Protein granola usually lists 10 to 13 g of protein per 2/3-cup serving, yet it still carries 8 to 16 g of sugar. Of the three brands we checked, the one with the most protein also had the most sugar.
This is general nutrition information, not dietary advice.
Protein granola vs regular granola, side by side
We set three label panels next to the USDA entry for homemade granola. The last two columns show what the front of the bag never prints: sugar for every gram of protein, and protein for every 100 calories.
| Granola | Serving | Protein | Sugars | Calories | Sugar per g of protein | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homemade granola (USDA) | 100 g | 13.7 g | 19.8 g | 489 | 1.4 g | 2.8 g |
| Quaker Simply Granola, Oats, Honey & Almonds | 2/3 cup (64 g) | 7 g | 13 g (10 g added) | 260 | 1.9 g | 2.7 g |
| Nature Valley Protein, Oats & Honey | 2/3 cup | 13 g | 16 g (15 g added) | 280 | 1.2 g | 4.6 g |
| Purely Elizabeth Protein, Almond Butter & Berries | 2/3 cup (60 g) | 10 g | 8 g (7 g added) | 300 | 0.8 g | 3.3 g |
Sources: USDA FoodData Central 171646; panels from Quaker, Nature Valley and Purely Elizabeth, accessed 29 October 2026. The two ratio columns are our math.
Nature Valley adds 6 g of protein over the Quaker panel and 3 g of sugar with it. Purely Elizabeth is the low-sugar outlier, but its 300 calories include 18 g of fat.
The USDA entry gives no added-sugar figure and no serving weight for a bag, so read its row as a baseline for a recipe-style granola.
Sugar per gram of protein is the fairest quick test across serving sizes. Lower is better, and only Purely Elizabeth gets below 1 g.
Where the protein in protein granola comes from
Nature Valley’s ingredient list runs whole grain oats, sugar, then soy protein isolate, with honey and molasses after it. The protein is added to a sweet oat cluster, and sugar sits ahead of it on the list.
The label also flags soy, which matters if you avoid it.
Video: Tami Dunn
Purely Elizabeth takes the other route. Its list names pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, almond butter and almonds, plus chia and quinoa flakes, with no protein isolate. Coconut sugar and dried cranberries do the sweetening.
Whey and milk protein granolas exist as well. We found no label for one that renders as text, so none is in the table.
Check the % Daily Value, not only the grams
Under FDA labeling rules, protein %DV is quality-corrected and measured against a 50 g reference value. At full quality, 13 g would print as 26%. Nature Valley prints 18%, which works out to about 9 g of full-value protein.
Purely Elizabeth prints 10% for its 10 g, so about 5 g counts at full value. Both figures are rounded estimates, and Quaker prints no protein %DV, so you cannot run the check there.
The mistake that turns protein granola into dessert
The common error is reading the 13 g as a bowl. Nature Valley’s 2/3 cup is about 62 g, worked out from its 11 oz bag and 5 servings, and most people pour more than that. Every number in the table scales with the pour.
Granola is also dense. Purely Elizabeth packs 300 calories into 60 g, about 5 calories a gram, so a second scoop adds up faster than it looks.
A bigger bowl scales the sugar too. For a bar-by-bar comparison, see our best protein bars ranking. For whole-food protein, try cottage cheese protein pancakes or the protein waffles nutrition numbers.
Frequently asked questions about protein granola
How much protein is in regular granola?
USDA FoodData Central lists homemade granola at 13.7 g of protein per 100 g, about 3.9 g per ounce. Quaker’s Oats, Honey & Almonds panel shows 7 g in a 64 g serving.
Is protein granola low in sugar?
Not by default. Nature Valley Protein lists 16 g of sugar per 2/3 cup, more than the 13 g on the Quaker panel. Purely Elizabeth lists 8 g. Read total and added sugars on each bag.
Can protein granola replace a protein bar?
Compare the panels before you swap. Nature Valley Protein lists 41 g of carbohydrate and 15 g of added sugar per serving. Our best protein bars ranking lists the figures bar by bar.