The best protein shakes for effortless bulking

Kate Fermi

Editor’s note, August 11, 2022: Kate Farms parent company Lyons Magnus has voluntarily recalled some of its pediatric, standard drinks and nutritional shakes. See download details.

Kate Farms uses organic yellow pea protein in its plant-based shakes, which are free of gluten, soy, dairy and artificial sweeteners. I loved how creamy and delicious these protein shakes were. They are higher in calories (330 calories), which is not a problem since it is considered a meal replacement drink and not just a protein shake. This product almost made the best list, but fell short in one important area: It only has 16 grams of protein per serving compared to other plant-based brands that have at least 20 grams of protein. If Kate Farms revised their formula to include 20 grams or more of protein, it would easily make the top list.

Orgain Organic Nutrition Shake

I’m familiar with Orgain’s plant-based protein powders because I’ve taken them in the past. I had never tried his shakes before and I didn’t like them. I really wanted to like them, but they had an aftertaste that their powders usually don’t have, and even the creamy chocolate fudge flavor (which I usually like) didn’t taste the same to me. If it were up to me, I would stick with Orgain in powder form and mix it with my non-dairy milk of choice as I normally do.

Iconic Life protein drink

This whey based protein shake was not a hit with me as I couldn’t get over the artificial taste. I often enjoy vanilla flavors, but I wasn’t a fan of this vanilla protein version. The chocolate flavor was a little better, but ultimately the sweetener mix just wasn’t right for me.