Vega Protein Bars Review

As the name suggests, Vega Protein Bars are designed for vegans. But so are a lot of bars. So is there anything special about Vega Bars that makes them worth putting in your body – and worthy of your hard-earned cash?

Vega Bars are a heavily processed food, so are they even healthy?

Join me to find out!

With a high protein content, the right protein bar can keep you satiated, boost your metabolism, and promote fat-burning.

Many protein bars on the market, however, are not compatible with a vegan diet. Like the name suggests, Vega protein bars are designed with vegan dieters in mind.

Containing 20 grams of protein in every bar, Vega bars claim that they’ll help you fight hunger with fuel that you can feel good about.

In this review and taste test we’ll take a critical look at the Vega protein bar to ascertain whether these claims are valid. We’ll use a scale of 1 to 5 to rate indicators including macros, ingredients, taste, texture, protein content, and overall value.

What Is a Vega Protein Bar?

Finding the right vegan protein bar can be a challenge. Made from 100% plant-based protein, the Vega protein bar might be just what you’ve been looking for.

Containing 20 grams of protein in each bar, Vega bars can help you meet your daily protein requirements without violating your vegan restrictions. The protein in this bar comes from a multisource blend of pea protein, brown rice protein, and nuts.

The Vega protein bar also contains 3–4 grams of fiber, which accounts for 12% of the daily recommended value. The fiber content comes from organic agave inulin, rice starch, and nuts.

Furthermore, the Vega bar is:

• Non-GMO
• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free and
• Soy-free

Vega’s high-protein bars contain no artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners.

Vega has three protein bar options:

• Vega Protein Snack Bar
• Vega Sport Protein Bar
• Vega 20g Protein Bar

The snack bar is, as you might expect, smaller than the other two. It packs 10 grams of protein, while the others have 20 grams of protein each.

Let’s compare the three Vega bar options in the table below.

To avoid confusion, we’ll focus on the Vega 20g Protein bar.

Vega Protein Bar Nutritional Macros

Let’s take a look at the nutritional macros (and some micros) in a Vega plant-based protein bar in the table below:

Note: Each Vega 20g protein bar contains 290 calories, 90 of which come from fat.

Unfortunately, even bars that are labeled “vegan” can be unhealthy.

You have to read the nutritional information closely to make sure that a bar is truly vegan and has a good balance of macros.

Being a protein bar, you want to make sure that the Vega protein bar contains enough e nutrients to energize you as well as curb hunger and cravings until your next meal.

In addition, make sure to read the ingredients list to find out where the protein and other nutrients come from.

Pros and Cons of the Vega Protein Bar

Vega Protein Bar Review

The Takeaway

Laden with preservatives, unhealthy ingredients and sugar, Vega Protein Bars are a classic case of Fake Food nutrition bars. You can easily do better. 

Macros Rating:

Protein Content Rating:

Fiber Rating:

Ingredients Rating:

Sugar Content Rating:

Overall Value Rating:

Pros

High protein content (20 grams) helping you meet 35% of your required daily value. Protein will keep you satiated promote fat burning and support metabolism

Low total fat content (10 grams) which can help support your weight loss and fitness goals

Doesn’t contain trans fat and cholesterol which can be detrimental to your health

Contains 290 calories to keep you full and satiated between meals

Cons

High sugar content (16–18 grams). Blood sugar spikes can make it harder to lose weight

Low fiber content (3–4 grams). This amount of fiber might not be enough to keep you full between meals

Contains saturated fats (4–5 grams) which have been associated with increasing heart disease risk factors

High in carbs (26–27 grams) which makes it unsuitable for low-carb diets

3

Rating the Vega 20g Protein Bar

The Vega protein bar prides itself on providing delicious, plant-based protein you can take on-the go.

Let’s analyze the Vega bar’s taste and texture, nutritional macros, protein content, ingredients, sugar content, and overall value to determine the validity of these claims.

Taste and Texture

In terms of taste and texture, Vega bars are not as bad as most bars in their category. However, they’re still chalky and rough.

Multiple Amazon reviews describe the bars as dry and too sugary. The bars also leave you with an unpleasant aftertaste and are not worth their price.

Of course, taste is subjective and you may find a flavor you like. There are two flavors to choose from: Chocolate Peanut Butter and Salted Caramel.

Here’s a review of the bar from a verified buyer:

Macros

The Vega protein bar contains 20 grams of multi-source plant-based protein.

While protein is the most important macro in a protein bar, you also have to consider the balance of its other macronutrients.

On the plus side, this bar is low in fat (10 grams) and doesn’t contain potentially harmful trans fats or cholesterol. This may be helpful if you’re restricting calories.

The downside, however, is that the Vega bar is quite low in dietary fiber (3–4 grams). That amount of dietary fiber isn’t enough to keep you full between meals.

The bar is also high in carbs (26–27 grams), which might make it unsuitable for low-carb diets such as keto.

Plant Protein Content

Each Vega bar contains 20 grams of plant-based protein. This protein comes from plant-based food ingredients such as:

• Pea protein
• Brown rice protein
• Almonds

Meeting 35% of your required daily intake, the protein in this bar will keep you energized pre and post-workout, and curb hunger between meals. Protein is also known to support metabolism and promote fat-burning.

Fiber Content

Each Vega bar contains (3–4 grams) of fiber. While this amount of fiber is higher than the amount packed by other bars in this category, it’s still quite low. It may not be enough to ward off hunger between meals.

The fiber in the Vega bar comes from organic agave inulin, rice starch, and nuts. Inulin is a soluble fiber found in the root of plants.

Ingredients

Vega promises to provide a delicious way to get more protein with real food ingredients.

The Vega 20g protein bar is made from plant-based ingredients such as pea protein, brown rice protein, vegetable glycerine, organic molasses, organic agave inulin, tapioca syrup, almond butter, palm kernel oil, organic agave syrup, apple juice concentrate, sunflower oil, rice starch, sunflower lecithin, natural flavors, and sea salt.

Vega bars don’t contain artificial sweeteners or flavors.

A potential downside is that Vega bars are manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts, dairy, soy, eggs, and other tree nuts. So heads up if you’re sensitive to any of those.

Sugar Content

The Vega protein bar scores poorly when it comes to its sugar content. Each bar contains (16–18 grams), which is quite high for a healthy snack bar.

The sugar content in the bar comes from:

• Cane sugar
• Tapioca syrup
• Apple juice concentrate and
• Organic molasses.

Overall Value

Made from real plant-based food, the Vega bar is truly vegan.

While most vegan protein bars have horrible taste and texture, this bar is a bit more tolerable. Still, Vega could definitely improve on taste and texture.

Other downsides include being high in sugar and carbs, which makes it unsuitable for some diets. The bar is also low in fiber content.

That said, the Vega bar isn’t as bad as many others in its category, which boosts its overall value.

Vega 20g Protein Bar vs the Human Food Bar

As a vegan bar, the Vega 20g protein bar scores decently.

However, if you’re in the market for a vegan bar that’s low in sugar and carbs, you’ll love Human Food Bar.

Containing only 3 grams of total sugars (and no added sugars), the Human Food Bar will satiate your sweet tooth without harming your health.

In addition, the bar contains 21 grams of total carbohydrates—making it more ideal for low-carb diet plans. The Human Food Bar packs 8 grams of protein and 200 calories in each bar.

Inspired by ancient humans, the Human Food Bar is a microbiome booster made from high-quality plant-based ingredients such as:

• Green banana flour
• Tiger nut flour
• Baobab fruit powder
• Shredded coconut
• Protein powder
• Ground flaxseed
• Cacao nibs

Furthermore, the Human Food Bar was designed to be compatible with the lectin-free Dr. Gundry Plant Paradox diet.

Lectins are anti-nutrient proteins that have been linked to disrupting digestion, interfering with nutrient absorption, and causing chronic inflammation.

Loaded with microbiome-boosting ingredients, the Human Food Bar has plenty of health benefits. It can:

• Support gut and digestive health
• Promote weight loss
• Increase calcium absorption for strong bones
• Support the immune system
• Reduce inflammation
• Promote feelings of wellbeing
• Reduce hunger and food cravings

The Human Food Bar is:

• Non-GMO
• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free and
• Soy-free

It’s sweetened using monk fruit and allulose and contains no added sugars. It tastes fantastic and has a pleasant chewy texture.

Let’s compare the two bars in the table below:

The Verdict

The Vega 20g protein bar is a decent vegan bar. It’s made using a real plant-based protein blend from plant-based ingredients.

However, its score is brought down by being high in sugar and carbs while being too low in fiber.

If you’re looking for a vegan protein bar that:

• Has great taste and texture
• Is low in sugar and carbs and
• Packs more fiber to keep you full

The Human Food Bar is perfect.

With only 3 grams of sugar, 8 grams of dietary fiber, and bursting with superfood ingredients, the Human Food bar is an obvious winner.

Still not sure? Check out these reviews of other fiber rich bars we tested:

• Fiber Bar Buyers Guide
• No Cow Bars
• Think Bars
• Zing Bars
• Dang Bars
• GoMacro Bars
• Good! Snacks Bars
• Misfits Protein Bars
• Orgain Protein Bars
• Rise Bars
• Vega Bars

Frequently Asked Questions