Vega has created vegan protein powders, protein bars, snack bars, and other vegan food based supplements for years. With the expanding product line has entered the Vega Sport Protein Bar with 20 grams of plant-based protein. Unlike most protein bars that stop there, the Vega Sport Protein Bar provides 3.5 grams of BCAA’s and tart cherry juice which has been shown to help support muscle recovery post workout. In fact, it’s becoming more popular for athletes to consume tart cherry juice as a part of athletic training.
The Vega Sport Protein Bar comes in only two flavors currently: Crispy Mint and Crunchy Peanut Butter. Today, we’re reviewing the Crunchy Peanut Butter plant-based sport protein bar from Vega. Let’s see how it tastes and how the nutrition stacks up. If you’re ready to check out Vega Sport Protein Bars right now, head over to Amazon. Otherwise, keep reading our review!
Taste Experience
Right away after picking up the protein bar out of the package, the thin chocolate layer began to melt into my fingertips (never a good sign, right?!). Have you ever had powdered peanut butter? That’s what the inside tastes like, but really packed together. The Vega Sport Protein Bar in Crunchy Peanut Butter has a faint peanut butter taste and overall it’s fairly dry and you should expect to chug a big glass of water with this bar. It doesn’t tastes like brown rice syrup or a sticky mess of protein powder but rather a faint peanut butter and practically non-existent chocolate taste. It’s not a bad taste, but it’s definitely subtle without much pop of flavor.
The Crunchy Peanut Butter Vega Sport Protein Bar has the tendency to be crumbly but they are fine, dusty crumbs that flake off the interior more than anything. I think this is in part to using the peanut butter powder.
Thankfully, the bar doesn’t have an aftertaste and honestly doesn’t taste like a repulsive protein bar but it doesn’t have much of a taste in general. If you are inclined to mildly flavorful bars without strong flavors, check out the Vega Sport Protein Bar in the Crunchy Peanut Butter Flavor on Amazon.
Nutrition
Before we get into the nuts and bolts, keep in mind the Vega Sport Protein Bar is targeted at athletes with higher energy demands and with that, it makes sense to create a nutrient and calorically dense protein bar. Each Crunchy Peanut Butter Vega Sport Protein Bar has 300 calories with only 100 calories from fat (this means a substantial amount of the calories are coming from protein and/or carbohydrates).
There are 11 grams of fat with only 5 grams of saturated fat and no trans fat to help meet your essential fatty acid needs with heart healthy fats.
There is a considerable amount of sodium in each plant-based protein bar (290 mg sodium per bar). This is a completely reasonable amount for athletes. However, if you’re not sweating and working out regularly, it may be more sodium than you really need in a protein bar. From a nutrition science perspective, the salt will help balance out the high amount of protein and prevent some of that potentially chalky taste.
With 26 grams of total carbohydrate and 3 grams of fiber, the Vega Sport Protein Bar helps replace carbohydrates used during a workout without creating a GI distress issue (with too much fiber) or without leaving you hungry (thanks in part to the few grams of fiber). Of those 26 grams of carbohydrate, there are 14 grams of sugar. Again, depending on your lifestyle this may be a considerable amount but if you’re any kind of endurance runner/athlete, the sugar will enter your blood stream faster to help you recover faster. The tart cherry juice powder also provides sugar/carbohydrate but more importantly is vital in supporting recovering muscles.
The Vega Sport Protein Bar is soy free and obtains its impressive 20 grams of protein with rice protein, pea protein, and peanut flour. The plant-based protein bar is also gluten-free and non-GMO verified. If you want to take a peek at the nutrition label yourself, see the picture below or get your hands on one at Amazon and experience the protein bomb yourself!
The Non-Vegan Review
Lawd oh mighty! Make sure you have a big water bottle or fat mug of coffee or tea near by when you eat this bar. The Vega Sport Protein bar will suck all the moisture out of your mouth with one bite. If you’ve ever tried powdered peanut butter, that’s what this bar is like. Like Vega pressed together a bunch of peanut butter powder together and coated it in chocolate. Once you get past the moisture sucking properties, the taste of the bar isn’t bad. Decent peanut butter flavor with a nice chocolate coating. And, once you choke it all down, the bar is very satisfying and does have a ton of protein in it. Oh, and the bar is messy as a vegan at a BBQ joint, so make sure to have some napkins with you. Overall, not my favorite bar, but if you find them for a good price, I’d get a box or two because of the high protein content. Non-vegan husband out!
Parting Thoughts
If you are a vegan or plant-based athlete, there is no doubt that you are always looking for other protein bar options. What we really love about the Vega Sport Protein Bar is that it not only has 20 grams of protein but it has 3.5 grams of BCAAs and tart cherry juice powder to help your muscles recover faster. In terms of taste, the Crunchy Peanut Butter Vega Sport Protein Bar has a soft powdery peanut butter flavor that is very reminiscent of powdered peanut butter in a pressed fashion and coated with a very mild chocolate coating. If your stomach needs mild flavored foods and protein bars after workouts, Vega Sport Protein Bars on Amazon would be a great option to check out!