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The best vegan protein bars for plant-based gains this Veganuary
Trying to get your protein fix on a plant-based diet? WH Lab has got the tastiest vegan protein bars for you
Whether you're dipping your toe into plant-based eating for Veganuary or you're a seasoned vegan, we're here to bring you the tastiest and healthiest vegan protein bars on the market right now.
While you don't need protein bars – or protein powder for that matter – to get enough of the macro from your diet, using supplements can be a seriously easy and convenient way to up your daily intake when life is hectic and you're on a muscle-building mission. The best part? There are plenty of products out there that *actually* taste good.
At a glance, here are our favourite for 2024. Scroll on for in-depth reviews of each.
How much protein do women need?
As a general rule, the average adult should be consuming at least 0.8g protein per kilogram of bodyweight each day. If you weigh 70kg, for example, that means getting 56g of protein down you.
If you’re an avid exerciser or you're trying to build muscle, Olga Hamilton, Head of Nutrition at NGX, recommends aiming for between 1-2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. So, if you're 56kg, that’s up to 112g protein a day.
Hamilton also offers an important reminder that protein needs can vary greatly from person to person. Ultimately, it’s about figuring out what works for you and your body.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that, while supplements are great for convenience, the bulk of your protein intake should come from a balanced, whole-food diet.
What should you look for in a vegan protein bar?
According to Dr Sinead Roberts, owner and performance nutritionist at Feed.Fuel.Performance, a protein bar with 20g or more of high-quality protein is optimal. This is often the case with dairy protein bars but vegan varieties don’t always offer such a high-protein hit.
Fortunately, our WH Lab experts have scoured the shelves and found two protein bars (shout out to PhD and Science in Sport) that do contain the optimal 20g of protein. Those containing up to 10g of protein are also still a great way to top up your protein throughout the day.
The best vegan protein bars are ones that include sufficient complete protein, says Roberts. What does that mean? ‘A complete protein is one that contains all the essential amino acids in sufficient quantities to optimise protein synthesis in the body,’ she explains.
The majority of animal products including meat, fish, dairy and eggs contain all of the essential amino acids in one product, but many plant sources only contain a few. Fortunately, all the bars in this round-up tick the ‘complete protein’ box.
How we test
In a bid to sort the decent from the dodgy (aka the ones that taste like sawdust), we put a range of bars through their paces in the WH Lab as part of our 2024 Sports Nutrition Awards.
Our trusted panel of sports and diet nutritionists – Rob Hobson, Tai Ibitoye, Lee Amico and Dr Sinead Roberts – judged each bar based on its nutritional make-up, quality of ingredients and formulation in line with its intended use. Only the ones that got their seal of approval were put forward for further testing.
Back in the lab, our food testers and editors rated each contender for flavour, texture and ease of use. To avoid brand bias, labels, packaging and any other identifiable elements were removed. We then collated all the feedback and awarded each bar an overall score. The ones that passed are stamped below with the esteemed Sports Nutrition Awards logo.
We’ve also included a selection of our favourite bars, which were previously tested by the WH Lab and a 200-strong panel of fitness fanatics.
Keep scrolling for the best vegan protein bars for women that prove you don’t need animal protein to make #gains.
Priyankaa is our senior health and wellness writer, specialising in expert-tested reviews and roundups on the latest health and fitness products. From walking boots to running machines, Priyankaa has written about hundreds of products and is passionate about providing in-depth, unbiased reviews. Plus, as an avid runner and gymgoer, she knows exactly what to look for when finding the right gymwear, fitness tracker or earphones.
Priyankaa has an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University and over five years’ experience in health and fitness journalism. Priyankaa has written for Stylist’s Strong Women Training Club, where she regularly wrote about diversity in the fitness industry, nutrition tips, training advice and her experience completing various fitness challenges.
She has also written for a variety of publications including Business Insider, Glamour, Bustle, Metro, HuffPost UK, gal-dem and more.
Outside of work, Priyankaa can usually be found trying out a new gym class, seeking out London's best eats or watching a Spanish TV show in a bid to keep up her language skills.
Angela is our Head of Testing managing all categories from Food & Drink to Homes. She has over 14 years’ food industry experience, helping companies such as Sainsbury’s, Pret, Nando’s and Leon achieve sustainable growth through innovative product development – and she’s even cooked for Heston Blumenthal! Her sensory evaluation training and finely honed taste buds means she knows exactly what’s worth spending money on. She led the food and drink testing team, who test more than 1,000 products each year, for seven years. Angela is WSET wine level 2 certified and has been a judge five years in a row for the British Sandwich Awards and the Pizza and Pasta Awards.
Callum is our Food and Drink Testing Manager and has been part of the world of professional catering for 10 years, from cheffing to food manufacturing. While working in manufacturing he specialised in bespoke product and menu development for several start-ups and well-known brands such as Wrap It Up! and HOP Vietnamese. He holds the WSET Level 2 in wine, a Level 3 in spirits and has a particular interest in agave spirits.
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