Below you’ll find all you need to know about whether a mass gainer protein powder is right for you and where you can find the best ones. From the best weight gainer powder for meal replacement to the cheapest mass gainer, it’s all covered here.
If you’d prefer regular protein powder that is less focused on weight gain, check out our best protein powder or best whey protein isolate round ups. For vegan options, see our list of best vegan protein powder.
And finally, if you’re a teen, don’t miss our best weight gainer supplements for teenagers.
Here’s a quick overview of our top recommendations for cheap mass gainer supplements:
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Best Mass Gainer
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Low Price Point
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4.5
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4.5
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Pros:
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Pros:
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Servings:
25
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Servings:
10
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Calories:
420
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Calories:
348
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Protein:
48 g
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Protein:
26 g
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Carbohydrates:
48 g
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Carbohydrates:
50 g
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Fat:
6 g
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Fat:
4.4 g
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Sugar:
3 g
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Sugar:
3.2 g
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Discount code:
LIFTVAULT (15% off)
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Discount code:
n/a
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- $3 per serving
- 1:1 carb to protein ratio
- 5 flavor options
- $3.50 per serving
- 2:1 carb to protein ratio
- 2 flavor options
Table of Contents
Best Mass Gainer & Meal Replacement Supplements
Home Made Mass Gainer (Axe & Sledge)
The Home Made mass gainer by Axe & Sledge is the top pick for those looking for a high quality source of some extra calories in their diet. With a fairly even split between carbs and protein, this is great way to get in an enormous dosage of protein without going overboard on the calories.
For those looking to dial up the calories just a bit, Home Made is a good option.
Home Made is the overall best meal replacement & mass gainer option for folks looking to get bigger. It uses a 1:1 protein to carbs ratio.
Meal Prep Meal Replacement (Allmax)
Meal Prep by Allmax is a very solid mass gainer for those who want to be sourcing their extra calories from 100% whole foods. A quick tour of Meal Prep’s ingredient list shows pea protein isolate, beef protein, chicken protein, oats, walnuts, sweet potato, brown rice, kale, broccoli, spinach, blueberry, and much more.
A bit more calorie-dense than the Axe & Sledge mass gainer, the 550 calories in a Meal Prep serving can act as a true meal replacement supplement.
Leaning a little more heavily toward carbs in the macro split, Meal Prep is an excellent meal replacement choice. 100% sourced from whole foods. 550 calories, 50 g of protein, 67 g of carbs, and 9 g of fat per serving.
Mass Gainer (Rule 1)
If you’re looking for a cheap weight gainer powder, then Mass Gainer by Rule 1 is worth a look. At over 1,000 calories for under $3 per serving, this is a cheap way to get big. The ingredients aren’t going to be as high quality – you’ll notice there’s a decent amount of sugar in here compared to the other mass gainers on this list – but hey, you get what you pay for.
If you need to gain weight, this should do the trick!
Clocking in at under $3 per serving, Rule 1 is the cheapest way to get the extra calories you need for size gains. 1,030 calories, 40 g of protein, 204 g of carbs, and 6 g of fat per serving.
Fast Food (Blackstone Labs)
Blackstone Labs is well known for creating cutting edge supplements for the bodybuilding industry and Fast Food is no different. Sourced from organic pea protein isolate, organic brown rice protein, sweet potatoes, yams, oat powder, and more, Fast Food provides a high quality meal replacement mass gainer for those who need extra calories without any hassles.
Sourced entirely from vegetarian ingredients, Fast Food by Blackstone Labs is a super high quality meal replacement option for those seeking a higher carb, vegetarian friendly option. 166 calories, 10 g of protein, 20 g of carbs, and 5 g of fat per scoop (56 scoops - you'll probably want 2 or 3 per serving).
Best Weight Gainer & Mass Gainer on Amazon Prime
If you prefer to buy your supplements on Amazon Prime, these are the best mass gainer protein powders available there.
- Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass
- MusclePharm Combat XL Weight Gainer
- BSN True Mass Weight Gainer
- Optimum Nutrition PRO Weight Gainer
- Naked Mass Weight Gainer
Not signed up for Amazon Prime? Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial
Identifying Your TDEE and Macro Profile
In order to gain muscle, it’s critical that your body is in a caloric surplus. This means that the number of calories you consume is greater than your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), which is a fancy way of saying the number of calories you burn in an average day.
If you’re not sure of your TDEE, use a TDEE calculator. It’s also important where those calories come from. Protein, specifically, is needed for muscle growth, but fats and carbohydrates play an important role too. These are called your macros. If you’re not sure how many of each macronutrient you should be consuming, using a macro calculator is an important step.
Once you’ve figured those out, it’s easier to determine if you really need a mass gainer or maybe only need an extra protein shake at the end of the day.
If calories are what you need, a mass gainer protein powder can be a convenient way to pack in some extra calories each day. We also cover lots of ways to consume extra calories in our hardgainer diet tips.
How Many Extra Calories Do You Need?
After using the tools above, you should know approximately how many extra calories you need to consume each day. Some of the mass gainers here will provide 400 to 500 calories per serving, while others provide over 1,000 calories per serving.
Mass Gainer vs. Weight Gainer Protein Powder
When there are 1,000 calories in a serving of a supplement, that is when it tends to be called a weight gainer protein powder, though the distinction between a mass gainer and a weight gainer is subtle. Both will help you gain weight. Mass gainers tend to keep a tighter ratio between carbs and proteins, usually around 2:1 carbs to protein, while weight gainers will include way more carbs to increase the calorie count.
Of course, you don’t necessarily need to take an entire serving, but these are the things you should keep in mind when purchasing a weight gainer or meal replacement supplement.
FAQs about Weight Gainer Powders
What is a weight gainer powder?
Also known as mass gainer powders, a weight gainer is a nutritional supplement whose goal is to help an individual gain weight by putting them in a caloric surplus.
A caloric surplus is simply a state where an individual has consumed more calories in a day than they have burned, allowing the body to store the additional calories, gaining weight in the process.
How is a weight gainer powder different than a protein powder?
Many protein powders aim to deliver protein with as few other ingredients as possible to reduce the total number of carbs, fats, and calories in a serving. This helps promote lean muscle growth.
However, simply supplementing with protein will not help an individual gain mass and size if they are still in a caloric deficit (burning more calories than they consume).
Supplementing with protein makes sense if a person is already getting enough calories to meet their total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), but if not, then protein supplementation will be of limited use. In that case, a weight gaining powder can help this individual’s body mass grow.
How can a skinny person gain weight?
While many people have difficulties with gaining weight, the good news is that the solution is generally the same more most healthy individuals: they are not eating enough calories.
The answer is to eat more calorically dense food: nuts, whole milk, red meat, potatoes, pasta, etc.
Many people find it easier and more convenient to drink their calories instead of eating them, causing mass gainer protein shakes to be a popular solution for achieving daily caloric intake goals.
How many calories do I need to gain weight?
Estimating your recommended caloric intake for weight gain is straightforward, but for best effects you will need to monitor your actual caloric intake and your weight to fine tune these estimates.
- Use a TDEE calculator to estimate the number of calories you burn in an average day. Your TDEE is also known as your “maintenance” calories.
- Use a macro calculator to determine how many calories you should consume for weight gain and what their macro split should be (protein, carbs, and fats). Generally speaking, an extra 300 calories per day is recommended for a “slow bulk” of approximately one extra pound every two weeks.