Protein powder is a great way to supplement protein, especially when you plan it around workouts. IT’s easily digestible and quickly metabolized so it works to start repairing and restoring muscles after a workout. I’m sure you’ve been down the healthy food aisle the grocery store and seen that there are a MILLION pins out there, and since plant based foods a re little trendy right now, everyone is getting in on the plant based protein game. So which one do you choose?! I’ll tell you all things plant based protein powder right here!
First a few rules to follow. Just like anything else, read the label. Protein powders should be low in carbs ( if the carbs are high this typically means there are a lot of other things added which could be a no-no) and no added sugar. The best alternatives would be monk fruit or stevia, so look for those own eh label rather than actual sugar or Sucralose. All the ingredients listed should be recognizable and made from whole foods… anyhow weird or un-prenouncable? Probably not a great option. There are some great options out there that include greens, probiotics or digestive enzymes. These are all great additions to a good protein powder!
Ok let’s talk brands.
If I’ve tried one I’ve tried them all. For real though, I’ve tried them all. And yes, there are a lot of gross plant based proteins out there. But here are some of the top ones I have tried and I like (um, for the most part…). When I try a new brand or flavor I look for quality in terms of ingredients listed (quality and quantity), grams of protein, taste, texture, digestibility. I’ll use that to grade each of these top brands for you, and you can try them and see for yourself!
Liv Body
- Ingredients: Their list is impressive with greens, a great protein blend, probiotics, amino acids and digestive enzymes.
- Protein: One of the highest around, at a whopping 25 grams with low carbs and sweetened with stevia and monk fruit.
- Taste: They have a few different flavors and Like them all! I will say the mocha is not really all that mocha-y but it is still chocolatey and delicious.
- Texture: This one ranks top on my list in terms of texture. not chalky or grainy, it’s perfectly smooth.
- Digestibility: Also ranks as one of my top, no bloating or stomach upset, I think digestive enzymes really help!
Tru Supplements
- Ingredients: The list is simple and clean, but they do have a few flavors that they use Sucralose to sweeten, which I am not a fan of. But there are also flavors that just use monk fruit, those are my top choice.
- Protein: Pretty standard for most plant based proteins powders
- Taste: Their flavors are some of the best! Super flavorful and true to their flavor description
- Texture: This one is outstanding, maybe one of the best, it is super light and fluffy and really mixes well with even just plan water
- Digestibility: No stomach upset here.
Orgain
- Ingredients: There are a couple varieties here, one that has greens and one hat has probiotics and one that has superfoods, so some good choices here. I will say this has way to many carbs for a protein powder, so it’s a bit questionable. They do use “natural flavors” which I am not a fan of, and a few fillers.
- Protein: Pretty standard in terms of protein, 21 grams per serving. I will say, I hate sneaky marketing and I feel like they get you by making each serving 2 scoops instead of 1.
- Taste: I like the taste, it’s not my favorite but it’s pretty tasty, It tastes a little more artificial than some others out there. You can try the chocolate or the vanilla.
- Texture: Not too bad, just a tad bit grainy
- Digestibility: This one gets the tummy a little rumbly, if you know what I mean. Bloated is how I would say it, but my hubby likes this one and it doesn’t seem to bother him so you be the judge!
Garden of Life: Protein and Greens
- Ingredients: Great clean ingredients: organic, raw, nothing to complain about here. It also has probiotics which is great.
- Protein: 20 grams, not too impressive
- Taste: Not great… the choice are chocolate and vanilla and I can’t say either one is better than the other, they are both not super natural tasting (even though they are naturally flavored). Now, there is the Garden of Life MEAL, that is what they call a “meal replacement” (basically it’s 2 scoops for more protein and carbs), then they have the Protein and Greens and they have their classic protein powder. So there are other options out there.
- Texture: Meh… This goes with pretty much all Garden of Life varieties, it is super chalky and thick. This one takes some getting used to if you’re not used to drinking plant based protein.
- Digestibility: This one digests pretty well since it is a very clean version
Garden of Life: FIT
- Ingredients: Just alike all Garden of Life varieties, it is full of super clean ingredients, organic and raw with a superfood blend. It has amino acids and probiotics It does have 10 grams of carbs which is higher than I think protein powders should be, but it also has a whopping 8 grams of fiber, which brings the net carbs down to just 2.
- Protein: Super impressive with 28 grams, but it does come with a higher calorie count of course. Don’t let that scare you off though, the nutrients inside validate all the calories. Check it out here.
- Taste: Better than some ofter Garden of Life varieties, but not super delicious.
- Texture: This one is actually better, in my option, than the other Garden of Life varieties. A little less chalky and thick but still not the best.
- Digestibility: Just like other Garden of Life brands, it is clean and digest well.
Vega
- Ingredients: There are quite a few varieties here, one with greens, one with amino acids called Sport, and a plain protein kind. The ingredients are pretty clean and pure, but I will warn you this brand is very pricey, much more expensive than the others here for the servings you get, especially from their website. Amazon has the best prices, I have links below! They have a lot of varieties here. First hey have the All in 1, that has everything you need, then they have the Sport, which has amino acid for recovery, and they ahed the Protein and Greens in vanilla, chocolate, and cold brew.
- Protein: Most of these varieties are pretty impressive, anywhere from 22-30 grams depending on which variety you choose.
- Taste: I do like the flavors here, they do a good job of sticking true to the flavor profile.
- Texture: Texture is pretty good here, some of them can be a little grainy, but they are all easily mixable in a shaker bottle and great for a smoothie.
- Digestibility: The varieties with 30 grams of protein might give you little trouble since there is so much protein in one serving, perhaps a little bloating or gassiness, but overall I’d say this one digests pretty well.
Sun Warrior: Classic
- Ingredients: The ingredients here are very clean and simple. When I was using Sun Warrior they just had one option, the classic pea protein, but now they have a blend (which I haven’t tried yet) and a couple other options which could get a different grade from me.
- Protein: Pretty standard 20 grams, nothing impressive.
- Taste: This one is probably the worst in my option in terms of taste. It is strictly pea protein, not a blend, and pea protein is very potent and distinguishable in terms of taste. There’s no masking it with chocolate, the pea protein shines through STRONG. As I mentioned above, they do have a couple new blends that will have a different taste and texture, but my experience is from the Classic version.
- Texture: Because it is all pea protein and not a blend, it is very chalky and thick, it doesn’t mix great in a shaker bottle (it’s pretty lumpy and never really gets perfectly blended!), so if you’re going to use this one I would recommend making it in a smoothie where you can blend it up well and cover it up with fruit or peanut butter.
- Digestibility: It leaves me feeling a little full and bloated, not ideal.
Oriya
- Ingredients: probably some of the cleanest ingredients out there, in terms of superfoods and quality of what they’re putting in their products. There are absolutely no fillers, sweeteners or flavor agents here, it’s all protein and super-foods. just 5 ingredients. That being said, keep reading for taste and flavor profiles.
- Protein: Actually not impressed with their protein count, it’s at 18, but again, I love the blend of superfoods and no added ingredients, so it’s kind of a trade off. It is a little on the pricey side for the number of servings you get, but I think it is justified by the quality of ingredients.
- Taste: Because they keep their ingredient list simple and pure, they don’t have any flavors here, it is all unflavored. So it is not ideal for drinking by itself (it actually doesn’t have a terrible flavor by itself but it’s not super appetizing), so I recommend this one for smoothies (like my Hopeful and Wholesome Smoothie!) and homemade protein recipes like protein bars and protein balls.
- Texture: The texture is very smooth and easy.
- Digestibility: Great digestibility, not bloating, gassiness, stomach upset.
If you’ve got a favorite that isn’t on the list here, please share, I love trying new options!