GoKawiilCompare Top 10 Protein Powders
More Protein Powders to Consider
Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Naked Casein: With only one ingredient—micellar casein sourced from hormone-free skim milk—this is about as clean as it gets. No added sugar, no artificial sweeteners, and no unnecessary additives. It's cold-processed to avoid any nastiness from chemicals or synthetic fillers, and it’s independently tested for both heavy metals and gluten. Each serving packs 26 grams of protein and 618 milligrams of calcium (about 48 percent of your daily value). But Naked Casein doesn’t contain the emulsifying lecithin, so it won’t dissolve as smoothly as other powders. The best way to mix is with a blender, but I couldn't stomach the taste of this one.
Ghost Whey Protein Powder: Ghost is the protein powder for people who want their post-workout snack to taste like dessert. With flavors like Trix, Cinnabon, and coffee ice cream, it's unsurprisingly one of the best-tasting whey proteins on the market. Each scoop delivers 25 grams of protein (nearly 50 percent of the daily value for many people) and blends well in shakes, oats, or even DIY protein ice cream. The trade-off here is a longer ingredient list that includes gums, high-fructose corn syrup, and—in some flavors—titanium dioxide, which is a whitening pigment banned as a food additive in Europe.
Seeq Clear Protein Powder: At first, I was skeptical of Seeq Clear Protein (how could it be clear!?!), but I’m a sucker for anything watermelon-flavored. I was pleasantly surprised. It tastes like a creamier sports drink (I promise it’s better than that description sounds), and each serving has 22 grams of protein and 4.5 grams of BCAAs. There are zero grams of sugar. Like a lot of other clear protein powders, it’s often more expensive than its traditional counterparts. But if lactose irritates your stomach or you want something more like juice and less like a milkshake, it’s worth trying—especially if you mix it with extra water, since it’s on the sweet side. Worth noting is that it takes forever to dissolve, so use a frother or allot yourself extra shaking time. —Louryn Strampe
Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Sakara Protein + Greens Super Powder: With 17 grams of plant-based protein per serving, Sakara's Protein + Greens is just three shy of the 20-gram benchmark I aim for. The blend of pea, hemp, and pumpkin proteins is bolstered by a “super greens” mix of spirulina, wheatgrass, barley grass, and chlorella. Is it dramatically transforming my gut health? Probably not. But on days when my vegetable and protein intake is low, a scoop of this in my smoothie (plus some Greek yogurt for an extra 18 grams of protein) makes me feel a little less like a goblin surviving on iced coffee and string cheese.
BSN True-Mass Weight Gainer, Muscle Mass Gainer Protein Powder: If you're trying to bulk up or find yourself struggling to hit your calorie goals, BSN True-Mass is worth considering. This mass gainer packs 1,200 calories per serving, with 50 grams of protein and 215 grams of carbohydrates. Its protein blend includes whey concentrate, casein, milk protein isolate, whey protein isolate, hydrolyzed whey isolate, and micellar casein, so you get a mix of fast and slow-digesting proteins. It also delivers 450 milligrams of calcium and 880 milligrams of potassium, which is a bonus if you want to squeeze in some micronutrients. It tastes great—the strawberry milkshake flavor is spot-on—but these are two scoops at 310 grams, so you'll need to be comfortable with the jumbo serving size. I can't fully endorse the formula because it's packed with artificial sweeteners like sucralose and acesulfame potassium, as well as some iffy additives, including maltodextrin and a gum blend (cellulose, guar, gum Arabic, and xanthan) that might not sit well with everyone. If you have a sensitive stomach, you might want to pass. This one brings protein farts to a new level.
Courtesy of Amazon
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