General Mills adds protein bars to Lärabar with 10 to 12 grams per bar

General Mills is trying to give LÄRABAR a clearer place in the protein-bar aisle without losing the soft, simple-ingredient identity that made the brand stand out in the first place. The company launched three new LÄRABAR Protein flavors on May 14: peanut butter chocolate, cinnamon nut and lemon. Each bar carries 10 to 12 grams of plant-based protein, and General Mills says the lineup stays vegan, gluten free and non-GMO while keeping the bars soft and chewy.

That positioning matters because protein has moved from a niche gym claim to a mainstream shopping cue, showing up in snacks, breakfast foods and beverages across the store. General Mills is not building a new brand from scratch; it is stretching an established one into a new occasion. LÄRABAR already has a reputation for recognizable fruit-and-nut formulas and shorter ingredient lists, so protein gives the brand a way to move beyond pure energy-bar territory and into a higher-function snack moment without severing its clean-label appeal.

The company framed the launch as a response to what shoppers are asking for. “We heard you. People want more protein, but they don’t want to compromise on taste or quality,” General Mills said. The flavor lineup also looks carefully chosen. Peanut butter chocolate brings familiar indulgence, cinnamon nut leans cozy and bakery-like, and lemon adds a brighter note that can help the bars travel beyond the usual chocolate-and-peanut crowd.

The move fits LÄRABAR’s long arc. The brand says it was born in May 2000, and its first bars reached shelves on April 14, 2003. General Mills bought LÄRABAR in 2008, when Michele Meyer was president of the company’s Small Planet Foods group, and a General Mills history post says founder Lara Merriken later stayed with the brand as creative director. LÄRABAR still describes its Original Fruit & Nut Bars as having no more than nine ingredients, which makes this protein extension feel less like a reinvention than a careful widening of the lane.

General Mills, headquartered in Minneapolis, says its products are in 90% of American pantries, giving it a broad platform to test how far a heritage snack brand can travel in the protein era. In 2023, the company also said LÄRABAR was investing in regenerative almond farming, another sign that the brand remains a vehicle for both ingredient storytelling and format expansion. The new protein bars do not abandon LÄRABAR’s roots; they show how a familiar name can be repackaged for a market where protein now has to feel both useful and credible.