We sampled the latest vegan protein bars to bring you our pick of the best dairy-free and plant-based fuel to power your post-workout recovery.
The best protein bars are one of the best options for a post-workout snack. And if you’re following a vegan lifestyle, you can still reap the benefits thanks to a huge range of plant-based options hitting the market.
Hit your daily protein goals and support your muscle recovery with our pick of the best vegan protein bars, chosen for their taste, texture, ingredients and all-important protein count.
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Best Vegan Protein Bars in 2024
The My Vegan Carb Crusher bar may not have the highest amount of protein at 15g, but with 11g fibre and 17g carbs, it delivers on all fronts, and is one of the best tasting too.
Other vegan protein bar recommendations
| Best for protein amount | With most other vegan bars coming in around 15g of protein, the PhD Smart Plant Bar beats the lot with a decent dose of 23g. |
| Best for fibre | With 5.5g of fibre in each bar, the My Vegan Pea-Nut Square goes a long way to making sure you get your recommended daily allowance. |
| Best for high carbs, low sugar | If you’re looking for a good carb content in your protein bar, check out the SiS Protein20. It has the lowest sugar content too, with just 0.3g. |
1. My Vegan Carb Crusher
Men’s Fitness verdict
We enjoyed the taste and texture of the Carb Crusher bar, which has good amounts of protein (15g), carbs (17g) and fibre (11g).- Pleasant taste and texture
- Highest amount of fibre on test
- There are bars with simpler ingredients
- Sugar content could be lower
OK, so there are vegan protein bars with fewer ingredients on this list. But My Vegan’s Carb Crusher (available in Peanut Butter, Chocolate Sea Salt, and Chocolate Orange) gets the MF seal of approval for its balance of protein – a better-than-average 15g per bar – and first-rate flavour.
Post-workout recovery has rarely tasted so good.
2. Vow Nutrition Protein Bar
Men’s Fitness verdict
Vow only makes three flavours, but why make more when they taste this good? Taste and texture are both spot-on and sugar content is minimal. It’s just a shame it doesn’t hit the 20g protein mark.- Pleasant chewy texture
- Low in sugar
- Relatively high in polyols
- Only 16g protein
If Team GB think Vow Nutrition Protein Bars are good enough for them, then we reckon they’re good enough for us too. Its three flavors – cookies and cream, peanut crunch and salted caramel – are all remarkably tasty, and the nutrition numbers look good too.
There’s 16g of protein in each bar and an microscopic 0.4g of sugar. These bars are Informed Sport approved so we know the pea protein isolate and soya protein isolate come from good quality sources.
- Read our full Vow Nutrition Protein Bar review
3. Bulk Gourmet Vegan Protein Bar
Men’s Fitness verdict
We like the three distinct layers of Bulk’s tasty vegan bars, and the crunch of the rocky road flavor in particular. Protein amount is a little lower than we’d like though.- Pleasant triple-layered texture
- Low in sugar
- Protein amount has been lowered
- Not as readily available as some brands
Bulk’s new protein bar is a bit more, well, gourmet than its previous offering. But somehow it’s managed to reduce the calories to 185-193kcal, depending on the flavour.
The protein serving per bar is slightly reduced from 21g to 14-16g, but the new Cookies and Cream, Rocky Road or Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel will make it difficult to forget your post-workout protein boost.
4. Pulsin Peanut Choc Protein Booster
Men’s Fitness verdict
More of a snak with added protein than a dedicated protein bar, the Pulsin falls a little short in that department. Natural sweeteners and great flavors are a bonus though.- Delicious flavours
- Natural sweeteners
- Low protein
- High sugar content
Pulsin’s Protein Booster contains an optimum blend of pea and rice protein for a complete amino acid profile, and the Peanut Choc flavour is up there with the best vegan protein bars we had the not-so-tough task of sampling.
Each bar comes in at 231kcal, with 12.1g of protein.
5. PhD Smart Bar Plant
Men’s Fitness verdict
If your priority is a good protein fix then PhD Smart Bars are for you. The taste and texture of some flavors will divide opinion though.- Highest protein amount on test
- Low in sugar
- High amount of polyols
- Texture may divide opinion
PhD is well known for its fitness-fuelling products – including a range of popular vegan protein powders. With a chart-topping 23g of protein per bar, look no further than PhD if that’s the only factor you’re interested in when looking for the best vegan protein bars.
The texture won’t be to some people’s liking, but you do get used to it – and those recovery credentials make a bit of perseverance worth your while.
6. My Vegan Pea-Nut Square
Men’s Fitness verdict
The nutty taste makes amends for a relatively low protein dose – and the choc berry and choc orange flavors are office favorites. But sugar levels are a little high for an everyday snack.- Three enjoyable flavours
- Pleasant texture
- Low protein
- High sugar
Free from the stodge or heaviness of some protein bars, the Pea-Nut Square is pleasantly filling without making you need a lie-down after eating.
The 12g of protein is a bit less than My Vegan’s other offering in this roundup, but still makes for decent muscle fuel alongside your afternoon brew.
7. SiS Protein20
Men’s Fitness verdict
A limited range of good flavours and high protein content are slightly compromised by higher polyol and saturates numbers than we’d like to see.- 21g quality protein from three sources
- Low in sugar
- Relatively high in saturates
- High in polyols
With a blend of soya protein isolate, pea protein isolate and pumpkin seed protein, these protein bars chuck everything at your muscles to kickstart recovery.
The texture is pleasantly chewy without being too claggy. Flavour choices are limited to salted caramel, vanilla fudge or peanut butter and jelly, but that’s no problem when they’re all delicious. These vegan-friendly protein bars are low in sugar, dairy-free, GMO-free and palm oil-free, making them a great choice for a post-workout pick-me-up.
How we test the best vegan protein bars
This list of the best protein bars was compiled by Rob Hobson, registered nutritionist (AFN) and sports nutritionist (SENr). Hobson works with private clients looking to improve their health and body shape, and athletes looking to improve their performance. He also works with wellness brands, assisting with product development and insight. Rob tested and judged the best protein bars on their taste, texture, and nutritional effectiveness. He also took other factors into account, including the cost and availability, but also the amount of polyols: a type of sweetener which can upset the gut in high amounts.
