The 6 Best Unflavored Protein Powders in 2023

Protein powders are great for helping you reach your desired protein intake. The only problem is that many protein powders contain unwanted ingredients like flavorings and sugar.

If you’re on a strict diet, these will be the last things you want to consume in large quantities. Thankfully, there are many unflavored protein powder options that don’t contain any unnecessary ingredients.

In this blog, we’ll be reviewing six of the best unflavored protein powder products on the market so you can find the one that meets your needs.

The 6 Best Unflavored Protein Powder

1. Whey Protein Isolate – MyProtein
2. Whey Protein Isolate – Bulk Supplements
3. Grass-Fed Whey Protein Powder – Naked Nutrition
4. Pea Protein – Naked Nutrition
5. Casein Protein – Bulk Supplements
6. Mass Gainer – Naked Nutrition

Whey Protein Isolate – MyProtein

Best overall unflavored whey protein isolate

Key ingredients

• Protein source: whey protein isolate (milk)
• Calories: 93
• Protein: 23 g
• Carbohydrates: 0.6 g
• Fat: 0 g

This Whey Protein Isolate product from MyProtein is a strong contender for the best unflavored protein powder. It contains a minimal amount of sugar, and no artificial flavors or sweeteners. Despite this, it still has some great flavor and is quite palatable.

It also contains just the right amount of protein and under one gram of fat. This makes it perfect if you are in a cutting phase or prefer to get your fat from more natural sources.

Whey Protein Isolate – Bulk Supplements

Best value unflavored protein powder isolate

Key ingredients

• Protein source: whey protein isolate (milk)
• Calories: 110
• Protein: 26 g
• Carbohydrates: 0 g
• Fat: <1 g

If you want the most bang for your buck with a flavorless protein powder, give Bulk Supplements’ Whey Protein Isolate a try. This Bulk Supplements powder isn’t just reasonably priced; it’s also incredibly simple.

That’s why we were happy to include it on our list of the best cheap protein powders!

It is extremely low in carbs and fat and only contains two ingredients: soy lecithin and whey protein isolate. This makes it a great choice if you want to stick with a simple, plain unflavored whey protein powder.

Grass-Fed Whey Protein Powder – Naked Nutrition

Best overall unflavored whey concentrate protein powder

Key ingredients

• Protein source: Whey protein concentrate (milk)
• Calories: 120
• Protein: 25 g
• Carbohydrates: 3 g
• Fat: 2 g

If you’re all about natural products, you should consider this flavorless protein powder from Naked Nutrition. The whey protein used in this Naked whey protein powder is sourced from grass-fed cows on small dairy farms in California and Idaho.

These cows aren’t given hormones, and there are no artificial additives in this protein powder. While this unflavored protein powder is free of additives, it still has an impressive amount of protein.

Pea Protein – Naked Nutrition

Best unflavored pea protein powder

Key ingredients

• Protein source: Yellow split peas
• Calories: 120
• Protein: 27 g
• Carbohydrates: 2 g
• Fat: 0.5 g

It isn’t always easy to get your desired protein intake as a vegan. This is likely what prompted Naked Nutrition to create the best unflavored protein powder for vegans.

The brand’s Pea Protein product has only one ingredient, which, as you might have guessed, is pea protein. This protein is sourced from yellow split peas farmed sustainably in the US and Canada.

One of the best things about this unflavored protein powder is that it is not only vegan, but GMO-free, soy-free, and gluten-free. This makes it suitable for almost any consumer and will provide them with plenty of healthy protein.

Casein Protein – Bulk Supplements

Best unflavored casein protein powder

Key ingredients

• Protein source: Casein protein (milk)
• Calories: 106
• Protein: 25 g
• Carbohydrates: <1 g
• Fat: <1 g

Casein protein can be a great alternative to whey protein powders. It is absorbed by the body at a much slower rate and loaded with all the essential amino acids.

Bulk Supplements’ offering is one of the best unflavored protein powders containing casein protein.

It is low in fat, carbs, and calories and, like many other protein powders on this list, contains no unnecessary additives.

Mass Gainer – Naked Nutrition

Best unflavored mass gainer

Key ingredients

• Protein source: whey protein, casein protein (both from milk)
• Calories: 1250
• Protein: 50 g
• Carbohydrates: 252 g
• Fat: 2.5 g

If you’re looking to add mass in the healthiest and cleanest way possible, take a look at Naked Nutrition’s Mass Gainer. This unflavored protein powder consists of only three ingredients: whey protein, casein protein, and organic maltodextrin.

These provide an effective blend of slow- and fast-absorbed proteins that will help you gain weight and increase strength. Like Naked Nutrition’s other protein powders, all its milk products come from grass-fed cows.

What To Look For When Buying Protein Powder

When you are looking to purchase unflavored protein powder (or any protein powder), there are a few factors to consider.

Ask yourself how you intend to use the protein powder – is it for bulking or cutting? Look at the source of protein and what it tastes like.

What are your main purchase criteria?

Value

If you want to get as much protein powder as possible without overspending, consider using a whey concentrate protein powder.

Whey protein concentrate is slightly less refined than whey isolate, but contains more carbs and fat and less protein due to the refining process.

However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. If you want to gain mass, then the extra carbs and fat likely won’t matter much to you. If anything, the extra carbs and fat will help you reach your goal sooner.

Avoiding lactose

Dairy products aren’t for everyone. If you are lactose intolerant and consume dairy products, you will likely end up with digestive problems. Vegans also choose not to consume dairy out of personal preference.

Being vegan or lactose intolerant can make finding a protein powder difficult, but not impossible. There are still a few protein powder options suitable for vegans and those allergic to dairy.

Whey protein isolate is effectively lactose-free, as it contains milk protein and all of the essential amino acids found in milk without the lactose. During the refining process, 99% of the lactose is filtered out, so you can consume it even if you are lactose intolerant.

If you are vegan, you should consider plant-based protein powders. Pea protein powders are a popular choice for vegans, but brown rice protein powders are also an option.

If you’re looking to avoid lactose in your protein powder, check out our list of the best lactose free protein powders!

Best quality whey protein

If you want whey protein of the highest quality in your protein powder, you should consider whey protein isolate. Whey isolate has a higher protein concentration and contains less carbs and fat.

If you are cutting, you should use whey isolate instead of whey concentrate. Otherwise, you will need to cut more carbs and fat out of your regular cutting diet, as you will be consuming them in your protein powder.

Clean products

If you are very concerned with what you put into your body, then you will want a clean protein powder. In this case, the term clean refers to whether the products are tested for contaminants and contain the ingredients that they claim to.

The best protein powder brands in this regard are Kaged, Naked Nutrition, and Transparent Labs. While you may pay slightly more for products from these brands, you know that you will be paying for quality and peace of mind.

All the protein powder made by these three brands goes through rigorous third-party testing for heavy metals.

Choosing your protein type

Whey concentrate

Whey concentrate is the most common type of protein found in protein powder. It is made from cow’s milk and, as a result, contains lactose. It is a good choice if you want to gain mass, as it contains some extra carbs and fat.

It is also a good choice if you want to get the most bang for your buck. You can get large quantities of whey concentrate protein powder cheaper than other protein powders.

Whey isolate

If you are lactose intolerant but still want to use whey protein powder, take a look at whey isolate. It has the same essential amino acids and protein as whey concentrate without lactose, so it is much easier on the stomach.

It also contains fewer carbs and fat than whey concentrate, so it will make your life much easier if you are cutting. It is slightly more expensive than whey concentrate because it is more refined and a higher quality version of whey.

Pea protein

If you can’t consume dairy due to allergies or choose not to because you are vegan, pea protein is a good option to consider. Protein powders that use pea protein generally only consist of one ingredient: the peas the protein is extracted from.

Its protein concentration is lower than whey protein powders, so you’ll often need to consume more if you want to get the same amount of protein.

Casein

Casein is another protein source derived from milk, consisting of 80% casein protein and 20% whey protein. Casein protein differs from whey as it is digested at a slower rate, so it feeds your cells with amino acids over a more extended period.

For this reason, it is best to consume casein protein powder before you go to bed on a day you have trained. Unfortunately, it won’t be suitable if you are lactose intolerant, as it does contain some lactose.

Soy

Soy protein is another option to consider if you are vegan or lactose intolerant. It is extracted from soybeans and doesn’t have that many amino acids, which is why many vegans prefer protein powder derived from peas.

Nevertheless, it is still another popular protein option to consider if you can get amino acids from another source.

Other ingredients and flavoring

Flavor

You will likely consume protein powder every day if you are training. This means you’ll want to choose a protein powder that tastes good to you; otherwise, drinking it will end up being a chore.

Some unflavored protein powders taste quite pleasant by themselves, but most people prefer flavored protein powders for a reason. If you want an unflavored protein powder that still tastes good, MyProtein’s Whey Protein Isolate is a good choice.

Sugar

Sugar makes a lot of food and drinks taste better – and there is no disputing that. However, it is not necessarily a healthy ingredient that you would like to see in a protein powder.

If you are bulking up, don’t be too concerned about drinking a protein powder with some excess sugar. Excess sugar will be a problem if you are cutting, however.

If you are worried about consuming excess sugar, consider an unflavored protein powder. These often contain less than one gram of sugar per serving and shouldn’t interfere with your cut.

protein

When choosing a protein powder, the most obvious thing to look out for is how much protein it contains. If you are training and on a strict diet, you will likely already be consuming a significant amount of protein.

Therefore, you will need to consider how much more protein you want from protein supplements. Consuming too much protein can cause health issues, so figure out how much protein you need based on your weight and height.

We will go into more detail about how much protein you should consume later.

Avoid amino acid spiking

Amino acids are an essential part of any diet. However, you should steer clear of protein powders that include additional amino acids to inflate their protein content.

While these additional amino acids technically count as protein, they are not suitable for building muscle. The best way to tell if a protein powder has extra amino acids to inflate its protein figures is by checking the ingredients.

These tell-tale ingredients are:

• Glycine
• Arginine
• Glutamine
• Creatine

Benefits Of Unflavored Protein Powder

We have already discussed some of the benefits of unflavored protein powder; in this section, we’ll go into a little more detail.

Can be included in baking recipes

If you’re tired of drinking your protein powder every day, there are more interesting ways to consume it. Unflavored protein powder is excellent for cooking and baking, as it doesn’t have enough flavor to affect the taste of food.

Adding protein powder to pancakes, oatmeal, waffles, brownies, and other delicious food items keeps things fresh and boosts your protein intake.

Add your own flavor

It’s easy to get tired of your protein powder if you’ve been drinking it every day for months on end. However, if you are cutting and don’t want to add your unflavored protein powder to baking recipes, there are some other options.

Using unflavored protein powder means you can add different flavors to it every day, depending on your preference. Some great things to combine with your protein powder include peanut butter, cinnamon, fruit, cocoa powder, and even vanilla extract.

While it is possible to mix flavored protein powders with these ingredients, it will limit your options a little. No one really wants to combine a root beer-flavored protein powder with banana and peanut butter.

Often contains fewer unnecessary ingredients

If you are cutting and worried about your macros, an unflavored protein powder is an excellent option. Unflavored protein powders don’t contain any additives like artificial sweeteners and artificial flavorings.

Unflavored protein powder also often has less sugar and carbs than flavored protein powders. This can help you track your macros and stick to them.

Cheaper

Unflavored protein powders are generally cheaper than flavored powders, as they contain fewer ingredients. Unflavored powder can also save you money, as you won’t have to purchase a different flavor when you get tired of the old one.

Instead, use one of the above methods to spice things up. Getting enough protein shouldn’t feel like an ordeal for your taste buds.

Protein Consumption Tips

To get the most out of your protein powder, follow the tips below.

When you consume it

There are some benefits to consuming your protein powder an hour before or an hour after a workout. However, don’t fret too much if this isn’t possible. Consuming your protein shake at another point in the day won’t have a significant impact on your strength or hypertrophy outcomes.

Use a macro tracker

Consider using a macro tracker if you want to figure out how much protein you should consume in a day. You can use macro trackers to monitor your calorie consumption and body weight.

These figures can help you work out your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure.)

Calculate your TDEE

If you want to gain mass, calculate your TDEE and consume 300 to 500 more calories above this figure daily. This will not be applicable if you are cutting.

Protein content

Aim to consume about 0.7 grams of protein for every pound of lean body mass. This means you’ll need to calculate your body fat percentage and deduct the weight of your body fat from your overall mass.

Bulking

If you are focused on gaining a lot of mass, mix your serving of protein powder with 16 oz of whole milk. This adds 300 calories and another 16 grams of protein to your protein shake.

There are other ways to add calories to your protein powder, such as adding coconut oil, raw honey, or any nut butter.

If you want to add extra protein without all the extra calories, use 16 oz of skim milk instead.

FAQs

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.