Years ago, Raw Nutrition got into the protein bar category with the Raw Whole Food Bar, featuring a whole-food-based recipe made with just seven clean ingredients. It was a clean, wholesome snack that had as much as 14g of protein for 260 calories, but it was incredibly tough to eat with a very dense consistency. The popular brand is about to get back into the competitive category here in 2026 with the Raw Protein Bar, although this time with a candy bar-style build.
The decadent, dessert-like approach is something we’ve seen many other health and nutrition companies and even established functional food brands pivot to, and it makes sense. While Europe has always been dominated by competitors that taste like candy bars packed full of sugar, they’ve only become a popular style in recent years here in the US. Barebells has taken the reins and been one of the key drivers behind that shift, and is now one of the most popular in the country.
It’ll be interesting to see how the new Raw Protein Bar stacks up against the competition, as similar to energy drinks, protein bars aren’t necessarily about tasting good anymore; it’s about how good. Raw Nutrition’s innovation will be more traditional in protein the second time round, packing 18 to 21g of protein in a 60g bar. The other macros are well within reason, including 1 to 2g of added sugar, although in the Dark Chocolate Cookie Butter, that number sneaks up to 5g.
As mentioned, the upcoming Raw Protein Bar is going for a decadent, dessert-tasting snack, and that is reflected in its menu. In addition to Cookie Butter, there will be three others in Peanut Butter Fudge, Double Fudge Brownie, and Salted Caramel Pretzel. There is a lot of competition in the functional space, so it’ll be interesting to see how the brand does. It ticks all of the surface-level boxes with plenty of protein, good calories, and mouthwatering flavors; it’ll just come down to taste.
