The Top 5 Healthiest Vegan Protein Powders For Overall Health and Wellness

If you're vegan, sometimes getting in vegan protein sources could be difficult. It is especially difficult when you're on the move. This is where getting a vegan protein powder can come in handy. However, not all Vegan protein powders on the market are necessarily healthy.

 

In this post, we're going to go over the top 5 healthiest vegan protein powders on the market. These options not only will have a high protein count, but will have other health benefits that you won't want to miss out on.

What Makes An Unhealthy Vegan Protein Powder?

While many vegan protein powders are marketed as a healthy addition to your diet, that's not always the case. But knowing what to look out for is the best way to ensure that you are selecting the healthiest option. Below we will go over what makes a vegan protein powder unhealthy and then we will follow up with the top 5 healthiest vegan protein powders.

Added sugars: Some vegan protein powders are sweetened with added sugars like cane sugar, agave syrup, fructose or corn syrup. These added sugars can contribute to your calorie load and are low in nutritional value.

Highly-processed ingredients:  Look for vegan protein powders that are as close to their natural form as possible. Highly-processed ingredients, such as maltodextrin or artificial flavors should be avoided.

Artificial sweeteners: Artificial sweeteners are often added to vegan protein powders to make them taste better without adding too many calories. Artificial sweeteners can be a way for people to get off sugar slowly, but aren't made to be consumed every day due to potential side effects.

Types Of Plant Proteins They Use: If the plants they use in the protein and powder altogether aren't organic, they may be sprayed with pesticides and chemicals that can be bad for your health. It's best to look for vegan protein powders with organic, whole-food ingredients.

#1 Maximum Vibrance and Green Vibrance + Protein

For the number one spot, we have a tie between Maximum Vibrance and Green Vibrance + Protein and after we go over what each one is about, you'll see why. We're going to take a look at their ingredients, what makes them stand out, and which one might be best suited for you.

Maximum Vibrance

Maximum Vibrance is a supplement that is designed to provide a comprehensive solution for all of your nutritional needs. Named a "Future Food™," Maximum Vibrance is packed with all the benefits of a green superfood, as well as high-antioxidant fruits and vegetables, a meals worth of plant-based (vegan) protein, 25 Billion probiotics, and an organic, plant-based multivitamin.

As you could see, this powder is more than just protein, it's giving you a complete nutritional package.

Maximum Vibrance Ingredients

As you could see from the picture above, the ingredients list of Maximum Vibrance is quite extensive. There are 13 different sections of ingredients, all dedicated to helping a different aspect of your health. Let's go over each one briefly.

Major Protein Components: This one is pretty self-explanatory, it is the section of ingredients that provides you with vegan protein sources. It contains yellow pea protein powder, sprouted brown rice 8-% protein (cert. Organic), and spirulina powder (cert. organic).

Cereal Grasses: Cereal Grasses are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and chlorophyll, which are all beneficial for your health.

Concentrated Plant Nutrition: Concentrated nutrition within Maximum Vibrance is good for so many different things. If you would like to dive into each ingredient specifically, take a look at our ingredientsopedia. The first ingredient in the concentrated plant nutrition section is sunflower lecithin powder which may promote joint lubrication and support brain and liver health.

Superfruits: Each of the fruits in Maximum Vibrance has a different set of benefits, however, most of them have antioxidants being the common factor.

Antioxidant Life Preservers: The ingredients in the antioxidant life preservers have antioxidants along with anti-inflammatory properties.

Immune Support: The immune support section has a variety of ingredients that can help to promote your immune system's health. The main ingredient Astragulus, has antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Adaptogens: The adaptogens within Maximum Vibrance help with reducing stress and anxiety, boosting energy, and improving cognitive function.

Skeletal Support: Your skeletal system is often overlooked when it comes to health and wellness. People don't think about the fact that it protects our organs, maintains our shape and posture, and allows us to move. The ingredients within the skeletal support section of Maximum Vibrance are there to help with bone health.

Fiber: Fiber helps with digestive health, lowers cholesterol levels, manages blood sugar levels, and more.

Liver Support: Our livers are basically the filter of our body. The Burdock root extract, Spirulina powder certified organic, and Silamarina milk thistle extract are all great for supporting the health of your liver.

Vitamins and Minerals: Not many vegan protein powders contain vitamins and minerals, especially at the level of maximum vibrance. When you take a look at the micronutrients, you could see that Maximum Vibrance has everything covered.

Enzymes and Tonics: Enzymes and tonics help break nutrients in the body. In other words, all the great nutrients you're consuming within Maximum Vibrance will be better absorbed and more effective with the enzymes and tonics.

Probiotics: Last but definitely not least, is the probiotics (25 CFUs to be exact).  Probiotics provide your body with good bacteria which boosts your immune system, helps with mental health, has some heart health benefits, and more.

Green Vibrance + Protein

Green Vibrance is pretty much the same thing as Maximum Vibrance without the added vitamins and minerals, and the additional antioxidants (still has significant amounts of both) . Green Vibrance + protein is the original flagship supplement from Vibrant Health (Green Vibrance) with an added 20 grams of plant-based protein.

Both of these options are great options for vegan protein powder, it just depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a supplement that has additional vitamins and minerals, then go with Maximum Vibrance. If you prefer something simpler but still packed with nutrients, then Green Vibrance is the way to go.

 

Supplement	Flavors	Purchase Type	Price	Servings	Price Per Serving
Green Vibrance + Protein	Vanilla Bean	One time-purchase	$55.20	15	$3.68
		Subscription	$48.30	15	$3.22
Maximum Vibrance	Chocolate and Vanilla	One-Time Purchase	$75.20	15	$5.01
		Subscription	$65.80	15	$4.39

#2 Garden Of Life SPORT Organic Plant-Based Protein

Second on our list is Garden of Life Sport Organic Plant-Based Protein. This vegan protein is a clean, organic protein powder that's especially perfect for athletes. It's quadruple certified by third party-organizations, including the USDA Organic and NON-GMO project verified, so you can be sure it doesn't contain any banned athletic substances.

 

Let's go over the ingredients and explain why it's number two on our list.

Garden Of Life Sport Organic Plant-Based Protein Ingredients

The first thing we're going to do is take a look at the ingredients and then explain why it's so high up on our list.

As you could see the macro nutrient profile is pretty good. There is 30 grams of protein, 8 carbs and 3.5 grams of fat per 2 scoops which is equivalent to one serving.  On top of that, there is no added sugars.

When it comes to the ingredients, the powder comes with 4 different proprietary blends:

Organic Performance Protein Blend: This comes with Organic Pea Protein, Organic Sprouted Navy Bean, Organic Sprouted Lentil Bean, Organic Sprouted Garbanzo Bean, Organic Cranberry Protein (Seed). This is a very good list of plant-based proteins that offer a good source of high-quality protein.

Organic Flavor Blend: The blend of flavors includes Organic cacao and other organic ingredients which is a good sign, since there are no artificial ingredients or sweeteners.

Organic Recovery Blend: The recovery blend is made up of fruits that have a high amount of antioxidants that help the body recover and repair.

2 Billion CFU Bifidobacterium lactis Bl-04: Finally, this probiotic blend helps to improve digestive health, immune system and more.

Supplement	Flavors	Price	Servings/Price Per Serving
Garden Of Life Sport Organic Plant-Based Protein	Vanilla and Chocolate	$47.99	15/$3.20

 

In terms of price it’s a bit cheaper, but in terms of the amount of nutrients you get with Maximum Vibrance and Green Vibrance, the extra price is worth it when it comes to health benefits.

 

Another thing that stands out when it comes to Green Vibrance + Protein and Maximum Vibrance is the transparency. Unlike Garden Of Life Sport, there are no proprietary blends, so you know exactly what you’re getting in terms of ingredient amounts. 

 

#3 Mary Ruth's Organic Protein Powder

Another great vegan protein powder that's considered to be healthy is Mary Ruth's Organic Protein Powder. This plant-based protein powder is free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives, and is also gluten-free.

Mary Ruth's Organic Protein Powder Ingredients

Although it has no artificial substances within the ingredients, this plant-based protein powder lacks the macros a lot of people want when looking for a protein powder. For some, the combination of 14 grams of protein and 9 grams of carbohydrates per scoop might be a bit too close for comfort.

The unique part about Mary Ruth's Organic protein powder is that the protein is made up of one thing, pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are considered a complete protein which means it contains all 9 essential amino acids needed by your body.

Mary Ruth's Chocolate Plant Protein	Price	Servings	Price Per Serving
Buy Once	$27.95	15	$1.87
Subscribe	$25.16	15	$1.68

 

The ingredients in Mary Ruth’s plant-based protein are pretty good, however, the macros aren’t for everyone, and the additional ingredients when it comes to additional health benefits aren’t there.

#4 Ascent Plant Protein

Ascent is another good brand when it comes to plant-based (vegan) protein powders and it’s number three on our list. Ascents Plant Protein is a great tasting (3 flavors), high-quality protein powder designed to support muscle health. With one scoop you get 25 grams of protein, which is certified organic.

Ascent is a family-owned company that prides itself on using only the best ingredients. So, let’s take a look at the ingredients and see why it’s number three on the list.

Ascent Plant Protein Ingredients

Ascent is geared towards strictly muscle recovery. The macros are 25 grams of protein, 8 carbs, and 3.5 grams of fat.

When looking into the ingredients, unlike the Vibrant Health supplements and Garden of life, all the supplements are geared towards taste and protein sources.

Based on the list of ingredients, it doesn't appear that there are any crazy downsides. Most of the ingredients are organic, which means they are grown and processed without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.

However, there are artificial sweeteners and gums, so if you are looking for something all-natural, this would not be the best choice. On top of that, if you have nut allergies, you may want to stay away as the product is produced on equipment that also processes tree nuts & peanuts.

Supplement	Flavors	Price-One time/Sub	Servings/Price Per Serving
Ascent Plant Based Protein	Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Vanilla Bean	$69.99/$62.99	One time 36/$1.94 Sub 36/$1.75

 

The price for Ascent is lower than both #1 & #2 and #3 however, #1, #2, and #3 on our list have significantly more healthy ingredients along with probiotics.

 

#5 KOS Vegan Protein

Another reputable Vegan protein and #5 on our list is KOS Vegan protein. If you're looking for a plant-based protein powder that provides a complete protein that is also great tasting (multiple flavors), KOS may be a good idea for you.

Let's dive into the ingredients of KOS along with the pricing and ingredient chart!

KOS Vegan Protein Ingredients

The macros for KOS are pretty good as the powder consists of 20 grams of protein, 6 grams of fat, and 9 carbs.

As far as the ingredients, KOS has its protein sources (organic sources), an organic fruit and veggie blend, a Digestive enzyme blend, and last but not least a Vitamins and minerals blend. So it's safe to say KOS goes beyond just being a vegan protein source, and has extra health benefits.

The downsides to the ingredients are:

Proprietary Blends: Blends don’t tell you how much of each ingredient is within the supplement, which makes it hard to tell how much of an actual benefit you’re getting from each ingredient.

High in Salt: KOS is considered high in sodium compared to most Vegan protein sources. High sodium could be a big downfall to many consumers.

Flavors	Price	Price Per Serving
Blueberry Muffin, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Mint, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Salted Caramel Coffee, Vanilla, Unflavored	42.49	1.52

 

Takeaways

If your main goal is to get the most healthy vegan protein powder possible, it’s clear that Maximum Vibrance and Green Vibrance + Protein are your very best bets. Both with a powerful blend of nutrient-dense superfoods, plant-based protein, and 25 CFUs of probiotics, these two are your best bet to feeling your best. 

Vibrant Health also has many other beneficial supplements which you could find in the Vibrant Health Store.

If you’re interested in learning more about your health, take a look at the Vibrant Health blog as well!