Protein bars in the UK: the ones our members actually log

The five protein bar brands our UK members logged most, what a typical bar gave them, and a quick way to check any bar from its wrapper.

Free · From UK members’ food diaries · No brand paid to be here · Updated 1 October 2026

Protein bars our UK members logged most

Per bar

Sort by

Most logged Most protein Most protein per 100 kcal Fewest calories

Most logged first.

Protein bar brands by the share of UK members who logged them, with the typical logged bar’s protein and calories

Brand and share of bar loggers	Protein	kcal	Protein Per 100 kcal
Fulfil25% about 1 in 4	16 g	170	9.4 g
Grenade22% about 1 in 5	21 g	230	9.1 g
Barebells16% about 1 in 6	20 g	200	10.0 g
Huel13% about 1 in 8	15 g	190	7.9 g
Myprotein10% about 1 in 10	20 g	220	9.1 g

Aggregated and anonymised ParrotPal food diaries from UK members, February to August 2026, from several hundred UK members who logged a protein bar. Each figure is the share of members who logged at least one protein bar from that brand, and only brands logged by enough members to be reliable are shown. We counted a bar as 12 g of protein or more and 100 to 350 kcal. Values per bar are the median as members logged them, so bars and flavours vary. These are patterns in what people logged, not recommendations.

This is a popularity list, not a ranking

The order above is how many of our members logged each brand. It doesn’t say one bar is better or worse than another, and we don’t rank bars that way. No brand paid to be on this page, and none was asked.

The protein and calories are for a typical bar as our members logged it. Each brand makes several bars, so the one in your hand may differ. The wrapper is always the final word.

Check any bar

From its wrapper

Type the protein and the calories from the wrapper. Use the same column for both, per bar or per 100 g; the answer is the same either way.

Proteing Calorieskcal

Your bar’s protein per 100 kcal will show here.

To work it out by hand: divide the grams of protein by the calories, then multiply by 100. A bar with 20 g of protein and 200 kcal gives 10 g per 100 kcal.

• 10 g or more per 100 kcal: high in protein for its calories Your bar
• 6 to 10 g per 100 kcal: middling Your bar
• Under 6 g per 100 kcal: more of a snack bar Your bar

These bands are ParrotPal’s simple guide, not an official standard. For comparison, the typical bars our members logged most come out at about 8 to 10 g of protein per 100 kcal.

Looking for the best protein bar? Read the label

The bar that suits you depends on what you want it for. Four things on the wrapper tell you most of what you need.

• Protein per bar. Look at the per-bar column, not just per 100 g. The typical bars our members logged had about 15 to 21 g.
• Calories per bar. A protein bar is still a snack. The typical bars above were about 170 to 230 kcal, more than a pot of skyr (about 95 kcal for 16 g of protein, approximate, check the label).
• Sugar. Check the sugar line, and the “of which sugars” figure under carbohydrate. Some bars are sweetened with sweeteners instead; these are listed in the ingredients.
• Where protein sits in the ingredients. Ingredients are listed in order of weight, largest first. If a protein source such as milk protein, whey or soya protein is near the top, it’s doing much of the work.

Then put the protein and calories into the checker above for one simple number to compare bars by.

Protein bars at Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and Asda

Supermarkets sell their own-label protein bars alongside the big brands. We don’t have member figures we’re confident in for own-label bars, so we haven’t listed any.

• Check it’s a protein bar. “Protein” flapjacks, cereal bars and snack bars can sit on the same shelf with much less protein.
• Compare per bar. Bars come in different sizes, so compare the per-bar figures side by side.
• Use the checker. Type in the protein and calories from any Tesco, Aldi, Lidl or Asda bar and you’ll see how it compares, in one number.

Are protein bars healthy?

A protein bar is a convenient snack with a label you can read. It can sit alongside regular meals rather than replace them. Like any packaged snack, the sugar and calories vary, so check them on the wrapper.

If you want more protein, everyday foods do most of the work: a pot of skyr or 0% Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, a tin of tuna. Bars are handy when you’re out and need something that doesn’t need a fridge.

Are Grenade bars healthy?

We don’t rate bars as healthy or unhealthy. Grenade was the second most-logged brand among our UK members. The typical Grenade bar they logged had about 21 g of protein and 230 kcal, which is about 9.1 g of protein per 100 kcal.

Grenade makes many flavours, and the protein, calories and sugar differ between them. Read the label on the one you buy, or type its numbers into the checker.

Bars are one way to get protein

Start with your own number: the calculator works out how much protein you need a day in 10 seconds. Everyday snacks from the fridge or cupboard often give more protein for the calories, and our snack list sorts them by protein per 100 kcal, the same measure as the checker.

Work out my protein High-protein snacks Free LeanShield score

Questions people ask

Also from ParrotPal

• High-protein snacks, sorted by protein
• High-protein, low-calorie meals
• Protein calculator