RXBAR Protein Bar: Nutrition & Labelgrade B+ (82/100)
B+ 82 / 100 — Excellent protein density and ingredient quality (five whole-food ingredients, no isolates), with solid fiber and low sodium. The sugar score is the main critique — about 30g of sugar per 100g, all naturally-occurring from dates. We give the date-sugar penalty a 50% reduction since the source is whole food, but RXBARs are still a high-sugar food regardless of source.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
RXBAR is the whole-food protein bar — dates, peanuts, egg whites, strawberries, and natural flavors, and nothing else, per the USDA Branded Foods entry (USDA FDC 2432443). The USDA serving lists 7 g of protein for 130 calories, though the full-size bars on most store shelves print 12 g of protein on the front of the wrapper. It earns a B+ (82 / 100): top-tier ingredient quality and a respectable 21.2 g of protein per 100 g for a bar that uses no protein isolate, held back from an A only by sugar — every gram of which comes from the dates.
Why the B+
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | B+ | 82 / 100 | 21.2 g per 100 g — strong for a bar built on egg whites and dates instead of refined isolate |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 83 / 100 | Five whole-food ingredients, no isolate, no sugar alcohols, no synthetic vitamins — the short label is the product |
| Fiber | A | 94 / 100 | 3 g per bar (9 g per 100 g), all from the dates and peanuts — most bars need added chicory root to hit this |
| Saturated fat | A | 91 / 100 | 0.5 g per bar (~1.5 g per 100 g) — lean, since the fat is whole peanut, not palm or coconut |
| Sodium | B+ | 80 / 100 | 65 mg per bar — genuinely low for a packaged snack |
| Sugar | C | 63 / 100 | 10 g per bar (~30 g per 100 g) — naturally-occurring, but still a lot of sugar |
The “C” on sugar is the honest story of this bar, and it’s worth being precise about why. Our score gives date sugar a 50% penalty reduction because it arrives as whole fruit — fiber, potassium, and all — rather than as syrup. But 10 g is 10 g: about two and a half teaspoons, and your bloodstream doesn’t ask where it came from. That single dimension is the only thing standing between RXBAR and an A-range grade.
The whole point: read the back of the wrapper
RXBAR’s marketing flipped the usual bar convention by printing the ingredient list, in plain block capitals, on the front of the package — “No B.S.” Most of that label is the ingredients themselves. That’s the entire pitch, and the USDA data backs it: five items, every one a food you could buy on its own. Compare that to a typical isolate bar’s 25–35 ingredients — whey protein isolate, soluble corn fiber (IMO), sugar alcohols like erythritol or maltitol, glycerin, and a vitamin premix. RXBAR’s fiber comes from actual dates and peanuts, not chicory root; its sweetness comes from fruit, not alcohols. If you’ve ever had the gastrointestinal complaint that sugar-alcohol bars are famous for, that absence is the reason to reach for this one.
The real trade-off: dates vs. sugar alcohols
This is the decision RXBAR forces, and it’s a genuine fork, not a free lunch. A Quest-style bar gives you roughly double the protein for a fraction of the sugar — but it gets there with whey isolate and sugar alcohols, which is exactly what RXBAR refuses to use. RXBAR gives you a clean, recognizable ingredient list — but the price of using dates as both sweetener and binder is real (naturally-occurring) sugar on the label. Neither is “the healthy one.” If your priority is the macro sheet — maximum protein, minimum sugar and net carbs — an isolate bar wins outright. If your priority is eating food you can pronounce, and you’re willing to spend 10 g of fruit sugar to get it, RXBAR is close to the best in the category.
Macros beyond protein
A bar’s worth more than its protein line. At 130 calories, this serving carries 16 g of carbohydrate with 3 g of fiber (about 13 g net) and 4 g of fat — almost all of it the unsaturated fat of whole peanuts, which is why saturated fat lands at just 0.5 g. It’s also a quietly good potassium source at 310 mg, more than you’d expect from a snack bar, courtesy again of the dates. It is not a low-carb food and was never meant to be: this is whole-food fuel — dried fruit, nuts, and egg white — engineered into a wrapper, closer in spirit to a homemade date-and-nut ball than to a protein-powder brick.
A note on serving size
Mind the gap between this page’s numbers and the bar in your hand. The USDA entry behind this listing is a 33 g serving at 7 g protein; the standard RXBAR most people buy is larger and prints 12 g protein on the front. The five-ingredient formula and the B+ grades on density and quality hold across the lineup — but the absolute per-bar protein, calories, and sugar scale with the SKU, and date content varies slightly by flavor. Always cross-check against the actual package.
Ingredients
Dates, peanuts, egg whites, strawberries, and natural flavors. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2432443. Dates lead because they’re both the sweetener and the binder; egg whites are the protein.)
Where to buy
Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Labelgrade score is independent of affiliate relationships. More.
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 bar
859162007125See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 bar) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 130 |
| Protein | 7g |
| Total Fat | 4g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.5g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 16g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3g |
| Total Sugars | 10g |
| Sodium | 65mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 30mg |
| Iron | 0mg |
| Potassium | 310mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to RXBAR Protein Bar (5.8 oz (165 g) — multi-bar pack) · UPC 859162007125. 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?
7 grams per bar at the USDA-listed serving (USDA FDC 2432443), which works out to 21.2g per 100g. Note: most flavors sold at retail are larger bars printing 12g of protein on the front — this USDA entry references a smaller-format SKU. Always check the actual package label.
Where does the protein in an RXBAR come from?
Egg whites — that's the third ingredient and the protein backbone. There's no whey isolate, no soy isolate, and no protein concentrate. It's one of the few mainstream bars that hits double-digit protein (on the retail label) from a recognizable whole-food source rather than a refined powder.
Why does RXBAR have 10g of sugar if there's no added sugar?
The sugar is the dates. Dates are the first ingredient and double as the binder that holds the bar together, so the 10g of sugars per serving are naturally-occurring fruit sugar, not table sugar or syrup. RXBAR markets 'no added sugar' prominently, and the USDA entry confirms 0g added — but your body still metabolizes date sugar as sugar, which is why this is the bar's one real nutritional knock.
Is RXBAR better than a Quest or Pure Protein bar?
It depends what you're optimizing. RXBAR wins on ingredient simplicity — five whole foods versus 25–35 ingredients including sugar alcohols, soluble corn fiber, and synthetic vitamins. Quest-style bars win on the macro sheet: roughly double the protein and a fraction of the sugar, thanks to whey isolate and sugar alcohols. RXBAR is the pick if you'd rather eat dates and egg whites than erythritol and isolate.
Is RXBAR gluten-free? Does it contain nuts?
Gluten-free, yes — none of the five USDA-listed ingredients contain gluten and RXBAR labels the bars gluten-free. But peanuts are the second ingredient, so this flavor is not nut-free, and most other RXBAR flavors include almonds or cashews. It's also not vegan: egg whites are the protein.
Does RXBAR count as 'high in protein' under FDA rules?
Not at the 7g USDA serving — that clears the 5g (10% Daily Value) 'good source' bar but falls short of the 10g (20% DV) 'high in protein' threshold. The full-size retail bars listing 12g do clear it. So the answer hinges on which SKU you're holding.
When was this data last verified?
2026-05-27, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2432443 and the manufacturer's site. We re-verify top pages monthly and update within 7 days of a reformulation.