Built Bar Review- How Does This Protein Bar Compare?

Built Bar is a delicious, nutritious snack bar made with natural ingredients and provides up to 17 grams of protein per serving.

Everyone loves dessert. There really aren’t too many of us who would turn down something sweet, chocolatey, and decadent. What if there was a legitimately healthy protein bar that tasted like dessert? 

Built Bar has created that very thing. The company has formed real ingredients into a protein bar that’s light, fluffy, and coated in dark chocolate. With flavors like salted caramel, cookies ‘n’ cream, and mint brownie, Built Bar conjures images and tastes of mouthwatering desserts that many would enjoy.

With so many protein bars out there, how does Built Bar stack up regarding the essentials—ingredients, taste, and health? Is this product affordable? Should you give it a try? Keep reading our Built Bar review to find out.

About Built Bar

Most protein bars don’t offer tons of flavors. Several of them offer a decent number of options, but Built Bar has gone above and beyond with 18 flavors to choose from. The company set out to create a tasty protein bar in various flavors that people enjoy eating, and it seems they have succeeded. 

Built Bar Ingredients

On their website, Built Bar details their ingredients, stating that they are “serious about nutrition.” The plethora of information on their ingredients indicates this is true.

• Whey protein isolate is the first and main ingredient of all the bars, chosen specifically because of its complete amino acid profile. Whey is easily digested and has no strong flavor, and Built Bar’s version eliminates casein and lactose—the milk components that typically cause an allergic reaction. Most people aren’t sensitive to whey, but it is, unfortunately, not a vegan protein. Each Built Bar offers 15g of protein, which is a pretty decent amount.
• Gelatin is another prominent ingredient in the non-vegan and non-vegetarian categories and non-kosher and non-halal. It is included, the company claims, to “stabilize the foam structure” of the bar, which is understandable. As one of the essential bar ingredients, gelatin really has no substitute, so Built Bar has kept it in to maintain the smooth, fluffy consistency of their bars.
• Chocolate in Built Bars not only helps provide their unique dessert flavor, but its high quality also provides a purity to the taste. While the chocolate does add a bit of sugar to the bar, the fiber content makes it nearly negligible, preventing blood sugar spikes. The dark chocolate gives a rich aftertaste that is lacking in so many other protein bars, leaving the consumer with a favorable impression of Built Bars. And, of course, dark chocolate always provides antioxidants.  
• Erythritol is a common sweetener related to sugar alcohols but doesn’t cause the potential intestinal discomfort they do. Erythritol is safe for diabetics and doesn’t spike blood sugar; it’s easily filtered out through the kidneys; it has zero calories, and it’s very well-tolerated. Additionally, since erythritol occurs naturally in foods and fruits such as grapes, watermelon, and pears, it’s considered a “healthy” sweetener and has little to no side effect profile.
• Glycerin is another common ingredient used to sweeten foods and help thicken, stabilize, and control moisture levels. Glycerin increases a product’s shelf life, and the combination of glycerin and erythritol gives Built Bars a sweet taste and keeps them from crystallizing. The combo also contributes to the moist, smooth texture of the bars. 
• Maltodextrin is a soluble fiber included in Built Bars, used to improve their texture and increase health benefits. The type of maltodextrin used is water-soluble and non-digestible, so it has no adverse side effects, only positive ones. 

Built Bars contain no artificial preservatives or flavors—although the company doesn’t mention exactly what the “natural flavors” are—and no coloring is added. 

Built Bar Comparison

The protein bar market is huge. You can go to any grocery store and see dozens of different brands and flavors. If you’re anything like me, you’re on a never-ending quest to find the best option. I’ve spent a lot of money on protein bars and consistently rank them based on four main factors. Let’s take a look.

Macros

First things first, a great protein bar needs to have great macros. “Macros” is a fancy health term for a protein bar’s composition of carbs, fat, and protein. Basically, the question we are asking is, “how healthy is this protein bar?”  Built Bar has the following macros:

• 130 Calories
• 2.5 Grams of Fat
• 4 Grams Net Carbs
• 6 Grams of Fiber
• 17 Grams of Protein

These are great macros for a protein bar. Keep in mind these macros may vary by flavor. Here’s an example of the macros from the peanut butter flavor:

• 180 Calories
• 3 Grams of Fat
• 6 Grams Net Carbs
• 7 Grams of Fiber
• 19 Grams of protein

Once again, these are great macros. Remember to check the macros for each flavor if you want accurate information. 

Here is how these macros compare to other protein bars:

Taste

Health food is only effective if you actually eat it (duh!). If a protein bar tastes like stale cardboard, it really doesn’t matter how healthy it is. 

Fortunately, Built Bars are both healthy and delicious. I’ve tried dozens of protein bars from leading brands, and Built Bars are the best-tasting bars I’ve tried (no exaggeration!). 

Texture

A protein bar’s texture is just as important as the taste, and Built Bar is in a category of its own. Built Bars are chewy and soft. It’s hard to describe them to someone who hasn’t had them, but they have somewhat of a caramel-y, nougaty texture. I was blown away the first time I tried them. Most other protein bars are dry and hard, whereas Built Bars are soft, chewy, and delicious.

Comparison to Other Protein Bars

As alluded to above, Built Bars are now my favorite protein bar. I’m not alone in this assessment. Just go to the company’s social media channels, and you’ll find hoards of passionate fans who are in love with these protein bars.

If you’re looking for a great protein bar that is delicious, low in sugar, and high in protein, you really need to try Built Bars.

Built Bars Claims vs. Reality

Built Bars are great for several things, namely for satiating hunger. While the company makes no bold claims about weight loss and muscle growth, they claim that the bars will satisfy cravings and provide protein. These statements are absolutely true.

Built Bar is an excellent protein bar for satisfying cravings and adding more protein to your diet. If you have 1-2 of these bars daily, they can be a part of a healthy diet.

Built Bar Reviews

Reviews on Built Bar’s website are overwhelmingly favorable. It seems that over 21,000 customers love the taste, texture, and flavor options of Built Bar.

Many say it is the best protein bar they’ve ever had, and some eat it daily. While they may not taste exactly like a candy bar (although some say they do, depending on who you ask), they’re a much healthier, satisfying alternative.

Some even say that Built Bars are so good they don’t even seem like protein bars. That’s a big deal considering many protein bars have an unpleasant taste or aftertaste. 

I agree with the reviews. I love these bars, and I always keep them in stock.

Best Built Bar Flavor

Built Bar has so many great flavors that it is tough to choose. If you haven’t tried any of the flavors before, you should really consider trying the mixed box. You will get to try all 15 bars and pick your favorite flavor.

Everyone has their preferences, but if I had to choose, my top three flavors would be:

1. Peanut Butter Brownie
2. Double Chocolate Mousse
3. Salted Caramel

Mint Brownie Delite was a close runner-up!

Where to Buy Built Bars

Built Bars are only available on the company’s official website, but the cool thing is that they offer lots of options. In addition to 18 flavor choices, you can order either an 18-box of one flavor, a mixed box of all of the flavors, or a build-your-own box with three flavors of your choosing.

I recommend starting with the mixed box. This will allow you to try all the flavors and see which ones you like best. I went this route and realized I love all the flavors, so I order the mixed box regularly.

You can buy Built Bars in a variety of different packages. The more boxes you buy per order, the more the cost per bar decreases.

Built Bar stands by the quality of its products, and you can get a full refund if you don’t love the taste. 

Are Built Bars Healthy?

Overall, Built Bars are healthy. They are low in fat and sugar and high in protein. For 110 calories, we like the macro ingredient profile (15G protein, 4G fat, and 7G net carbs). We really appreciated the fact that Built Bars aren’t loaded with sugar like many other “health” bars on the market.

Of course, these protein bars do not replace a healthy diet. You should not use Built Bars to replace meals. Built Bars are a great snack to hold you over between meals. They can also be an excellent option for satiating a sweet tooth when you would otherwise go for an unhealthy dessert like a candy bar. 

Who is Built Bar Best for?

Built Bar is good for anyone who works out or needs a quick snack or meal. Built Bars are not safe for vegans and vegetarians, those who need kosher or halal foods, and those who are sensitive or allergic to milk products. Aside from those restrictions, Built Bar is safe for most people and even for diabetics. 

If you’re watching carbohydrates or following a ketogenic diet, Built Bars are good for you. The bars have anywhere from 4-6 grams of net carbs, with minimal sugar. The bars use erythritol as the zero-calorie sweetener, which makes them popular in the keto community.

If you’re counting calories, Built Bar is also good for that as well, with a mere 110 calories per bar (and only 3 Weight Watchers points as well). The bars don’t contain nuts and soy, so they are definitely safe for anyone allergic to those. 

Final Thoughts

Built Bar is one of the best protein bars on the market right now. The low carb, low sugar, and high protein counts make it safe for many consumers, and with all the flavor options, there will surely be one (or several) for each person’s taste. Built Bar knows what they’re doing, and we were delighted with everything we found in our Built Bar review.

If you’re on the fence about Built Bars, get off the fence and place your first order! You won’t regret it.