Having taste-tested hundreds of different protein powder supplements on this blog, I’ve encountered several that taste horrendous. And I am not even that picky!
From products with a chalky and gritty texture to zero-sugar protein powders that use too much stevia, many options are tough to swallow.
While most people want to know the best-tasting protein powder, there’s also interest in the worst-tasting protein powder. To shed light on which products to avoid, these protein powders I’ve found most unpleasant.
Note: Not included are unflavored protein powders because these options are notorious for naturally tasting very neutral and oftentimes bad.
GHOST Vegan Protein Powder (Banana Pancake Batter)
Don’t get me wrong, I like bananas and pancake batter. But this protein powder from GHOST failed the taste test miserably.
GHOST Vegan Protein Powder is artificially flavored and sweetened, with sucralose taking the lead. The Banana Pancake Batter flavor doesn’t contain banana or any semblance of pancake batter.
It’s mildly sweet but smells and tastes like cardboard. It also has a lingering chemical taste that I can’t get over. The texture is gritty and chalky, and the powder doesn’t mix well. It clings to your teeth and mouth in a weird way.
If you examine the ingredients and the level of quality they invest, you’ll agree GHOST is all branding with little nutrition. It’s questionably healthy and I won’t be buying it in the future.
Equate Plant-Based Protein Supplement (Vanilla)
Equate Plant-based Protein Supplement is a product from Naisian, a lesser-known brand (and probably for a reason.) Despite being a complete protein made from quinoa and pea, it has a pasty texture and an overpowering taste.
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It’s sugar-free but sweetened with sucralose, a potent artificial sweetener that’s intensely sweet and has a lingering aftertaste. The label says “No Artificial Flavors” which is very misleading given it contains sucralose.
Equate doesn’t have many ingredients, but most of them are hardly considered food. The gum blend is likely why its texture misses the mark. 10/10 I do not recommend it.
Vega Essentials Shake (Raspberry Blackberry)
While certain Vega products are my favorite (such as Vega Sport Protein), this protein powder has an intense, artificial flavor and a lingering aftertaste due to the stevia.
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As the eighth ingredient among many, Vega Essential Shake is heavy on stevia. So if you’re sensitive to this natural sweetener, I suggest avoiding this product in all of its flavors.
The berry flavor wasn’t on point with the raspberry and blackberry combination. It was fruity but I didn’t taste much of these berry flavors (which is not surprising given they’re not even in the ingredients.)
Sunwarrior Classic Plus Protein (Vanilla)
Like Vega, there are several Sunwarrior protein powders that I enjoy. This brand makes some of the cleanest products and invests in third-party purity testing.
Having tried several flavors of Classic Plus Protein, I can confidently say it is not my favorite. My distaste for this protein powder mainly surrounds its texture. It’s pasty and gluey, and the taste is weirdly sweet (likely from stevia, once again.)
It’s strange because Sunwarrior Warrior Blend is one of my favorite protein powders. But Classic Plus Protein misses the mark entirely. When in doubt, opt for products with monk fruit versus stevia.
Orgain Organic Protein Powder (Vanilla)
Despite being one of the most popular vegan protein powders you can find at any big box retailer, Orgain Organic Protein Powder is one of the worst-tasting options I’ve tried.
Once again, stevia is the primary culprit that makes this protein powder unbearably sweet. Not limited to Vanilla, each flavor has a chemically, lingering aftertaste that overwhelms anything you add it to.
What’s worse, this protein powder is also sweetened with erythritol – a sugar alcohol that’s been reported to have serious cardiovascular health concerns.
So, not only does it taste intensely sweet and overpowering, but I would argue that this Orgain protein powder is not good for you.
Instead, I suggest trying Orgain Simple Protein. Not only does it contain better ingredients, like real coconut sugar, but it also tastes delicious.
What’s the Worst-Tasting Protein Powder You’ve Had?
These are just five protein powders that I’ve listed as the worst-tasting. Have you had a product that you find particularly distasteful? Let me know in the comments below. Or you can contact me directly.
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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 and athletic space who has tried hundreds of different plant-based nutritional products and writes about his favorites here on this blog. Learn more about Tyler by viewing his full author bio or following him on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.