When you’re trying to find the best vegan protein powder, you need to consider a lot of different things. You want to make sure the powder has all of the nutrition you need while making sure it’s genuinely vegan.
The best protein powder will mix easily into your drink or smoothie without having an offensive texture. And of course, you’ll want your vegan protein powder to have a great taste! Check out this round-up of the seven best vegan protein powders on the market.
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Table of Contents
- 1 Best Vegan Protein Powder Review
- 1.1 Best-Tasting Vegan Protein Powder: Core Nutritionals Vegan Protein
- 1.2 Best Well-Rounded Vegan Protein Powder: Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein
- 1.3 Best-Tasting Vanilla Vegan Protein Powder: Orgain Vanilla Bean Organic Protein Powder
- 1.4 Best Vegan Protein Powder for Baking: Bob’s Red Mill Vanilla Protein Powder
- 1.5 Best Vegan Protein Powder with Greens: EVLution Nutrition Stacked Plant Protein
- 1.6 Best Vegan Protein Powder for Mixability: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Plant
- 1.7 Best Soy Vegan Protein Powder: MyProtein Soy Protein Isolate
- 2 More About Vegan Protein
- 3 Conclusion
Best Vegan Protein Powder Review
These seven vegan protein powders are the best of the best, and you’ll find out the exact reasons why with this product-by-product breakdown.
Best-Tasting Vegan Protein Powder: Core Nutritionals Vegan Protein
Core Nutritionals Vegan Protein is the best-tasting protein powder because it comes in four delicious flavors with a creamy texture on par with any other animal-based protein powder.
Highlights
- Made from a pea & brown rice protein blend
- Uses the digestive blend DigeSEB to ensure smooth digestion
- Easily mixes into creamy, drinkable smoothies
Nutritional Facts
- Per Serving
- Protein: 21g
- Calories: 120
- Fat: 3g
- Carbs: 2g
- Sugar: 0g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Sodium: 6mg
- Flavors include chocolate brownie batter, maple pancake batter, peanut butter pie, and mixed berry
- Lactose, soy, and gluten-free
Best Well-Rounded Vegan Protein Powder: Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein
Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein is the most well-rounded vegan protein option because it mixes smoothly in both almond milk and into a smoothie. It has a natural texture with a balanced taste that isn’t too sweet, so you’ll love using it as often as possible.
The Garden of Life brand has been around for 20 years and has earned its position as a standard bearer for raw, organic, plant-based protein powder.
Highlights
- Blends into smoothies, water, or non-dairy milk without clumps
- Contains a good dose of probiotics per serving
- Offers all the nutrition you need for a meal-on-the-go
Nutritional Facts
- Per Serving
- Protein: 20g
- Calories: 130
- Fat: 2g
- Carbs: 12g
- Sugar: <1g
- Fiber: 2g
- Sodium: 190mg
- Flavors include vanilla, chocolate, unflavored
- Made from pea, brown rice, amaranth sprout, and buckwheat protein
- Organic, plant-based, raw, gluten-free, dairy-free
Best-Tasting Vanilla Vegan Protein Powder: Orgain Vanilla Bean Organic Protein Powder
Though Orgain has protein powders in different flavors, their vanilla option is not just the best they offer but also the best-tasting vanilla vegan protein powder across the board.
Highlights
- Plant-based protein full of superfoods
- Contains no added sugar and no artificial sweeteners
- Naturally unsweetened option made without stevia
- Delicious vanilla protein powder
Nutritional Facts
- Per Serving
- Protein: 21g
- Calories: 150
- Fat: 4g
- Carbs: 15g
- Sugar: 0g
- Fiber: 5g
- Sodium: 270mg
- Flavors include vanilla bean, creamy chocolate fudge, chocolate coconut, chocolate peanut butter, and naturally unsweetened
- Made from pea, brown rice, and chia protein
- Gluten-free, organic, plant-based, and dairy-free
Best Vegan Protein Powder for Baking: Bob’s Red Mill Vanilla Protein Powder
Your use of Bob’s Red Mill Vanilla Protein Powder doesn’t have to be limited to mixing it into a smoothie—it’s also great to use in baking! This vegan protein powder has a vanilla flavor, but the sweetness isn’t overpowering. There’s a great selection of recipes to try on Bob’s Red Mill’s website.
Highlights
- Naturally sweetened with monk fruit
- Includes probiotics in every serving
- Excellent source of omega-3 and iron
Nutritional Facts
- Per Serving
- Protein: 20g
- Calories: 180
- Fat: 3g
- Carbs: 19g
- Sugar: 3g
- Fiber: 12g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Vanilla flavor
- Made from pea protein
- Gluten-free
Best Vegan Protein Powder with Greens: EVLution Nutrition Stacked Plant Protein
If you’re looking for a plant-based vegan protein powder geared towards helping athletes train and recover, then EVLution Nutrition Stacked Plant Protein is the powder for you.
Highlights
- Has leucine and glutamine to help with training and recovery
- Contains all nine essential amino acids
- Includes natural digestive enzymes
Nutritional Facts
- Per Serving
- Protein: 20g
- Calories: 130
- Fat: 2g
- Carbs: 10g
- Sugar: 2g
- Fiber: 6g
- Sodium: 240mg
- Vanilla and chocolate flavors
- Made from pea, rice, and alfalfa protein
- Gluten-free
Best Vegan Protein Powder for Mixability: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Plant
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Plant Protein Powder is the best vegan protein powder for mixability, blending smoothly into water, almond milk, and smoothies without any clumps of chalky residue.
Highlights
- Contains essential amino acids to help muscle recovery
- Uses plant protein to help build and maintain muscle
- No artificial flavors or sweeteners
Nutritional Facts
- Per Serving
- Protein: 24g
- Calories: 140
- Fat: 2.5g
- Carbs: 6g
- Sugar: 1g
- Fiber: 2g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Flavors include vanilla, chocolate, and unflavored
- Made from pea, brown rice, and sacha inchi protein
- Organic, plant-based, and gluten-free
Best Soy Vegan Protein Powder: MyProtein Soy Protein Isolate
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The best soy vegan protein powder is the MyProtein Soy Protein Isolate, which also helps increase your protein intake without consuming extra calories.
If for some reason you prefer to avoid brown rice and pea as protein sources, then MyProtein’s Soy Protein Isolate is a good choice.
Highlights
- 90% protein content make this a low-calorie option
- Specially made to support fitness pursuits optimally
- Naturally sweetened and naturally flavored
Nutritional Facts
- Per Serving
- Protein: 26g
- Calories: 110
- Fat: 0g
- Carbs: 1g
- Sugar: 0g
- Fiber: 0g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Flavors include chocolate, unflavored, chocolate stevia, and vanilla stevia
- Made from soy protein
- Gluten-free
More About Vegan Protein
With so many different vegan protein powders on the market, you have to compare them to know which ones are high quality and will best fit in with your lifestyle.
Though the seven best vegan protein powders in this list are rated as the best-tasting, most mixable, and best for baking, you’ll want to have more background before you start integrating one into your daily diet.
How to Choose the Best Vegan Protein Powder
Not all vegan protein powders are created equal.
Some are optimized for athletes, while some are just meant to help balance your vegan diet. One thing you’ll want to consider before buying a vegan protein powder is the source of protein. The vegan protein powder you choose also depends on what you want to get out of the product.
Most Common Protein Sources Used in Vegan Protein Powder
The most common protein sources used in vegan protein powder are pea, brown rice, and soy. Many of the protein powders on this list use pea and brown rice, and one uses soy.
Brown rice is a popular protein source for its lack of allergens, easy digestibility, and pleasing texture. Many clean vegan protein powders are sourced from brown rice, as they can be less susceptible to containing heavy metals.
As more vegan protein powders are developed and tested, other plants are being used as the protein source. Several protein powders on this list include some newer plants and seeds, such as:
- amaranth sprout
- buckwheat
- chia seeds
- alfalfa sprouts
- sacha inchi seeds
What Are the Advantages/Benefits of Vegan Protein Powder?
Think of all the health benefits of eating vegetables, like getting fiber to stay regular, combating acidity in your diet, and naturally providing essential vitamins and minerals. Using a vegan protein powder will give you the same benefits as vegetables—plus more when you factor in the high protein and balanced nutrition.
Regular Protein vs. Vegan Protein
People depend on protein powder to balance their diets for various reasons, but until recently, it was tough to find a decent vegan option. Regular protein powder was made from whey, which contains milk and dairy. It was typically thought to be the best version to optimize athletic performance.
Vegan protein is a plant-based alternative to whey protein. While not every vegan protein powder contains all of the essential amino acids the body can’t produce on its own, all of the products on this list do.
For reference, here are the essential amino acids:
- histidine
- isoleucine
- leucine
- lysine
- methionine
- phenylalanine
- threonine
- tryptophan
- valine
What Are Some Health Advantages of Vegan Protein Powder?
Vegan protein powder is a beneficial supplement for everyone, regardless of diet.
Diet Diversity
Whether you’re a meat-eater, vegetarian, or vegan, it’s best to diversify your diet as much as possible. Protein commonly comes from meat and dairy and can contain trace amounts of antibiotics and chemicals depending on the source.
Of course, meat and dairy aren’t viable protein sources for vegetarians and vegans, but even carnivores should consider vegan protein powder’s health benefits. Getting complete protein from plant sources means you’re adding a source of clean protein to your diet.
Digestion
People who jump into drinking multiple protein shakes a day have reported having digestive distress, like gas and bloating. This is because whey protein contains casein and lactose that causes digestive issues.
I solved this issue by switching to whey isolate, but vegan protein powders are another viable solution.
Since vegan protein powder is dairy and lactose-free, it is easy to digest. Some proteins even include additional digestive enzymes to make sure the protein won’t cause any problems. It’s no coincidence that those products rank high on this list:
- Core Nutritionals Vegan Protein
- EVLution Nutrition Stacked Plant Protein.
Allergies
Plant-based protein powders are the best choice for people who have whey or gluten allergies. Vegan protein powders use natural ingredients, so you don’t have to worry about additives or chemicals that might set off your allergies. These products have so few ingredients that you can quickly scan the list to ensure that you have no allergies to the contents.
Positive Side Effects
Diet doesn’t just affect you; it affects the world around you. Eating a vegan diet is better for the environment than being a meat-eater. Even if you’re not fully committed to a vegan diet, adding vegan protein powder into your diet still positively affects the environment.
Compared to animal proteins, it doesn’t take as much fuel or water to produce plant protein. Many of the vegan protein powders on this list are organic and contain no chemicals or additives.
Many vegan protein powder users have reported decreased soreness, inflammation, and pain. This relates to research that links vegetarian and vegan diets to a reduction in arthritis inflammation.
Does Vegan Protein Powder Make You Lose Weight?
Adding protein powder into your daily diet sounds counterintuitive if you’re trying to lose weight, but it helps! Though protein powder can help build muscle if you drink it after your workout, it also helps boost your metabolism.
Drinking a protein shake will also help reduce your cravings because it will make you feel fuller for longer. Drinking one protein shake a day as a meal replacement is a great way to keep a balanced diet while losing weight.
This is why a high protein diet is often the first nutritional recommendation made for people looking to lose weight.
Can You Build Muscle with Vegan Protein Powder?
Believe it or not, the right vegan protein powder can still aid muscular hypertrophy! You’ll want to search for a powder that mixes different types of plant proteins. The best vegan protein powders for muscle building are:
- MyProtein Soy Protein Isolate
- Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Plant Protein Powder
- EVLution Nutrition Stacked Plant Protein
What’s the Best Way to Use Vegan Protein Powder?
The most common use of vegan protein powder is to mix it into a liquid, like almond milk or water. You can drink this beverage as-is for a quick protein boost during the day or after a workout.
You can also add a scoop or two of vegan protein powder to a smoothie to consume as a meal-on-the-go. Blend your favorite fruits together and add your favorite protein powder to make a delicious smoothie.
If you don’t want to drink your smoothie, you can sit down and enjoy a smoothie bowl as a meal. A benefit to consuming your smoothie with a spoon is that you aren’t limited to things that can fit through a straw or a cup’s mouth opening! You can top your smoothie with nuts, seeds, or granola to make sure it’s filling.
Even the best vegan protein powders can present some difficulties with mixability. You should at least use a shaker bottle when making a quick protein shake.
For multiple ingredient shakes, a smoothie blender is the way to go.
Don’t forget to check out the recipes that use vegan protein powder from Bob’s Red Mill’s website. Recipes include salads, bread, sweets, and more!
Conclusion
After comparing and contrasting the nutrition facts of each vegan protein powder, along with textures and flavors, there’s a clear winner in MyProtein Soy Protein Isolate with 26 grams of protein. This protein powder delivers the most protein with the least amount of calories, making it a great choice for athletes and people watching their diet alike.
A runner-up is Core Nutritionals Vegan Protein with 21 grams of protein. It offers many different, unique flavor options that will inspire you to use it in a variety of ways.
There are numerous benefits of adding a vegan protein powder into your diet, so pick your favorite option and give it a try.
