If you’re looking for the best protein pasta of 2026, you’ve come to the right place! I recently took a poll on Instagram about what high protein product you wanted me to test out next, and protein pasta was the number 1 request by a long shot. I was happy to oblige because, to be honest, I haven’t tried out a protein pasta in my meal prep for quite some time because last time I did, it turned out super mushy after just a couple days sitting in sauce. I’m happy to report that protein pastas have gotten a lot better since then and there are some clear winners (and losers) when it comes to meal prepping or just generally eating protein pasta.
How I Tested the Pastas
I cooked all pastas to al dente according to package directions and tasted them immediately after draining without sauce, butter, or oil.
For the meal prep/leftovers testing, I tossed the pasta in a small amount of oil to help prevent sticking. I put 1 serving size of the protein pasta into an airtight container and topped it with 1/2 cup of marinara sauce. I put another serving size into a separate airtight container to see how well it would hold up without sauce. I then taste tested them the next day, on day 3 after cooking, and for the ones that were still in decent shape on day 3, I taste tested them again on day 6 after cooking to see just how far they could stretch.
Scoring and Ranking the Pastas
For me, taste and texture are the most important deciding factors for whether or not I’ll recommend a protein pasta, so they’re weighed more heavily in scoring. I also scored the pastas for their value and how well they held up for meal prep. I didn’t score them on macros because they were all so similar, except Kaizen, which I don’t recommend anyway.
- Taste – Scored out of 10 possible points.
- Texture – Scored out of 10 possible points.
- Leftovers/Meal Prep – Scored out of 5 possible points.
- Value – Scored out of 5 possible points. Pastas that were less than $0.50 per serving scored highest, and pastas that cost over $1 per serving got no points in this category.
While I tried to be as objective as possible when scoring these pastas, consider all the details for yourself and come to your own conclusion!
Quick rundown of different colors you’ll see in the comparison chart:
- 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:
Protein Pasta 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!
which pasta is
Best for Meal Prep or Leftovers?
Best: Banza Wheat & Chickpea Protein Pasta
Good:
- Barilla Protein+ Pasta
- Wegmans Protein Pasta
- Goodles Protein Pasta
Just okay:
- Brami Protein Pasta
- Chickapea Organic Chickpea & Red Lentil Pasta
Not recommended for meal prep:
- Banza GF Chickpea Pasta
- Kaizen Protein Pasta
Highly Recommended Protein Pastas
Banza Wheat & Chickpea Protein Pasta
This one is great when made fresh and held up exceptionally well for meal prep!
- Taste: 9/10. Tastes like regular pasta for the most part, but there is a tiny hint of the chickpeas.
- Texture: 10/10. Chew is like normal pasta.
Barilla Protein+ Pasta
This one is good, but not great for meal prep since it starts to fall apart easily by day 3.
- Taste: 10/10. Tastes like regular pasta!
- Texture: 9/10. Mostly has good texture, but is a little on the chewy end.
Wegmans Protein Pasta
This one is another good, but not great option for meal prep since it starts to fall apart easily by day 3, though the texture as you chew is still pretty good at that point.
- Taste: 8/10. This pasta doesn’t really have a flavor of its own, which could be a good or bad thing.
- Texture: 10/10. Chew is like regular pasta.
Brami Italian Protein Pasta
While this one has great taste and texture when fresh, it lost points for getting mushy/chalky by day 3 as leftovers.
- Taste: 10/10. I like the flavor of this pasta better than some of the others – it’s almost more savory?
- Texture: 10/10. Like regular pasta.
Goodles Protein Pasta
This pasta was still in pretty good shape by day 3 as leftovers with sauce and was still passable by day 6, though it does develop a noticeable chalkiness by then.
- Taste: 8/10. These don’t really have a flavor of their own, which could be a good or bad thing.
- Texture: 10/10. Pretty much like normal pasta!
Recommended with Reservations
Unfortunately for my gluten-sensitive friends, the 2 gluten-free options that I tested are just okay and not really great when it comes to leftovers. If you’re not gluten-sensitive, I’d skip these.
Banza Chickpea Gluten Free Pasta
While this pasta is decent when freshly made, if you plan to eat leftovers, I can’t recommend it.
- Taste: 8/10. A little nutty, you can tell it’s not the average pasta, but it’s a pretty neutral flavor.
- Texture: 7/10. A little mushy, even when freshly cooked.
Chickapea Organic Chickpea and Red Lentil Pasta
The texture of this pasta strangely got more firm as it sat in sauce as leftovers and I’m still confused by it.
- Taste: 6/10. Has a pronounced nutty flavor, but it borders on bitter.
- Texture: 8/10. A little on the mushy side, but pretty good when freshly made.
Not Recommended
Kaizen Protein Pasta
While this one has the highest protein content of all the pastas I tried, it was mushy when made fresh and really bad as leftovers.
- Taste: 7/10. Kind of nutty, but not as tasty as Banza’s Chickpea pasta.
- Texture: 4/10. Too mushy and gets stuck in your teeth.
see all the reviews:
Protein Pasta 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.
Find More Great Products
