Protein Powder is one of those things that I’d definitely say it is better to get Organic.

I don’t stress about all of my vegetables or fruits being organic, but when it comes to protein powder, I definitely care.

Why?

Protein powder is a concentrated form of, well, protein, and in the case of us Vegans, plants. Whenever you concentrate something you also concentrate contaminants, be it heavy metals or nasty pesticides (especially in the case of soy-protein), or one of the many other contaminants out there. Because of this it’s very important to get a good clean source of protein powder, and to avoid certain non-organic pesticides which are especially toxic.

So what can I expect from the below recommendations?

Because I care a bunch about the contaminants, which is why I prefer organic protein powders, all of the protein powders I mention here will not only be organic, but be from trusted companies who have had at least some of their products independently tested and came back with low heavy-metal content.

As well as that I’ll only be listing protein powders that have “complete proteins,” which is achieved by either having soy protein powder or a mixture of various other proteins to achieve a more “complete” amino acid (Protein) profile.

Best Overall: KOS Organic Pea & Rice Protein

This is by far my favorite one, as it’s not quite as expensive as others (albeit not the cheapest), has a decent taste that isn’t too sweet in my opinion, nor artificial tasting, and it lacks any nasty ingredients in it. It even uses monkfruit to sweeten it!

If you want to go with my favorite choice, I’d recommending buying it here on Amazon as from what I’ve seen it’s usually the best place to get it from and often has a coupon for $5 off it.

Positives:

Doesn’t have a fake sweet flavor, has added Enzyms & Vegetables that are very healthy, has been tested and found to have very low heavy metal amounts, Organic, Tons of extra natural vitamins/mineral in it, Mid-range price.

Negatives:

Doesn’t “blend” or “mix” in as easy as many soy powders I’ve had in the past (in a shaker bottle), a bit gritty unless you let it sit for a couple hours (or overnight) or use a blender to blend it into a smoothie.

#2 Overall Best Pick: Optimum Nutrition’s Vegan Protein

I’m not a big fan of Optimum Nutrition, as they remind me of the whey industry due to that being what they were made popular through, but I really can’t complain about this product of theirs. It’s clean, mixes pretty well, isn’t really gritty, but to me it has a bit of a “fake” taste, much like I remember their other products being before I went vegan a number of years ago.

While you can get it in many protein shops in person it’s usually cheaper online, so unless you want/need it today and don’t mind running around to a few different stores trying to find it you should probably just order it off Amazon.

Positives:

Widely Available, both online as well as in many local fitness stores, made by a trusted brand and tested to be clean, mixes pretty well, especially high protein per serving.

Negatives:

Has a bit of a “fake” or “protein” taste to me, from a brand which produces many non-vegan products, no vegetables or other goodies are added into it already

Best for Sensitive People: Garden of Life Sport

This one has a good flavor, I prefer the vanilla to the chocolate which is quite weird of me, mixes well, and isn’t chalky or anything. It was actually the smoothest one of any of them for me. It’s reasonably priced, but my main point in including it is some people really can’t stand the slightest bit of grit, and some people also experience bloating with protein powders with rice protein in it. Well, this one has no rice protein and isn’t gritty at all. Instead of Rice it has numerous bean-proteins in it, which gives it a really healthy and balanced amino acid profile.

I’ve only really found this protein powder on Amazon though, so if you don’t use Amazon you’re probably out of luck. If you do, you can click here to go to the page I got mine from.

Positives:

Very very Smooth, good flavor, exceptional protein sources (beans), reduced chance of bloating.

Negatives:

Generally a little more expensive than other powders in this list, pretty much have to get it online as it’s very hard to find it in person,

Best Budget-Choice: Orgain Protein Powder

If price matters to you I’ll tell you right off, this one’s quite cheaper per serving and per gram of protein you get compared to others. It’s by all means not bad, but it’s not delicious either. It’s what you’d expect from a protein-drink, a bit of a protein flavor, a little chalkiness, but otherwise alright. It’s palatable, mixes alright, and is great values. I would recommend blending it and letting it sit overnight, as it significantly reduced chalkiness & Grittiness when I used it.

If you are on a budget and choose this one, which I think is worth a try if you’re somewhat budget-conscious, I’d definitely get it off Amazon because they usually have a coupon for 10-15% off it.

You can go to the page I got it from (and the coupon) by clicking here.

Positives:

Significantly cheaper than others on the market yet still a Clean Protein source, Organic & Vegan, and an Amazing Value.

Negatives:

A bit chalky, a little protein flavor (less than many protein powders), and quite a bit gritty unless you let it sit overnight in the fridge after you make it.

Why Choose an Organic Vegan Protein Powder?

While you don’t need to always buy Organic products, in the case of concentrated protein powders it’s especially important as testing has shown for them to have lower contamination (heavy metals primarily) levels, as well as less toxins.

I’d recommend choosing a vegan protein powder for many reasons over a non-vegan protein powder. I won’t go lecturing you on all the reasons here, but essentially it’s absorbed just as easily, doesn’t produce as many problematic effects in the body (growth hormones), while also being better for the animals and the environment.

If you want to read about other decent vegan protein options, the Insider also has a pretty good review on some other products.

Should Vegans Supplement with Protein Powder?

Most vegans don’t need to, and if you include beans/lentils/tofu/etc into your daily diet then you shouldn’t need any extra from protein powder, even if you lift weights and workout a bunch. You only really need to add protein powder if you’re eating very little, taking steroids, or have a pretty junky refined-foods vegan diet rather than a more whole-foods focused one.

While you don’t need to supplement with protein powder, I would recommend supplementing with one of these brands of Vitamin D, as even if you are outside all the time it’s still beneficial to supplement with it. It’s a good idea to supplement b12 for most folks too, vegan or otherwise. If you’re a health nut you could use a turmeric supplement as well.