Pea, hemp, brown rice, soy protein -- vegans have it easy when it comes to options for vegan protein powders.
However, the real question is, do all plant protein powders provide the same nutritional value as whey protein?
Especially when you're considering
Here, we go over our personal best vegan protein powders to help you find the best products that
Top Vegan Protein Powders (2020 Updated)
1 - Transparent Labs Organic Vegan (Editor's Choice)
What I appreciate about this vegan protein powder from Transparent Labs Organic Vegan Protein Powder Review is that it has quite a clean flavor. It has no aftertaste, and the texture is not gritty.
I can combine it easily with most of my favorite drinks and foods without issues.
- 24 grams of vegan protein, 120 calories, and little fat and carbohydrate
- Perfect for building lean muscle
- Optimal source of protein and fiber
- USDA Organic Certified
- 100% vegan and no artificial sweeteners or flavoring
- Some people find it sweet due to the added organic stevia
Based on user reviews, this
Additionally, the powder combination of rice and pea protein makes
Transparent Labs Organic Vegan Protein Powder Review
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2 - Ladder
This plant protein powder by Ladder contains all the essential amino acids and branched-chain amino acids that you don’t need to stack up on a separate EAA or BCAA supplement. The content is enough to help your body fully repair.
The product also contains digestive enzymes and probiotics to make sure that your body absorbs all the needed protein. This may aid in building your muscles, losing your fats, and improving your sports performance faster.
I love how this product comes in two rich flavors that you can enjoy.
- CFS Certified
- Contains Digestive Enzymes and Probiotics
- Contains 9g of essential amino acids
- Tastes good
May contain a high amount of sugar (may not be good if you’re cutting down on carbs)
3 - Performance Lab® Protein
Performance Lab® has only recently joined the protein party. And it’s a game-changer.
As you’d expect,
It's one of
- The cleanest protein powder on the market
- A potent 20 g per serving
- USDA Organic-certified
- Low calorie (100), low carb (2 g), low fat (1.2 g)
- Only available via their site
But the proof of this vegan protein powder is in the eating… It tastes amazing -- actually one of the best tasting vegan protein powders out there. A velvet smooth blend of organic cocoa, vanilla and Ceylon cinnamon means building muscle has never tasted so good.
4 - Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder
When I tried this vegan
Also, I'm not a fan of the overall aroma.
Flavor aside, I think
Each serving (two scoops) has 21 g of protein, 15 g of carbohydrates, and 4 g of fat. It also has 5 g of dietary fiber per serving without the sugar and serves a total of 150 calories.
- Packed with 21g of organic protein and 7g of fiber
One of the cleanest protein supplements in the market Gives an energy pump at the gym
It isn’t to everyone’s taste, even the chocolate flavor
This Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder is completely non-GMO and dairy-free as well. Best part of all, the combination of rice, pea and chia seed protein makes it a complete protein containing
Not surprisingly, this brand also has an organic protein and greens superfoods powder with the added nutrition of spinach, kale, and other vegetable extract.
You can also try the protein bar from Orgain Organic. It's also great in keeping you pumped up with your needed proteins.
You don't want any chemical sweeteners in your protein, so no sucralose or acesulfame potassium, which are the cousins of aspartame. They can be inflammatory, and some studies have suggested they can inhibit growth
- Melissa Piercell, Naturopathic Doctor
Orgain Organic Protein Powder Review
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5 - Nuzest Clean Lean Protein
This
The Just Natural variant has a neutral flavor that
I'd consider this brand as one of my favorite vegan protein powders when it comes to
I don't appreciate it with just water, but it's more palatable with some coconut milk.
- Has 21
g of pea protein with every little fat and net carb - Has a variety of flavors to choose from
- Made of pure pea protein
- May not be ideal as a meal replacement due to its low
calories - Not the cheapest
Since it's a pure pea protein powder, it contains all 9 essential amino acids. See this post for other recommended pea protein powders.
6 - LeanHemp Pure Hemp Protein Powder
This plant-based protein one from LeanHemp is made from pure hemp seeds protein powder. It has three flavors available, including pure hemp, chocolate maca, and peanut butter.
I tried all the flavors of this protein powder brand, and my favorite is the chocolate maca. It has some cocoa powder, maca root powder, and coconut sugar as added ingredients on top of the hemp seeds powder.
The texture of this hemp seed protein powder
It has 20 g of protein and 7-8 grams of fiber per serving. Watch out for the sugar though. The pure hemp variant has the lowest amount of carb and sugar. Read our full review of the best hemp protein powders.
- Has 20 grams of protein and 7-8 grams of fiber per serving
- Has different variants available
- Contains all the essential amino acids
- The flavored variants (chocolate and peanut butter) are quite high in carbs and sugar
- It's a little too sweet for my liking
Pea protein
7 - Zen Principle Organic Brown Rice
Brown rice protein powder is known for being hypoallergenic, so if you're allergic to soy or nuts, this may be a healthy option.
Each plant protein serving is about 4 scoops and has 26 g of whole grain brown rice protein without the unnecessary fats and carbohydrates.
- Contains 26 grams of raw organic rice protein, which may boost post-workout recovery
- No additives
- Hypoallergenic
- Flavor may not be appealing to some
- Incomplete protein profile — needs to be blended with other plant protein sources
8 - Garden Of Life
The unflavored raw organic protein powder from Garden of Life only has 110 calories per serving, making it popular for those who are aiming to lose weight. With a single scoop, you get 22 g of vegan protein with only 2.5 g of fat and 2 g of carbs.
It's a combination of brown rice and pea protein, with 13 raw organic sprouts, including quinoa, buckwheat, pumpkin seed protein, chia seeds and lentil, among its many other ingredients. This extensive protein blend makes
Because of its dense nutritional
- You get 22 grams of protein
for every serving, mainly from chia and pumpkin seed protein sources - Packed with other vitamins and minerals from the raw organic sprouts ingredients
- Low total calories
- Ingredients are hidden in a proprietary blend, so you don't know exactly how much you're getting
- Texture and taste can be tricky
It has
Oh, did I mention there's 0 grams of sugar? Garden of Life knows us so well.
Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein Powder Review
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9 - IronVegan Athlete's Gainer
There are many vegan protein products that promise significant bodybuilding gains, and IronVegan Athlete's Gainer is
With a 2.85:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio, it's not difficult to see why.
A double scoop of this protein powder provides 42 g of protein, 8 g of fats, and 120 g of carbs, which may make it the top choice for bulking up as a vegan.
While it's quite high in carbs, it's low in sugar and serves up a total of 720 calories per serving.
- Has 42
g of protein and 120 grams of carbohydrates per serving - May support weight gain and building
muscle - Tastes good
- Texture can be difficult to work with
- Very high in carbs, so you might want to look out for that
This protein powder from IronVegan provides well-balanced macros with its vegan carbohydrate blend, giving a 2.85:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio.
10 - BulkSupplements
This one is a pea protein powder source that is high in protein and low in carbs. Each serving contains 24 g of protein, with about a gram of fat and carbohydrate.
I appreciate that it is unflavored, so I can combine it with some of my favorite drinks. Blendability is quite easy too. It dissolves nicely, even with just plain water.
- With this plant-based powder, you'll get 24 grams of protein and very little fat and carb per serving
- Hypoallergenic, as it free of soy, gluten, an dairy
- It's one of the cheapest vegan protein powder brands in the market today
- Some users report experiencing gassiness and bloating
- You may need to include your own additive to make it more palatable
11 - EarthChimp
Most vegan protein powders and other plant-based products have that distinct earthy flavor. This one from EarthChimp may be an exception.
It's not exactly like a chocolate milkshake, but it tastes better than most vegan protein powder brands, especially when mixed with frozen fruits (I like mine with banana or berry). It makes a refreshing recovery drink or protein shake.
It's quite high in carbohydrates though, with 18 grams for a double scoop. But I appreciate that this has 5 g of fiber and some vegan digestive enzymes and probiotics.
- Contains with 20 grams of protein
each serving - Chocolate variant is quite nice
- No artificial flavorings
- Contains a good amount of fiber and probiotics
- Texture may be too thick for some
- High in carb and sugar
How Many Grams of Protein Do You Need?
"How much protein I need for muscle building?" is a common question I get asked all the time.
You need between 1.6g and 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of weight (0.73 to 1 gram per pound) if you want to maximize your muscle gains.
Soy based foods are some of the best foods you can eat on the planet. Soy provides a plant based protein source; a slew of vitamins and minerals crucial for reducing risk of chronic disease; and fiber that helps you fill up and feel satisfied.
-International Olympic Committee Consensus on Sports Nutrition
However, you have to remember that dietary protein tends to correlate with the amount of newly synthesized muscle fibers.
With this in mind, I recommend going with the upper end of the protein range suggested by the scientific literature to be optimal [1]. This is essential because plant protein is generally less anabolic and not as easily digested than whey protein.
For example, a vegan athlete weighing 80 kg or 176 lbs would need around 128 to 176 grams of protein per day.
That's 1.6 to 2.2g x 80 kgs.
We talk about this more in our vegan athlete's diet article.
With these numbers in mind, and taking into account the general lifestyle of a vegan athlete, here's why I believe plant-based protein powders to be so invaluable.
What to Look for in a Good Vegan Protein Powder?
Here are 4 things to look for in a vegan protein powder:
1. Value - Protein per Dollar
To spend the least amount of money for the most amount of protein, here's the number you need to be looking at:
Dollar per gram of protein.
The basic formula to calculate this looks like:
Protein per serving * Number of serving per container/Price
This is the quickest way to find out how much protein is in the product you're buying per dollar.
Just make sure that the plant-based protein sources are of high-quality and not something cheap with limited bioavailability.
Also, you may want to consider choosing between protein isolate and concentrate. Concentrates usually have a slightly lower protein per serving content but are definitely cheaper than isolates.
These
2. Percentage of Protein
If you're purchasing a protein powder, chances are you're looking for a high percentage of plant proteins above everything else on the ingredients list. This is a good time to calculate the protein yield, which is the percentage of protein in a supplement.
The higher the percentage of protein is in a product, the less space is taken up by carbs, fats, sugar, and other nutrients that you may (or may not) want. The only time you would want these other macros would be when you're bulking and trying to consume a ton of calories.
Depending on your diet, as well as health and fitness goals, you need to make sure that you get the right amount of quality proteins.
If you're bulking and need that extra help in getting more calories, you may want to consider taking a vegan mass gainer.
If you want to maximize your protein ratio, you could always make your own vegan protein powder. We've got several homemade recipes here:
3. Flavor & Mixability
We, vegans, have it hard enough as it is – we shouldn't be subjected to disgusting chalky shakes, which are more akin to gruel than anything else.
You need to keep an eye out for powders that taste decent and can mix easily into fruit smoothies, protein shakes, and other drinks, such as nut milk. You can add them to your foods, as well.
In my experience, I find the soy and hemp mix well with most flavors.
Consider how you're going to consume your protein and then decide how to make it palatable. If you're doing something with simple milk or water, maybe go for a flavored powder.
Alternatively, if you're planning on scooping your protein into your entire regimen, you should be fine with unflavored varieties. I make my favorite protein shake with unflavored plant protein, and I can't complain.
You can make protein bars (ch and protein cookies (check out the best protein recipes here) too.
4. Nutrition
Protein is great and all that, but you also have to consider everything else is in a product. Just because something is packed with protein doesn't necessarily mean it's right for you.
Try to consume products that offer you lots of benefits from a nutritional perspective, such as a complete essential amino acid profile and vitamins and minerals.
Take time to find what vegan source of protein is best for your diet and fitness goals. For example, peas are known to have the complete essential amino acids with the added benefit of BCAAs. BCAAs works to further improve muscle gains (You can check out our list of vegan BCAA supplements here).
Hemp, on the other hand, is a great source of omega-3s for better cardiac health.
Apart from BCAAs, omega-3s, and other added nutrients for certain health purposes, the protein source is also a crucial consideration if you're suffering from certain allergies or diet restrictions.
It's mostly common sense, but also keep an eye out for additives, sweeteners, fillers, gums, unnecessary carbs, and other crap that shouldn't be in your plant based powdered protein. I always tell my clients to double check the nutrition label and ingredients to be on the safe side.
Generally speaking, if the ingredients list on the bottle resembles the Magna Carta, then you're probably best off going with something simpler.
When it comes to your health, and ultimately, your plant-based protein powder, you may want to avoid the complicated stuff as much as possible.
Runner-up products in our list:
What's Our Favorite Vegan Protein Powder?
While all the plant proteins
Its low-carbohydrate and low-fat formula
People on restricted diets might consider it helpful too, as it's free of gluten, GMO ingredients, and other nasty preservatives. With its price and nutritional content, it also wins on a dollar per gram value among all the protein powders on this list.
What
Share your experience with us!
Transparent Labs Organic Vegan
Our #1 Recommendation
- 24 grams of vegan protein, 120 calories, and little fat and carbohydrate
- Perfect for building lean muscle
- Optimal source of protein and fiber
- USDA Organic Certified
- 100% vegan and no artificial sweeteners or flavoring
- Get the BEST PRICE until the end of July
