It’s no secret that certain vegan protein powders don’t taste very good.
But many do.
You can find those ones using my vegan protein powder comparison page.
Assuming you have a reasonably good tasting powder, you still might not love the taste.
Luckily, there are a few ways to make your protein shake taste better.
1. Add the Liquid First Before the Protein Powder
When I was first developing my testing methodology, I tried adding the powder before the liquid, and the liquid before the powder.
While it doesn’t seem like it would matter too much, it actually makes a huge difference.
When you add the powder first, it mixes worse, and often sticks to the sides and bottom of your container.
Having clumps in your shake will always make it taste worse.
If you weren’t already, add your liquid to your container, and then add your protein powder after. It will mix better.
2. Use a Shaker Bottle with a Wire Mixer
Another cause of poor mixing, and consequently a bad taste, is trying to mix your protein shake with a spoon or bad shaker bottle.
If you’re using a shaker bottle, there are 2 main types:
Some come with a plastic mixer, others come with a wire mixer.
I have both, and have tested both thoroughly.
The winner by a large margin is the wire mixer.
The wire mixer acts like a whisk and does a great job of mixing protein powders. That being said, if your protein powder mixes poorly in the first place, this alone won’t result in perfect mixability.
3. Use a Blender
If clumps really bother you, use a blender, period.
A decent blender can ensure near perfect mixing for powders that mix poorly under normal circumstances.
4. Warm Up Your Liquid First
There was a time in the past where I was forced to use a shaker bottle with a plastic mixer.
At first I was resigned to drinking the clumps and suffering through them.
Then, I started adding the liquid (almond milk) to my shaker bottle 2-3 hours ahead of time, so that it could warm up to room temperature.
As you might know, warmer liquids mix better.
The amount of clumps immediately dropped by over 50%.
5. Add to a Smoothie
If you’re not trying to limit carbohydrates, the easiest way to make a really good tasting vegan protein shake is to add it to a typical fruit smoothie.
Not always ideal, but an option sometimes.
Here’s a collection of homemade vegan protein shake recipes.
6. Add a Sweetener
Most plant based protein powders already have a sweetener of some kind built in (usually stevia).
That being said, if you think you’d enjoy your protein shake if it were sweeter, add a bit more yourself.
If it makes the difference between enjoying and not enjoying your drink, it’s worth it.
7. Shake Longer if Using a Shaker Bottle
When testing vegan protein powders, I tested multiple lengths of shaking time.
What I found was that shaking your bottle for 45-60 seconds had consistently good results.
If you’re only shaking for 15-30 seconds as it is, you’ll see a substantial improvement in how well your protein powder mixes by just mixing more. It’s one of the key steps in getting rid of protein powder clumps.
Summary of How to Make Vegan Protein Powder Taste Good
When it comes to making your vegan protein powder taste better, there’s no single answer that’s right for everybody.
Hopefully, doing one or more of those 7 tips above will help you get your protein shakes to a point where they are easy to drink, or even enjoyable.
Of course, starting with a plant-based protein powder that tastes good is the most important factor.
More than half of these points were about reducing clumps. While that is somewhat helpful, I thought the real issue here is the taste?
Well the taste of a protein powder is what it is, some are good, and some are bad. Short of adding sugar, there’s nothing you can do.
The biggest thing you have control over is how well the shake is mixed, since clumps have a strong effect on the taste.
Pea and rice-based protein powders are super popular right now, but my opinion is that soy is by far the yummiest. I use plain protein isolates whenever possible, because they are cheap and (obviously) higher in protein. Pea and rice are grainy and have a bitter taste. Soy is smooth and creamy and very neutral in flavor. I understand people’s desire to mix up their protein sources and not subsist on soy all the time, but as far as palatability goes, it’s the best…and I’m not personally very convinced by the negative health hype about soy.