RXBAR Chocolate Chip (1.83 oz): 12g Protein, Labelgrade B (77/100)
B 77 / 100 — The standard 1.83 oz retail RXBAR is the cleanest mainstream protein bar at this protein delivery — 12 g per bar from egg whites + nuts, with a 7-ingredient list that fits on the front of the package. Excellent protein density (23 g per 100 g), excellent fiber (5 g per bar). The sugar score is the trade-off — 13 g per bar, all naturally-occurring from dates, but still a meaningful sugar load even after we apply our whole-food date discount.
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RXBAR Chocolate Chip (1.83 oz / 52 g) delivers 12 g of protein and 220 calories per bar from a seven-word ingredient list it literally prints on the front of the wrapper: dates, egg whites, almonds, cashews, chocolate, natural flavors, sea salt (USDA FDC 2609152). Zero added sugar. It earns a Labelgrade B (77/100) — strong protein density (23 g per 100 g) from egg whites rather than powder, the highest fiber of any bar in our database (5 g), with the date sugar as the single honest knock.
Why the B
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | A- | 85 / 100 | 23 g per 100 g — excellent for a bar with no isolate. The egg whites do the work a scoop of whey does elsewhere |
| Ingredient quality | B | 75 / 100 | Seven whole-food ingredients, all recognizable. No whey isolate, no soy isolate, no sugar alcohols, no artificial sweeteners |
| Sugar load | B- | 73 / 100 | 13 g per bar, every gram from dates. We apply a date-source discount and it still dings — dates are sugar-dense fruit |
| Sodium load | C | 61 / 100 | 200 mg per bar — moderate for a snack; the sea salt sharpens the chocolate and dates |
| Saturated fat | B | 76 / 100 | 2 g per bar, almost entirely from the almonds, cashews, and chocolate |
| Fiber | A+ | 97 / 100 | 5 g per bar — the most of any bar we’ve graded, courtesy of the date pulp plus whole nuts |
The grade tells a coherent story: this is a clean, fiber-rich, genuinely-whole-food bar whose one weakness is baked into its own concept. The dates that earn it the A+ fiber and the no-additives ingredient score are the same dates that cap the sugar at B-. You can’t have RXBAR’s ingredient list without RXBAR’s sugar.
The “No B.S.” label is the actual product
Most bars bury a 25-to-35-item ingredient list on the back, in small type, padded with isolates, syrups, gums, and sugar alcohols. RXBAR did the inverse: it made the shortness of the list the headline and printed it on the front in large numerals — “12g PROTEIN, 6 EGG WHITES, 4 ALMONDS, 2 CASHEWS, 2 DATES, NO B.S.” That packaging is the marketing, and it only works because the list really is that short. For a shopper who scans labels and recoils at unpronounceable additives, the bar is engineered to pass that scan in two seconds flat. The trade-off it’s quietly making — recognizable food in exchange for half the protein of an isolate bar — is the whole pitch.
The date trade-off, honestly
Here is the tension this bar lives with. Dates are the first ingredient because they’re both the binder and the sweetener — there’s no glycerin, no tapioca syrup, no brown rice syrup doing that job. The upside is real: a 5 g fiber bar with nothing synthetic in it. The downside is that dates run 60 to 70% sugar by weight, so the bar carries 13 g of sugar — more than the Kind Fruit & Nut Delight (9 g) and more than the isolate-based EAS (9 g) or Premier (10 g) bars it competes with.
The nuance the front label can’t fit: date sugar arrives wrapped in fiber and intact fruit cell structure, so it hits your bloodstream more gently than the equivalent grams of cane sugar or corn syrup. That’s why our scoring gives it a partial discount. But “naturally occurring” is not “doesn’t count” — if you’re tracking sugar for blood-glucose reasons, 13 g is 13 g, and this bar is not the one to reach for. If you’re tracking ingredient quality, it’s near the top.
How it compares
| Product | Protein | Sugar | Fiber | Ingredients | Sweetener |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RXBAR Chocolate Chip (this product) | 12 g | 13 g (dates) | 5 g | 7 | Dates only |
| Premier Protein (Dark Chocolate Mint) | 30 g | 10 g | 3 g | ~14 | Sugar + sucralose |
| EAS Pure Milk (Choc Chip Cookie Dough) | 15 g | 9 g | 4 g | ~30 | Sugar + syrups (no artificial) |
| Kind Fruit & Nut Delight | 6 g | 9 g | 3 g | ~14 | Honey + glucose |
The table maps the whole category. Want maximum protein? Premier’s 30 g triples RXBAR — but on soy isolate, whey concentrate, and sucralose. Want the shortest clean label at real protein? RXBAR is alone in the group: more than double Kind’s protein, a fraction of EAS’s ingredient count, and the only one sweetened by nothing but fruit. EAS is the interesting middle — 15 g protein and no artificial sweeteners, but a ~30-item list with a full vitamin premix. RXBAR’s distinct lane is “fewest ingredients per gram of protein,” and nothing here beats it on that axis.
Who it’s for
Reach for this bar if you read ingredient lists and want one you can actually parse — egg-white protein, whole nuts, fruit, salt — and you’re willing to accept 12 g instead of 20-plus and a real 13 g of date sugar to get it. Skip it if your goal is maximum protein per calorie (an isolate bar wins) or if you’re managing blood sugar (the dates make it the wrong tool). It’s a whole-food snack that happens to clear the FDA “high in protein” bar, not a cut-the-sugar diet bar.
Ingredients
Dates, egg whites, almonds, cashews, chocolate, natural flavors, sea salt. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2609152 — the same seven RXBAR prints on the front of the wrapper.)
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 bar (52 g)
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 bar (52 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 220 |
| Protein | 12g |
| Total Fat | 10g |
| Saturated Fat | 2g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 22g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5g |
| Total Sugars | 13g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 200mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 40mg |
| Iron | 1.8mg |
| Potassium | 350mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to RXBAR Chocolate Chip Protein Bar (1.83 oz (52 g) bar) · UPC 857777004690. 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 no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in an RXBAR Chocolate Chip?
12 grams per 1.83 oz (52 g) bar (USDA FDC 2609152). The protein is egg whites — RXBAR uses no whey isolate, no soy isolate, and no protein powder of any kind. That's unusual: it's one of the only mainstream bars to reach double-digit protein from a whole-food source.
Why does it list dates first if it's a protein bar?
Dates are doing two jobs: they're the binder that holds the bar together (replacing the syrups and glycerin most bars use) and the only sweetener. That's the whole RXBAR concept — the dates ARE the structure, which is why they outrank the egg-white protein on the ingredient list by weight.
Does RXBAR have added sugar?
No. All 13 g of sugars come from the dates — roughly the equivalent of 6 to 7 large dates' worth of fruit sugar per bar — and the USDA entry confirms 0 g added sugar. RXBAR prints 'no B.S.' on the wrapper partly to make this point: nothing sweetens the bar except the fruit.
Why is the sugar still high if none of it is added?
Because dates are 60 to 70% sugar by weight, and dates are the largest ingredient. Your body still metabolizes date sugar as sugar — but it arrives bound in the fruit's fiber (the bar has 5 g), which blunts the blood-glucose spike compared with the same grams of cane sugar or syrup. It's a real trade-off, not a free pass, which is why our sugar score lands at B- even after a date discount.
Is it 'high in protein' under FDA rules?
Yes. 12 g per bar is 24% of the FDA's 50 g Daily Value for protein, clearing the 20% threshold needed to make a 'high in protein' claim. It does so without a single gram of isolate.
How does it compare to a Quest or Premier bar?
Different philosophy entirely. The Premier Protein Dark Chocolate Mint bar packs 30 g of protein to RXBAR's 12 g — but gets there with soy protein isolate, whey concentrate, sucralose, palm kernel oil, and corn syrup. RXBAR's whole point is the opposite: 7 recognizable ingredients, no isolate, no artificial sweetener. You're choosing recognizable food over maximum protein density.
Why does the USDA list a 7 g RXBAR — is that the same bar?
No. That's the 5.8 oz multi-bar pack (a strawberry-peanut formula, FDC 2432443) listed at 7 g protein per its smaller serving. The standard retail Chocolate Chip bar reviewed here is the 1.83 oz / 52 g size at 12 g protein. Same brand, different SKU and recipe.