Misfits Protein Bars Review
Fit for Vegans or Fit for the Trash Can? (Nutritionist Reacts)
As a vegan, finding the perfect protein source is like finding a ray of sunshine at the end of a long and dark tunnel.
Plant-based protein bars bring you steps closer to this ray of sunshine as they provide you with adequate protein, fiber, essential vitamins, and minerals. They’re also a healthy snack option, and you can have them as a meal replacement–sometimes.
Unfortunately, finding the perfect vegan protein bar is not as easy as it sounds. Many vegan protein bars overpromise and underdeliver. They may even be unhealthy.
How can I be so sure? Because, doing the R&D process for the Human Food Bar I taste tested and carefully studied over 100 protein and nutrition bars (and yes, it’s an obsession).
So are Misfits bars actually healthy? Or are they just more fake food?
Well, it’s complicated. Let’s dig in.
The Misfits vegan protein bar packs 15 grams of protein, 8 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of sugar into a triple-layered rectangular bar with a caramel layer and a chocolate coating.
I took the plunge and gave these a taste, so you don’t have to. And my take is that these look so good on paper and they keep delivering until the moment you take a bite of one.
What Is the Misfits Protein Bar?
The Misfits Protein Bars are created by a UK-based company called Misfits. The company was founded to produce functional and health-inclusive snacks that help you navigate your busy life with ease.
Misfits is a progressive and sustainable brand. They offer you a holistic approach to wellness and healthy living by providing you with the energy boost you need when working out, working late, or just powering through your day.
The company is proudly carbon neutral and 100% plant-powered.
They created the Misfits Protein Bar for chocolate lovers looking to increase their protein intake while cutting back on sugar and dairy. Thus, these snacks are high protein, low sugar, and high fiber.
The bars are made in the UK using 100% natural, gluten-free, and dairy-free ingredients sourced from different parts of the world where they are grown.
“There are no rubbish ingredients, loads of amazing flavors and the macros are almost too good to be true.”
Are Misfits bars healthy?
To find out, let’s take a look at macros and ingredients for various flavors.
Misfits’ triple-layered and chocolate coated protein bars pack between 185 and 200 calories per 45 gram bar.
The nutritional macros for this bar can be broken down as follows:
- 774 kJ/186 Kcal Energy
- 15.3–16 g Protein
- 0.7–3.0 g Sugar (3 g sugar for the white chocolate bar)
- 9–12 g Fiber
- 5.4–8.1 g Carbs
- 8.4–9.9 g Fat
- 0.1–0.3 g Salt
- 0.07 g Sodium
Pros and Cons of Misfits Protein Bars
Psst! Got a moment?
If you're reading this, you came here for one my many protein bar reviews, which means you're a fellow bar eater.
If you found my article helpful, I hope you'll take a look at Human Food Bar, which I created after testing over 100 bars.
The bar's unique formulation can help you cut cravings, lose weight, sleep better, have more energy, regulate digestion, and more. It does this by balancing your gut biome.
Human Food Bar comes recommended by New York Times best-selling author Dr. Steven Gundry, MD.
Scroll through the gallery to learn more!
The Misfits Protein Bar comes in 12 different flavors:
- Peanut Butter Jelly (PB+J) Choco
- Chocolate Caramel
- Birthday Cake
- Chocolate Speculoos
- Dark Choc Gingerbread
- Cookies ‘N’ Cream White Choc
- Chocolate Banoffee
- White Choc Peanut
- Dark Choc Brownie
- Chocolate Peanut
- Chocolate Hazelnut
- Dark Choc Raspberry
The Misfits Protein Bar has a layered texture to it.
The alternative white chocolate, dark chocolate, or milk alternative chocolate coating is okay because it’s smooth, not too dense or overbearing. However, the main filling is dry and crumbly.
According to thousands of Amazon reviews, the taste is generally a big fail and comes with a horrible aftertaste because of the added sweeteners.
Macros
Each 45 gram chocolate bar contains 16 grams of plant protein and between 180 and 200 calories. Additionally, the bars contain:
- ≤ 16 g Plant protein
- ≤ 8.1 g Carbs
- ≤ 9.9 g Fat
This macronutrient-profile is ideal for supporting your healthy lifestyle.
Plant Protein or Fiber Content
These plant-powered bars are high in plant-based protein that’s satiating and keeps your body strong.
The plant-based protein sources for these bars are a blend of pea protein isolate, soya protein nuggets, soya protein isolate, cocoa, and tapioca starch. This blend creates a complete amino acid profile, which helps you build and repair muscle tissue and maintain a healthy body and mind.
Additionally, these bars have less than 200 calories for 15 grams of protein, which is ideal for boosting your performance and enhancing your overall health.
At 9–12 grams of dietary fiber derived from chicory root fiber and sugar beet fiber it has enough to promote a healthy gut, control blood sugar, and keep you full for longer.
Ingredients
The Misfits Vegan Protein Bars are made using 100% natural plant-based ingredients, zero gluten, and zero animal-based ingredients. According to Misfits, the ingredients used are of the highest quality and are sourced from the most sustainable producers.
Some of these ingredients include:
- Proteins: Pea protein isolate, soya protein nuggets, soya protein isolate, cocoa, and tapioca starch
- Carbohydrates: Tapioca starch, soya flour, rice syrup
- Fat: Peanut paste, vegetable glycerine, coconut oil
- Fibers: Chicory root fiber, sugar beet fiber
- Sweetener: Stevia extract, caramel layer (chicory root fiber, sugar beet fiber, cacao butter), xylitol, cocoa mass
- Humectants: Vegetable glycerine, natural flavoring, green tea extract, beetroot powder, cocoa butter
- Emulsifiers: Sunflower lecithin, water, cocoa powder reduced fat
- Thickeners: Gum acacia, Himalayan salt
- Acidifier: Citric acid
As you can see from the list of ingredients, these bars contain lots of artificial ingredients that nutritionists frown upon and that are potentially harmful to your health. So I give them a low rating overall.
Value
These bars are pricier than average protein bars, which makes them an unsustainable treat for the average consumer. This is due in part due to them being manufactured in the UK.
Low Sugar
The Misfits Protein Bar is low in sugar as the different flavors only contain 0.7–3.0 grams of sugar.
Unfortunately, you will find different sugar alcohols across the various bar flavors, including maltitol and xylitol.
Although these sugar alcohols pack fewer calories than regular sugar, they should be avoided because they can cause gastrointestinal problems. Some, like maltitol, also spike diabetics’ blood sugars.
Comparison to the Human Food Bar
The Misfits Protein Bar loses this race because, like many other high-protein products, it overpromises and underdelivers. After looking at six different rating criteria, the Misfits vegan protein bars only score a rating of 2 for their macros, plant protein, and fiber content.
So, is the Human Food Bar a worthy opponent?
| Misfits Protein Bar | Human Food Bar | |
| Texture and taste | Dry and chalky texture, which also translates to its poor taste | Great taste and texture |
| Calories | ≤ 200 kcal | 240 kcal |
| Plant protein or fiber content |
|
|
| Sugar content | Low sugar but with sugar alcohols | No added sugar without sugar alcohols |
| Ingredients | Contains multiple natural-based ingredients, like Himalayan salt but they blend these with sugar alcohols and other artificial ingredients | Contains premium natural ingredients and gut-boosting superfoods, like:
|
The Human Food Bar is a nutrition bar inspired by the hunter gatherer diet. The bar contains a diverse array of resistant starch and prebiotic fiber that’s healthy for your gut and boosts your overall health.
It contains a healthy blend of macronutrients as you can see below.
Are Misfits Protein Bars Worth Adding to Your Diet?
Going by the two-star overall rating, the bad taste, and the high price point—not forgetting the shipping costs if you don’t live in the UK—these bars are not worth a try.
Plus, considering that you have multiple other vegan protein bar options with a higher rating and multiple benefits, you have no reason to spend your money on these. Some good examples we tested include:
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Misfits Protein Bars keto-friendly?
The Misfits Protein Bars are keto-friendly. That’s thanks to their low carb content and healthy fat composition in the form of coconut oil.
What are the allergens in the Misfits Protein Bars?
The Misfits Protein Bars contain soy and various types of nuts, which are common allergens. Examples include:
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Hazelnuts
Are all Misfits bars gluten-free?
Some of your favorite Misfits bar flavors, including Chocolate Peanut, Chocolate Hazelnut, and White Chocolate Salted Peanut, contain small amounts of malt extract from barley, which contains trace amounts of gluten.
How can you tell which vegan protein bar is the best?
The vegan protein bar of your dreams will have the following:
- Not more than 20 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber
- Less than 25 grams of carbs
- Low in saturated fats and free of trans fats
- 140–200 calories for women and 170–250 calories for men
- An ingredient list free of artificial products, chemicals, and preservatives
Natural plant-based ingredients and superfoods make a good vegan protein bar the best choice.
The Human Food Bar still beats all these other rival bars, being ideal for people on vegan, paleo, lectin-free and keto diets. It’s also a great option for anyone who cares about improving their gut health.
It delivers superfood staples without compromising on taste. Additionally, the Human Food Bar contains no sugar alcohol, no added sugar, and is GMO free.
The Takeaway
The Misfits Protein Bar is not fit for your healthy vegan diet due to their access of artifical ingredients. With that said, if you’re less concerned about being healthy and more interested in taste (which I hope is not the case!), you can give them a look.
