Granola bars are one of the best snacks because they’re perfect if you’re in a hurry and need something relatively healthy to eat. I like to eat them before runs, school, or as a side to a meal. Due to granola bars’ wide range of uses, there is no best granola bar for everything. However, some of them are notable for certain goals.

Best taste: Chewy

Peanut butter chocolate is the most tasty, but you can’t go wrong with any of the Chewy bar flavors. They have the perfect sweet-to-salty ratio and have no artificial flavors. Chewy is a household name for its great taste, but it only has 1 gram of fiber and 1 gram of protein in a bar and contains 30+ ingredients. There are certainly healthier options, but they will never be as scrumptious as Chewy bars. 

Most healthy: Larabar

I’m a sucker for peanut butter chocolate, so that’s my favorite for Larabars as well. They’re healthy and sweet, with 16 grams of sugar, but only 4 grams are added. Larabars get their sweetness from dates, which also make the texture perfectly soft and chewy. Each flavor has no more than nine whole ingredients, all of which are non-GMO.

Best protein: Nature Valley Protein

Don’t be shocked, but the peanut butter dark chocolate bars are once again my favorite flavor. They have a chocolate glaze on the bottom that makes them different from competitors. Additionally, their first ingredient is peanuts, the nut with the highest amount of protein. These bars have 10 grams of protein, while most other granola bars only have around 3 grams. 

Best pre-run: Honey Stinger

Though I prefer the Honey Stinger waffles, the bars are almost as delicious. Unfortunately, there is no peanut butter flavor, so I prefer the original flavor. The nutty tang is rich and the caramel in the middle provides a nice surprise. These are great for running because the high amount of sugar and calories provides plenty of energy. There are 14 grams of protein for muscle recovery as well. 

Obviously, there are hundreds of granola bars out there I haven’t tried, but these are the winners from what I’ve found. Each brand can be found at Walmart or Target so next time you go grocery shopping, I definitely recommend trying some of these granola bars.