You can of course add protein to mylkshakes and smoothies by adding natural protein like beans, lentils or nut butters. But if you like to use vegan protein powders (for vegan, athletes or recovering from illness or injury), here are some better brands in sustainable packaging.
Protein powders are not substitutes for a healthy diet. Do not use for breastfeeding/nursing. Treat protein powders as supplements (take care not to go over recommended nutrient limits, if combining). Store in a dry cool place, away from children and pets.
Alpha Foods offers tubs of quality vegan protein powder, made from a combined blend of germinated seeds and pulses with superfoods and creamy coconut milk. Mix 1 heaped scoop with at least 200ml of water or plant milk. Choose from coconut, vanilla or chocolate flavours.
The same company’s Vegan Muscle is for recreational and professional athletes, with added creatine and BCAAs (branch chain amino acids).
BodyMe offers organic vegan protein powders sold in kraft paper packages with inner foil, and no plastic scoop (measurements instead are given for teaspoons or tablespoons). Super-digestable, this contains the perfect ratio of 3 plant proteins with all 9 essential amino acids, plus raw cacao, coconut and turmeric.
My Vegan Plant Protein Superblend is sold in easy-to-recycle pouches, made with upcycled barley and rice (choose from caramel, iced coffee or chocolate). Containing all 9 essential amino acids, this uses grains from the brewing industry that would go to waste. Sweetened with sucralose, mix 1 scoop with 300ml of cold water, shake and wait for 15 seconds for foam to settle.
Bulk offers pea protein and brown rice protein powders, along with a Mass Gainer (for weight gain) with pea, brown rice and pumpkin protein, with flaxseed and quinoa flours. Complete Food Shake is ideal when you have no appetite to get your protein, fibre and vitamins in one drink. Most pouches are home compostable.
Neat Nutrition offers a high-protein powder, sourced from homegrown crops in the British countryside. Enjoy a punchy 26g of protein per serving in vanilla or chocolate. This company was founded by two men who used to compete on the British swimming team.
Pulsin offers a range of vegan protein powders (all bar 2 which contain whey are vegan). Made with faba bean, pea and pumpkin seeds, these offer amino acids with nothing artificial. Choose from:
why choose vegan protein powders?
Nearly all brands of protein powder use whey, casein and eggs (likely none from free-range farms) which can cause gastric stress and allergies in many people (a few brands even use salmon sludge from leftover bones and organs).
Also choose brands with sustainable ingredients for vegan protein powders. As whey is naturally yellow, a few companies even use food-grade bleaching agents, which change the way that powders are processed by the body.
a high-protein vegan recipe book
Plant Protein is one of a new wave of vegan recipe books that focuses on healthy natural proteins, rather than ‘vegetable burgers’ or expensive processed faux meats and cheeses. The author (who runs ultra-marathons) merges her love of cooking with knowledge on how to fuel an active lifestyle, powered by plants.
If making fresh pasta, keep fresh dough away from young children and pets. Read more on keeping people & pets safe in the kitchen.
In this book, learn how protein works and how you can easily include it in a vegan lifestyle, without relying on any animal ingredients. Find a handy list of staples for your pantry and fridge, plus tips for batch-cooking on busy weeks. Recipes include:
- Chocolate brownie baked oats
- Corn fritters with smoky beans and mash
- Harissa tofu ciabatta
- Sweet potato gochujang soup with chickpeas
- ‘Marry me’ lentils
- Creamy harissa butter beans
- Smoky three bean chilli-no-carne
- Sneaky protein coffee chocolate mousse
Gigi Grassia is a foodie influencer, vegan nutrition coach and personal trainer. She shares her love for high-protein vegan meals on her Instagram account, which has over 580,000 followers. Raised in an Italian family, she grew up on home-cooked meals and fresh pasta and now lives in London.
