There are so many different brands of protein powders, and so many different types of protein products, that consumers can often feel paralyzed by choice. Protein powder makes for a convenient and healthy way to build muscle or have a meal-on-the-go.
But what makes a good protein powder and what makes a bad one? What's the ideal protein dose for building muscle? What added ingredients should consumers watch out for that may be unhealthy? And how do the top brands compare on per-serving price?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more as we explain the three things consumers should look out for when choosing a protein powder, and feature our top six protein powder picks across six categories (Overall, Vegan, Collagen, Low-Cost, Keto, Flavored).
Our goal is for this article to be the most comprehensive and informative guide to choosing a healthy and effective protein powder on the internet.
What Makes a Good Protein Powder?
There are three main criteria we recommend consumers look out for when shopping for a protein powder: clean formulation, effective protein dose and price.
Clean formulation is the most important consideration, and this means an ingredient list without any questionable additives.
Protein powder is a simple product, so ideally we're looking for a product sourced from grass-fed animals that has no additives at all.
A medical review published in the Nutrition Journal suggests that animal products from pasture-raised animals are more nutritious, primarily because of a more optimal omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio.
Effective dose is our second consideration when evaluating protein powder brands.
We generally recommend protein powder products that contain a minimum dose of 20 grams (g) of protein, because a 2013 clinical trial suggests this is the effective minimum dose for building muscle after exercise.
Price is an obvious third consideration. Since price varies significantly based on the number of servings in the protein powder product, we will analyze price per 20 g of protein to standardize price comparisons.
Product certifications are also worth considering.
Some protein powders contain certifications like NSF Certified for Sport which guarantee product purity and a lack of harmful contaminants like anabolic steroids.
In the next six sections of this article, we'll recommend our Best Overall, Best Vegan, Best Collagen, Best Low-Cost, Best Keto and Best Flavored protein powders.
Best Overall — MBG
MBG Whey Protein Isolate+ is our top overall protein powder. It's a whey protein.
This product passes the clean formulation test because it contains whey protein sourced from grass-fed cows, and the flavoring ingredients are healthy alternatives like organic vanilla extract and organic monk fruit extract.
The protein dose per serving is 25 g, so it passes the effective dose test as it’s dosed above the minimum-effective dose of 20 g.
MBG Whey Protein is a "complete" protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids.
The price of MBG Whey Protein Isolate+ is currently $69 for a one-time purchase, which equates to $2.76 per 20 g protein serving.
Best Vegan — Complement
Vegan protein powders are increasing in popularity, and vegans may have a greater need for supplemental protein powder than meat eaters.
Complement Organic Protein is our top vegan protein powder.
This product passes the clean formulation test because it's made from a blend of nutritious plant proteins: organic yellow pea protein, organic pumpkin seed protein, organic almond protein, organic sunflower seed protein and organic chia seed protein.
The protein dosage is 15 g per three tablespoons, so we recommend using four tablespoons to get the full 20 g protein dose to maximize muscle building.
Complement Organic Protein has a USDA Organic product certification, which is important when considering plant proteins. Organic plant material has been shown in medical research to be lower in pesticides and slightly more nutrient-dense.
The price of Complement Organic Protein is $59 for a one-time purchase, which equates to $2.62 per 20 g protein serving.
As one of the authors of this article (Calloway), I tried Complement protein powder myself for several months.
The taste is a bit "earthy," but it was nice to have an alternative to animal-based protein on days when I consumed a large amount of meat, and I found that it tasted great blended in with an herbal tea like hibiscus tea.
Best Collagen — Momentous
Momentous Collagen Powder is our top collagen powder pick.
Collagen protein is a great protein powder option for consumers who are also focused on skincare, because oral collagen intake is clinically shown to reduce signs of skin aging, and improve skin hydration and firmness.
In addition to collagen peptides from grass-fed animals, it contains FORTIGEL, a trademarked collagen hydrolysate blend that's clinically shown to enhance elastin biosynthesis by 50% and may reduce ruptures and exercise-related injuries.
The protein dose per-serving is only around 10 g, so it may be worth using slightly more than one serving for consumers using this product to build muscle.
Momentous Collagen Powder is NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Choice Certified.
The price of Momentous Collagen is $51.95 for a one-time purchase, which equates to $3.46 per 20 g protein serving.
Best Low-Cost — NOW Sports
NOW Sports Whey Protein is our top low-cost protein powder pick because it provides bulk savings.
NOW Sports protein powder passes the clean formulation test because it’s unflavored and only contains two active ingredients: whey protein and sunflower lecithin, which is a safe and non-toxic food-based emulsifier.
There is no mention of whether the whey protein is sourced from conventionally-raised or pastured animals, and when a brand fails to distinguish, we tend to assume the former (because if you sourced from grass-fed animals you would want to market that).
This product provides 25 g of protein per serving, passing the protein dose test.
NOW Sports Whey Protein is Informed Sport certified.
The price of NOW Sports Whey Protein is $133.99 for a one-time purchase, which equates to $0.66 per 20 g protein serving.
Best Keto — Isopure
Keto is short for ketogenic, and is a diet model that significantly reduces carb intake.
Isopure Zero Carb Protein Powder is our top keto protein powder pick.
Isopure passes the clean formulation test because it contains two simple ingredients: whey protein powder and soy lecithin. There are no unhealthy additives and zero carbs.
There is no mention of whether the whey protein is sourced from conventional or pastured animals, as we discussed in our Isopure Protein reviews article.
It's worth noting that most protein powders would be allowed in a keto diet (because may contain under 5 g of carbs per serving), but in our opinion it makes sense to save the limited carbs on a keto diet for nutritious whole foods like fruits and vegetables.
This product provides 25 g of protein per serving, passing the effective protein dose test.
There is no mention of certifications on the product's Amazon listing.
The price of Isopure is $72.52 for a one-time purchase, which equates to $2.15 per 20 g protein serving.
Best Flavored — Future Kind
Future Kind Vanilla Flavored Protein Powder is our top flavored protein powder pick.
We typically recommend unflavored protein powder from a health perspective, but understand that some consumers strongly prefer flavored powders.
This is the healthiest flavored protein powder we've come across, because it uses organic natural flavors, which is a higher standard of ingredient safety in our opinion than natural flavors or artificial flavors based on USDA flavoring guidelines.
Future Kind's protein powder contains 20 g of protein per serving, passing the effective protein dose test.
This product doesn't appear to have any third-party certifications or test results available.
The price of Future Kind protein powder is $59.99 for a one-time purchase, which equates to $1.76 per 20 g protein serving.
What’s Wrong With Most Protein Powders
The ingredients list above is from Optimum Nutrition's chocolate protein powder flavor (one of the most popular protein powders on the market), and we publish it here to illustrate why we consider most commercial protein powders to be unhealthy.
Artificial flavor is a highly questionable food category in our opinion. In 2018 the FDA even removed eight artificial flavors from the market over concerns they may cause cancer.
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that's clinically shown to cause negative changes to insulin levels in healthy adults, as we documented in our review of Body Fortress Whey Protein.
Acesulfame potassium is another artificial sweetener that was shown in animal studies to be harmful to the gut.
There's also no mention of whether this protein powder is sourced from conventional or grass-fed animals, and all things being equal, we recommend the latter.
Put simply, most commercial protein powders contain a large number of questionable additive ingredients, and we believe all six products featured in this article are a healthier option.
