The 7 Best Energy Chews, Taste-Tested and Sports Dietitian-Approved

When you’re heading out for a long training session or race, you’ll want to have a solid nutritional plan to fuel your efforts. This plan may include consuming the gumdrop-like energy chews that have become a popular option for endurance athletes. They’re portable, come in a range of flavors from a wide variety of brands, and contain valuable carbs that keep you going strong when you need it most. Sport chews can be a whole lot more satisfying to eat than gels during longer workouts, and come without the risk of a sticky mess.

You may have noticed that sugary chews come in a variety of flavors, consistencies, sizes, and ingredients. Because of this, you’ll want to ask important questions, like:

• How many carbs are in a chew or an entire package?
• What types of sugars are used?
• What is the sodium content?

This will help ensure you get exactly what you need to meet your body’s energy demands (and avoid what you don’t need). During exercise, multiple packets may be needed to reach your carbohydrate and sodium goals. An energy chew that works for you may be different from what works for someone else; it often takes some brand testing and trial and error to determine what suits different athletes best.

To select some of the top energy chews on the market, we evaluated them for taste, texture, and ingredients. These are the chewy carb bombs that can help get you to the finish line still feeling strong. Just don’t forget to floss post-workout.

The best energy chews for running and triathlon

The best chew for big efforts: SIS Beta Fuel

$18, pack of 6

No chew is better designed for athletes intending to go the distance. With an impressive 46g of carbs in each chew-bar hybrid, there is enough sugary energy in this product to seriously reduce your risk of going down from the dreaded bonk. Fewer chews needed to get a bigger nutritional impact, that’s a win. The carbohydrate ratio has been designed to lessen the risk of GI woes when going bigger on carbs during long, hard workouts.

Since it’s one large chew, you aren’t left fumbling your way through a bunch of little carb nuggets. However, the big chew can be broken down into smaller pieces if you want to fuel on smaller amounts of carbs at more regular intervals during your workout. There is also more sodium in this chew than its competitors to better replenish losses through sweat.

The best-tasting energy chew: Bonk Breaker OMG!

$3, single pack

We often forget we are way more likely to take our chews if we enjoy eating them, which in turn makes them more useful in powering runs and rides. Thankfully, the blast of orange, mango, and guava flavor these chews provide will leave you wanting more. I also appreciate the texture, which isn’t too soft, so they don’t adhere to your teeth as much as some other options.

The carbohydrate source in these chews is glucose and sugar, so they should provide an easily absorbable, quick energy source for most athletes on the move. Since the carbohydrate content per serving is on the lower side, they are good for shorter-duration efforts or for people who are getting additional carbs from other sources. A whole package will give you 36 grams of carbs, which is about the minimum you want per hour of exercise for workouts lasting 2 hours or more. Just don’t forget that energy chews like these should be taken with water to help with their digestion.

The best chew for everyday workouts: Skratch Labs Grape

$3, single pack

Skratch energy chews have gained a loyal following among distance athletes, with high praise for taste, effectiveness, and ingredient quality. The chews are free from waxes and artificial colors, and are made with real grape juice. And everyone loves the light coating of sour and sweet granules. Each serving (5 chews) of their newer grape flavor provides 19 grams of carbohydrates from sugar and glucose syrup, both quick-absorbing energy sources that should not lead to digestive upset for most people.

As a general rule, you’ll want to take 2 servings (38g carbs) for each hour of activity, especially if you aren’t getting too many carbs from other sources. These chews are also made with more water to help create a texture that is easier to chew when charging hard. The packaging is easy to tear open with your teeth – so simple that I’ve suffered heartbreak to see my little energy nuggets fall to their death below my moving wheels.

The best energy chew with caffeine: Caffeine Bullet Chocolit Orange

$27, pack of 40

This chew is designed to give you a convenient hit of caffeine when drinking an espresso during a workout isn’t practical. Each chew supplies 85mg of caffeine, which is about what you would get from a standard 8-ounce cup of coffee. The caffeine used is a form that gets into your system quicker than what occurs with caffeine in coffee, gels, and energy drinks. That means the buzz hits you faster. Plus, the citrusy chocolate flavor is pretty tasty.

Studies over the years have consistently shown that supplementing with caffeine can help us conquer monster workouts through a few different mechanisms, including lessening the perception of effort and fatigue. But don’t chew your way through an entire package during a single sweat session, as taking in too much caffeine (more than 400mg in a day), won’t make you a better athlete and can pose health risks. Also, remember that these chews should not be considered a source of carbs, so you need to make sure you are still getting enough of this energy source from other sources. No amount of caffeine is going to make up for letting your carbs run dry.

The best chew for sensitive stomachs (and palates): Precision Nutrition Chew Original

$12, pack of 4

If you are one of those athletes who tends to get burnt out on the flavors added to most sports nutrition products, this is the chew for you. The ingredient list is rather humble: sugar, corn starch, water, and citric acid, so it has a mostly neutral taste. That means none of the flavor fatigue that can contribute to underfueling and virtually no allergen concern.

Compared to its competitors, the chews have a high carb-to-weight ratio, so they’re very lightweight to carry on those longer rides and runs. The more concentrated dose of carbohydrates (30 grams) in just two chews means they can do a better job at meeting your carb needs during longer, more intense workouts. The chews aren’t sticky in an annoying way, and you can think of them as similar to bite-sized marshmallows. They do not contain any sodium, which means you want to make sure you’re getting this electrolyte elsewhere, especially if in the throes of a sweaty training session or race. The brand says the chews are meant to be used alongside a hydration strategy that includes sodium.

The best chews for cola lovers: Honey Stinger Cherry Cola

$34, box of 12

Honey Stinger uses – you guessed it – honey as one of their sugars along with organic tapioca syrup, organic cane sugar, and organic white grape juice concentrate. This carb blend can help bonk-proof your training session or race if used wisely. And, yes, all the while giving you that great cola flavor. The chews are on the smaller size, so they can be easier to consume when pushing hard and the inclusion of 55mg of caffeine, from organic tea, could help you feel a little more jazzed as miles tick by. Sweaty workouts will require a greater amount of sodium than the 80mg in a six-chew serving, but every little bit helps. A pack of 12 costs $34, which makes the chews a fairly cost-effective way to fuel up.

The best organic energy chew: Probar Bolt Berry Blast

$30, box of 12

If you’re looking for an organic way to get energy into your workouts, we recommend these berry-flavored chews that make refueling on the go a tasty experience. The chews contain quick-absorbing carbohydrates from organic tapioca syrup and organic cane sugar. What that means is that these energy sources were sourced from crops not doused in harsh chemicals, which makes the chews a little more eco-friendly.

Delivering 23 grams of carbs in half of a packet, this can be enough for shorter, less intense workouts, but you may need to consume a whole packet or more to meet your energy needs, depending on the intensity and duration of your workout. There is also a touch of caffeine sourced from organic yerba mate and a trio of B vitamins involved in energy-producing pathways. The 75mg of sodium can be useful to help offset some of the losses of this key electrolyte. The chews can become soft and gummy in the heat, which may make them more difficult to consume during exercise in particularly hot conditions.