Energy bars are becoming increasingly popular, either with athletes or gym bunnies who are looking for that extra kick before hitting the punch bag or people who are a little worse for wear the morning after the night before or want that little energy for the next morning.
Clif bars are a delicious source of this type of energy. They come in many different flavors, from chocolate chip peanut butter to blueberry to dark chocolate almond and sea salt.
They also have seasonal flavors that come in during the holidays.
But some people will be wary about these energy bars containing caffeine.
If you have an allergy to caffeine or if you want to keep your caffeine levels to a minimum, then you’ll want to know how much caffeine they contain, and which flavors have caffeine in them.
What Is A Clif Bar?
A Clif bar is a plant-based energy bar that comes with a balanced selection of fats, proteins and carbs to give you that perfect blend of macros.
This is designed not only for athletes but anyone who is looking for that extra boost of energy during the day.
The great thing about Clif bars is that they utilize plant protein, so vegetarians need not worry, no animals have gone into the making of this product.
But there are people who like eating these bars purely for flavor. Here’s a complete list of all the flavors of Clif bars that you can get:
- Crunchy Peanut Butter
- Cool Mint Chocolate (with caffeine)
- Chocolate Chip
- Chocolate Brownie
- Oatmeal Raisin Walnut
- Blueberry Almond Crisp
- Peanut Butter Banana Dark Chocolate
- White Chocolate Macadamia
- Dark Chocolate Almond With Sea Salt
- Chocolate Peanut Butter With Sea Salt
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Coconut Chocolate Chip
- Carrot Cake
- Apricot
- Chocolate Almond Fudge
- Nuts and Seeds
- Iced Gingerbread
- Blueberry Crisp
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Crunch
- Caramel Macchiato (with caffeine)
- Espresso Minis (with caffeine)
There are a few more flavors out there that have managed to evade our detection. If you manage to track them down, then let us know!
But as you can see briefly from the list above, there are a few of these bars that contain caffeine. But how much caffeine is in a Clif bar?
How Much Coffee Is In A Clif Bar?
The liner notes of a caffeinated Clif bar will tell you there are anywhere between 60 and 70 milligrams of caffeine contained inside.
We would take an average of this and say there are 65 milligrams of caffeine in a coffee-flavored Clif bar.
This might not be suitable for anyone who has a heightened sensitivity to caffeine.
This also might cause complications for any young children or anyone who is pregnant.
You’ll have to make sure that you check with your doctor before consuming one of the Clif bars that has coffee in them.
The best way to check whether one of these Clif bars contains coffee is by seeing if there is a coffee flavor in the title.
It might be obvious to say that Clif bars with names like ‘caramel macchiato’ are more than likely to have some caffeine in them.
However, most of the energy bars manufactured by Clif do not contain any caffeine, just the protein and energy that you need to repair and build more muscle.
But which Clif bars specifically contain caffeine? Well, read below to find out.
Which Clif Bars Contain Caffeine?
There are only 3 flavors of caffeinated Clif bars that contain any caffeine. Here they are listed below:
- Cool Mint Chocolate (with caffeine)
- Caramel Macchiato
- Espresso Minis
These will clearly state that caffeine is contained within.
As we have mentioned above, there is around 165 mg of caffeine in a Clif bar, so make sure that you consult with a doctor if you think you have caffeine sensitivities.
The other more popular flavor does not contain any caffeine.
This company takes great pains to get the measurements of their ingredients just right, and they’ll make sure that they signpost the bars that do contain caffeine, simply to avoid a hefty lawsuit!
What Ingredients Are In A Clif Bar?
As we have mentioned above, these bars specialize in plant-based protein, which is great news if you are a vegetarian who wants to build muscle.
One of the main ingredients of a Clif bar is rolled oats. This provides the consumer with plenty of carbohydrates that give them the energy to get through the day.
They also contain 70% organic ingredients, meaning that you won’t find that many harmful processed starches or fats in there.
This also sources all of its cocoa from the rainforest, making it one of the more ethically sourced chocolate energy bars that you can get.
Nutritional Profile Of Clif Bars
Now obviously there are different types of Clif bars and the energy profile will vary depending on the flavor.
So, we’ve taken the nutritional profile of the peanut butter bar to give you a broad idea of the micros and macros that are contained inside:
Serving Size: 1 Bar
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 260
Calories from Fat: 60% of daily allowance
Total Fat: 7g (11% of daily allowance)
Saturated Fat: 1g (5% of daily allowance)
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 230mg (10% of daily allowance)
Total Carbohydrate: 40g (13% of daily allowance)
Dietary Fiber: 4g (16% of daily allowance)
Sugars: 19g
Other Carbohydrates: 17g
Protein: 11g
The fewer ingredients that you have in your Clif bar, then the chances are it will be less calorific.
Final Thoughts
If you are going to be consuming a Clif bar regularly, either for a workout or to boost your overall energy levels, then we would recommend buying one containing caffeine.
However, try not to consume more than one caffeinated bar per day, as this might lead to symptoms such as shaking and nausea.
For convenience, get your Clif Bars from Amazon.