Top 5: Plant-Based Protein Shakes
We are all looking for healthy and convenient ways to get more protein in our diet. Are vegan protein shakes the answer? I am on the hunt for a tasty shake that can be used as a quick meal replacement when I’m on the go. I know I have a really hard time fitting breakfast into my schedule. Even in school, I found that I am not hungry in the morning. I don’t really even like breakfast food. Could a protein shake be the answer to my problem?
We gathered a group of taste testers to try five popular protein shakes. We reviewed Vega Chocolate, Soylent Cacao, Owyn Dark Chocolate, Aloha Chocolate Sea Salt and Ripple Chocolate.
Let’s see what our team thought about these Plant-Based Protein Shakes?
Do you have any go to vegan protein shakes? Let me know! I am always excited to know what you think about our Top 5’s!
Owyn Dark Chocolate is made from Pea Protein. It has 180 calories, 7g of fat, 10g of carbohydrates and 20g of protein. 4 WW Freestyle Points. $11.99 at Giant Eagle.
The group rated this shake last. Because we did not want to be bias from the labels and packaging, we poured all of our drinks into little cups. The color reminded one of our testers, Robert, of clay. It was kind of grey and did not look very appealing. The flavor was a strange mixture of yeast (or more specifically soggy bread) and nuts? There was very little chocolate flavor. Of all of the shakes it was the thinnest and yet somehow managed to be gritty.
This is the only drink that one of us had tried before. Jamie has bought Owyn in the past and was very surprised that she rated it so low. In comparison to the others, it had the least palatable flavor.
Aloha Chocolate Sea Salt is made from Pea Protein. It has 170 calories, 6g of fat, 11g of carbohydrates and 18g of protein. 5 WW Freestyle Points. $11.99 at Target.
We really wanted to like this one! The packaging is cute. It claims to be chocolate sea salt flavored? Unfortunately, it left a bitter taste in all of our mouths! Again, there were comments about it having a yeasty or bread flavor. We all thought the mouth feel was “gross.” It was chalky and had an after-taste that reminded us of soy milk even though it is made from coconut milk. But does Aloha taste like chocolate sea salt you may ask? The answer is no.
#3 Vega Chocolate
Vega Chocolate protein shake is made from Pea Protein. It has 170 calories, 5g of fat, 14g of carbohydrates and 20g of protein. 4 WW Freestyle Points. $9.99 at Target.
Vega stands out as one of the most nutritious. It ties for the lowest calories and Weight Watchers points. It has the lowest grams of fat and has 20 grams of protein. One of our taste testers thought is was sweet and enjoyable. We all commented that it was gritty or chalky and had an artificial aftertaste. However, most felt that we could put up with it because there were health benefits from drinking it. We also started thinking about what it would be like to add it to coffee to use instead of creamer?
Ripple Chocolate is made from Pea Protein. It has 200 calories, 8g of fat, 12g of carbohydrates and 20g of protein. 5 WW Freestyle Points. $9.99 at Target.
Ripple was one of the smoother of the 5 shakes. It slightly reminded me of a Wendy’s frosty. The flavor was very subtle, but not bad. We all thought it would be a great shake to have after a hard workout because it wasn’t too thick or overpoweringly sweet.
Soylent Cacao is made from Soy Protein. It has 320 calories, 17g of fat, 30g of carbohydrates and 16g of protein. 10 WW Freestyle Points. $11.99 at Target.
Soylent advertises itself as a meal replacement shake which may explain the reason for it’s high calorie count. We rated it number one because of it’s flavor and texture. The taste reminded us of chocolate pudding. Of all of the shakes it did have the most chocolate flavor. The texture was smooth and creamy. The two biggest downsides to Soylent is the calorie count and smell. It has a musky, wet basement smell (not super appealing). Also, Jamie thought it might be too thick to want to drink after a workout.
We considered trying Apres Protein-Based Replenishment shakes. They are getting a lot of good press, however the price point seemed outrageous. They are charging $4.95 a bottle and you can only order them on the Apres website. For $4.95 a bottle, they better promise to make me live to 110!
The honest verdict from me - I don’t think that I would drink any of these again unless I were in a pinch. Sampling all 5 within the span of 45 minutes made my stomach hurt. I was surprised by the results and really had hope that I would like one enough to drink for breakfast in the morning, but if given a choice, I’d rather be hungry.
Let me know what you think in the comments. Am I being to harsh?
