Simply Protein bars are a popular snack choice for those looking to increase their protein intake, but are they healthy? This Simply Protein Bar dietitian review will help you decide if Simply Protein bars are a healthy addition to your grocery cart. Read on for our dietitian review of taste, nutritional properties, ingredients, and suggested use before you buy.
About Simply Protein Bars
Simply protein bars are snack bars made with soy protein. They are marketed as high protein bars that are “deliciously simple”.
Simply Protein Bar Ingredients
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
| Dark Chocolate Almond | Soy protein crisps (soy protein isolate, tapioca starch, sea salt), inulin and/or tapioca fibre, almonds, unsweetened chocolate, vegetable glycerin, almond butter, semi-sweet chocolate chips (cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter), brown rice crisps, cocoa powder, gluten-free oats, natural flavours, sunflower oil blend (sunflower oil, mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract), monk fruit juice concentrate, sea salt. |
| Peanut Butter Chocoalte | Soy protein crisps (soy protein isolate, tapioca starch, sea salt), peanuts, inulin and/or tapioca fibre, vegetable glycerin, unsweetened chocolate, brown rice crisps, natural peanut butter, cane sugar, peanut oil, sunflower oil blend (sunflower oil, mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract), natural flavours, monk fruit juice concentrate. |
| Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel | Soy protein crisps (soy protein isolate, tapioca starch, sea salt), inulin sunflower seeds, gluten-free oats, vegetable glycerin, pecans, cashew butter (dry roasted cashews, sunflower oil), unsweetened chocolate, brown rice crisps, cane sugar, natural flavours, cocoa powder, semi-sweet chocolate chip (cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter), sea salt, sunflower oil blend (sunflower oil, mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract). |
| Lemon Coconut | Soy protein crisps (soy protein isolate, tapioca starch, sea salt), inulin and/or tapioca fibre, toasted coconut, gluten-free oats, vegetable glycerin, cashew butter (dry roasted cashews, sunflower oil), flaxseeds, brown rice crisps, cane sugar, natural flavours, sunflower oil blend (sunflower oil, mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract), monk fruit juice concentrate, sea salt. |
| Cinnamon Pecan | Soy protein crisps (soy protein isolate, tapioca starch, sea salt), inulin, pecans, gluten-free oats, sunflower seeds, vegetable glycerin, cashew butter (dry roasted cashews, sunflower oil), brown rice crisps, cane sugar, cinnamon, sunflower oil blend (sunflower oil, mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract), sea salt, natural flavour. |
| Cocoa Raspberry | Soy protein crisps (soy protein isolate, tapioca starch, sea salt), inulin, sunflower seeds, gluten-free oats, cashew butter (dry roasted cashews, sunflower oil), vegetable glycerin, unsweetened chocolate, brown rice crisps, cocoa powder, cane sugar, raspberries, natural flavours, sunflower oil blend (sunflower oil, mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract), sea salt. |
| Mint Chocolate Chip | Soy protein crisps (soy protein isolate, tapioca starch, sea salt), inulin sunflower seeds, gluten-free oats, vegetable glycerin, semi-sweet chocolate chip (cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter), cashew butter (dry roasted cashews, sunflower oil), brown rice crisps, natural flavours, sunflower oil blend (sunflower oil, mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract), sea salt, peppermint oil. |
| Chocolate Coconut | Soy protein crisps (soy protein isolate, tapioca starch, sea salt), inulin, dried coconut, vegetable glycerin, unsweetened chocolate, cashew butter (dry roasted cashews, sunflower oil), cashews, gluten-free oats, brown rice crisps, natural flavours, sunflower oil blend (sunflower oil, mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract), sea salt. |
The Dark Chocolate Almond flavour ingredients are listed below. Check out the Simply Protein Ingredient Chart above for all flavours. Note: always check the nutrition label and ingredient list for up-to-date ingredient and allergen information.
- Soy protein crisps made with:
- Soy protein isolate: the main source of protein in Simply Protein bars.
- Tapioca starch: a gluten-free flour from the cassava plant. Used as a binding and thickening agent in foods.
- Sea salt: used to enhance flavour.
- Inulin: a source of soluble fibre and a common fibre supplement used in the food industry. Read everything you need to know about Inulin here.
- Almonds: a tree nut rich in monounsaturated fats.
- Unsweetened chocolate: used for flavouring.
- Vegetable glycerin: a type of sugar alcohol produced by hydrolysis of fats and oils. Glycerin has many uses as a food ingredient, including sweetener, bulking agent or filler, hydrating agent, and solvent.
- Almond butter: almonds that have been blended to a smooth consistency.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: made from cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate, and cocoa butter.
Simply Protein Bar Ingredients Continued…
- Brown rice crisps: made from brown rice.
- Cocoa powder: unsweetened form of chocolate. This is the leftover part of the cocoa bean after the cocoa butter has been removed.
- Gluten-free oats: a whole grain and source of fibre.
- Natural flavours: this is a blanket term for any combination of extracts from plant or animal products. Read everything you need to know about natural flavours here.
- Sunflower oil blend:
- Sunflower oil: source of monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acids.
- Mixed tocopherols: forms of vitamin E with strong antioxidant properties used to prevent the breakdown of fats. Read our full review of Tocopherols here.
- Rosemary extract: used for flavouring
- Monk fruit juice concentrate: used to add a sweet flavour. Unlike monk fruit extract, monk fruit juice is not considered a sweetener because it is less concentrated and does not contain the required amount of Magroside V to be considered a sweetener.
Priority Allergens
Contains soy, tree nuts and/or peanuts. May contain tree nuts and/or peanuts, sesame, and milk.
Simply Protein Bar Nutrition Facts
| Per 1 bar | Dark Chocolate Almond | Peanut Butter Chocolate | Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel | Lemon Coconut | Cinnamon Pecan | Cocoa Raspberry | Mint Chocolate Chip | Chocolate Coconut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 160 | 170 | 150 | 150 | 160 | 150 | 160 | 150 |
| Fat (g) | 7 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4.5 | 5 | 6 |
| Saturated fat (g) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 17 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
| Fibre (g) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Sugar (g) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Protein (g) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Sodium (mg) | 180 | 150 | 210 | 170 | 180 | 170 | 170 | 180 |
| Potassium (mg) | 150 | 125 | 125 | 100 | 100 | 125 | 125 | 125 |
| Calcium (mg) | 100 | 75 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Iron (mg) | 3 | 1.75 | 2.25 | 1.75 | 2 | 2.5 | 2 | 3.5 |
Note: the nutrition facts below represent the Dark Chocolate Almond flavour. The nutrient range for all flavours is listed in parentheses.
Calories: 160 (150-160)
Fat: 7g (4.5-8g), from nuts, cocoa, and sunflower oil.
Saturated fat: 2g (1-3g), from coconut and nuts.
Carbohydrate: 17g (15-18g), from inulin, glycerin, brown rice, and oats.
Fibre: 7g, from inulin and trace amounts found in other ingredients.
Sugar: 2g, from semi-sweet chocolate chips and trace amounts found in other ingredients.
Protein: 12g, from soy protein isolate and trace amounts found in other ingredients.
Sodium: 180mg (150-210mg), from sea salt.
Other nutrients: potassium 150mg (100-150mg), calcium 100mg (75-100mg), iron 3mg (1.75-3.5mg)
Are Simply Protein Bars Healthy? Bottomline
We gave Simply Protein bars a nutrition score of 80 out of 100 and consider them an excellent choice in the protein bar category. In addition to protein, these bars provide a source of fibre and unsaturated fats. They also contain fewer ultra-processed ingredients than other protein bars, with much of their nutrition coming from less processed sources such as nuts, oats, and brown rice.
We also love Simply Protein bars for their low sugar content, with only 2g of sugar per bar. While most low-sugar protein bars contain large amounts of non-sugar sweeteners to make up for the low sugar content, Simply Protein bars contain only glycerin (a sugar alcohol), and monk fruit juice (select flavours only) which is technically not concentrated enough to be considered a sweetener.
On the negative side, some Simply Protein bar flavours contain a moderate-high amount of saturated fat, however, this is from coconut and/or other nuts and not ultra-processed sources. In addition, some flavours are moderately high in sodium and may not be suitable for someone on a low-sodium diet.
Check out some of my other protein bar reviews below:
- Quest Protein Bar Dietitian Review
- Barbells Protein Bar Dietitian Review
- RXBAR Dietitian Review
- Pure Protein Bar Dietitian Review
- Think! Protein Bar Dietitian Review
- ONE Protein Bar Dietitian Review
Sources:
- Glycerin, Technical Evaluation Report, USDA (2013).
- Bob’s Redmill, What is Tapioca Flour & Where Does it Come from? (2022).
- Labelling requirements for sweeteners and foods that contain sweeteners, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (2024).
