KIND Crunchy Peanut Butter Protein Bar: 12g Protein, Labelgrade B- (74/100)
B- 74 / 100 — A genuinely peanut-led protein bar: whole peanuts are the first ingredient, not a sugar or syrup. 12g protein and 5g fiber per bar with no artificial sweeteners. The Labelgrade ceiling is calorie cost (250 cal for 12g protein) and 4g of saturated fat from the palm kernel oil coating.
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KIND Crunchy Peanut Butter Protein Bar packs 12 g of protein into a 50 g (1.76 oz) bar at 250 calories (USDA FDC 2585614) — 24 g of protein per 100 g, enough to clear the FDA “high in protein” claim. What earns it a second look is the ingredient order: whole peanuts are the literal first ingredient, ahead of the soy protein isolate, the syrups, and the coating. Soy protein isolate, peanut flour, and nonfat milk powder round the protein out to 12 g and make the amino-acid profile complete. It also carries 5 g of fiber and no artificial sweeteners. The Labelgrade is B- (74 / 100): a top-tier protein-density and fiber score, capped by a calorie-heavy 21-cal-per-gram-of-protein ratio and 4 g of saturated fat from the palm-kernel-oil coating. Reach for it as a real-food-forward snack with staying power; skip it if you’re chasing lean protein per calorie.
Why the B-
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | A- | 86 / 100 | 24 g per 100 g — top-tier for a snack bar, and the 12 g per bar clears the FDA “high in protein” line |
| Ingredient quality | B- | 70 / 100 | 12 recognizable ingredients led by whole peanuts; dinged for the soy protein isolate and palm kernel oil, but with no artificial sweeteners, colors, or preservatives |
| Sugar load | B | 76 / 100 | 8 g total, 6 g added (honey, glucose syrup, cane sugar) — restrained for a bar this sweet |
| Sodium load | C+ | 69 / 100 | 140 mg per bar — moderate, on the low side for a packaged snack |
| Saturated fat load | C- | 56 / 100 | 4 g per bar (about 8 g per 100 g) — the single biggest drag, and it’s the coating’s palm kernel oil, not the peanuts |
| Fiber | A+ | 100 / 100 | 5 g per bar, mostly chicory root inulin — unusually high for a protein bar, and a perfect score |
The grade is internally consistent: the things that make this a good snack (whole peanuts, real fiber, no synthetic sweetener) earn the high marks, and the two things that make it a bar rather than a lean protein source — the calorie cost of all that peanut fat and the saturated fat in the coating — are exactly what hold it at B-.
The first-ingredient test, and where it breaks
Run the front of the wrapper against the back and the bar holds up better than most. The headline claim — peanuts first — is true on the USDA list, where soy protein isolate only appears third. That matters because the common shortcut for hitting 12 g cheaply is to lead with an isolate or a syrup and dust nuts on top; this bar inverts that.
Where the test breaks is two ingredients later: palm kernel oil, seventh on the list. Peanuts are roughly 80% unsaturated fat, so on a whole-peanut bar you’d expect saturated fat to be low. Instead it’s 4 g — a fifth of a day’s allowance — because the coating that gives the bar its candy-like snap is built on palm kernel oil, one of the few plant fats that is highly saturated. So the same recipe that earns an honest “peanuts first” also carries a saturated-fat load the peanuts alone would never produce. Both facts are true, and the C- on saturated fat is the price of the texture.
Sweetness and fiber: the two quiet wins
For a bar that eats like peanut-butter candy, the sugar is genuinely held in check — 8 g total, 6 g added, from honey, glucose syrup, and a small amount of cane sugar, with no sucralose, ace-K, aspartame, or sugar alcohols anywhere on the list. That’s worth naming, because plenty of bars chasing a low sugar number on the front panel get there with erythritol or maltitol and the digestive aftermath those bring.
The fiber is the standout: 5 g, almost all chicory root inulin, which is why fiber is the one dimension scoring a perfect 100. One caveat the label doesn’t print — inulin is a fermentable prebiotic, so it can cause gas or bloating in larger amounts. A bar in your bag is a non-issue; a handful of these in one sitting is a meaningful inulin dose for a sensitive gut.
How it compares
Verified against the other bars in our database:
| Product | Protein per bar | Per 100 g | Calories | Sugar | Sweetener |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KIND Crunchy Peanut Butter Protein (this product) | 12 g (50 g) | 24 g | 250 | 8 g | Honey, glucose syrup, cane sugar |
| RXBAR Chocolate Chip | 12 g (52 g) | 23 g | 220 | 13 g | Dates only (0 g added) |
| Vega Sport, Chocolate Coconut | 15 g (60 g) | 25 g | 250 | 19 g | Cane sugar + 3 syrups |
| RXBAR (5.8 oz pack serving) | 7 g (33 g) | 21 g | 130 | 10 g | Dates only |
Three honest reads from that table. Against RXBAR Chocolate Chip, the protein is a near-tie (12 g vs 12 g) — but they’re built on opposite philosophies: KIND uses an isolate-plus-milk-powder blend and less sugar (8 g vs RXBAR’s 13 g of date sugar), while RXBAR uses no isolate at all and pays for it in fruit sugar. Against Vega Sport, Vega wins on raw protein (15 g) but carries more than double the sugar (19 g, mostly added syrups) — KIND is the cleaner-sweetened choice. And next to the whole-food RXBAR lineup generally, KIND is the one that reaches for a refined isolate to bump its number, which is exactly the trade RXBAR refuses to make.
Against the isolate-bar archetype — a Quest-style bar built on whey isolate and sugar alcohols — KIND loses on the macro sheet (those bars typically run higher protein and lower sugar) but wins on what’s actually in it: a recognizable nut you can picture, instead of erythritol and a flavor system. If maximum lean protein per calorie is the only goal, none of these bars beats a shake.
Ingredients
Peanuts, chicory root fiber, soy protein isolate, honey, glucose syrup, sugar, palm kernel oil, peanut flour, nonfat milk powder, salt, soy lecithin, peanut oil. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2585614. Note the order: whole peanuts first, the soy isolate only third — and the palm kernel oil that drives the saturated fat seventh. Contains peanut, soy, and milk allergens.)
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 bar (50 g)
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 bar (50 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 250 |
| Protein | 12g |
| Total Fat | 18g |
| Saturated Fat | 4g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 17g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5g |
| Total Sugars | 8g |
| Added Sugars | 6g |
| Sodium | 140mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 20mg |
| Iron | 1.08mg |
| Potassium | 140mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to KIND Crunchy Peanut Butter Protein Bar (1.76 oz (50 g) bar) · UPC 602652207006. 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 a KIND Crunchy Peanut Butter Protein Bar?
12 g per 50 g (1.76 oz) bar (USDA FDC 2585614) — that's 24 g per 100 g, and it clears the FDA 'high in protein' threshold (24% of the 50 g Daily Value). The protein is a blend, not a single isolate: whole peanuts and peanut flour supply the base, with soy protein isolate and nonfat milk powder added to push the total to 12 g.
Why are peanuts the first ingredient instead of a protein powder?
Because the bar is built on a whole nut, not a slurry. On a USDA ingredient list, items are ranked by weight, and whole peanuts outweigh everything else here — including the soy protein isolate, which sits third. Most 12 g bars lead with an isolate or a syrup; this one leads with the nut and uses the isolate only to top the protein up. That ordering is the single fact that most separates this bar from its category.
Is the protein complete?
Yes, on balance. Peanut and peanut-flour protein is plant protein that runs a little low in the amino acid methionine on its own. But the nonfat milk powder and soy protein isolate are both complete proteins, and blending them in fills that gap — so the bar's overall amino-acid profile covers all nine essentials.
Is 250 calories a lot for 12 g of protein?
It's a nut-bar ratio, not a lean one — about 21 calories per gram of protein. The fat does it: 18 g of fat per bar, mostly the unsaturated fat of whole peanuts. A whey shake in water runs closer to 5 cal/g of protein. So this is a satisfying, fat-rich snack you eat for the peanuts and the staying power, not a calorie-efficient way to hit a protein target.
Does it have artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols?
No. The USDA ingredient list shows no sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, or sugar alcohols like erythritol or maltitol. The sweetness is honey, glucose syrup, and a little cane sugar — 8 g total sugar, 6 g of it added. That's restrained for a bar that tastes this much like a peanut-butter candy.
Where does the 5 g of fiber come from?
Mostly chicory root fiber (inulin), which is the second ingredient by weight. 5 g is about 18% of the 28 g Daily Value — genuinely high for a protein bar, and the reason fiber is the bar's one perfect score. Inulin is a prebiotic, but it's also fermentable: one or two bars is fine, while several at once can leave some people gassy or bloated.
Why is the saturated fat only a 'C-' if peanuts are healthy fat?
Peanuts are mostly unsaturated, so the 4 g of saturated fat isn't coming from the nuts — it's the palm kernel oil used to bind and coat the bar. 4 g is 20% of the FDA's 20 g daily saturated-fat ceiling in a single 50 g snack, and it's the biggest reason the overall grade sits at B- rather than higher.
How is this different from an original KIND Fruit & Nut bar?
Different line, different math. The original KIND Fruit & Nut bars are smaller (around 40 g), lower in protein (about 6 g), and built around whole nuts bound with honey and glucose. This is KIND's Protein line: a bigger 50 g bar with added soy protein isolate, peanut flour, and a palm-kernel-oil coating to reach 12 g. Same brand, roughly double the protein, and a heavier fat and saturated-fat load.