A quick Google search for “Best protein powders” renders an overwhelming 51 million hits. Instead of trying to sift through the chaos of the internet, GNC is here to bring you an expertly-curated list of the best protein powders of 2023.
In order to create this list, I sat down with our in-house protein expert – Charlie Branovan. Charlie is on the merchandising team where she oversees the protein powder category. She is responsible for curating the assortment of protein products that you see on GNC shelves. Throughout her nearly 10-year tenure at GNC, she has sampled HUNDREDS of protein powders (crazy, right?!). So, who better to ask for the best of the best?
I sat down with Charlie and asked her to rank the best protein powders of 2023. As a dietitian myself, I threw in my two cents on the nutritional profile of each product.
The Top Protein Powder Picks
- Most Nostalgic Flavors: GHOST® Whey Protein Powder|Skip to review
- Best Vanilla Flavor: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard® 100% Whey Protein – Vanilla Ice Cream | Skip to review
- Best Chocolate Flavor: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard® 100% Whey Protein – Double Rich Chocolate |Skip to review
- Best Cookie Flavor: GHOST Whey Protein Powder Oreo® and Chips Ahoy® |Skip to review
- Best Cereal Flavor: Dymatize® ISO 100® Whey Protein Isolate – Fruity PebblesTM and Cocoa PebblesTM | Skip to review
- Best Protein Powder for Muscle Gain and Strength: GNC AMP WheybolicTM Whey Protein | Skip to review
- Best Protein Powder for Weight Loss: GNC Total Lean® Lean Shake™ 25 | Skip to review
- Best Protein Powder for Weight Gain: GNC Pro Performance® Bulk 1340 | Skip to review
- Best Protein Powder for Women: Vital Proteins® Collagen Peptides – Unflavored | Skip to review
- Best Protein Powder for Men: GNC AMP Wheybolic™ Alpha | Skip to review
- Best Whey Isolate Protein Powder: Dymatize® ISO 100® Whey Protein Isolate | Skip to review
- Best Vegan Protein Powder: GHOST Vegan Protein | Skip to review
- Best Plant Based Protein Powder for Athletes: Vega® Sport Premium Plant Based Protein | Skip to review
- Best Casein Protein Powder: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Casein™ | Skip to review
Charlie’s take is “Nobody does nostalgia like GHOST. The best part – They continue to raise the bar with the number of authentic collabs that capture all the best flavors from your childhood ”. With flavors like Nutter Butter® and newly launched Cinnabon®, you won’t even realize each scoop has only 160 calories (or less) and under 5 grams of sugar (with most flavors running in the 1-2g of total sugar range).
As a dietitian, I like that GHOST® Whey Protein discloses the amount of each protein source on its label. Some products will just list the dose of total protein as a blend of different sources, but you don’t know how much you’re getting from each. GHOST discloses 12.5g of protein comes from whey protein isolate, 10g comes from whey protein concentrate, and 2.5g from hydrolyzed whey protein isolate.
Optimum Nutrition reigns supreme in both vanilla and chocolate categories with their classic Gold Standard 100% Whey.
According to their website, it’s the “world’s best-selling whey protein powder”. It packs 24 grams of protein per scoop as a blend of whey protein isolate, concentrate, and peptides. It’s also gluten free and independently tested for banned substances.
GHOST does it again with two incredibly delicious and nostalgic cookie flavors. Charlie loved both so much that she couldn’t pick a winner!
Is your favorite part of breakfast when you get to the end of your cereal bowl? Hello sugary, milky goodness. That’s what this category is all about and Dymatize wins it with their Fruit and Cocoa Pebbles flavors (minus all the sugar). Dymatize provides 25 grams of protein, all from 100% whey isolate – a fast-digesting protein source. The label also has a typical amino acid profile, which displays the doses of amino acids, including 5.5g of BCAAs, which are important for activating muscle protein synthesis.
Wheybolic is America’s #1 protein powder brand for building strength for a reason†*^. Wheybolic is truly in a league of its own and is engineered to give your strength training program an edge.
Charlie is amazed that “Wheybolic has been a staple at GNC for 16 years. It’s rare that a product sticks for that long, which is a testament to its loyal customer base”.
To develop such an innovative product, GNC scientists wanted to know how they could take ultra-pure whey protein and make it even better. So they combined whey protein isolate with additional leucine (a branched chain amino acid already found in high levels in whey protein isolate) to make a great protein even more beneficial. Leucine can increase muscle protein synthesis by activating the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), a protein that signals your body to make new cells, especially muscle cells. Wheybolic®’s combination of whey protein isolate and leucine is more than just protein—it is working at the cellular level to signal your body to make more muscle.
But we didn’t stop there. Wheybolic was put to the test in two clinical studies and the results were incredible [1,2]. In those studies, Wheybolic was clinically proven to:
• Increase muscle strength by 30% in just 8 weeks
• Increase muscle size
• Support strength, performance, and stamina
Protein isn’t just for building muscle. Because protein can help you feel full (especially compared to carbs and fat) it can be an important part of a weight management program. With over 2,300 five-star reviews, Lean Shake 25 was the clear winner in this category.
Lean Shake 25 is more than just a protein, it’s a meal replacement – which means it combines protein with fiber, vitamins, and minerals so you can consume a shake instead of a high-calorie meal. And you’ll never get bored because it has over 10 flavors to choose from, including Girl Scout Cookie™-inspired favorites.
On the other end of the spectrum, GNC Pro Performance Bulk 1340 wins the weight gainer category. If you’re working out for muscle gains, those muscles need fuel in the form of calories and high-quality macros. Bulk 1340 provides 1,340 nutrient-dense calories and 50 grams of protein from various sources such as whey, casein, milk, and eggs. It also provides 11 grams of BCAAs for muscle recovery and growth^.
“I love the versatility of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides, especially that you can mix it in both hot AND cold beverages. I toss it into my coffee in the morning and you can’t even taste it”, says Charlie.
When people think of collagen, usually they think of its benefits for beautiful skin. But what many don’t realize is collagen is actually the most abundant source of protein in the body! Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides offers up 20 grams of protein per serving. It provides collagen in the peptide form (making it easier to digest) and it comes from grass fed and pasture-raised cows. Vital Proteins is a great option for women (AND men) who want an extra protein boost, but also want to support healthy skin.
Remember the strength benefits of Wheybolic? GNC took those but enhanced it with added ingredients for power output and testosterone support. Wheybolic Alpha takes the clinically proven protein but adds two important ingredients: MyoTOR® and Testofen®.
MyoTOR® is a blend of two botanicals that’s been clinically proven to Improve bench press by 30 lbs and leg extension by 22 lb, increase arm circumference, and improve lean body mass♦◊. The second ingredient, Testofen, is a fenugreek extract that’s been clinically shown to improve sexual health and support testosterone levels.
All of these features make Wheybolic Alpha the perfect protein for men who are looking for an added testosterone boost.
Dymatize ISO 100 does it again. Not only does it win best cereal flavor, but it also takes home the best whey isolate award. If you’re looking for a fast-digesting protein that is solely whey isolate, this is a great option (especially post-workout).
If you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or just try to stay away from animal-based products, there’s plenty of vegan protein powders out there.
One thing to keep in mind is that, compared to milk-based proteins, vegan protein sources can be tricky to flavor. However, Charlie agrees that “GHOST Vegan is one of the best tasting vegan proteins on the market”.
You’ll get 21 grams of protein from pea, pumpkin, and watermelon seed. Plus, it’s soy and gluten free.
If you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or just try to stay away from animal-based products, there’s plenty of vegan protein powders out there.
One thing to keep in mind is that, compared to milk-based proteins, vegan protein sources can be tricky to flavor. However, Charlie agrees that “GHOST Vegan is one of the best tasting vegan proteins on the market”.
You’ll get 21 grams of protein from pea, pumpkin, and watermelon seed. Plus, it’s soy and gluten free.
Casein increases blood amino acid levels at a much slower and steadier rate, which can be beneficial at bedtime when your body typically goes for hours without food. Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Casein is a great option because it provides 24 grams of slow-digesting micellar casein, 5 grams of BCAAs, and 5 grams of glutamine and glutamic acid in every scoop.
With so many protein powders to choose from, we hope this list helps narrow it down for you. Here’s to a protein-packed 2023!
References:
- Coburn JW, Housh DJ, Housh TJ, Malek MH, Beck TW, Cramer JT, Johnson GO, Donlin PE. Effects of leucine and whey protein supplementation during eight weeks of unilateral resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2006 May;20(2):284-91. doi: 10.1519/R-17925.1. PMID: 16686554.
- Mielke, M., Housh, T. J., Malek, M. H., Beck, T. W., Schmidt, R. J., Johnson, G. O., & Housh, D. J. (2009). The effects of whey protein and leucine supplementation on strength, muscular endurance, and body composition during resistance training. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online, 12(5), 39-50.
^When used in conjunction with an exercise program.
■ An 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 33 healthy men compared the effectiveness of this proprietary module of whey protein and leucine vs. an isocaloric carbohydrate placebo consumed before and after resistance training. Subjects consuming the leucine-whey protein supplement experienced greater increases in muscle strength than those on the placebo. Leucine-whey protein supplementation also increased muscle cross-sectional area from baseline.
^ When used in conjunction with an exercise program.
• In an 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 30 healthy male volunteers comparing 1 set resistance training (RT) + active or carbohydrate placebo to 2 sets RT alone with no supplement, the active group showed equal gains in maximal muscle strength and muscle endurance compared to the control group
†Based on mass market (excluding Amazon) Nielsen data 4/3/2022–7/2/2022
♦An 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 40 healthy men participating in a voluntary exercise routine showed that those taking MyoTOR® had significant improvements in upper and lower body strength, muscle endurance, arm circumference and lean body mass vs. those on a placebo after 8 weeks. Improvements in strength were seen in as early as 2 weeks.
◊An 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 118 healthy men participating in a supervised resistance training program showed that those taking MyoTOR® had significant increases in mean upper body strength (49.7 lbs vs. 19.4 lbs), mean lower body strength (42.1 lbs vs. 19.2 lbs) and muscle endurance after 8 weeks vs. those who took a placebo with the same exercise. Improvements in strength were seen in as early as 2 weeks. Men on MyoTOR® had greater improvements in muscle strength and upper body endurance vs. those who took a placebo but exercised twice as much.
