One of the main reason men have a hard time going vegan is due to the negative association between veganism and lack of protein. When you think of masculinity, you think of strong bearded men with bulging muscles. Do vegan men have that much of a harder time to gain mass or muscle? Definitely not. A lot of professional-level athletes are doing the switch to a vegan diet. Take a look at Nate Diaz, an MMA fighter commonly known for winning against Conor McGregor during a fight in 2016 who has been vegan for almost 20 years. It goes to show that you don’t need to eat meat or bulk on chicken breasts and eggs to build muscle and strength.
Vegan protein powders are an excellent way of hitting your daily macros, and you have a ton of choices when it comes to the source of the vegan protein used. The most common whey-free protein powders are made from soy, hemp, and pea, but you can also find some made from rice or peanut protein. The classic flavors of vegan protein powders are vanilla, chocolate or simply unflavored. If you don’t dig the aftertaste, you can improve the flavor by adding different kinds of spices or extracts to your protein shake, including cocoa powder, cinnamon or pumpkin spice.
Here are the Best Vegan Protein Powders for Muscle Building
| Name | Image | Main Proteins | Servings per Container | Protein Content per Serving | Flavors | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAKED Nutrition’s Organic Brown Rice Protein Powder |  | Brown Rice | 76 | 25g | Unflavored | Buy on Amazon |
| TRUVANI Vanilla Flavored Plant Based Protein Powder |  | Pea, Chia Seed, Pumpkin Seed | 20 | 20g | Chocolate, Vanilla | Buy on Amazon |
| Garden of Life’s Unflavored Protein Powder with Probiotics & Enzymes |  | Pea, Brown Rice Protein, Amaranth, Buckwheat, Millet, ... | 20 | 22g | Unflavored, Chocolate, Vanilla, Vanilla Chai | Buy on Amazon |
| Nutiva’s Hemp High Fiber Protein from Canadian Hempseed |  | Hemp | 15 | 11g | Regular, Hi Fiber, Shake Mix, Chocolate and Vanilla | Buy on Amazon |
| MRM’s Mixed Berries Flavored Natural Supplement |  | No proteins | 29 | 0g (it's a pre-workout) | Mixed Berries, Strawberry-Kiwi | Buy on Amazon |
| ALOHA's Chocolate Plant Based Protein Powder |  | Pea, Brown Rice, Hemp Seed, Pumpkin Seed | 15 | 18g | Banana, Chocolate, Mixed Berry | Buy on Amazon |
| Orgain’s Vanilla Bean Plant Based Protein |  | Pea, Brown Rice, Chia Seed | 20 | 21g | Vanilla Bean, Peanut Butter, Creamy Chocolate Fudge | Buy on Amazon |
| Vega’s Vanilla Flavored Protein & Greens |  | Pea, Pea Starch | 25 | 20g | Unsweetened, Vanilla, Chocolate, Berry, Tropical, Salted Caramel | Buy on Amazon |
| Vega’s Vanilla Flavored Sport Premium Protein |  | Pea Protein, Pumpkin Seed, Sunflower Seed | 20 | 30g | Berry, Chocolate, Mocha, Vanilla | Buy on Amazon |
| Vega’s Protein & Energy Cold Brew Coffee |  | Pea Protein | 24 | 20g | Cold Brew Coffee, Matcha Latte, Vanilla Bean, Classic Chocolate | Buy on Amazon |
| Vega’s Vanilla Flavored Essentials Shake |  | Pea Protein, Flaxseed, Pea Starch | 18 | 20g | Chocolate, Vanilla, Mocha | Buy on Amazon |
| Sunwarrior’s Vanilla Flavored Warrior Blend with Peas & Hemp |  | Pea, Hemp | 15 | 27g | Vanilla, Chocolate, Berry | Buy on Amazon |
| NAKED Nutrition’s Yellow Pea Protein Isolate |  | Yellow Pea | 15 | 27g | Unflavored | Buy on Amazon |
1. NAKED Nutrition’s Organic Brown Rice Protein Powder
(Buy here)
NAKED Nutrition’s Organic Brown Rice Protein Powder is not your typical vegan protein powder. It is the simplest and cleanest way of keeping up a high protein plant-based diet. Free from gluten, soy, dairy and GMOs, this rice protein powder has no additives and has only one ingredient, organic sprouted whole grain brown rice. No artificial sweeteners, flavors or colors, simple as that. It’s a good vegan protein source if you’re never tried a protein powder before, as it has a more neutral taste than other powders.
2. TRUVANI Vanilla Flavored Plant Based Protein Powder
(Buy here)
TRUVANI uses only the most premium and essential ingredients to make an unbelievably tasty vanilla protein powder. This powder is made from 5 simple ingredients, that is pea, chia and pumpkin seed protein, vanilla powder, and Luo Han Guo, which are all 100% USDA Certified Organic and that’s it. Not a single filler, additive or artificial flavor. Low-carb and paleo-friendly, this vegan protein powder will keep you satiated and gives you lasting energy throughout the day without any weird aftertaste that you are so used to from other protein shakes.
3. Garden of Life’s Unflavored Protein Powder with Probiotics & Enzymes
(Buy here)
Garden of Life’s Raw Protein is a vegan protein powder formula containing 13 organic and raw sprouts and fortified with live probiotics and enzymes for easy digestion. This plant formula contains all the essential amino acids, and contains vitamins A, D, E, and K for an all-around healthy supplement to have. Take it as a post-workout recovery to help rebuild and recover from your gym sessions faster and stronger than ever. *Note: This product has been found to have potentially high levels of heavy metals, BPA, pesticides, and/or other contaminants (more than 150 in all) as per Consumer Reports.
4. Nutiva’s Hemp High Fiber Protein from Canadian Hempseed
(Buy here)
Nutiva’s Organic Superfood is a vegan protein powder containing simply 100% organic non-GMO hemp protein, which is naturally high in fiber. Sustainably grown in Canada, the hemp seeds were harvested and cold processed into this nutritious and delicious protein powder, ready to be blended into a vegan smoothie. Nutiva goes the extra mile when it comes to social responsibility, as they source organic products, contribute to their local communities and always look for better ways to protect the environment and secure a better world and life for everyone.
5. MRM’s Mixed Berries Flavored Natural Supplement
(Buy here)
6. ALOHA’s Chocolate Plant Based Protein Powder
(Buy here)
ALOHA’s Chocolate Protein Powder is a plant-based option for people who like the taste of chocolate in their protein shakes. If you can’t stand the taste of plant protein (and yes, it has a taste), or are fed up of vanilla flavored powders, this one’s for you. Lightly sweetened with coconut sugar instead of the usual stevia, this powder has a complete amino acid profile and is an excellent source of fiber, iron and MCT oil. A guaranteed boost of tasty protein for your workouts!
7. Orgain’s Vanilla Bean Plant Based Protein
(Buy here)
Orgain’s Organic Protein Powder is perfect for protein shakes post-workout or a busy day at work, as it works great as a meal replacement! It has 21 grams of organic protein, 5 grams of fiber and carbs per serving. This vegan protein powder is a formula with no artificial additives such as flavors, colors or preservation agents, and on top of all that, it’s non-GMO, and soy and gluten free! It’s great in smoothies and tastes slightly sweet.
8. Vega’s Vanilla Flavored Protein & Greens
(Buy here)
This is a classic one that you will see pretty much in every health store. The Vega Protein & Greens is a vegan protein shake flavored with vanilla and goes great in smoothies. With 20 grams of proteins per serving, it is plenty to keep you running or working out as long as you need to. If you have a hard time supplementing your diet with greens, this plant-based protein powder has two whole servings of greens, so you don’t have to worry about eating your spinach anymore.
9. Vega’s Vanilla Flavored Sport Premium Protein
(Buy here)
Another one from Vega (and be ready, the next few ones are from Vega too!), This Sport Premium Vegan Protein powder is made specifically for active people who look to build muscle, or bulk, and allows for faster muscle recovery post-workout. This mixed protein from pea, alfalfa, pumpkin and sunflower seeds is the ultimate vegan protein powder. Comes in different flavors, such as chocolate, vanilla, mocha and berry!
10. Vega’s Protein & Energy Cold Brew Coffee
(Buy here)
This vegan protein powder from Vega has a little extra kick from MCT oil extracted from coconut, the additive commonly added to bulletproof coffees, and a healthy dose of caffeine from real cold brew coffee. Every single ingredient is plant-based, and is sure to keep you up on your feet during long work days and extreme workouts. Vega Protein & Energy comes in four different flavors, including Cold Brew Coffee, Chocolate, Vanilla and Matcha Latte.
11. Vega’s Vanilla Flavored Essentials Shake
(Buy here)
This is more of a nutritional shake powder than a simple protein powder, as it contains much more supplements, such as vitamins, minerals, and portions of vegetables and greens. This daily nutrition supplement has no sugar added, is gluten-free, Non-GMO, and comes in three flavors, which are vanilla, chocolate and mocha. Goes great in smoothies with fruits to act as a meal replacement.
12. Sunwarrior’s Vanilla Flavored Warrior Blend with Peas & Hemp
(Buy here)
This vegan protein warrior blend from Sunwarrior combines the best of each and every single ingredient that it contains. It has no sugar added, it’s soy and gluten free, and is nutrient dense. Each serving contains a complete amino-acid profile with high levels of Glutamine, Arginine, Lysine, you name it! The perfect vegan protein powder for muscle-building workouts and post-workout recovery.
13. NAKED Nutrition’s Yellow Pea Protein Isolate
(Buy here)
Naked Pea is not afraid of anything, as it doesn’t hide a single thing about itself. It contains a single ingredient, 100% premium yellow pea protein, and has a whopping 27 grams of protein. It’s vegan and the company has environmentally-friendly farming practices. It does not contain a single additive, yet has so much flavor. Make sure to add it to your daily smoothies, with healthy servings of greens and fruits, and you will have tons of energy for your workouts or simply to keep your vegan protein intake high.