What is the best protein shake? For us, it all comes down to the best tasting protein shake. Sure, we’re looking for lots of protein and “macros,” but mostly we’re looking to enjoy drinking the dang thing. Over the course of two taste tests, we tried 26 different protein shakes in order to find the best premade protein shakes that actually taste good. We’re very buff now (just check us out on TikTok to see). Read on so you can be just as swole as us.
Here’s what we were looking for in the best tasting protein shakes: Something that tasted like an actual shake—rather than protein powder dissolved in sugar milk. An important question we asked throughout this process was, “What doesn’t taste like chalky gloop?” Ideally, we want a shake that tastes thick and creamy like a good shake! Protein shouldn’t be something we notice in the taste, ya dig? That said, the macros element did factor into some of our picks, because you can’t deny the power of protein. Here are the best tasting protein shakes you can buy.
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- Slim Fast Advanced Energy Rich Chocolate
Slim Fast claims that one of these protein shakes contains as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. So if you’re looking to get a caffeine buzz along with your protein, this is the best protein shake for you. The macros aren’t great (it’s a bit high in fat), but this shake contains more fiber than the others you’ll see on this list. Twenty grams of protein ain’t bad, either. But the caffeine is really the selling point with this one, since the flavor is pretty middling. It’s meant to be a meal replacement, and it does feel filling, so I’ll give it that. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Equate High Performance Protein Shake Chocolate
This shake’s chocolate flavor is really mellow, but still nice and milky. There’s a real hot cocoa vibe here which is pleasant to taste and to smell. Equate’s chocolate protein shakes are low in sugar, with 30 grams of protein per serving. It’s hard to argue with the distinct chocolate flavor combined with the stacked amount of protein. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart
- Muscle Milk Chocolate
Zero sugar and 25 grams of protein. That’s pretty good, but how is the taste? Well, the color is much darker than the others, which checks out because the chocolate flavor is really intense. It’s got almost a chocolate goo thing going on, so it doesn’t feel so much like a shake as it does a delicious chocolate sludge. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Iconic Vanilla Bean
For a zero-sugar protein shake, Iconic’s vanilla flavor is still pleasantly sweet. It reminds me of melted birthday party ice cream. It has a good, real vanilla flavor, and it’s so deliciously creamy. It’s gentle but it still packs 20g protein with 0g sugar and just 4g net carbs. I also can’t deny that the packaging is very cool. If you want one of the best protein shakes that also looks very good, Iconic Vanilla Bean is the one for you. (We also tried Iconic Caffe Latte, but it tasted a little meaty.) — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Koia Chocolate Banana
If your favorite dessert is a frozen banana from the boardwalk (or maybe you’re just a really big Arrested Development fan who firmly believes that there’s always money in the banana stand), then this is the best protein shake for you. It has more sugar (6g) and slightly less protein (18g plant protein) than other shakes we tried, but it’s thick with good quality cocoa flavor. It’s a tasty treat that happens to have added protein value. The best part, though, is that the banana flavor tastes like real banana—not Runts banana. Impressive! — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Chobani Complete Strawberry Cream
If you like drinkable yogurt, Chobani makes the best premade protein shakes. We tried both Mixed Berry and Strawberry Cream, and the Strawberry Cream shake came out on top. It has a strong strawberry flavor, almost like homemade strawberry jam. There is that fake sugar twinge at the end (there’s 0g sugar), but the yogurty twang wins out. Twang over twinge, that’s what I always say. It has 20g protein and it’s quite filling—a good post-workout snack, for sure. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Premier Protein Strawberries & Cream
This reminds me of the strawberry milk I used to get in school as a kid. It’s really creamy, and the strawberry flavor isn’t overly pungent; it’s subtle and delicious. Premier also has a good salinity to it, which balances out the sweetness. This is really low in fat and sugar, but very high in protein (30 grams!). That’s good macros (are you sick of hearing the word macros yet?). Kind of incredible for one of the best tasting protein shakes. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target
- Aloha Chocolate Sea Salt
Why do protein shake manufacturers think that everyone who wants to get a protein fix also wants to drink liquid cotton candy? Thankfully, Aloha knows there are a few of us out there who would prefer their protein shake not to taste like a melted Peep. As someone who doesn’t love super sweet things, this was the best protein shake I tasted. It has a lovely dark chocolate aroma and it tastes like a dark chocolate bar —- a real serious dark chocolate bar with just a hint of salt. It’s thick and creamy and contains 20g protein and zero artificial ingredients. It’s made with coconut milk, but it doesn’t come off too coconutty—it doesn’t taste like you should be drinking it on a beach. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Fairlife Core Power Vanilla
This tasted like melted vanilla ice cream in a bottle, and it can’t possibly get any better than that (flavor-wise) from a bottled protein shake. It’s just so creamy and delicious! The macros aren’t bad, either. The overall fat and saturated fat isn’t outrageous, and there’s only five grams of sugar plus 26 grams of protein. This is a delicious vanilla shake that just happens to contain a lot of protein. Big win and definitely the best protein shake if you like it sweet. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
Best with Caffeine
Best Chocolate
Best Zero Sugar
Best Creamy
Best Unique Flavor
Best Yogurt
Best Strawberry
Best Not Sweet
Best of the Best
Other products we tried: Muscle Milk Vanilla Creme, Fairlife Core Power Chocolate, Orgain Creamy Chocolate Fudge, Orgain Smooth Chocolate Vegan Protein Shake, Premier Protein Chocolate, Premier Protein Vanilla, Atkins Iced Coffee Protein Shake, Atkins Dark Chocolate Shake, Kellogg’s Special K French Vanilla Protein Shake, Kellogg’s Special K Strawberry Protein Shake, Chobani Complete Mixed Berry Vanilla, Naked Protein Tropical, OWYN Cookies & Cream, OWYN Dark Chocolate, OWYN Cold Brewed Coffee, OWYN No Nut Butter Cup, Iconic Cafe Latte
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Can you do this for vegan protein shakes? Would love to see how they rank! Same with vegan and regular protein powders (maybe mixed with water or almond milk?). Thank you! I personally really like OWYN Cookies and Creamless shakes, though I dismiss whey protein shakes since my body cannot handle whey.
would love to see the carb counts for all these shakes
You need to try the Shamrock Farms protein shakes and then revisit this list!