On the surface, protein powders appear all the same to many people. Do NOT make the mistake of being one of those people. There are many critical differences between the different types of protein powder.
In this article, we will discuss the best protein powders on the market and explain how each one earned its ranking spot on this list based on expert SFP (Supplement Facts Panel) analysis conducted by our Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC), as well as personal testing and experimentation.
It all starts with the protein blend itself…what source of protein is being used? Concentrate, Isolate, or Hydrolysate? What about Vegan protein powder sources like Pea protein, sunflower seed protein, or pumpkin seed protein? If you don’t understand the crucial differences between the various types of protein sources, this article is exactly what you need!
Protein Powders compared (10 highest rated products)
Product | Coupon Code | Best for | Rating | Pricing |
VegaTein | TSR25 for 25% off | Lean muscle mass, recovery, 100% vegan | 5.0/5.0 | |
Tansparent Labs | None | Lean muscle mass, grass-fed | 4.2/5.0 | |
Authentic Whey | None | Lean muscle mass, isolate | 3.9/5.0 | |
IsoPure Zero Carb | None | Muscle mass, budget | 3.9/5.0 | |
Garden of Life Protein Powder | None | Dieting, recovery | 3.9/5.0 | |
Syntha 6 | None | Muscle mass, bulking | 3.8/5.0 | |
Combat Powder | None | Muscle mass | 3.7/5.0 | |
ISO 100 | None | Lean muscle, low carb | 3.6/5.0 | |
Vega Sport Protein | None | Muscle recovery | 3.4/5.0 | |
Optimum Gold Standard | None | Muscle mass, budget | 3.3/5.0 |
What are the different types of protein powder?
- Concentrate
- Isolate
- Hydrolysate (hydrolyzed isolate)
- Casein
- Hemp protein
- Pea protein
- Sunflower seed protein
- Pumpkin seed protein
- Watermelon seed protein
Protein powder ingredients breakdown
Many people feel overwhelmed by how many different types of protein powder are available. It can seem like a pretty daunting task to choose one, but as a Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC) who spent over 10 years studying sports nutrition, I can tell you it’s not as complicated as it looks. Allow me to explain…
1. Pea Protein & Other Vegan Protein Sources
Pea Protein is far and way the best protein source in my opinion, and the reasons why are actually quite simple. All forms of whey protein whether it’s concentrate, isolate, or hydrolysate, are derived from animals or animal products. The vast majority of whey protein is derived from cows, which means it is naturally high in dairy, lactose, soy, and GMOs…that’s a big problem.
Dairy, lactose, and soy are all very bad for your gastrointestinal health and have negative effects on your digestive system. This means that when you ingest whey protein, your body can not properly digest it due to the complications that arise from the interference of the dairy, lactose, etc. In other words, not only are you wreaking havoc on your gut health and digestive health, but on top of that, your body is also unable to properly digest and absorb the protein, so most of it goes to waste.
Introducing Pea Protein…Pea Protein is 100% vegan and plant-based, which means it does not come with any of the complications that whey protein comes with. You don’t have to be vegan to use Pea Protein – that’s not the point. The point is anybody, vegan or not, stands to benefit significantly more from the use of Pea Protein because it is natural, non-dairy, non-lactose, non-GMO, and therefore, your body is actually able to properly digest and absorb every last gram.
Other vegan protein sources like sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, and watermelon seed are great as well. These are all excellent alternatives to whey protein, but they are on the more expensive side, which is why you will mostly see Pea Protein as the primary protein source when you are shopping for a vegan protein powder.
2. Whey protein hydrolysate
The only form of protein that one could argue is better than isolate is whey protein hydrolysate, also known as hydrolyzed whey protein isolate. The only difference between the two is that hydrolysate has undergone the process of Enzymatic Hydrolysis. It’s essentially just taking the purification process one extra step further.
Enzymatic Hydrolysis breaks down the purified protein particles into tiny little pieces, which leads to more efficient digestion and absorption of the protein. I strictly recommend whey protein isolate and/or hydrolysate based protein powders for these reasons.
3. Whey protein concentrate
The unfortunate truth is that whey protein concentrate is the most commonly used protein source on the market. This is because of how cheap it is. Supplement companies save a lot of money by using concentrate instead of isolate.
Avoid whey protein concentrate at all costs. It may be cheaper, but it’s truly not worth the money you save. It has an extremely high fat content and contains high concentrations of many other unhealthy fillers that will interfere with your body’s ability to digest and absorb the protein.
In fact, these ingredients that have not been filtered out are so disruptive in the digestion process, that they can actually negatively effect your gastrointestinal health significantly. So not only is whey protein concentrate inferior to isolate, it’s actually bad for you.
4. Whey Protein Isolate
When I say choosing the best protein powder is simple, this is what it comes down to. Whey protein isolate is the key. Isolate is the purest form of protein in existence, meaning it contains virtually no other ingredients side from protein itself. Other forms of protein contain high concentrations of fat, fillers, and other unhealthy ingredients.
The reason whey protein isolate is so pure is because it has undergone the process of Cross-flow Micro-filtration. This process filters out all of the unhealthy ingredients and purified the protein. Other popular protein sources such as concentrate, pea protein, and hemp protein have NOT undergone this process, which makes them less pure.
5. Casein
Casein is an extremely slow digesting protein powder. This is generally a bad thing because faster digesting protein powders are able to deliver the nutrients to your muscles faster, which is key.
The only instance in which Casein is preferable is if you’re going to drink a Casein shake before you go to bed so that your muscles can slowly absorb nutrients while you sleep. Casein is not a good protein source when it comes to immediate post workout supplementation.
What are the best protein powders? Here’s our 2022 top 10 list:
Taking all of the above information into account, we analyzed all of the most popular protein supplements on the market to determine what the top 10 best protein powders are this year. Below, we will individually analyze each supplement’s protein blend and break down the Supplement Facts Panel.
1. VegaTein by Kylea Health
Vegatein is a 100% vegan, plant-based, natural, dairy free, lactose free, non-GMO protein powder made right here in the US. In case you couldn’t tell based on my remarks earlier in this article regarding protein sources, I strongly believe that vegan protein sources are both the most efficient and the most effective. The VegaTein formula consists strictly of Pea Protein (my favorite), pumpkin seed protein, sunflower seed protein, and watermelon seed protein.
This is the cleanest protein powder formula I have ever seen, hands down. And again, you do not have to be vegan to use it…everyone should be using a vegan protein powder regardless of their dietary preferences for the simple reason that vegan protein sources do not contain dairy or lactose, and therefore are much more easily digested and absorbed by your body.
The VegaTein blend is predominantly made up of Pea Protein. Pea Protein is an incredibly powerful and clean source of protein. It does an amazing job at building lean muscle mass, enhancing muscle recovery, helping with weight management, and ultimately increasing your protein intake overall…and unlike whey protein, Pea Protein is excellent for your digestive health, immune system, and gut health.
Bottom line: Pea Protein is the most effective, efficient, and healthy source of protein, and VegaTein packs 20 grams of it in every serving. Plus, the formula naturally contains 9 essential amino acids, which are crucial for muscle growth and recovery. As a Certified Nutrition Coach, I’m telling you guys…Pea Protein is the answer. I take this stuff every day myself and recommend it to all my clients, all of whom notice a big difference when they switch over from whey protein.
Ingredients:
- Pea protein
- Sunflower seed protein
- Pumpkin seed protein
- Watermelon seed protein
- 9 Essential amino acids (EAAs)
ORDER VEGATEIN NOW (Use the code TSR25 to get 25% off!)
2. Transparent Labs Protein (best protein powder overall)
Transparent Labs makes an extremely high quality 100% pure whey protein isolate product. Plus, if you’re into grass-fed protein sources, their protein powder has that additional benefit. We don’t put a whole lot of weight into the grass-fed aspect when it comes to protein powders, but if you do, this could be the perfect product for you.
The protein blend does not contain any hydrolysate, but since it is 100% pure isolate, this is about as good as a protein blend can possibly get. It contains no concentrate, no casein, no BS. It also provides a higher than average amount of protein per serving at 28 grams (standard is 25 G).
Due to the 28 grams of pure isolate in every serving, Transparent Labs Grass-Fed Isolate naturally contains a very high amount of BCAAs. There’s also no fat, no sugar, and only 2 grams of carbs per serving, which is a very clean nutritional profile.
Ingredients:
- Whey protein isolate
- Leucine
- Valine
- Isoleucine
- Glutamine
Transparent Labs Protein Review
3. Jacked Factory Authentic Whey (best for whey isolate and concentrate combo)
Jacked Factory Authentic Whey is one of the best protein powders on the market without a doubt, and we believe there is a strong case for it being one of the top protein powders. The protein blend is a combination of whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate.
We feel Authentic Whey has a slight edge over most other protein powders due to the fact that the protein in use is grass-fed. This means that you’re getting the benefits of faster digestion and absorption, which leads to more efficient muscle growth and recovery.
Due to the purity of the blend, Authentic Whey naturally provides an exceptionally high amount of BCAAs, which makes that much better of a product. The rest of the nutritional profile is also very clean. It contains virtually no fat, sugar, or carbs, and has a very low sodium count. We strongly recommend Jacked Factory’s Authentic Whey.
Ingredients:
- Whey protein isolate
- Whey protein hydrolysate
- Leucine
- Valine
- Isoleucine
- Glutamine
4. Naked Whey (best whey protein concentrate option)
Naked Whey is a very solid protein powder in terms of the nutritional profile as a whole. The protein in use is all grass fed, which is great. However, as I mentioned before, grass fed is not necessarily a big concern if your goal is to gain muscle.
The biggest problem with Naked Whey is the fact that the protein blend is 100% whey protein concentrate. This is a major issue for me. The blend contains no isolate and no hydrolysate whatsoever, which is bad news.
As a result of the use of concentrate, the BCAA count is lower, the fat content is higher, and the protein is not going to be digested and absorbed efficiently. This could inhibit muscle growth and recovery, and more importantly, it could negatively effect your gut health.
Ingredients:
- Grass fed whey protein concentrate
- Valine
- Leucine
- Isoleucine
5. IsoPure Zero Carb (best low carb protein powder)
IsoPure Zero Carb is one of the purest protein powders out there, as the name suggests. In fact, the name really already explains the most important points I have to make about this protein powder. It uses 100% pure whey protein isolate, and contains zero carbs. Those are the highlights of this product, but here’s the down side…
It contains a very high amount of sodium per serving at 240 milligrams. That’s over twice the amount of sodium our top ranked protein powder contains. It may not seem that significant, but assuming you are supplementing with the protein powder every day (as you should be), it really adds up over time and can cause some fat gain.
Ingredients:
- Whey protein isolate
- Valine
- Leucine
- Isoleucine
- Glutamine
6. Garden of Life Protein Powder (top organic option)
Garden of Life Protein Powder is a pretty popular product amongst vegans due to the fact that the protein blend strictly contains Pea Protein and Brown Rice Protein. If you’re looking for a Pea Protein based supplement, this could be the one for you, but I generally do not recommend Pea Protein.
Yes, it’s vegan, but the problem with Pea Protein is it does not contain anywhere near as many nutrients as standard whey protein sources like isolate and hydrolysate. The BCAA count is way lower, and the benefits with regard to muscle growth and recovery are nowhere near as significant.
Based on the blend, I would not recommend Garden of Life Protein Powder unless you literally can not consume whey protein due to some sort of allergy.
Ingredients:
- Pea protein
- Brown rice protein
- Buckwheat sprout
- Quinoa
- Chlorella
- Chia seed
Garden of Life Protein Powder Review
7. Syntha 6 (good supplement for people on a budget)
Syntha 6 is honestly a pretty average protein powder, and I generally would not recommend it. However, since the protein blend utilizes cheap protein sources, the supplement is pretty inexpensive. If you’re on a budget and have to choose a lower quality product, Syntha 6 can get the job done. But here’s why it’s so average…
This is one of the dirtiest protein blends I’ve seen in a long time. It contains whey protein concentrate, isolate, calcium caseinate, micellar casein, milk protein isolate, and egg albumen. If it didn’t contain any isolate at all, I wouldn’t have added Syntha 6 to this list. The blend just severely lacks purity.
To be clear, I do not recommend Syntha 6 unless you truly don’t have an extra few bucks to spend on a higher quality protein powder.
Ingredients:
- Whey protein concentrate
- Whey protein isolate
- Calcium caseinate
- Micellar casein
- Milk protein isolate
- Egg albumen
8. Combat Powder (good option for bodybuilding)
Combat Powder by Muscle Pharm is another solid budget option, but it is certainly not an elite protein powder by any means. The reason we like Combat Powder is because the blend contains both isolate and hydrolysate as its two most prevalent protein sources. Based on that, the blend looks very promising at first.
However, take a closer look and you’ll see they dirtied this blend up with some other inferior protein sources including concentrate. I wish the blend didn’t go bad towards the end, but this is overall a solid product.
The only other issue I have is that it contains 5 grams of carbs per serving, which is pretty high. If you’re looking for a low carb protein powder for lean muscle mass, Combat Powder is not the answer.
Ingredients:
- Whey protein isolate
- Whey protein hydrolysate
- Whey protein concentrate
- Egg albumen
- Micellar casein
9. ISO 100 (good sugar free option)
ISO 100 is another protein powder by Dymatize where the blend is explained in the name. ISO 100 means 100% whey protein isolate. That’s a very pure protein blend, which is why you could make the argument it should be higher up on this list.
However, the problem is it contains artificial flavoring and soy, which could potentially cause fat gain and inhibit testosterone production. If you are trying to gain muscle, you do not want to risk messing with your testosterone levels. Plus, you generally want to avoid artificial flavoring as it is almost always very unhealthy.
Ingredients:
- Whey protein isolate
- Artificial flavor
- Soy lecithin
- Sucralose
- Stevia
10. Vega Sport Protein (decent 100% natural option)
Vega Sport Protein is frankly only on this list so that we could provide our readers with a second vegan option. When it comes to vegan protein powders, this is a pretty good option. However, there are a few pretty significant issues with the nutritional profile.
First off, the protein source is Pea Protein, which is inferior to whey protein as we discussed before. Perhaps even worse than that though is the 400 milligrams of sodium per serving (4x the amount of sodium compared to our top rated protein powder).
To make matters worse, it also contains 6 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fat in every serving. The high sodium, fat, and carb counts are going to add up over time and could cause weight gain (fat, not muscle).
Ingredients:
- Pea protein
- Pumpkin seed protein
- Sunflower seed protein
- Alfalfa protein
- Soy
- Tree nuts
Honorable Mention: Optimum Gold Standard (solid post workout shake)
Gold Standard by Optimum Nutrition is perhaps the most overrated protein powder of all time. It deserves a spot on this list due to the legendary break through supplement that it was during its time, but at this point, there are plenty of protein powders that are way higher quality than this one.
The Optimum Gold Standard protein blend is a mixture of isolate and concentrate, which is not great. It’s concerning that a company with this much money wouldn’t just make the blend 100% isolate when they know it’s the right thing to do.
I don’t mean to bash Gold Standard. The blend is solid, but it’s not what people make it out to be.
Ingredients:
- Whey protein concentrate
- Whey protein isolate
- Whey peptides
- Cocoa powder
- Artificial flavors
Final points
At the end of the day, what you want in your protein powder is a super clean blend of strictly vegan protein sources in order to optimize digestion and absorption, which ultimately leads to optimal muscle growth and recovery. Equally as importantly, you do not want high sodium, fat, sugar, or carb counts. Therefore, the ideal combination is low sodium/fat/sugar/carb profiles and 100% pure vegan protein blends, and you only get that combination with the top ranked protein powder, which is VegaTein. The other powders on this list are solid, but you step down in class significantly after VegaTein.
See the lowest price for our top recommendation here: VegaTein Official Website
FAQs
Is there arsenic in protein powder?
The super high quality protein powders made by reputable sports nutrition brands do not contain arsenic, and they have Certificates of Analysis on their websites to prove that. However, there are certainly some low quality protein powder supplements out there that contain arsenic. Just make sure you choose the right brand!
Do protein powders contain heavy metals?
Protein powders generally do not contain heavy metals unless the manufacturer simply fails to disclose the fact that their product contains heavy metals, which is rare. Generally, this is not a concern as long as you are buying from a reputable brand.
Do protein shakes make you fat?
If the protein powder contains high levels of sodium, fat, sugar, or carbs, then yes, it could cause fat gain. However, protein shakes in general do not make you fat. For example, the top ranked options on this list contain ZERO sugar/fat/carbs and very low sodium to prevent fat gain.
Should I drink protein shakes before or after workouts?
Protein shakes are meant to be consumed after workouts. The ingredients they contain are designed to accelerate the process of muscle growth and recovery. It won’t do much for you if you drink it before a workout, but protein shakes are tremendously helpful after a workout.
Is protein powder bad for your kidneys?
High quality protein powders are not bad for your kidneys because protein sources like isolate and hydrolysate can be easily digested. However, protein sources that are difficult for your body to break down such as concentrate can cause problems.
How often should you drink protein shakes?
Protein shakes generally should be consumed every day immediately after your workout. Even if you don’t work out one day, you can still use a protein shake for meal replacement or even just to up your protein intake for that day.
Are protein shakes good for breakfast?
Protein shakes can actually be great for breakfast. They might not be very filling, but if you are trying to lose weight, opting for a protein shake at breakfast time can be a solid strategy. That is, assuming it is a clean protein supplement with zero/low sugar and fat counts.
Is it bad to drink 2 protein shakes a day?
No, it’s not bad, especially if you are trying to gain muscle. In fact, it can sometimes be helpful to double scoop your protein powder after a workout to maximize muscle gain. Your body can technically handle up to roughly 40 grams of protein at once.
What is the best protein shake for women?
The answer here really does not change. Protein shakes function the same way in the male body as they do in the female body. Therefore, men and women should be looking for the same things in their protein shakes…pure protein blend, low calories, low fat/sugar/carbs, etc.
In other words, our top ranked protein powder for men is also our top choice for women. It’s as simple as looking for a pure whey protein isolate blend that has as clean of a nutritional profile as possible, such as our top ranked option on this page.
