Hey PBF’ers! I’m a day late for Product Review Saturday, but I was having some technical difficulties with the site (and my computer) yesterday. Fingers crossed that we’re all good now and we can get back to enjoying meal prep and product reviews and recipes 😉 Many of you probably know that I decided to go dairy-free at the beginning of this year as an experiment to see if it would help my stomach. Turns out, dairy is a huge contributor to bloating and general stomach discomfort for me, so I’ve pretty much stuck with the dairy-free thing.
One of the really tough things about going dairy-free was still managing to hit my protein macros…I used to drink whey shakes and eat Greek yogurt all the time. I knew I had to try to find a dairy-free shake that could help me get the amount of protein I need to reach my goals. So…I present to you my Quest for the Best Non-Dairy Protein! I’ve tried out 19 brands and only found a handful that I would actually drink again.
Types of Non-Dairy Protein
Broadly, there are two kinds of non-dairy protein: plant based and animal based. Most of what I’ll focus on here are the plant based varieties, but here’s a little more info on the main ones you’ll find:
- Soy protein is a protein powder derived from soybeans. It’s considered a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids. It contains beneficial compounds like phytoestrogens and antioxidants, and research suggests it may have additional health benefits, such as supporting heart health and hormonal balance.
- Pea protein is a protein powder derived from yellow split peas. This is probably the most common among the plant-based proteins. It supports muscle growth and recovery, is low in allergens, and can be combined with other plant-based protein sources to enhance its amino acid profile.
- Rice protein is a protein powder derived from brown rice. It’s most often found paired up with pea or other plant-based proteins. While rice protein is not considered a complete protein on its own, it can be combined with other plant-based protein sources to create a more balanced amino acid profile.
- Egg white protein is made from dried and powdered egg whites. Egg white protein powders usually have a neutral flavor, but use caution in warm applications like baking since the eggs will actually cook. Egg white protein powder is considered a high quality, complete protein that’s low in fat and carbs, and is easily absorbed by the body. It is a great source of the amino acid leucine. Leucine is primarily responsible for building muscle after a tough workout.
- Collagen peptides are small, easily digestible pieces of animal collagen sold in powder or pill form. Collagen powder is flavorless and dissolves easily but is not considered a complete protein. It contains 19 amino acids but is missing one of the 9 essential amino acids that make up a complete protein. That said, collagen supplements count toward daily protein intake and may help support joint function, muscle recovery, skin, and hair health.
- Beef protein isolate is a dairy free alternative to whey that has made its way into the supplement market over the last few years. It’s derived from beef. While the amount of protein per serving is comparable to whey, it lacks the same bioavailability, meaning it doesn’t absorb into your muscles as easily after a workout. Beef protein isolate also has a distinct flavor and does not dissolve easily in water.
Scoring and Ranking the Powders
When I first started this series, I would rank the different brands based on taste and texture alone. While those are still the 2 most important factors I care about when deciding whether to buy a protein powder, I’ve also incorporated scoring for macros, ingredients, and value.
- Taste – Scored out of 10 possible points.
- Texture – Scored out of 10 possible points.
- Macros – Scored out of 5 possible points. Powders that have at least 75% of calories from protein scored highest.
- Ingredients – Scored out of 5 possible points. This one is more challenging to score objectively than macros or value, but powders lost points for things like ingredient lists that are a mile long. Including excessive sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners like Sucralose or acesulfame potassium (Ace-K) also contributed to lower scores.
- Value – Scored out of 5 possible points. Powders that were less than $1.75 per serving scored highest, and powders that cost over $3 per serving got no points in this category.
While I tried to be as objective as possible when scoring these proteins, at the end of the day, we probably care about different things when it comes to our protein powders. Feel free to consider all the details for yourself and come to your own conclusion!
Here’s a quick rundown of different colors you’ll see in the charts below:
- Yellow (on the macro ratio) indicates carb content.
- Blue (on the macro ratio) indicates protein content.
- Green (on the macro ratio) indicates fat content.
see all the reviews:
Non-Dairy Protein Comparison Chart
Want to see all my reviews in one spot? Check out the full spreadsheet, including reviews of all the flavors I tried for each brand!
Highly Recommended Proteins
PEScience Select Vegan Protein
CHOCOLATE BLISS
This is my go-to vegan protein powder that I buy regularly! While the taste and mixability are on par with my #2 choice, I prefer the lower calories per serving of this brand. Check out the full spreadsheet for my reviews of 2 other flavors from this brand – Peanut Butter Delight and Vanilla!
- Taste: 8/10. There’s not much of a pea protein flavor in this shake – the chocolate masks it pretty well. My biggest complaint is that there’s a noticeable Stevia aftertaste.
- Mixability: 9/10. The texture is in line with my other top picks for plant based protein powders. It’s got a bit of grit, but not bad.
Bowmar Nutrition Vegan Protein
chocolate almond coconut
Although I really liked the Chocolate Almond Coconut and Peanut Butter Cookie flavors, I won’t be buying this brand again because the Sucralose used to sweeten it does not agree with my stomach. Check out the full spreadsheet for my reviews of 3 other flavors from this brand – Peanut Butter Cookie, Banana Nut Bread, and Blueberry Donut!
- Taste: 9.5/10. This one actually tastes like the candy bar it’s supposed to imitate! Luckily for me, it’s not as sweet as a candy bar. I didn’t give it a 10 because there’s still an ever so slight pea protein flavor.
- Mixability: 8/10. Has a slight grittiness to it and gets a bit foamy on top when shaken (about 1/2” of foam after shaking in my 16 oz blender bottle.
Ryse Loaded Plant Protein
chocolate cookie blast
This protein is the clear winner when it comes to taste and texture, but unfortunately only 57% of calories are from protein.
- Taste: 9.5/10. Great Oreo flavor with just a hint of pea protein flavor.
- Mixability: 10/10. This is the best consistency of a plant protein that I’ve tried. There’s really no grittiness to speak of.
GHOST Vegan Protein Powder
chocolate cereal milk
While this brand makes a tasty vegan protein with the best mixability of the lineup, the protein content isn’t great and because it’s sweetened with Sucralose, I probably won’t buy it again. Check out the full spreadsheet for my review of 1 other flavor – Cinnabon!
- Taste: 8/10. The flavor description as chocolate cereal milk is surprisingly accurate…it’s like a watered down chocolate flavor. My only complaint is that it has a tiny bit of a cardboard after taste.
- Mixability: 9.5/10. One of the least gritty vegan protein powders I’ve tried. It does get a little bit of foam on top after you shake it, though it’s not enough to be annoying while you try to drink it.
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Plant Protein
rich chocolate fudge
I also tried the vanilla flavor of this brand and it was pretty tasty. There’s a slight pea protein flavor that still comes through but it’s not bad.
- Taste: 8.5/10. This shake does a pretty good job of masking that pea protein flavor, although the chocolate flavor isn’t as deep as I would like it to be. The sweetness level is pretty good, though it borders on too sweet.
- Mixability: 9/10. Still not as smooth as I would like, but a lot better than most of the other brands in this category.
Recommended with Reservations
Flex Nutrition Vegan Protein
slow churn vanilla ice cream
Although this brand was tasty, I probably won’t buy it again because it’s a little too sweet for me and it’s sweetened with Sucralose, which upsets my stomach.
- Taste: 8.5/10. This brand does a great job of masking the typical pea protein flavors, and I can definitely get the ice cream taste (although it’s slightly artificial tasting). Unfortunately I thought they went a little overboard on the sweetness.
- Mixability: 8.5/10. The texture is along the lines of the other top plant protein shakes – it still has a slight graininess to it but generally very smooth. I didn’t love how much foam was generated after shaking it – I ended up drinking a lot of air bubbles.
Nuzest Clean Lean Protein
rich chocolate
One thing I don’t like about this protein is that it’s high in sodium, ringing in at 338 mg per serving. As for sweeteners, thaumatin is said to be in the same category as monk fruit and stevia. It’s derived from katemfe fruit found in Africa. Amazon offers sample packs for $3.50 each.
- Taste: 7/10. The chocolate flavor is lacking a bit in this shake, and actually tastes a lot like a chocolate peanut butter flavor. Not bad, but not great.
- Mixability: 9.5/10. Pretty smooth overall, but grittier than I would prefer.
Jay Robb’s Egg White Protein Powder
chocolate
- Taste: 7.5/10. After drinking so many pea-protein based shakes, this one was a nice break from that distinct flavor. However, the chocolate flavor was barely there and mostly all I got was an overwhelming sweetness from the Stevia.
- Mixability: 8/10. The egg white powder dissolves easily into water, but if you use a shaker, you’ll end up with a mile high foam pile on top of your shake.
Orgain Organic Plant Based Protein
creamy chocolate fudge
I probably wouldn’t buy this one again…if it tasted awesome, I might be able to get past the macros and the sugar alcohol in there. That said, I did drink the entire tub.
- Taste: 6.5/10. I was pretty excited to taste this since it smelled so chocolatey in the tub…but then I was hit immediately with a really nutty, almost cardboard taste when I drank it. There’s still some good chocolate flavor and the right amount of sweet, but it’s hard to get past that nutty taste.
- Mixability: 9/10. Pretty smooth as far as plant-based proteins go.
Legion Plant+ Vegan Protein Powder
mocha cappuccino
- Taste: 7/10. You get a hint of coffee flavor in this powder, but really no chocolate/mocha to speak of. That said, I do like the level of sweetness.
- Mixability: 8.5/10. Some grittiness, but otherwise it has a creamy consistency.
Not Recommended
Tone it Up Organic Plant Based Protein
vanilla
This brand’s formula changed in the last couple of years and dropped the protein content (by calories) below 50%, which to me makes it a really tough sell for a protein powder.
- Taste: 7.5/10. The vanilla flavor really comes through in this shake, helped along by a good amount of sweetness. There is a little bit of a cardboard-y aftertaste though.
- Mixability: 9/10. Smoother than a lot of plant based shakes, though there is still some grittiness to it.
ProMix Complete Plant Based Vegan Protein
raw chocolate
This brand keeps things as simple as possible when it comes to their vegan protein, but unfortunately the flavor suffers.
- Taste: 6.5/10. Has a decent chocolate flavor but it’s overpowered by the pea protein taste.
- Mixability: 7/10. Pretty gritty. A simple shaker doesn’t get rid of all the clumps, plus it gets a layer of foam on top.
LyfeFuel Clean and Lean Performance Shake
chocolate
- Taste: 5/10. There might be a hint of chocolate flavor in there, but mostly it tastes like cardboard.
- Mixability: 8.5/10. A little bit gritty but not bad.
Planta Premium Plant Protein
Chocolate peanut butter cup
Check out the full spreadsheet for my review of 1 other flavor – Melted Chocolate!
- Taste: 6.5/10. There is definitely a nuttiness to this one, though I wish there was more chocolate. The sweetness level is pretty good though.
- Mixability: 7.5/10. A bit gritty, but not terrible.
Vega Essentials Shake
chocolate
Vega adds lots of extra fruit and vegetable extracts, which makes their ingredients list a mile long.
- Taste: 6/10. I think the flavor of this is slightly better than the Vega Sport shake, but there’s still that persistent pea protein taste and overall lack of chocolate flavor.
- Mixability: 7/10. Pretty similar texture to Vega Sport.
Sunwarrior Protein Warrior Blend
chocolate
This protein powder is pretty low in calories and protein, so in order to get a typical level of protein per serving, you’d really need about 1.5 scoops which would result in a price per serving of about $2.50.
- Taste: 5.5/10. The chocolate flavor comes through slightly despite the pea protein, but I get this odd cherry lozenge aftertaste. Complete with the tongue tingling sensation.
- Mixability: 7.5/10. It’s not overly thick, but it is still pretty gritty.
Vega Sport Performance Protein
chocolate
This protein not only has a lot of calories per serving, but it’s also the most expensive on the list.
- Taste: 5/10. This has a really odd taste to it. I think it might be the pea protein that’s throwing me off, but I really don’t get much of a chocolate flavor.
- Mixability: 7/10. This makes a really thick and creamy shake, but it does have a slight grittiness to it.
Truvani Plant Based Protein
chocolate peanut butter
Check out the full spreadsheet for my reviews of 2 other flavors – Chocolate and Vanilla!
- Taste: 6/10. Pretty solid peanut butter flavor and it has some chocolate flavor, but it could have used more sweetness.
- Mixability: 6.5/10. Pretty gritty, but still drinkable.
PlantFusion Complete Plant Protein
creamy vanilla bean
- Taste: 5/10. This has a lot of pea protein flavor and an almost floral note to it.
- Mixability: 8/10. Gets just a little foamy when shaking it up, but otherwise just a little gritty but quite creamy.
Garden of Life Sport Organic Plant Based Protein
chocolate
Similar to Vega Sport, this protein is high in calories and the second highest price point on the list.
- Taste: 3/10. A very slight improvement over the raw version of this brand. That pea protein flavor is overwhelming with almost no chocolate flavor.
- Mixability: 6.5/10. Pretty gritty, but not as bad as the raw version.
Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein
chocolate
- Taste: 2/10. This one smells like it’s going to be nice and chocolatey, but then all I can taste is the pea protein.
- Mixability: 6/10. Quite gritty.
see all the reviews:
Non-Dairy Protein Comparison Chart
Want to see all my reviews in one spot? Check out the full spreadsheet, including reviews of all the flavors I tried for each brand!
Note: I was not provided any compensation or samples to endorse these products. The views expressed here are my own. The Amazon links contained in this post are affiliate links, meaning that if you buy anything from Amazon after clicking through these links, I’ll earn a small commission (usually just a few pennies) from your purchase. Your purchase price will be the same whether you use my affiliate links or navigate to Amazon independently.
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