Lift Vault

Free Programs and Spreadsheets

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
  • Program Finder
  • Programs & Spreadsheets
    • Program Type
      • Powerlifting Programs
        • Peaking Programs
      • Bodybuilding Program
      • Strength Training Program
      • Powerbuilding Programs
      • Hypertrophy Programs
      • Bodyweight Workout Programs
        • Home Workouts
      • Lift Specific Program
        • Squat Programs
        • Bench Press Programs
        • Deadlift Programs
      • Olympic Weightlifting Programs
    • Number of Weeks
      • 3 to 9 Weeks
        • 3 Week Programs
        • 4 Week Programs
        • 5 Week Programs
        • 6 Week Programs
        • 8 Week Programs
        • 9 Week Programs
      • 10+ Weeks
        • 10 Week Programs
        • 11 Week Programs
        • 12 Week Programs
        • 13 Week Programs
        • 14 Week Programs
        • 15 Week Programs
        • 16 Week Programs
    • Workout Splits
      • 3 Day Workout Split
      • 4 Day Workout Split
      • 5 Day Workout Split
      • 6 Day Workout Split
      • Upper/Lower Split
      • 6 Day PPL Split
      • Full Body Workout Plan
  • Reviews
    • Program Reviews
    • Equipment Reviews
      • IPF & USAPL Approved List of Gear
      • USPA Approved List of Gear
      • Best Deadlift Bars
    • Supplement Reviews
      • Pre Workout Reviews
        • Best Pre Workout
        • Strongest Pre Workout 2021
        • DMAA Pre Workout
        • DMHA Pre Workout
        • Best Stim Free Pre Workout
        • Best Pre-Workout for Weight Loss
        • Best Pre Workout for Beginners
        • Best Pre Workout for Women
        • Homemade Pre Workout
        • Best Thermogenic Pre Workout
        • Best Pre Workout for Teens
        • Best Pre Workout for MMA
      • Muscle Building
        • Best Whey Protein Powder
        • Best Mass Gainers
        • The 5 Best Creatine Supplements for Bulking
        • Best Turkesterone
        • Best Tongkat Ali Supplements
        • Best Ecdysterone Supplements
        • Best Intra Workout Supplements
        • Best Creatine HCL
        • Best BCAA for Women
        • Best Creatine for Teens
      • Strongest Fat Burner
  • Learn
    • Resources
    • Exercises
      • Hammer Curl vs Bicep Curl
      • Bench Press vs Chest Press
      • Dumbbell vs Barbell Bench Press
      • Glute Bridge vs Hip Thrust
      • Split Squat vs Lunge
      • Leg Press vs Hack Squat
      • Deadlift vs Romanian Deadlift
  • Forum
  • Contact
    • About Lift Vault
    • Meet the Team
    • Submit a Program
Home » Supplement Reviews » Best Weight Gainer & Mass Gainer Protein Powder

Best Weight Gainer & Mass Gainer Protein Powder

By Kyle Risley
Last updated March 9, 2021


As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure

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.

Table of Contents

  • 1 Best Mass Gainer & Meal Replacement Supplements
    • 1.1 Home Made Mass Gainer (Axe & Sledge)
    • 1.2 Meal Prep Meal Replacement (Allmax)
    • 1.3 Mass Gainer (Rule 1)
    • 1.4 Fast Food (Blackstone Labs)
  • 2 Best Weight Gainer & Mass Gainer on Amazon Prime
  • 3 Identifying Your TDEE and Macro Profile
  • 4 How Many Extra Calories Do You Need?
    • 4.1 Mass Gainer vs. Weight Gainer Protein Powder
  • 5 FAQs about Weight Gainer Powders
    • 5.1 What is a weight gainer powder?
    • 5.2 How is a weight gainer powder different than a protein powder?
    • 5.3 How can a skinny person gain weight?
    • 5.4 How many calories do I need to gain weight?
    • 5.5 Related Posts

Best Mass Gainer & Meal Replacement Supplements

Best Mass Gainer & Meal Replacement
Home Made Mass Gainer (6.5 lb)
Home Made Mass Gainer (6.5 lb)

Home Made is the overall best meal replacement & mass gainer option for folks looking to get bigger. 420 calories, 48 g of protein, 46 g of carbs, 6 g of fat per serving.

Check Price
Lift Vault earns a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no extra cost to you.
Best Cheap Mass Gainer & Meal Replacement
Rule 1 Mass Gainer (6 lbs)
Rule 1 Mass Gainer (6 lbs)

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.

Check Price
Lift Vault earns a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no extra cost to you.
Best Whole Food Meal Replacement
Meal Prep - AllMax (5.6 lb)
Meal Prep - AllMax (5.6 lb)

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.

Check Price
Lift Vault earns a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no extra cost to you.
Best Vegetarian Mass Gainer
Fast Food - Blackstone Labs (4.4 lbs)
Fast Food - Blackstone Labs (4.4 lbs)

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).

Check Price
Lift Vault earns a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no extra cost to you.

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.

Best Mass Gainer & Meal Replacement
Home Made Mass Gainer (6.5 lb)
Home Made Mass Gainer (6.5 lb)

Home Made is the overall best meal replacement & mass gainer option for folks looking to get bigger. 420 calories, 48 g of protein, 46 g of carbs, 6 g of fat per serving.

Check Price
Lift Vault earns a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no extra cost to you.
Axe & Sledge Mass Gainer Ingredients Label
Axe & Sledge Mass Gainer Ingredients Label

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.

Best Whole Food Meal Replacement
Meal Prep - AllMax (5.6 lb)
Meal Prep - AllMax (5.6 lb)

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.

Check Price
Lift Vault earns a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no extra cost to you.
Rule 1 Mass Gainer Ingredients List
Rule 1 Mass Gainer Ingredients List

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!

Best Cheap Mass Gainer & Meal Replacement
Rule 1 Mass Gainer (6 lbs)
Rule 1 Mass Gainer (6 lbs)

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.

Check Price
Lift Vault earns a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no extra cost to you.
Rule 1 Mass Gainer Ingredients Label
Rule 1 Mass Gainer Ingredients Label

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.

Best Vegetarian Mass Gainer
Fast Food - Blackstone Labs (4.4 lbs)
Fast Food - Blackstone Labs (4.4 lbs)

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).

Check Price
Lift Vault earns a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no extra cost to you.
Blackstone Labs Fast Food Ingredients Label
Blackstone Labs Fast Food Ingredients Label

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

Best Value
Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass Weight Gainer Protein Powder, Vitamin C, Zinc and Vitamin D for Immune Support, Chocolate, 12 Pound (Packaging May Vary)
MusclePharm Combat XL Mass Gainer Powder, Weight Gainer Protein Powder, Vanilla, 6 Pounds, 8+ Servings
BSN TRUE-MASS Weight Gainer, Muscle Mass Gainer Protein Powder, Chocolate Milkshake, 5.82 Pound
Optimum Nutrition Pro Gainer Weight Gainer Protein Powder,Vitamin C and Zinc for Immune Support, Double Rich Chocolate, 10.19 Pounds (Packaging May Vary)
Naked Mass - Natural Weight Gainer Protein Powder - 8lb Bulk, GMO Free, Gluten Free & Soy Free. No Artificial Ingredients - 1,250 Calories - 11 Servings
Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass Weight Gainer Protein Powder, Vitamin C, Zinc and Vitamin D for Immune Support, Chocolate, 12 Pound (Packaging May Vary)
MusclePharm Combat XL Mass Gainer Powder, Weight Gainer Protein Powder, Vanilla, 6 Pounds, 8+ Servings
BSN TRUE-MASS Weight Gainer, Muscle Mass Gainer Protein Powder, Chocolate Milkshake, 5.82 Pound
Optimum Nutrition Pro Gainer Weight Gainer Protein Powder,Vitamin C and Zinc for Immune Support, Double Rich Chocolate, 10.19 Pounds (Packaging May Vary)
Naked Mass - Natural Weight Gainer Protein Powder - 8lb Bulk, GMO Free, Gluten Free & Soy Free. No Artificial Ingredients - 1,250 Calories - 11 Servings
-
-
Check Price on Amazon
Check Price on Amazon
Check Price on Amazon
Check Price on Amazon
Check Price on Amazon
Best Value
Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass Weight Gainer Protein Powder, Vitamin C, Zinc and Vitamin D for Immune Support, Chocolate, 12 Pound (Packaging May Vary)
Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass Weight Gainer Protein Powder, Vitamin C, Zinc and Vitamin D for Immune Support, Chocolate, 12 Pound (Packaging May Vary)
-
Check Price on Amazon
MusclePharm Combat XL Mass Gainer Powder, Weight Gainer Protein Powder, Vanilla, 6 Pounds, 8+ Servings
MusclePharm Combat XL Mass Gainer Powder, Weight Gainer Protein Powder, Vanilla, 6 Pounds, 8+ Servings
Check Price on Amazon
BSN TRUE-MASS Weight Gainer, Muscle Mass Gainer Protein Powder, Chocolate Milkshake, 5.82 Pound
BSN TRUE-MASS Weight Gainer, Muscle Mass Gainer Protein Powder, Chocolate Milkshake, 5.82 Pound
Check Price on Amazon
Optimum Nutrition Pro Gainer Weight Gainer Protein Powder,Vitamin C and Zinc for Immune Support, Double Rich Chocolate, 10.19 Pounds (Packaging May Vary)
Optimum Nutrition Pro Gainer Weight Gainer Protein Powder,Vitamin C and Zinc for Immune Support, Double Rich Chocolate, 10.19 Pounds (Packaging May Vary)
Check Price on Amazon
Naked Mass - Natural Weight Gainer Protein Powder - 8lb Bulk, GMO Free, Gluten Free & Soy Free. No Artificial Ingredients - 1,250 Calories - 11 Servings
Naked Mass - Natural Weight Gainer Protein Powder - 8lb Bulk, GMO Free, Gluten Free & Soy Free. No Artificial Ingredients - 1,250 Calories - 11 Servings
-
Check Price on Amazon

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.

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

Related Posts

  • The 6 Best Cheap Whey Protein Powders

    Everyone knows that getting enough protein is an essential part of any strength athlete's nutrition regimen. Here are the best whey protein powders available online. Whether you're looking for top of the line nutritional supplementation or just something cheap to pad out your daily protein…

  • Top 7 Cheap Creatine Powders

    There's a ton of creatine research backing up the efficacy of this supplement in strength athletes looking to get stronger (and who isn't?). This makes creatine one of the best investments you can make in your training in terms of building muscle and developing explosive…

  • Best 4 BCAAs on Amazon Prime

    BCAAs Overview Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) are three proteins (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) that promote muscle protein synthesis and muscle growth. They can also help novice athletes prevent fatigue, increase aerobic capacity, and increase fat oxidation. See a complete summary of all scientific research…

  • Best 5 Cheap Pre Workouts on Amazon Prime for 2020

    This post was updated on January 5, 2020 after I analyzed over 300 pre workouts to find the best ones. The pre workouts you see below have been updated to reflect those findings - the entire list has changed. Of course, all of the pre…

  • Make Your Own Homemade Pre Workout Drink

    Pre-workout is pretty awesome, but it can get really expensive. One way around this issue is to make your own homemade pre workout. Making your own cheap pre workout is a great way to save serious cash while knowing everything that goes into your body.…

  • Does Amazon Sell SBD Knee Sleeves?

    Unfortunately, SBD knee sleeves are not sold on Amazon. The best alternative to SBD knee sleeves that are available on Amazon are probably the Stoic Knee Sleeves. SBD Knee Sleeves are considered by many to be the best knee sleeves available (checkout SBD vs. Rehband…

Filed Under: Supplement Reviews




Latest Posts

  • The 5 Best Pre Workout Supplements for Athletes
  • The 8 Best Pre-Workout Supplements with Creatine
  • Mythical Mass 26 Week Bulking Program
  • Alpha Neon Darkshred Pre-Workout Review
  • DECIM8 Pre-Workout Review

About Kyle Risley

Kyle Risley founded Lift Vault in 2016 to make finding great powerlifting programs easier. Since then, the site has grown to include hundreds of programs for strength, bodybuilding, Olympic weightlifting, and more. He currently lives in Massachusetts and continues to compete in powerlifting.

Copyright © 2022 All Rights Reserved · Lift Vault · Privacy Policy · Medical Disclaimer