Whether for myself or my family, I make a protein smoothie almost every day. But because I fill my blender to the brim with greens, my choice of protein powder goes a long way in ensuring my smoothies taste good.
Over the years, I’ve tried at least 50 different protein powders for smoothies. In the beginning, I was trying anything that looked remotely delicious and healthy.
But as I got better at identifying clean protein powder, I narrowed down my choices to a few solid go-to products that I repeatedly purchase time and time again.
Not only are these some of the best-tasting protein powders, but they’re free from artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols, synthetic additives, and other sketchy ingredients that are questionable (or blatantly bad) for your health.
5 Best Protein Powders for Delicious Smoothies
In my protein powder rotation, I rely on a handful of specific products to enhance the flavor of my smoothies. For context, my smoothie ‘recipe’ doesn’t change often.
I liquefy a blender filled with salad greens, half an avocado, and unsweetened almond milk. Once thoroughly blended, I add a few spoonfuls of peanut butter, a banana, a couple of cups of frozen fruit, and about 3-4 scoops of protein (depending on the product).
Having made this smoothie hundreds of times, it’s nice to mix it up with different protein powders. I’ve found chocolate, vanilla, and peanut butter flavors to work best given its thick, creamy texture. But fruity flavors and flavorless options would also work well.
Without further ado, here are five of my favorite protein powders I use for making delicious, nutrient-dense smoothies.
Orgain Simple Protein Powder
If you’re making a creamy, decadent smoothie, Orgain Simple protein powder is nectar from the gods. Using a pinch of organic coconut sugar, Orgain Simple is naturally sweet (stevia-free) and malty, not at all weird tasting or over-powering.
All three flavors are delightful, but I frequently stick with the Creamy Vanilla and Creamy Chocolate. They’re a complement to any smoothie, elevating the flavor profile while providing a nourishing dose of quality protein.
The protein blend is a diverse combination of pea protein, pumpkin seed protein, almond protein, and chia, providing an abundant and complete vegan amino acid profile.
Orgain Simple also has superior blendability in whatever you add it to. It’s a delicious ‘pudding’ snack by itself with a bit of almond milk.
For an organic, gluten-free protein powder that uses fewer ingredients and doesn’t cost a fortune, Orgain Simple is always on smoothie rotation.
PB2 Performance Peanut Protein
If you love peanut butter like me, then it’s only natural to dabble in peanut protein powders. PB2 Performance Peanut Protein ranks near the top for its taste, blendability, and minimalism.
With roasted peanuts, the first ingredient, followed by brown rice protein, PB2 Performance has only 6 ingredients and no added sugar. It comes in two flavors–Madagascar Vanilla and Dutch Cocoa–both of which are delicious tasting and mix exceptionally well into anything.
The Madagascar Vanilla protein powder is top-tier for vanilla smoothie lovers. But bear in mind the Jerusalem artichoke inulin adds a substantial amount of prebiotic fiber. For most people, the added fiber is welcome. But inulin may not be good for those with sensitive guts.
A 2lb tub of PB2 Performance Peanut Protein typically costs just over $20. This container has 20 servings, with each serving providing 20g of protein. So, it’s a cheaper but still healthier protein powder option that lasts a long time.
Wholier Organic Plant Protein
Wholier Organic Plant Protein is a nutritionally dense protein powder that’s free from bloat-causing gums, gluten, emulsifiers, sugar alcohols, or artificial sweeteners. It’s entirely organic and made with 14 clean ingredients, none of which are artificial ingredients or unnecessary additives.
One serving delivers 21g of protein derived from brown rice, yellow pea, flaxseed, sunflower seed, and pumpkin seed. In turn, this provides about 4g of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), which is sufficient for my recovery.
Depending on whether you choose Creamy Cacao or Vanilla, Wholier is flavored with 2g of organic coconut sugar, monk fruit extract, cacao powder, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract powder, and Himalayan salt. The addition of psyllium husk and green banana offers a good amount of prebiotic fiber (5g per serving) for improved digestion.
Going the extra mile in terms of quality and purity, Wholier ensures each batch of its product is third-party tested multiple times during the manufacturing process. This includes analytical, microbiological, and heavy metal testing. I appreciate this level of quality control, as not only do I prioritize consuming only clean protein powder, but Wholier doesn’t skimp on flavor, either.
OWYN Plant-based Protein Powder
OWYN Plant-based Protein is another top choice for all types of smoothies. It’s pleasantly sweet, and creamy, and mixes well into anything, even without a blender. It checks my boxes nutritionally and contains no alarming ingredients.
OWYN Plant-based Protein is a grain-free and allergen-free blend made from pea, pumpkin seed, and chia protein. It’s also enhanced with probiotics and a superfood greens blend for added nourishment and immunity defense.
OWYN makes one of the best-tasting vanilla protein powders for smoothies. Because it’s sweetened with real sugar (4g per serving) as well as monk fruit extract, OWYN is more on the sweet side.
Garden of Life Sport Protein Powder
When I am training at my peak, I turn to a performance blend like Garden of Life Sport protein powder. Unlike other ‘sport’ protein powders, this product from Garden of Life is one of the cleanest and most effective.
This certified organic, non-GMO protein blend contains pea, sprouted navy bean, sprouted lentil bean, and sprouted garbanzo bean, delivering 30g of protein per serving.
This rich protein blend has 5.5g of naturally derived BCAAs, meaning all of the amino acids are from the plant protein alone, not an added BCAA powder blend made from processed corn. In short, it’s a worthy vegan rival to whey protein.
Garden of Life Sport also provides an anti-inflammatory recovery blend that’s made with tart cherries, apples, turmeric, goji berries, and blueberries. contains no added sugar (one full serving has <1 gram of sugar), but is sweetened with organic stevia leaf extract.
The taste is more on the mellow side and not overly sweet like a lot of stevia-containing protein powder. Both the vanilla and chocolate flavors are mildly sweet and add a nice creamy addition to smoothies without overpowering them.
If you’re an athlete, this a highly recommended protein powder for your recovery smoothie. It offers one of the highest concentrations of BCAAs, is made with clean ingredients, and tastes great.
Other Smoothie Protein Powders I Love
The products highlighted above are some of my favorite protein powders for smoothies and ones I regularly use. However, there are a few more that are worth calling out, including:
- PlantFusion Complete Protein Powder – No sugar, tastes amazing, and comes in a wide variety of delicious flavors.
- Truvani Plant Protein Powder – Incredibly clean, uses minimal ingredients, and offers a truly transparent ‘unflavored’ option.
- Vega Sport Protein Powder – Comparable to the Garden of Life Sport product above but more affordable and sweeter tasting.
What do you think is the best protein powder for smoothies? Leave a comment below are reach out to me directly via the contact page.
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About The Author
This article was written by Tyler Tafelsky, the lead editor here at VeganProteinPowder.reviews. Tyler is an experienced writer in the health, nutrition, and athletic space. Over his lifetime, he’s tried hundreds of plant-based nutritional products and writes about his favorites here on this blog. Learn more about Tyler by viewing his full author bio or by following him on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram. Also, visit his website to learn more about what he’s up to.