Key takeaways:
- Protein has gone mainstream, evolving from workout fuel to an everyday ingredient driving over $24 billion in US sales.
- Brands are blending protein with indulgence, gut health and convenience to appeal to a broader, lifestyle-focused audience.
- From bagels to cookie dough, the latest NPD proves that high-protein can finally deliver on taste, texture, and creativity.
Once all about shakes and shredded abs, protein’s now in everything from bagels and cookie dough to porridge pots and meat sticks. Worth over $24 billion in the US and growing almost three times faster than the total snack market, it’s gone from niche nutrient to everyday must-have.
Today’s consumers don’t just want gains – they want good taste, clean labels and texture that doesn’t chew like chalk. And brands are delivering, folding protein into snacks that feel real, not ‘functional’.
Here’s the latest line-up proving that protein’s grown up and still showing off.
Bio&Me gets gutsy
The gut health UK brand founded by Dr Megan Rossi is tackling the protein aisle with its new Daily Boost Fiber + Protein Bars. Each 40g bar crams in 9g of protein from 10 plant-based ingredients – think oats, pumpkin seeds, carrots – without sweeteners, palm fat, or filler. The HFSS-compliant bars dropped in Tesco in October (RRP £3.35/3x40 g multipack).
“They’re protein bars with real food inside,” says Rossi. “Most are loaded with sugar alcohols or gums – these pair protein with the often-overlooked nutrient, fiber.” It’s a smart crossover for the brand: gut health meets gym snack with no fake aftertaste.
Thomas’ adds muscle to mornings
The Bimbo Bakeries USA brand is making breakfast gains with High Protein Bagels that serve up 20g of plant-based protein per bagel. The soy, pea, and fava bean blend delivers full amino firepower while keeping that chewy New York-style bite.
Available in Plain and Everything (SRP $5.99), they’re rolling out nationally through 2025.
“Consumers want protein-rich options that don’t compromise on taste,” says senior brand manager Jinder Bhogal. “Our new High Protein Bagels offer consumers variety with a breakfast solution that’s not only packed with nutrition but also rooted in the iconic flavor Thomas’ is known for.”
Yasso spoons up strength
Yasso is ditching the stick and going spoon-first with its new Frozen Greek Yogurt pints. Each 14oz tub packs up to 19g of protein and roughly 400 calories, all without artificial flavors or sugar alcohols. Flavors like Fudge Brownie and Coffee Chip make it hard to believe you’re eating yogurt, not ice cream.
“We’re done asking people to settle,” says Bentley King, US head of Marketing Operations at The Magnum Ice Cream Company, which is part of Unilever North America. “Our new spoonable range gives you rich, creamy flavor with the same nutrition Yasso’s built its reputation on.” It’s indulgence you can actually justify.
Junkless goes all in
Junkless is cleaning up the protein bar game with candy-bar taste and serious stats. Each 55g bar delivers 15g of protein, 6g-8 g of fiber, and just 3g-5 g sugar, with zero sugar alcohols or preservatives. Flavors include Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cookie Dough and Birthday Cake – all made from recognizable ingredients.
Available now at Sprouts (2 for $6) and online ($26.99 for 12), they’re proof that better-for-you doesn’t have to mean boring.
White’s powers up porridge
White’s Oats – Ireland’s oldest oat miller – is giving breakfast a protein punch with new High Protein Oats and Real Fruit Porridge lines. The High Protein range delivers 14g per 75g serving, while the Real Fruit range blends Irish oats with whole fruit and seeds for natural sweetness and texture.
Packed in recyclable 450 g bags complete with a portion scoop, both ranges are already in 30 Tesco Northern Ireland stores. “Whether it’s a protein- and fiber-packed option or a creamy porridge with real fruit and seeds, both offer quality and ease in every bowl.”
Kallø gets swicy
Kallø is turning up the flavor with Sweet Chili Veggie Cakes – lentil- and pea-based rice cakes that are naturally high in protein and fiber but only 38 calories each. They hit the ‘swicy’ (sweet-and-spicy) note perfectly, proving healthy can still hit hard.
Launching this month in Ocado and Morrisons (RRP £2.75) before heading to Waitrose and Tesco across the UK, the range is gluten-free, vegan and completely snackable. “We’re bringing an iconic crisp flavor into a high-benefit format,” says Brand Controller Charlea Price. “It’s a flavor that draws on key trends such as sweet and spicy – or ‘swicy’ – and the rising popularity of Asian cuisine.”
Raise steps up lunch
UK snack disruptor Raise Snacks is making the Sainsbury’s meal deal stronger with its nut-and-seed clusters now part of the lineup. The new Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt joins four other flavors, all high in protein, fiber and antioxidants but under 5 g sugar.
At £1.25 a pack, they’re gluten-free, vegan and lunchbox-ready.
“It’s about meeting people where they are – literally at lunch,” says founder Chester Robinson. “Healthy snacking shouldn’t feel like a chore.”
Chomps goes big
America’s fastest-growing meat snack brand is scaling up with a new 160,000-square-foot facility in Nebraska. The site will boost production by 150 million sticks a year and create 150 jobs – not bad for a brand that started in a one-bedroom apartment.
Co-founder Rashid Ali says it’s all about keeping up with an exploding market. Each grass-fed stick delivers 10g of protein and zero sugar, ticking all the boxes for clean label carnivores.
Archer doubles up
LA-based Archer is marking record growth – up 187% year-on-year – with a new factory in Vernon, California, capable of producing more than a billion mini meat sticks annually. Founder Eugene Kang, who started the brand at 22, says it’s proof the category’s hotter than ever.
“We’ve modernized meat snacks with real ingredients and big flavor,” says Kang. “They’re as at home in a kid’s lunchbox as they are in a gym bag.”
Trek keeps climbing
Trek is celebrating a fifth straight year of double-digit growth, with sales hitting £41.5 million, up 27.7% year-on-year. Its Protein Flapjacks – now worth £31 million – remain the backbone, but the Biscoff Protein Flapjack has become 2025’s breakout NPD.
The brand’s also trimming sugar with its High Protein Low Sugar line, cutting more than eight million teaspoons from the category annually. “It’s proof that natural, high-protein snacking can still feel indulgent,” the brand says.
Majic lifts cookie dough
Majic Protein’s high-protein, low-sugar cookie dough has outgrown its kitchen roots, moving into new production space at The Food WorksSW innovation center. The ready-to-eat dough delivers around 15g of protein per serving, is gluten-free and comes in dessert-inspired flavors like Chocolate Chip, Salted Caramel, and Brownie Batter. Designed to be eaten straight from the tub or baked into soft cookies, it’s indulgence with a macro-friendly twist.
Founders Ben Ayres and Aidan Watts – gym fans with a serious sweet tooth – have turned their side hustle into a nationwide seller. “The new unit means we can finally meet demand,” says Ayres. “We started making cookie dough for ourselves – now we’re shipping it all over the UK.”
Prinova layers up
The global ingredients company showed off what happens when science meets snack time at SupplySide West 2025 in Las Vegas last month, where it unveiled two new functional snack concepts – Skinny Bites and Longevi Spheres – to inspire food and beverage formulators.
Skinny Bites are soft, lemon-flavored cake snacks packed with pumpkin and pea proteins and layered with a raspberry cream enriched with vitamin B12 for energy support. Longevi Spheres are pumpkin spice protein balls formulated with collagen and trehalose to promote gut, immune and eye health.
“These snacks show what’s possible when you combine innovation and indulgence,” says global marketing director James Street. “They’re small, but they deliver serious impact.”
Arla stays soft
Arla Foods Ingredients is tackling a classic protein bar problem – rock-hard texture – with its new Easy Bite concept. The 18g mini bar packs 40% protein but stays soft for two years without added fat, sugar, or collagen.
“Texture’s been the Achilles heel of high-protein bars,” says seniordDirector Peter Schouw Andersen. “This concept keeps them soft, stable and satisfying – all while keeping labels clean.”
Meala breaks the shell
Israeli start-up Meala FoodTech is cracking open the egg replacement market with Groundbaker, a single-ingredient pea protein that binds, foams and emulsifies like egg in bakery applications. Designed to stabilize supply and cut allergens, it’s a gamechanger for plant-based manufacturers.
“Replacing egg with one ingredient that performs across applications is no small feat,” says CEO Hadar Ekhoiz-Razmovich. “Groundbaker helps bakeries keep texture and lift exactly where consumers expect it.”
