Four things decide a body builder protein powder, in this order: how the shake sits when another session is coming, whether it mixes in a gym bag with no blender, whether you still like the taste in week ten, and what is on the ingredient line. Six plant powders are compared below on the ingredient line, which a label can answer, and the other three get a three-day test you run on your own training schedule.
Every powder below carries at least 20g of protein a scoop, so dose is a floor they all clear and the grams do not separate them. Each entry says what its label settles and what it leaves open for the three-day test.
| Powder | Protein per serving | Sweetener | Added sugar | Gums |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NØRSE CØDE | 20g | Allulose, monk fruit | 0g | None listed |
| Transparent Labs Organic Vegan Protein | 24g | Not named on the page | Page says none added | None listed |
| Sprout Living Epic Protein Original | 26g | None, unsweetened | Not stated on the page | Page says none |
| Momentous 100% Plant Protein | 20g | Organic cane sugar, stevia, monk fruit | 2g | Page says none |
| Nuzest Clean Lean Protein | 20g | Thaumatin | 0g | None listed |
| NOW Sports Pea Protein | 24g | None, unflavored | 0g | None listed |
"None listed" means no gum appears in the ingredients we read. "Page says none" means the brand states outright that it uses no gums.
Try It Yourself
The Transparent Labs, Momentous and Nuzest pages were read on 16 October, with some figures carried from a read on 24 August. Sprout Living and NOW Sports rest on a read from 21 August. NOW Foods blocks automated readers, so that row could not be re-checked. The table covers protein, sweetener, added sugar and gums. It carries nothing on how a shake sits, how it mixes or how it tastes in week ten, which is what the three-day test under How to choose is for.
We built NØRSE CØDE for the shake that comes out most days, and over a thousand iterations across two years went into it, most of them about texture. We left out xanthan and guar from the first day, so prebiotic acacia fiber carries the mouthfeel and helps the shake feel like food. Pea, rice and barley supply the protein inside nine natural ingredients, and allulose and monk fruit sweeten it to 0g total and added sugar. It dissolves in the liquid you already have and needs no blender.
One customer on how it sat:
"This is the first plant protein powder I've tried that doesn't make me gassy or bloated. The chocolate tastes great and I drink it almost every day and still love it."
It contains coconut, from the MCT oil. The barley protein means it is not gluten-free, so it is not for anyone with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity.
Organic rice protein concentrate is listed ahead of the pea isolate, an unusual order in this category, and together they come to 24g a serving. The page states no GMOs, no added sugar and no artificial additives, and it names Informed Choice and Informed Protein certification. It does not say what sweetens it, so find that out from one serving before you commit to a tub. With the sweetener unnamed, taste is the part of this one the label leaves open, so the three-day test below matters most here.
At 26g, the highest protein in the table, and the page says it carries no gums, with Jerusalem artichoke root in the blend. It is unsweetened, so the flavor depends entirely on what you mix it with, and the liquid and fruit you pick decide how the shake tastes in week ten.
PURIS pea protein and organic brown rice make up the protein. The page states NSF Certified for Sport and describes independent testing for purity, potency and label accuracy, which counts if you compete somewhere that tests. A jar holds 22 servings. It is also the only powder here that declares added sugar, 2g from organic cane sugar, so it is the one to check if you track sugar around training.
Pea protein isolate, natural flavors and thaumatin make up the whole list. A container holds 20 servings, which is ten days at two shakes a day. Thaumatin is the only sweetener, so the sweetness comes without sugar or sugar alcohol, and the three-day test shows whether that flavor holds up for you.
Unflavored, 24g a serving, and pea protein isolate is the only ingredient. Because it is unflavored, taste is entirely a function of what liquid or fruit goes in with it.
Pick two or three and run each for three days on your normal training schedule. One shake right after a session, one on a rest day, one in the liquid you really own, whether that is water, milk or oat milk. Each day, note how the shake sat before your next session, whether it mixed in the shaker without a blender, and whether you would drink another tomorrow.
One customer described what they want from a powder around training, spelling as written:
"I've been using it as a pre- and post-workout. I don't like a heavy mean before a work out and I look for a an easy way to add a recovery drink. Try it yourself, I think you'll like it."
If you take two scoops after a hard session, NØRSE CØDE comes to 40g of protein, and a 14-serving bag lasts a week at that pace. If you are bulking, the table does not cover calories or carbs, so read those from the label of whichever you shortlist.
Ours carries a 60-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked, which covers a three-day test and then some. A serving runs from $2.54 on the eight-bag subscription to $3.57 on a single bag bought once.
Ready to try it?
Backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee. If it is not the smoothest protein you have had, send it back.
Shop NØRSE CØDERelated reading:
