Premier Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar: 30g Protein, Labelgrade B- (71/100)
B- 71 / 100 — A 30g-protein meal-replacement-sized bar: dense protein from a soy-isolate + whey blend, low total sugar, gluten-free. Held back by 440mg of sodium per bar (an F, and the biggest issue), a C-grade additive-heavy panel built on hydrolyzed gelatin and sucralose, and only moderate fiber.
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Premier Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter packs 30g of protein into a 72g bar at 290 calories, with 8g of sugar (USDA FDC 1870294). At ~41.7g protein per 100g it’s among the most protein-dense bars in the supermarket, and 30g in a single wrapper puts it in meal-replacement territory rather than light-snack territory. This is the brand’s crossover from its hugely popular 30g shakes — same protein headline, different build: a soy-isolate-plus-whey blend held together by glycerin and hydrolyzed gelatin into a dense, chewy bar. It’s gluten-free and total sugar is genuinely low. The Labelgrade is B- (71/100), and the ceiling is set almost entirely by sodium: 440mg per bar is an F, high even for this category. One correction up front: the low 8g total is added sugar (sugar is the fourth ingredient), not “no added sugar.”
Why the B-
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | A+ | 100 / 100 | ~41.7g per 100g — capped at the formula ceiling; 30g per bar is among the highest in any supermarket protein bar |
| Ingredient quality | C | 64 / 100 | ~20-item panel led by soy protein isolate, with hydrolyzed gelatin (a collagen binder) and sucralose — functional but additive-heavy, and the gelatin pads the protein total with low-quality collagen |
| Saturated fat load | C+ | 67 / 100 | 4g per bar (~5.6g per 100g) — moderate; palm kernel oil is the main source |
| Sodium load | F | 34 / 100 | 440mg per bar (~611mg per 100g) — high; the clear weak point and the reason this isn’t a B+ |
| Sugar load | B+ | 82 / 100 | 8g — low for a 290-calorie bar, but mostly added sugar (4th ingredient), not residual lactose; the grade reflects quantity, not source |
| Fiber | C- | 59 / 100 | ~3g per bar from inulin + tapioca starch — modest |
| Overall | B- | 71 / 100 | Elite protein quantity in a meal-sized bar, dragged down by category-high sodium and an additive-heavy panel. Great when you need 30g of protein in one wrapper; not the cleanest label on the shelf |
The protein density genuinely earns its A+ — 41.7g per 100g is the formula ceiling, and few packaged foods get near it. The drag is real, though: sodium is a hard F, the additive panel is a C, and even the strong B+ on sugar carries an asterisk because that sugar is added. The grade is a balanced read of a bar that wins decisively on one axis and loses on several.
The 30g question: protein that builds vs protein that fills
The “30g protein” on the front is true, but not all of it is the muscle-building kind. The blend that leads the ingredient list — soy protein isolate, whey hydrolysate, whey concentrate — is complete, leucine-rich protein that drives recovery. But hydrolyzed gelatin sits third on the panel, and gelatin (collagen) is an incomplete protein with effectively no leucine. It’s there for chew and binding, and while it counts toward the 30g on the label, it isn’t doing recovery work. The practical read: treat this as a high-20s-grams bar for post-workout purposes, and a full 30g for satiety and daily protein totals. That’s an honest distinction the front label doesn’t draw.
The sodium catch — and a cleaner sibling
The single thing keeping this off a B+ is salt. 440mg per bar is roughly double what Quest (200mg) or Pure Protein (85mg) put in a comparable bar, and it’s even higher than Premier’s own Dark Chocolate Mint variant at 360mg. Sodium isn’t pointless here — it sharpens the chocolate-peanut-butter flavor and offsets the chalk of soy isolate — but 440mg is a lot for a single snack, and it’s the kind of number that quietly adds up if you eat one most days alongside otherwise salty meals. As a once-in-a-while meal stand-in, it’s manageable; as a daily driver, the sodium is the line to watch. If you like the Premier 30g platform but want less salt, the Mint bar is the same protein for 80mg less sodium.
How it compares
| Product | Protein per bar | Sodium | Sugar | Fiber | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier Chocolate PB (this bar) | 30g (72g) | 440mg | 8g | 3g | 290 |
| Premier Dark Chocolate Mint | 30g (72g) | 360mg | 10g | 3g | 280 |
| Pure Protein Chocolate Deluxe | 21g (50g) | 85mg | 3g | 2g | 180 |
| Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough | 21g (60g) | 200mg | 1g | 14g | 200 |
Premier’s Chocolate PB wins the protein-per-bar contest outright — 30g beats every comparison here. The cost shows up in sodium and fiber. Quest gives up 9g of protein but answers with 14g of fiber to Premier’s 3g, a fifth of the sugar, and less than half the sodium — the better daily, lower-sodium snack. Pure Protein is the value play: 21g for 180 calories with by far the lowest sodium of the group (85mg), though its all-but-fiberless 2g and maltitol coating are its own trade-offs. And tellingly, Premier’s own Mint variant matches the 30g for less salt — within the Premier line it’s the more rounded pick. The choice comes down to what you’re optimizing: raw protein in one bar (this one) versus a more balanced, lower-sodium snack (Quest, or the Mint sibling).
Where this bar fits
This is a meal-replacement bar, not a light snack, and it’s best used that way. The 30g of protein is close to a small chicken-breast portion, so one bar genuinely stands in for the protein of a light meal — the use case Premier is going for as it carries its shake reputation into the bar aisle. It earns its keep when you need real protein you can keep in a bag or a glovebox and the alternative is skipping the meal. It’s a poor fit for anyone on a low-sodium plan (440mg is steep), anyone who wants a clean, short ingredient list (this is a ~20-item engineered bar), or anyone expecting the fiber-driven fullness of a Quest. Buy it for the protein and the convenience; don’t buy it expecting the cleanest label on the shelf.
Ingredients
Premier protein bar protein blend (soy protein isolate, whey protein hydrolysate, whey protein concentrate), glycerin, hydrolyzed gelatin, sugar, partially defatted peanut flour, water, peanut butter (dry roasted peanuts), palm kernel oil, inulin, then 2% or less of: cocoa powder, tapioca starch, natural and artificial flavors, whey powder, nonfat dry milk, salt, soy lecithin (an emulsifier), peanut extract, sucralose.
The order tells the story: protein blend first (the 30g headline), then the two texture agents — glycerin for moisture, hydrolyzed gelatin for chew — before you reach the sugar, peanut flour, and actual peanut butter. The peanut butter that flavors the bar sits seventh, behind the binders that give it its body. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 1870294.)
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 bar (72 g)
643843000471See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 bar (72 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 290 |
| Protein | 30g |
| Total Fat | 8g |
| Saturated Fat | 4g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 25g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.02g |
| Total Sugars | 8g |
| Sodium | 440mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 100mg |
| Iron | 4.5mg |
| Potassium | 240mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Premier Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter High Protein Bar (12.65 oz (360 g) — 5 bars) · UPC 643843000471. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains animal-derived ingredients
contains meat, fish, or gelatin
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in a Premier Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter bar?
30g per 72g bar (USDA FDC 1870294) — about 41.7g per 100g, which is top-tier for a protein bar. It comes from a soy protein isolate + whey hydrolysate + whey concentrate blend, with a little defatted peanut flour and dairy powder. One bar is 60% of the FDA 50g Daily Value — roughly a chicken-breast portion's worth of protein in a wrapper.
Is this the same as Premier Protein's shakes?
No. Premier built its name on the 30g ready-to-drink shakes, and this bar is the brand's crossover into the bar aisle, carrying the same 30g protein headline. But the formula is completely different: the shake is a liquid dairy-protein drink, while the bar leans on a soy-isolate base plus hydrolyzed gelatin and palm kernel oil to hold a solid, chewy form. Same protein number on the front, very different ingredient panel on the back.
Why does the bar taste so dense and chewy?
Two ingredients do it: glycerin (the second ingredient) keeps the bar moist and pliable, and hydrolyzed gelatin (the third) gives it a slightly taffy-like, springy chew that stops it crumbling. Packing 30g of protein into a 72g bar inevitably makes it dense — there's simply a lot of isolate in a small footprint — so this reads as a firm, satisfying meal-bar rather than a light, airy snack.
Does this bar have added sugar?
Yes. Sugar is the fourth ingredient, so the 8g of total sugar is mostly added, not residual lactose — and there's sucralose on top of it. The USDA entry carries no separate added-sugars line, but the ingredient order makes it clear, and we score it as added. The sugar dimension still grades B+ because 8g is genuinely low for a 290-calorie bar; the grade reflects the small quantity, not an absence of added sugar.
Why does it score an F on sodium?
440mg per bar is about 19% of the FDA daily limit (~611mg per 100g) — high for a single snack, and the clear reason this lands at B- rather than higher. Sodium does real work in a protein bar (it lifts flavor and masks the chalkiness of isolates), but 440mg is on the high end even for the category — notably more than its own sibling Mint bar's 360mg. Fine as an occasional meal stand-in; watch it if you stack salty foods across the day.
What is hydrolyzed gelatin doing in a protein bar?
Texture and binding — it's the collagen that gives the bar its chewy body. It does add to the protein total, but collagen is an incomplete protein with almost no leucine, so it isn't pulling muscle-building weight the way the soy and whey are. The real recovery protein here is the soy-isolate-and-whey blend listed first; the gelatin is a cost-and-texture move common to mass-market bars.
How does it compare to a Quest bar?
Premier carries 30g protein to Quest's 21g, in a bigger, denser, more calorie-heavy bar (290 vs 200 cal), which makes it closer to a meal. Quest answers with far more fiber (14g vs 3g), much less sodium (200mg vs 440mg), and almost no sugar (1g vs 8g). Both use sucralose. Want maximum protein in one bar? Premier. Want a more filling, lower-sodium daily snack? Quest.