The best vegan protein powders you can buy

Advertisement
The best vegan protein powders you can buy

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Advertisement

  • High-quality vegan protein powders have a respectable taste, provide the protein you need without the additives you don't, and blend well into your favorite beverage.
  • The Vegansmart Plant-Based Vegan Protein Powder is our top pick because it blends smoothly, tastes great, and offers an array of nutrients.

Whey protein is by far the most popular form of protein powder. Compared to the vegan options, whey protein tends to be more affordable and better tasting. But, what if you are vegan, allergic to dairy, or just want to cut down on your use of animal products? This is where vegan protein powders are helpful.

You may be well aware that just because you eat a vegan diet, it doesn't necessarily mean you aren't getting enough protein. There are plenty of natural sources, but if you can't stomach legumes, it's probably a good idea to supplement your diet with protein.

For protein, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) is one gram for every three pounds of body weight. So, someone who weighs 180 pounds would need 60 grams of protein per day. According to experts, you can experience benefits with up to twice that amount. Though, before going full bore, it's a good idea to check with your doctor.

Advertisement

You can save up to 15% with Amazon's "Subscribe & Save" program so you might consider joining this program when ordering your protein powders. You can cancel your subscription at any time. A perk with this program is that your protein powder is automatically replenished on a regular basis without you having to remember to go online to reorder it.

We use the current price of the most popular size and flavor of each powder to calculate the price per serving and per gram of protein. Since prices change quickly and often on Amazon, our calculations may no longer be accurate when you read this.

If you'd like to do your own comparison shopping, we have you covered. Divide the powder's price by the number of servings in the container to get the cost per serving. You may find it useful to also calculate the cost per gram of protein since the amount of protein per serving varies from brand to brand. To get this, take the cost per serving you calculated above and divide it by the number of grams of protein in each serving.

While researching the best vegan protein powders, we examined hundreds of buyer and expert ratings and reviews of dozens of brands. Our guide features powders that have a high protein content, an acceptable taste and texture, and minimal calories, carbs, and fat.

Here are the best vegan protein powders you can buy:

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Find all the best offers at our Coupons page.

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.

Advertisement
{{}}

The best vegan protein powder overall

The best vegan protein powder overall
Why you’ll love it: If you are looking for a protein powder that provides more than just protein, the Vegansmart Plant-Based Vegan Protein Powder is your best bet.

The Vegansmart Plant-Based Vegan Protein Powder is outstanding because of how much it packs into each 46-gram serving. In addition to 20 grams of protein, you get at least half of your RDA of 20 vitamins and minerals.

The blend also has nine whole foods, 3.5 grams BCAAs, and 7 grams of dietary fiber. Organic stevia and 5 grams of sugar give the powder its sweetness. Each serving has 6 grams of fat and 170 calories for a well-rounded meal replacement or supplement.

Though it is pricey at about $1.87 per serving and $0.093 per gram of protein, the powder is certified vegan, non-GMO, low glycemic certified, and soy- and gluten-free.

Minimalist Baker recommends the Vegansmart Plant-Based Vegan Protein Powder because of all of the added nutrients. The reviewer also found the texture and sweetness were spot on, even though the flavor wasn’t perfect. The powder also blended easily.

The reviewer at Vegan Crunk uses the powder to make smoothies. She recommends this brand because her concoctions were so tasty that she scraped out the last remnants from the bottom of the glass.

More than 1,100 people left positive reviews of the Vegansmart Plant-Based Vegan Protein Powder on Amazon. The most helpful reviewer uses protein supplements because she has an autoimmune disease that makes nutrient absorption difficult. After trying nearly 100 different shake options, she determined that Vegansmart is the best because it doesn’t have artificial ingredients and tastes great.

Several of the buyers mention that they mix the powder with almond milk. And, one reviewer noted that the stevia taste wasn’t noticeable.

Pros: Excellent taste, blends easily, at least half the RDA of 20 vitamins and minerals, 7 grams of dietary fiber per serving

Cons: Expensive

Buy the Vegansmart Plant-Based Vegan Protein Powder on Amazon for $24.90 to 27.99 (available in five flavors)

The best affordable vegan protein powder

The best affordable vegan protein powder
Why you’ll love it: The Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder is flavorful, cost-effective, and easy to blend into your beverage of choice.

At $1.35 per serving ($0.064 per gram of protein), the Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder has the lowest per-serving price on our list. In addition to being vegan, this powder is gluten- and soy-free, non-GMO, and certified USDA organic.

The main ingredients are pea protein, brown rice protein, and chia seeds. There are zero grams of sugar. Instead, it gets its sweetness from stevia. In each 46-gram serving, there are 21 grams of protein, 4 grams of fat, 5 grams of dietary fiber, and 150 calories. There are eight flavors to choose from, including vanilla, natural unsweetened, and iced matcha latte.

The Wirecutter recommends the Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder because it rated high among vegans in their taste tests. The texture was the best overall, and the reviewer adds that the sweetness of the powder helped cover the earthy flavor commonly found in vegan proteins. The only negative she notes is the strong aftertaste.

The reviewer at Very Well Fit found this protein powder was very filling and appreciated the high-quality ingredients. They recommend it despite describing the taste of the chocolate powder as chalky and gritty.

Nearly 4,000 Amazon buyers have left four- or five-star reviews of the Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder. Reviewers are particularly impressed with how good this powder tastes, especially the chocolate and vanilla varieties. The price is another benefit mentioned frequently. And, one buyer who uses this protein powder exclusively for meal replacement has lost 60 pounds in 18 months. The most helpful reviewer had to stop taking the powder because the guar gum, erythritol, and acacia gum caused stomach pain and bloating.

Pros: Affordable, sweet and flavorful, terrific texture, sugar-free

Cons: Has ingredients that may irritate some users

Buy the Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder on Amazon for $26.99 to $40.13 Buy the Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder from GNC for $36.99
Advertisement

The best low-calorie vegan protein powder

The best low-calorie vegan protein powder
Why you’ll love it: If you are looking for a powder with a high protein concentration and low calorie content, the Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein Powder is a smart solution.

What sets the Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein Powder apart from the other powders on this list is its no-nonsense ingredients. They pack 22 grams of protein into each 28-gram serving. There’s no sugar, only 2.5 grams of fat, and 110 calories. The powder is certified organic, vegan, and GMO- and gluten-free.

Garden of Life is a certified B Corp, which basically means they engage in ethical and sustainable business practices. At $1.65 per serving and $0.075 per gram of protein, this brand is in the middle of the pack price-wise.

Reviews.com recommends the Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein Powder as the best vegan powder because it came out on top in their taste tests and rated high for nutritional value in third-party lab tests. Still, tasters commented on the unusual thickness.

Minimalist Baker recommends this as one of her favorites because she found the sweetness is perfectly balanced, the vanilla flavor is neutral, and the texture is spot on. The reviewer at Women’s Health recommends it because the probiotic properties and travel-size pouches were lifesavers on her trip to Africa.

Over 2,100 Amazon buyers left five-star reviews of the Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein Powder. The most helpful reviews are from two-and-a-half years ago, and they are mainly complaints about deceit from the Garden of Life company. In 2016, the company rolled out new packaging and claimed 30% more protein. The new canister was larger but actually had less powder. And, the increase in protein was due to an increase in serving size.

More recent reviews are positive for the most part with many buyers either loving or hating the taste.

Pros: High concentration of protein, zero sugar, low-calorie, available in grab-and-go pouches

Cons: Several complaints about a 2016 packaging update

Buy the Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein Powder on Amazon for $28.99 to 39.99 Buy the Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein Powder from GNC for $45.99

The best tasting vegan protein powder

The best tasting vegan protein powder
Why you’ll love it: Experts and buyers appreciate the taste of the Vega Sport Protein Powder, which packs 30 grams of protein into each serving.

The Vega Sport Protein Powder has the highest per-serving cost of the powders on our list at $1.89, but it also has a whopping 30 grams of protein in each 43-gram serving. This works out to a reasonable $0.063 per gram of protein.

Each serving only has 3 grams of fat and 5 grams of carbohydrates. Though, due to the high protein content, the calorie count is high at 170. There’s also a relatively-high 360 mg of sodium. Vega Sport comes in chocolate, vanilla, berry, and mocha.

The reviewer at Go Dairy Free recommends the Vega Sport Performance Protein Powder because it blends seamlessly into milk or water for a smooth, creamy texture. She also found the not-overly-sweet, mild flavor was a treat after workouts.

This is the top vegan protein powder according to The Wirecutter. It won their taste tests with its smooth and sweet texture and taste. The main flaws were that it’s earthy, chalky, and gritty, though not as much so as other vegan powders they tested. It also had an aftertaste.

About 74% of the people who reviewed the Vega Sport Performance Protein Powder on Amazon gave it four or five stars. Two of the top reviews are from buyers who have used this powder for more than a year and really enjoyed it until the Clean Label Project (CLP) gave it a poor rating for lead and arsenic.

However, CLP does not give any details about their testing, and several organizations have come out against them, including NSF International. Labdoor also tested this powder and gave it a high rating for product purity because their mineral assays showed less than one part per million of harmful elements, including arsenic and lead.

Pros: Good consistency, tastes great, low carb

Cons: High per-serving cost, 360 mg of sodium

Buy the Vega Sport Protein Powder on Amazon for $37.99 Buy the Vega Sport Protein Powder from GNC for $44.99
Advertisement

The best vegan protein powder for people with a sweet tooth

The best vegan protein powder for people with a sweet tooth
Why you’ll love it: The Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Vegan Protein Powder is affordable, organic, and satisfies your sweet tooth.

At $0.059, the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Vegan Protein Powder has the lowest cost per gram of protein of any of the powders on our list, and it only uses organic, all-natural ingredients.

The 36-gram servings have a respectable 24 grams of protein while keeping fat (2.5 grams) and carbs (6 grams) low. Each serving, which costs around $1.41, also has 4 grams of BCAAs.

BarBend recommends the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Plant-Based Protein because it uses all-natural organic ingredients, contains extra nutrients, and is relatively low-carb. But, the reviewer found the taste left a lot to be desired, and he was concerned about the xanthan, Arabic, and guar gums in the ingredient list since they can cause digestive distress in some people. Plant-Based Pros, Very Well Fit, and Best Pre-Workout for Women also recommend this brand.

Approximately 68% of the buyers who reviewed the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Plant-Based Protein on Amazon gave it five stars. One reviewer chose this powder because she avoids animal products when possible to help the environment. Though she really enjoys the quality, she doesn’t like how sweet the Stevia is so she mixes it with tart frozen fruit, unsweetened almond milk, and maybe a squeeze of lemon.

Several buyers comment on how easily the powder blends but caution that it starts to separate from the liquid when it sits for 10 minutes or more.

Pros: Affordable, low carb, low fat, all organic ingredients, contains RDA of Vitamin C

Cons: May cause stomach discomfort for people sensitive to xanthan, Arabic, and guar gums

Buy the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Organic Plant-Based Vegan Protein Powder on Amazon for $25.77 to 30.59 Buy the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Organic Plant-Based Vegan Protein Powder from GNC for $29.99
Next StoryMeet Francois Pinault, the French billionaire who has a $1.2 billion art collection, owns Christie's, and founded Kering, the luxury giant behind Gucci and Balenciaga