My search for the perfect vegan protein powder has been a complicated one, meaning, I have never been able to find one I truly like (until now). Despite this, I kept hearing recommendations from friends and readers about their favorite brands so I knew there was more out there to explore. So, I decided to do a formal, side-by-side review of some of the most popular vegan protein powders on the market to see which ones delivered and which ones weren’t worth the hype (so you don’t have to!). I started with vanilla protein powders because it’s what I’ve been reaching for as of late and they seem to be the most versatile (and decent tasting) option for adding to most smoothies. I’ve also now reviewed Vegan Chocolate Protein Powders and Vegan Flavored Protein Powders.
The Ground Rules //
The Review //
Aloha Protein
Texture: 1 – gritty + flecks (almost resembled flax seed)Sweetness: 5 – perfectly sweetOverall flavor: 3 – pretty decent – a little chalkyHow well blended with almond milk: 2 – gritty + flecks, but mixed – didn’t stay mixedHow well blended with smoothie: 2 – little grittyProtein base: Pea, Pumpkin Seed, HempQuality of ingredients: OrganicTotal # ingredients: 13Protein / serving: 18g/packet (37g)Other perks/claims: Promotes muscle formation + healthy metabolism, and boosts energy Overall score: 13Overall impressions: If the texture was less gritty I’d like this one more. The ingredients are high quality and the flavor and sweetness are actually pretty good. But it’s highly detectable in both almond milk and smoothies because of the texture.Would I repurchase? No.
Bob’s Red Mill Vanilla Protein Powder
Texture: 4 – overall good, little gritty, chia seeds throughoutSweetness: 4 – nice amount of sweetness, borderline too sweetOverall flavor: 4 – nice vanilla flavor, overall pleasant, maybe a little overpowering on its ownHow well blended with almond milk: 4 – mixed well, but chia seeds sank as to be expectedHow well blended with smoothie: 5 – blends well even with chia seedsProtein base: PeaQuality of ingredients: Non-organicTotal # ingredients: 7Protein / serving: 20g/ 1/3 cup (45g)Other perks/claims: Chia, probiotics, high in iron, serving of Omega-3s, sweetened with monk fruit Overall score: 21Overall impressions: This was my favorite! The flavor is so pleasant, the sweetness and texture spot on, and it blends so well into both milk and smoothies. It makes smoothies taste better rather than worse – the only of its kind! Plus, I love the chia seeds – they’re a fun and healthy addition.Would I repurchase? Yes.
Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein
Texture: 3 – little chalky, not much gritSweetness: 4 – not too sweetOverall flavor: 3.5 – Overall good, good amount of vanilla yet neutral, would pair well with most smoothiesHow well blended with almond milk: 5 – mixed well, stayed mixedHow well blended with smoothie: 5 – blends completelyProtein base: Pea, Brown Rice, Amaranth Sprout, BuckwheatQuality of ingredients: OrganicTotal # ingredients: 34 (22 without probiotic & enzyme blend ingredients)Protein / serving: 22 g/packet (31g)Other perks/claims: Probiotics & Enzymes / Soy Free Overall score: 20.5Overall impressions: This is one of my favorites! The texture is spot on, the flavor is neutral, and the sweetness is perfectly balanced. I’ve had success mixing it with a lot of different types of smoothies.Would I repurchase? Yes.
Genuine Health Fermented Vegan Proteins +
Texture: 3 – mostly smooth, little grit, little chalkySweetness: 3 – little too sweetOverall flavor: 3.5 – tiny bit chemically/bitter, nice vanilla flavorHow well blended with almond milk: 4 – mixed well, stayed pretty mixed, little chalkyHow well blended with smoothie: 3.5 – blends well, little grittyProtein base: Pea, Brown Rice, Hemp, Quinoa, Alfalfa, Spirulina, Mung Bean SproutsQuality of ingredients: Non GMOTotal # ingredients: 11Protein / serving: 15g/packet (22.1g)Other perks/claims: Fermented, assists digestion Overall score: 17Overall impressions: Overall good, but the flavor was a little off-putting.Would I repurchase? This one is a toss up, but probably not.
Manitoba Harvest Hemp Pro
Texture: 1 – chalky, gritty, unpleasantSweetness: 1 – not sweet at allOverall flavor: 1 – unpleasant, not sweet, no vanillaHow well blended with almond milk: 1 – really bad – didn’t mix wellHow well blended with smoothie: 1 – mixed poorlyProtein base: HempQuality of ingredients: OrganicTotal # ingredients: 3Protein / serving: 9g/4 tbsp (30g)Other perks/claims: N/A Overall score: 5Overall impressions: Despite having so few ingredients and the quality being high, I didn’t like the texture or flavor. This was my least favorite of the bunch.Would I repurchase? No.
Naturade Vegan Smart
Texture: 4 – pretty smooth, not too chalky, no gritSweetness: 3 – little too sweetOverall flavor: 3 – nice vanilla flavor, but too sweet and an odd taste to itHow well blended with almond milk: 4 – smooth, not too chalkyHow well blended with smoothie: 5 – blends completelyProtein base: Pea, Hemp, Chia, Potato, ChlorellaQuality of ingredients: N/ATotal # ingredients: 32Protein / serving: 20g/2 scoops (43g)Other perks/claims: Added vitamins, minerals, fiber, omega blend, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, fruits + veggies Overall score: 19Overall impressions: Loved the perks this one offered. Although the flavor wasn’t perfect, the sweetness and texture were spot on.Would I repurchase? Yes.
Nuzest Clean Lean Protein
Texture: 3 – a little chalkySweetness: 2 – not sweet at first, and then overly sweetOverall flavor: 3 – heavy vanilla, a bit too sweet at the endHow well blended with almond milk: 3 – pretty well, stayed mixed, but chalkyHow well blended with smoothie: 4 – blends wellProtein base: PeaQuality of ingredients: Non GMOTotal # ingredients: 3Protein / serving: 21g/2 scoops (25g)Other perks/claims: N/A Overall score: 15Overall impressions: I liked how few ingredients there were, but the sweetness can be too strong.Would I repurchase? Yes.UPDATE:*Since writing this post I’ve tried Nuzest again because I love how simple the ingredients are. I also recognized my body does well with pea protein powder. It has since become one of my new go-tos and I would definitely recommend giving it a try.
Orgain Organic Meal
Texture: 2 – kinda chalky, kinda grittySweetness: 4 – good on sweetness – not too much, not too littleOverall flavor: 1.5 – unpleasant, vanilla flavor OK, generally offputting, has an earthy flavorHow well blended with almond milk: 3 – pretty well, stayed mixed, little chalkyHow well blended with smoothie: 3 – smooth with chunksProtein base: Brown Rice, Pea, ChiaQuality of ingredients: OrganicTotal # ingredients: 47Protein / serving: 20g/2 scoops (57g)Other perks/claims: Fiber, Fruit + Veg Overall score: 13.5Overall impressions: Impressive list of ingredients but the texture and flavor didn’t deliver.Would I repurchase? No.
PlantFusion Complete Plant Protein
Texture: 2 – mostly smooth, but chalky and kind of “slimy”Sweetness: 1 – way too sweetOverall flavor: 2 – way too sweet, good vanilla flavor, but bitter and chemicallyHow well blended with almond milk: 3 – stayed mixed, but thick and chalkyHow well blended with smoothie: 4 – blends wellProtein base: Pea, Artichoke, Amaranth, Sprouted QuinoaQuality of ingredients: Non GMOTotal # ingredients: 12Protein / serving: 21g/1 scoop (30g)Other perks/claims: Enzyme blend Overall score: 12Overall impressions: Texture was blendable, but a little tacky. The flavor was really off.Would I repurchase? No.
SunWarrior Warrior Blend
Texture: 3 – mostly smooth, little chalkySweetness: 3 – neutral, sweetness is about rightOverall flavor: 1 – not good, bitter, weird tasting, off-puttingHow well blended with almond milk: 3 – pretty well, stayed mixed, little chalkyHow well blended with smoothie: 4 – blends wellProtein base: Pea, Hemp, Goji BerryQuality of ingredients: OrganicTotal # ingredients: 8Protein / serving: 18g/scoop (25g)Other perks/claims: N/A Overall score: 14Overall impressions: Texture was OK, but the flavor was really off.Would I repurchase? No.
Vega One All-in-One Nutritional Shake
Texture: 2.5 – little chalky, little gritty, not too smoothSweetness: 2 – too sweet, but not bitterOverall flavor: 2 – unpleasant, bitter, strange, vanilla flavor is faintHow well blended with almond milk: 2 – didn’t stay mixedHow well blended with smoothie: 3 – kind of grittyProtein base: Pea, Flaxseed, HempQuality of ingredients: Non GMOTotal # ingredients: 35Protein / serving: 20g/1 scoop (41g)Other perks/claims: Added fruits & veggies Overall score: 11.5Overall impressions: Overall bad. Did not enjoy the flavor or texture.Would I repurchase? No.
Vega Protein & Greens
Texture: 1 – little chalky, little grit, not smoothSweetness: 1 – way too sweetOverall flavor: 2 – unpleasant, chemically, not a fanHow well blended with almond milk: 2 – had a hard time mixing thoroughly – some stuck to the bottomHow well blended with smoothie: 4 – blends wellProtein base: Pea, Hemp, Brown RiceQuality of ingredients: Non GMOTotal # ingredients: 12Protein / serving: 20g/1 scoop (30g)Other perks/claims: 2 servings of greens Overall score: 10Overall impressions: Surprisingly unpleasant with poor texture, but high quality ingredients + perks.Would I repurchase? No.
Vega Sport Performance
Texture: 3 – mostly smooth, little chalky, little gritSweetness: 1 – way too sweetOverall flavor: 3 – nice vanilla flavor, too sweet + overpoweringHow well blended with almond milk: 3 – pretty well, stayed mixed, little chalkyHow well blended with smoothie: 4 – blends well, little gritProtein base: Pea, Pumpkin Seed, Sunflower Seed, AlfalfaQuality of ingredients: Non GMOTotal # ingredients: 14Protein / serving: 15g/.5 scoop (21g)Other perks/claims: Probiotics, Turmeric Overall score: 14Overall impressions: Overall good, but way too sweet and the texture wasn’t completely smooth.Would I repurchase? No.
Results //
First place: Bob’s Red Mill Vanilla Protein Powder*Second place: Garden of Life Raw Organic ProteinThird place: Naturade Vegan SmartFourth place: Genuine Health Fermented GreensFifth place: Nuzest Clean Lean Protein Tied for Sixth place: SunWarrior Blend + Vega Sport PerformanceSeventh place: Orgain Organic MealEighth place: Aloha ProteinNinth place: Plantfusion Complete Plant ProteinTenth place: Vega One Nutritional ShakeEleventh place: Vega Proteins + GreensTwelfth place: Manitoba Harvest Hemp Pro
Conclusion //
I tried to be extremely honest in this review which is why it seems like a lot of the feedback was critical or negative. That’s because I honestly didn’t like many of them. But the standouts are definitely the top 3, and my new go-to will definitely be Bob’s Red Mill Vanilla Protein – an unexpected favorite! UPDATE:*Since writing this post I’ve tried Nuzest again because I love how simple the ingredients are. I also recognized my body does well with pea protein powder and few other add-ins. It has since become one of my new go-tos and I would definitely recommend giving it a try. I have also been enjoying Tropeaka, an Australia-based vegan protein powder with great ingredients and flavor. *Despite having a working relationship with Bob’s Red Mill in the past on Minimalist Baker (which has since been discontinued), my relationship with them had nothing to do with this positive review. I didn’t even know they had a vanilla protein powder before I did this review and had no communication with them about it. I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised with the results. This post is entirely unsponsored.
