Carman’s High Protein Bars

Posted: March 4, 2025 Updated: March 5, 2025

I’m always tracking newly released gluten free products but I get really excited when it’s a brand I love like Carman’s who have released two new high protein bars.

In terms of protein they are 50% higher than their standard range (also gluten free) so they are actually getting closer to the protein bars we’d find in the supplements aisle.

Carman’s have a large range of products these days. I think the company origins were granola products, made in Melbourne. These days I’d say there are more muesli bars, nut bars and protein bars than what you’d find in the cereal aisle.

Protein, weight, cost analysis

I am, by a few measures, a bit of a geek. A numbers geek is one of them and working with groceries I can take the opportunity to dive into the numbers.

These new bars are expensive, particularly compared to their neighbours in the aisle. At $9.80 a packet it’s probably the most expensive on the shelf. But I have a feeling that there is some good value in there.

Weight pricing

First up, the bars are actually a lot bigger than standard Carman’s protein bars. The standard Carman’s bar is 40g while these new high protein bars are 50g . That’s a 25% increase.

So price per gram makes it $3.95 per 100g and $3.92 per 100g, with the Carman’s high protein bars coming in slightly cheaper.

Protein pricing

If you’ve ever done a macros diet while looking to gain muscle then you’ve probably some across measurements for the cost of foods per 1g of protein. People looking to build mass on a budget look to these to get the best value possible.

The Carman’s bars, both types, typically have higher protein content than what’s listed on the front. The high protein bar lists 16.5g per bar while some of the standard ones are as high as 11.2g.

Each box has five bars so if I multiply those by five I can figure out the protein cost. For the high protein is 12 cents per 1g of protein. For the standard it’s 14 cents per 1g of protein.

Not really enough to make you start investing, but it’s nice to see that while the price is higher you are still getting (marginally better) value.

And just for completeness, a Violet Crumble protein bar by BSc is 28 cents per 1g of protein when full price at $4.50. Even when it’s on sale for $3.15 it still comes in higher as 19 cents per 1g.

The taste

It’s kind of like a big bar made of rice bubbles (though they are soy puffs). The texture is definitely softer than some of the regular Carman’s protein bars. I’ve had some (cookies and cream) that I thought I might break a tooth on.

The mint flavour runs through the chocolate, rather than mint chips like the old limited edition bar. You get a bit of a cooling feel in your mouth as you’re eating it.

Overall it’s pretty tasty, though I feel like the limited edition mint ones were better.

My husband approves but like me he also misses the old ones.

The verdict

It’s really nice! It’s probably a bigger bar than I necessarily need to eat in one go. One bar cut in half is actually pretty filling as a snack for afternoon tea.

Having said that, I do think the slightly larger size will help those folks who like to keep an emergency snack in their bag.

Where to buy Carman’s high protein bars

So far I’ve seen the bars in both Coles and Woolworths, which is nice to see. There isn’t an exclusive deal like I’ve noticed with some other brands recently.

You’ll find them in the same aisle as their muesli bars.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Gluten free: Legit, not detected.
Vegetarian / vegan: Vegetarian.
Allergens: Soy, milk, peanut. May contain: Tree nuts, sesame.
Serving size: Five biiiig bars.

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