein Bar, and Barebells UK lists 20 g for its 55 g Hazelnut Nougat bar. A smaller protein contribution works if I am eating other food afterwards; otherwise, I want to compare the higher-protein bars as well.
Dietary suitability Check the exact flavour’s ingredients and allergen statement. Barebells UK lists milk, hazelnuts and soy in Hazelnut Nougat; Tesco labels its TREK Choc Caramel bar suitable for vegans. I need the bar to fit my dietary requirements, rather than assuming every flavour in a range has the same ingredients.
Sugar and sweeteners Keep sugar and kcal as separate label checks. The NHS notes that lower- or no-calorie sweeteners do not necessarily determine a food’s overall nutritional profile; also read any polyol warning. A low-sugar claim catches my eye, but I still want to know the calories per bar and whether its ingredients suit me.

Common buying mistakes

  • Reading “low sugar” as “low calorie”

    Sugar and calories are different label values. The named examples range from 152 kcal for Myprotein UK’s Cookie Dough Lean Protein Bar to the 238 calories PhD states for its displayed Smart Bar.

    Compare kcal and protein for a whole bar before using a sugar claim to distinguish between options.

  • Choosing by calories without checking protein

    Tesco’s vegan TREK Choc Caramel bar lists 12 g protein at 159 kcal; Myprotein UK lists 18 g at 152 kcal for its Cookie Dough Lean Protein Bar. A nearby calorie figure does not mean the bars provide the same protein amount.

    Decide whether the bar is a small snack contribution or needs to provide more of the protein you intend to eat after training.

  • Assuming flavours share an allergen profile

    Barebells UK lists milk, hazelnuts and soy in its Hazelnut Nougat bar, along with a warning about excessive consumption. That information matters when selecting a specific flavour or multipack.

    Read the current ingredients, allergen statement and warnings for the exact bar before buying.

  • Expecting one bar to cover the whole meal

    The compared bars provide different amounts of protein and energy. Their label values describe the bar, not everything you may want from food and drink after training.

    Consider what else you plan to eat and drink when deciding whether a bar is the snack you want.

Brand and retailer references

These references concern the named ranges or products, not every flavour a brand sells.

Myprotein

Its Lean Protein Bar range includes a Cookie Dough bar with a published per-bar nutrition panel.

  • Myprotein UK lists 152 kcal and 18 g protein per 45 g Cookie Dough bar.
  • Check the ingredients and dietary information for the flavour you choose.

PhD

PhD’s Smart Bar range is an option to compare when protein per bar matters alongside calories.

  • PhD states 21 g protein, 238 calories and 1 g sugar for its displayed Smart Bar.
  • Check the chosen flavour’s own nutrition panel rather than applying those figures across the range.

Barebells

Barebells UK publishes nutrition and ingredient information for its Hazelnut Nougat protein bar.

  • The 55 g Hazelnut Nougat bar lists 20 g protein and 204 kcal.
  • It contains milk, hazelnuts and soy, and carries an excessive-consumption warning.

Grenade

Grenade UK lists protein bars and Soft Core bars in its range.

  • The range gives shoppers different flavours and bar formats to compare.
  • Use the exact bar’s per-serving nutrition panel when comparing calories and protein.

Quest

Quest Nutrition lists original protein bars and discusses sugar alcohols in its range.

  • Quest states that its original bars contain up to 21 g protein per bar.
  • Check the UK pack’s flavour-specific nutrition and ingredients, including sugar alcohols.

Tesco

Tesco lists TREK High Protein Choc Caramel as an individual 44 g bar.

  • Its listing states vegan suitability, 159 kcal and 12 g plant protein per bar.
  • That is less protein per bar than the named 18 g and 20 g alternatives, so compare it with the role you want the snack to play.

Protein-bar multipacks on Joybuy

These Joybuy listings cover Grenade and PhD protein-bar multipacks. For a post-workout snack, compare the chosen flavour’s kcal, protein and ingredients per bar before committing to a multipack.

Grenade Soft Core Double Chocolate protein bars, pack of 12 × 50 g

Grenade Soft Core Double Chocolate, 12 × 50 g

If you are considering these bars as post-workout snacks, check kcal and protein for one 50 g Double Chocolate bar, then read its ingredients before choosing the multipack.

View on Joybuy
PhD Smart Salted Caramel protein bars, pack of 12 × 64 g

PhD Smart Salted Caramel, 12 × 64 g

For this Salted Caramel multipack, compare the flavour’s own per-bar calories and protein with the amount you want from a post-workout snack. Check its ingredients and any pack warnings too.

View on Joybuy
Grenade Oreo Flavour protein bars, pack of 4 × 60 g

Grenade Oreo Flavour, 4 × 60 g

The product name describes a low-sugar bar, but that alone does not establish its calorie total. Compare kcal and protein for one 60 g Oreo Flavour bar and check its ingredients before buying.

View on Joybuy

Questions about choosing a bar

How much protein should I look for in a post-workout bar?

Choose according to what else you plan to eat, rather than treating one bar as a complete answer. For comparison, Tesco lists 12 g protein in its TREK Choc Caramel bar, Myprotein UK lists 18 g in its Cookie Dough Lean Protein Bar, and Barebells UK lists 20 g in Hazelnut Nougat.

Does low sugar mean a protein bar is low calorie?

No: sugar and calories are separate nutrition figures. Check kcal for the complete bar, alongside its protein and serving size, even when the pack makes a low-sugar claim.

Which allergens should I check?

Read the ingredients and any “may contain” statement for the exact flavour. GOV.UK says regulated allergens used as ingredients in prepacked foods must be clearly identified in the ingredients list; Barebells UK, for example, lists milk, hazelnuts and soy in its Hazelnut Nougat bar.

Why do some bars carry an excessive-consumption warning?

Some bars contain polyols, and the NHS says products with more than 10% added polyols must carry a laxative-effects warning. Read the ingredients and follow the warning on the particular pack, especially if you know you are sensitive to those ingredients.