The 10 Best Protein Powders

A sensible first tub for most people, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard is one of the longest-selling whey powders. Each scoop gives 24 grams of protein for 120 calories, and the mix of whey isolate and concentrate keeps the cost down. It stirs in without a blender, and the maker says it's tested for banned substances. It uses artificial sweetener and keeps a little lactose, so people who react to lactose can do better with an isolate.

Anyone cutting calories gets a lean way to add protein from Dymatize ISO100, a hydrolyzed whey isolate. The whey is filtered to remove most of the lactose, fat and sugar, then partly broken into smaller pieces the maker says absorb faster. A scoop gives 25 grams of protein for about 120 calories. It mixes thin, closer to flavored milk than a milkshake. The small tub is a costly way to buy it, so regular users should go bigger.

Clean labels are the draw of Transparent Labs Grass-Fed Whey, a whey isolate from grass-fed U.S. cattle with no artificial sweeteners, dyes or preservatives. Each serving lists 28 grams of protein. Labdoor, an independent supplement-testing service, checked a sample in August 2026, found protein close to the label and low levels of lead, cadmium and arsenic, and scored it highly. The tub is small for the cost, and natural sweetening tastes milder, which suits some people and disappoints others.

Legion Whey+ is a naturally sweetened whey isolate from grass-fed Irish milk. A scoop has 22 grams of protein and, by the label, no sugar, fat or lactose. An independent test in March 2026 found heavy metals too low to measure. The scoop is modest for the money, and the label lists soy as well as milk, which matters to anyone with a soy allergy.

For a thicker, creamier shake, PEScience Select blends whey with casein, with milk protein isolate as the main ingredient. Casein digests more slowly, which suits a shake before bed, and the thick texture works in pudding and baking. Each serving lists 24 grams of protein for 120 calories. PEScience says independent labs test it and that every ingredient amount is disclosed. The jar empties fast with a daily shake, and it still holds some lactose.

Dairy-free eaters can turn to Orgain Organic Vegan, a certified organic powder of pea, brown rice and chia seed. A serving gives 21 grams of protein, and the maker says it has no soy, gluten or artificial sweeteners. It's an inexpensive name brand. The caveat is the category: in Consumer Reports' 2025 tests, plant-based powders averaged about nine times as much lead as whey ones, though results vary by brand and batch, and the summaries available don't name Orgain.

Athletes who face drug tests have a reason to pick Momentous Whey Isolate: Momentous says it's NSF Certified for Sport, a program that checks label claims and screens for substances banned in sport. The whey comes from grass-fed European cows, with an added enzyme blend the maker says is meant to help absorption. A serving has 20 grams of protein, less than many isolates, and the small tub makes each gram costly. Buy it for the certification, not for value.

Unflavored Isopure Zero Carb is a whey isolate with almost nothing added: two ingredients, 25 grams of protein and no carbohydrate, flavors, colors or sweeteners. It goes into coffee, oatmeal, pancakes or a smoothie without changing the taste much. Whey can clump in very hot liquid, so let coffee cool a little before stirring it in. Isopure has made isolates for decades, and this small tub is costly per scoop, while larger tubs bring that down.

People trying to gain weight, or using a shake as a small meal, are the audience for Muscle Milk Genuine, a calorie-dense blend of milk proteins. A two-scoop serving gives 32 grams of protein and 270 calories, and the maker says it's NSF Certified for Sport, so tested athletes can use it too. The fat works against anyone cutting weight, and because a serving is two scoops, the tub empties faster than its size suggests.

Flavor is the selling point of BSN Syntha-6, which blends six proteins, including whey, casein, milk protein and egg white, into a thick shake with dessert-style flavors. A serving gives 22 grams of protein for 190 calories, the big tub is a fair value, and the casein suits a shake before bed. The tradeoff is calories, so it's a weaker fit for cutting. With milk and egg proteins inside, it's out for anyone allergic to either.