I love me some good n’ tasty vegan energy bars. There is no great snack for a vegan in a hurry or in a rush than a yummy vegan protein bar tucked away conveniently in purse or pocket.
Well, maybe there’s the ol’ ziploc bag of grass and lettuce. That’s a shout out to my ignorant omnivorous friends who think that’s what vegans eat. Ain’t funny no mo’, we’ve heard that to death.
Anyway, I want to offer you my 3 top vegan protein and vegan energy bars today in order of best to 3rd best. This delicious energy bars also have a great shelf life of at least 6 months. You can freeze them for a longer shelf life too. But honestly, my best recommendation is that you buy as needed.
It ain’t the end of the world despite what the Mayans and other cracker jacks are trying to tell you. No need to buckle down and baton down the hatches for Armageddon. Not happening in my lifetime. Nor yours probably whipper snapper 😉
You can buy many of these protein bars and meal replacement bars in chocolate, so it’s almost like having a tasty little vegan chocolate bar. But healthier, you did?
Okay, enough with the gangsta talk. Let’s get down to bidness. My top 3 tastiest vegan protein bars in order of my preference:
1. Clif Bar and Builder Bars
My favorite vegan Clif Bar is the crunchy peanut butter. You can buy these tasty Clif Bars for less than $1 a piece in packs of 24 here.
Why do I like the vegan Clif Bars? Well, they’re chewy and crunchy, especially in the case of the crunchy peanut butter bars. Secondly they can be considered organic energy bars or protein bars as their main ingredients are all organic. In fact they’re probably like 99% organic except for the added vitamins and minerals.
Many of these Clif Bars are also suitable for folks who have wheat allergies. The crunchy peanut butter Clif Bar for example has no wheat ingredients, relying mostly on oats and rice. These vegan protein bars also have a solid 11 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber weighing in at around 260 calories.
These are not meal replacement bars if that is what you’re looking for, unless I guess you’re looking to lose weight. Still, they’ll keep the wolf from the door for a good few hours.
The Clif Bar Builder’s Bar are great too. These are closer to traditional protein bars in that they are more mushy and chocolaty. At least the chocolate one is, though it has a bit of crunch in the center.
They taste great, though I think I slightly prefer the crunch and taste of the Clif Bars. The Builder’s Bars are considered a nutritional supplement bar and carry a whopping 20 grams of protein. I’m always bemused by folks so concerned eating high on the hog (literally) about their protein intake or vegan’s supposed lack of protein intake which is bullshit anyway.
The Builder’s Bars also have slightly more calories at 270 and less fiber at 3 grams. They’re also not organic protein bars and so that’s another reason to prefer the organic Clif Bars.
You can check out the Builder’s Bars here. At around $1.20 each they’re a little more expensive than Clif Bars too.
BumbleBar Gluten Free Organic Vegan Energy Bars
BumbleBar is a cool bar. I didn’t look at them for a while, because being a vegan, I figured with a name like BumbleBar they were likely not vegan as in the name seemed to suggest that they’d contain honey. And as y’all know, honey just ain’t vegan. Honey is bee vomit that is mean for the hive.
I digress, I decided to take a look at them and they are in fact vegan energy bars, and they have some neat flavors. I’m a fan of their Paradise Pineapple which for some reason doesn’t contain pineapple! I also like their Classic Cashew and Lushus Lemon energy bars.
The Lushus Lemon is a very refreshing flavor for an energy bar. I love it in the summer time. I dunno, lemon just seems more zesty to me in the summer. You can check out the BumbleBars here. They sell for around $1.25 each when bought in packs of 12.
One caution I must add to you folks looking at purchasing these BumbleBars. They aren’t as high in calories as the Clif Bars. These bars have around 190 to 230 calories. But all the ones that I have tried have way too much fat. Their first or second ingredient is organic sesame seeds. All of their bars have well over 50% of calories from fat. Consider these bars like candy. A treat and an indulgence.
3. Larabar
Larabars are chewy and tasty, but I consider them more a vegan fruit bar then a true vegan protein bar or vegan energy bar.
I’m a fan of the cherry pie bar. These vegan food bars are simple and pared down. Your minimalist energy bar if you will. The cherry pie bar as seen here for example has only 3 ingredients. Almonds, dates and cherries. Very healthy, but not as filling as the Clif Bar or Builder’s Bar.
Another problem with the Larabar and the BumbleBar is that neither of them have added vitamin B12. Not a huge issue. But as vegan’s it’s important to be getting B12 and sometimes we forget so it’s handy to have it included in the energy bar we love to eat.
Though having said that. Clif Bar is a bit stingy on their vitamin B12 allotment. Vitamin B12 is needed in such miniscule quantities that these kinds of bars should contain 100% of RDA which is only 2.4mcg going up to a whopping 2.8mcg for pregnant and lactating women.
The Larabar also retails for around $1.25 when bought in packs of 12. The one big benefit they have over the other 2 contenders is that they have a ton of flavors to choose from.
Summary
Okay, that’s my top 3. But I hear you saying “dude, what’s your fav?” My fav is the first one. I put them in order of how I likes them 😉 If you only want one and you want to choose a bankable vegan protein bar then choose Clif Bars or Builder’s Bar. Every time someone buys a Clif Bar, I make $50 that’s why I’m recommending them… LOL. I joke, I joke. I’m not affiliated with any of these companies. If you use the links I gave, I’ll get a small commish from Amazon.
But Scout’s honor, these are my fav energy bars for vegans. You can’t go wrong.
Stay strong, stay vegan and be healthy!