You’re out and about, and you hear it. The growl. Your stomach is telling you, “I know it is not dinner but I neeeeeeeeed something.” We’ve all suffered this experience and often when starting on a new food plan such as Paleo, or Whole30 snacks are one of the toughest options to figure out. In the past, snack bars have served as a reasonable solution, but if you are eliminating dairy, gluten, or sugar, navigating the bar shelf in the grocery store can be a complex mess of ingredients on teeny tiny labels. So let me solve the snack problem for you. Here is a list of the top 15 Paleo and Whole30 friendly bars on the shelves right now. And, if you are not Whole30 or Paleo these are still fantastic options because they are a whole food, few ingredients, no preservatives option that would be super satisfactory for any growling stomach.
The Best 15 Paleo and Whole30 Snack Bars
EPIC – I love this bar. The first time I tried it, I will be honest, it was a little icky. It was just that I was used to super sweet, crumbly bars that were full of crap.
Once I got to my second one I loved the saltiness and clean flavor. It is kind of like jerky, but better. I also love the protein factor! 15 grams in a bar!
Be aware that not every Epic flavor is Paleo-compatible. A few of the flavors have brown sugar, like the Bison one. But the Lamb and Bacon are good to go. I never allow myself to run out of this brand!
LARABAR – I don’t recommend these all the time because Larabars are pretty high in sugars (not sugar itself), but if you need a sweet fix or an alternative to dessert this is my go-to. I love that these bars have so few ingredients!
Remember the Larabars with peanuts would not comply because Paleo does not encourage legumes to be consumed. HERE’S WHY. My favorites are Coconut Cream Pie, Key Lime Pie, and Lemon.
Bulletproof Protein Bars – I just added this to the list because I love the ingredients and the taste. With only 2G of sugar per bar coming from the cashew butter and chicory root, this was definitely worth adding to our Paleo and Whole30 friendly list.
PALEO THIN PROTEIN BAR – **Warning** This bar is by Julian’s Bakery, who I love. I love their Pizza Crust (just bought four bags of it) and some of their other Paleo-friendly products. I have not tried this bar and so went to look at reviews. Sadness – Paleo Protein Bar has a horrible rep online. However, I got a horrible rep in middle school from a bunch of lies (I survived, don’t worry). I am sensitive to the fact this little bar may be misunderstood. Anyone tried it? Like it or hate it? Do share.
***Update*** They have since re-branded and it looks like their reviews are improving!
RXBAR – I feel like that mom watching their kid compete in the Olympics or become a famous actor. I have been with RXBar since they launched back in 2013. I stocked and sold them in their original brown paper packaging on my counter in my office.
Since then they have re-branded and are now at the top of the Paleo Bar food chain. Well done boys. RXBar is a hefty bar that should be your go-to for hikes and post workouts. These bars are substantial, but with only a few ingredients, you can count on cleanness and easy digestibility.
SIMPLE SQUARES – These little buggers are tremendous. They are a little “fally aparty,” but the taste is non-negotiably delish. The sweetness comes from a well-sourced honey. If you are watching your fructose or sugars keep these to a minimum. There are about 10 grams of sugar per bar but they are a great option for travel because they are compact.
EVO HEMP – Okay these are delicious. The ingredients are fantastic and almost 100% organic. Frankly, I like the product just because the four guys from Boulder that founded the company look so cool. The protein source is Hemp and has a level of sweetness that can take you from snack to dessert.
TANKA – **Warning** These bars are similar to Epic because they are kinda meaty and jerkyish. Some people refer to them as Pemmican-like but leaner and sweeter. I have a problem with them, though.
Everywhere online people are calling these bars Paleo and Whole30 friendly, but every one of their flavors (that I can see) has sugar in it. The sugar is listed as part of the cranberries that are added, but a couple of the bars also have “cane juice.”
Sorry, folks, that is sugar. So although these are a “pretty good” alternative to the chocolaty sweetness that passes for protein bars out there, I do not fully consider these Tanka bars Paleo. They are tasty, I will give them that.
WILD ZORA – Good news? Grass Fed Beef and well-sourced turkey and lamb. Not soo good? Some of the flavors have dairy. The lamb and the turkey flavors are perfectly acceptable. The beef version has Parmesan Cheese (Why, oh why, Zora??) As with the Epic and the Larabars, not ALL the flavors are Paleo or Whole30 friendly so read your labels. I like these though because they are “wildly” different (see what I did there?) from anything else out there.
Mighty Organic Bar – The meat in this bar comes form 100% grass-fed beef with no antibiotic, GMOs, and all that harmful stuff. All the meat bars have 8g of protein per serving that’ll get you through any snack craving. The only sweetener I can see comes from the organic honey.
THUNDERBIRD – I love the simplicity of this bar. What you see is what you get. Nuts, seeds, and fruit, blended together simply and elegantly. How much do you love their infographic of ingredients? Pretty much says it all. Very safe bar to grab for Paleo and Whole30 enthusiasts.
RAW REVOLUTION – These are tricky. First of all, original Raw Revolution bars are delicious, moist and very palatable. The “tricky” is that the “Paleo” approved bars have some Agave sweeteners which are typically not supported by Paleo purists. Secondly, their new “Glo” line, claiming “superfood benefits”, has additional ingredients that include brown rice protein, sugar, and soy!! (Not Paleo or Whole 30 compliant). Such a good example of making the consumer believe they are getting something healthier than even the original version when, in fact, Raw Revolution has diluted the purity of the product. So overall these bars are passable but stay away from their new “Glo” versions.
Rise Bar – You know what’s impressive? The fact that there’s only 3-ingredients in this protein bar from Rise, which I can see why they call it “the simplest.” These are produced on a mass scale which makes me think it’s possible that a company really takes the time to focus on quality not quantity.
[Tweet “Want A Paleo Bar That Doesn’t Taste Like Chalk? “]
Homemade Paleo and Whole30 Snack Bars
Sometimes you just feel like making your own snacks so let’s add a couple of recipes that look oh so good!
No Bake Nut-Free Paleo Bars | Our Salty Kitchen
Coconut Cashew Bars | The Bewitchin’ Kitchen
BY THE WAY….
BEWARE OF MISLEADING LABELING: This dumb bar tricked me. The look of the label and the name suggests it is paleo. NOT AT ALL. Sugar, Soy, brown rice syrup, cane syrup are just some of the offending ingredients. NAUGHTY NAUGHTY. “Paleo Inspired,” my left arm!! Watch out for this one.
LOOK AT WHAT I JUST FOUND AS I WAS FINISHING THIS POST!!!
BUY IT RIGHT NOW CAUSE IT’S AWESOME
What Paleo Bars are in my cupboard? Epic, Larabar, RXbar, Amrap, Simple squares, Evo Hemp, Thunderbird
This week consider spending more time on reading nutrition labels. I challenge you to take the ten foods with a label ( Apples don’t have a label) that you eat the most often, and dig into their nutritional benefits. Are there sugars, soy, dairy, or any grains? Are there any that you might want to switch out for another option? Have fun cleaning house!
If you like this post, you’ll jump through hoops for these. 1
SEVEN PALEO SNACK IDEAS TO GET YOU OUT OF THE SNACKING RUT
SIX REASONS WHY YOUR PALEO PLAN IS A COMPLETE EPIC FAIL
60 Responses
I LOVE Lara bars! Great list.
Me too, Linda! Love the Coconut ones!
My friend is OBSESSED with RX bars – definitely been meaning to try them!
XO Amanda | http://www.glitterandspice.com
They are really delicious and filling. They worked great for me in El Salvador when I travelled there recently!
Thanks for rounding these up! I love Lara bars!!
They seem to be the post’s most commented on! 🙂
I am always looking for new paleo bars. The RX ones are my fav!! Thanks for sharing, I didn’t know about a lot of these!
The research was fun. I learned about some new ones too!
I am always on the hunt for new bars to try. THis is a fantastic list to go from. Thank you.
You are welcome! I am glad you enjoyed reading through this! 🙂
Yum! I’m a huge fan of larabars since they are real, whole ingredients. I don’t worry about the sugar factor so much because its not added sugars. The EPIC bar sounds interesting! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I can’t pass up sharing with you a course I just did on the damage of “natural sugars”. There is a great movie that spells it out really clearly. “The Sugar Film” It talks about the impact fructose (fruits and other “natural” sugars) can have on our system. Just as impactful as regular sugar if taking in quantities in excess of 6 tsp a day. Check it out!
Thanks for the info. As a studying dietitian, I know a lot about how our body processes sugars, both natural and natural, at a metabolic level. While both can be damaging to the body at large doses, eating a Larabar or consuming an apple every now and then is a far better alternative than some of the other products on the market. Since both contain dietary fiber, they help control blood glucose levels far better than their added sugar counterparts. Theres so much more to products with “natural sugars” then some people realize. Everything in moderation, which is why I don’t worry about it!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. 🙂
I recently completed my first Whole 30. It was difficult finding normal snacks that were Whole 30 compliant. Thank you so much for the list. 🙂
My pleasure. Seems like a lot of folks are having that issue. 🙂
I love Larabar. It’s one of 2 bars I eat regularly for snacks.
Good to alternate around, right?
What a great round up! I really want to try those Rx Bars! I haven’t been able to find them near me though…just have to get on ordering some!
Yup. don’t believe they stock in stores at all. 🙂
My husband and I were introduced to the Whole30 back in August, and fell in love with it. I’ve only ever tried the Larabars and the rxbars, so I’ll definitely have to give some others a try! Thanks for sharing this list.
Yes, make sure to read ingredients. Amazing how subtly those can change!
This is such a great list and a wealth of information on these paleo and healthy snack bars…. great tip too on reading the labels carefully!
Thanks, Vet. I was taken aback as well when faced with the realization that you really have to read them EVERY time!
This is so helpful as I’ve been trying to snack better lately! I’ve always wanted to try the RX Bars, too. Thank you for sharing!
You bet, Erin! I hope you enjoy them. Thank you for stopping by! 🙂
I’m a big RxBar fan too! So glad they started carrying them at our Whole Foods here locally. Of course, you have to move fast because they sell out so quickly.
What???? They are carrying them at Whole Foods? That is shocking. They have definitely changed their platform then. Good to know.
I love Lara bars and I also have been enjoying the health warrior chia bars, they are small but all the chia seeds fill me up as a snack.
Nice info dan artikelnya gan?
Thankyou Sahabat!!
Love this list!!!! I usually make my own bars but am going to have to try some of these out!
This list is so helpful! When I am really trying to eat more whole foods snacks are the hardest part! I’m just not one of those people that likes to munch on veggies throughout the day. I’m excited to give some of these a try. Thanks for sharing!
Great when you need something a little more hardy. 🙂
I have always loved Lara bars, but wished there was more protein in them and then RX bars came out. I feel like they are pretty much just Lara bars with protein. I could never get past the jerky of the Epic Bars, for some reason it was a little too weird for me. I talked my local grocery store into carrying RX bars for me because our local Whole Foods doesn’t carry them yet. Do you know if normal grocery stores carry AMRAP bars? I haven’t ever seen them before, I think that was the only one on the list that I wasn’t familiar with.
I have been looking for AMRAP locally too. I think they are only by order at the moment. 🙂
They all taste really good right? Will have to try some.
Yes. I love all the ones but they two I hadn’t tried and relied on reviews for the post. All the other ones, I think are excellent.
A lot of these actually look and sound delicious…which I feel is pretty rare when it comes to snack bars. The only ones I have tried on this list is the Larabars, which I love!
Shannon
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The Lara bars are sooooo good! And I love all the different flavours they have!
I LOVE larabars and RX bars, but I can’t manage to find a way to enjoy Epic bars. at all. I love the Chomp Grass Fed Beef Sticks, though.
Oh, those are good for sure. Easy to carry around too for emergencies!
Being a Paleo pregnant woman, I always have a bar in my purse for food emergencies – thanks for the full list!
Of course, Mandi! 🙂 I am not pregnant and still make sure I always have something on hand!
I am sharing this with one of my coworkers who is currently on Whole 30. I have never tried any but seen many of the snacks in whole foods.
Thank you for the share, Tia. I really appreciate when folks pass WELLFITandFED onto others!
I’ve heard great things about Lara bars, it looks like I’ll finally have to try them out!
Ya, they are for sure the gateway bar! Ha ha!
Thank you for this list! I have been looking for a good tasting, not high in sugars kind of bar. In terms of food, I don’t really like trying new things to much, but I will try some of these bars!
Way to go, Taria! I would love to know which ones you end up trying. 🙂
We love larabars but I may have to try those Thunderbird bars!
Yes. I like them a lot. It is just good to have a variety!
I don’t usually buy snack bars, but I recently tried a Larabar and it was good. The flavors of the Simple Squares sound really good too.
Those are probably the closest to the taste of the Larabars. They have a good level of sweetness for that sweet tooth!
I’ve never tried any of these snack bars. Thank you for the review and being so honest. 🙂
No worries, Glenda. Thanks for reading. I sure appreciate you stopping by!
I just first tried Larabars for the first time while on the Whole30. So good! Cherry Pie is my favorite flavor. I’d love to try a few of the others on this list. I’m not so sure about the savory ones, but I would definitely try before ruling them out.
I hear ya! They take some getting used to but a great alternative. 🙂 Way to go on your Whole30, I followed you along while you were doing it!
I didn’t really like the larabars. I’ve been trying many of these though. Some are pretty great.
Larabars are pretty sweet for some. Glad you have found some that you like. 🙂