ZestW

• Best overall
• Best vegan
• Best low-carb
• Best budget
• What else we considered
• How much protein should you get in a day?
• How we tested

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If you're trying to build muscle or trim fat, increasing your daily protein intake is well-proven to help alongside the right workout plan. But eating upwards of 75 grams of protein a day — or, for some people, over 175 grams per day — from whole, nutritious foods can be really hard, especially if you have dietary restrictions like veganism or lactose intolerance.

(Note: The amount of protein you should consume is directly proportional to your body weight. Find out more in 5 tips for eating protein for weight loss or muscle gain or at the end of this piece.)

One of the easiest ways to add protein to your day, particularly if you're on the go, is via ready-to-drink (RTD) protein shakes.

"The main benefit of these drinks is that they're convenient," Samantha Cassetty, RD, a nutrition and wellness expert with a virtual counseling practice based in New York City, told insider. It's easy to score 15 to 25 grams of protein without having to cook or even chew.

However, Cassetty warns that aside from convenience, she doesn't typically recommend ready-to-drink shakes because they're often a sneaky source of added sugars which can both thwart your fitness efforts and contribute to health problems.

While you can't trust every RTD protein shake on the shelf, there are a few that have simple ingredients and derive their protein from healthy sources like whey protein concentrate or plant-based sources. Among those options, I tested 11 shakes to make sure they were drinkable and didn't taste like liquid chalk.

Below are the RTD shakes that made the nutritional and palatable cut. At the end of this guide, we go into more detail on which brands aren't worth your money, tips on how much protein you should really be consuming, and the testing methodology I used in narrowing down the five best. Learn more about how Insider Reviews tests and researches fitness products.

Our top picks for the best ready-to-drink protein shakes:

Best overall: Iconic Protein Drink (4-pack) - See at Amazon
If you're looking for a shake with high protein but no overbearing flavor or artificial sweeteners, the Iconic Protein Drink is a delicious solution.

Best vegan: Aloha Organic Plant-Based Protein Shake (12-pack) - See at Amazon
Thanks to its pea and brown rice proteins, Aloha Organic Plant Based Protein Shake is the ideal RTD protein shake for people who want to avoid animal products.

Best low-carb: Dymatize ISO100 Clear 100% Whey Protein Isolate Drink (12-pack) - See at The Vitamin Shoppe
If you're on the keto diet and looking for a good post-workout protein shake, the Dymatize ISO100 Clear 100% Whey Protein Isolate Drink is a superb option.

Best budget: Pure Protein Complete Protein Shake (4-pack) - See at Walmart
Pure Protein Complete Protein Shake is the most affordable option in our guide by far and has a long list of vitamins and minerals as well as 30 grams of protein.

Best overall: Iconic Protein Drink (4-pack)

Nutrition

Calories: 140

Fat: 3g

Carbs: 8g

Sugars: 0g

Protein: 20g

Pros: 4 flavors to choose from, no artificial ingredients, made with grass-fed milk protein isolate, 20g protein per serving

Cons: Not enough calories to be a meal replacement

Iconic Protein Drink packs 20 grams of protein from an excellent source: grass-fed milk protein isolate. What's more, it only has 3 grams of sugar, and all of it comes from natural sources like cane sugar, monk fruit extract, and glycerin.

Because it isn't artificially sweetened and has a pretty simple ingredient list, Iconic Protein Drink has a rather mild taste which I found to be a huge bonus considering it's easier to get down after a workout.

Iconic is also made without any artificial ingredients, soy, lactose, carrageenan, GMOs, or BPA. While the calorie count is low for this to be a meal replacement, the carbs, protein, and 4g of fiber did hold me over between meals fairly well. Additionally, each bottle has 200% of your recommended daily value (RDV) of vitamin B12 and 50% magnesium. 

Iconic Protein Drink comes in five flavors: chocolate truffle; café latte, which includes 180mg caffeine; cacao + greens, which has one serving of vegetables; vanilla bean; and turmeric ginger. My favorites were the vanilla bean and café latte, which reminded me of a Frappuccino. 

It's one of the more expensive options in our guide but at $3 a bottle, it still runs cheaper than some RTD options you'll find at health food stores.

Best vegan: Aloha Organic Plant-Based Protein Shake (12-pack)

Nutrition

Calories: 170

Fat: 5g

Carbs: 11g

Sugars: 5g

Protein: 20g

Pros: Vegan, contains MCT oil, pea and brown rice protein, no artificial ingredients, mild flavor, sweetened with coconut sugar, soy-free

Cons: Only 20 grams of protein per serving, expensive

Whether you're lactose intolerant, vegan, or just trying to cut back on your animal proteins, plant-based protein has been shown to build muscle just as effectively as animal protein.

With 18 grams derived from pea and brown rice proteins, the Aloha Organic Plant-Based Protein Shake is, for starters, the best tasting vegan protein drink we've tried. (Its protein powder also ranks as our top-tasting vegan powder.)

It uses natural sugar (coconut sugar) and minimal amounts (5 grams) to land a mildly sweet flavor. But Aloha sets itself apart from the other drinks in our guide with its credentials of being dairy-free, soy-free, vegan, non-GMO, organic, and free of any artificial ingredients. 

The Aloha Protein Shake comes in three flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate Sea Salt, and Coconut, the latter of which was my favorite with its delicate, balanced flavor that didn't overwhelm the taste buds and was smooth and refreshing after a hard workout. 

I tried the shake as a replacement for lunch and as an afternoon snack. While it didn't leave me starving, I found I was still looking for more food to calm my cravings. It might work well with some nuts as a quick snack to tide you over between meals. 

Read our full review

Best low-carb: Dymatize ISO100 Clear 100% Whey Protein Isolate Drink (12-pack)

Nutrition

Calories: 110

Fat: 0g

Carbs: 0g

Sugars: 0g

Protein: 25g

Pros: 25g of whey protein isolate per serving, did a great job of keeping me satiated between lunch and dinner, easy-to-understand ingredients, low carbs, low calories, zero fat

Cons: Has a tiny amount of artificial sweeteners, unremarkable taste

The Dymatize ISO100 Clear 100% Whey Protein Isolate Drink uniquely has low-to-no carbohydrates, depending on the flavor you choose. This makes it ideal for individuals on a low-carb diet (although it also has 0 grams of fat, so while it is keto-friendly, it might not be an ideal addition to a keto diet). 

The trade-off is that if you aren't on a low-carb diet, your muscle building and recovery might be compromised — you generally want some carbs alongside protein to restore the energy supply in your muscles. Plus, that lack of carbs is made possible by artificial sweeteners, including stevia (healthier than most) and sucralose (less so). 

I found the sweetness of these beverages started strong, but my taste buds quickly acclimated and the flavor was pretty flat from there. There are four flavors to choose from and my favorite was Tangerine Peach, though it fell short in the flavor department compared to the other picks on this list. Plus, my mouth was left feeling dry afterward each time I tried the brand.

These negatives aside, there's a lot to like about the ISO100. It's more like protein water than a shake. It packs 25 grams of whey protein isolate and has 6.3g BCAAs, including 3g leucine. I appreciate that the ingredients are easy to understand with no weird chemicals no one.

The Dymatize ISO100 Clear Drink did not serve as a good lunch replacement — I had to eat again within a couple of hours of drinking it. However, it performed well as an afternoon snack.

Best budget: Pure Protein Complete Protein Shake (4-pack)

Nutrition

Calories: 140

Fat: 2g

Carbs: 6g

Sugars: <1g

Protein: 30g

Pros: Affordable, 30g of protein per serving, excellent afternoon snack, packed full of vitamins and minerals, 4g fiber

Cons: Unimpressive flavor, contains sucralose and other questionable additives

For a mere $1.66 per bottle, Pure Protein Complete Protein Shake offers up 30g of protein from a blend of milk protein isolate, calcium caseinate, and whey protein concentrate, which has the additional benefit of being packed with calcium as well. 

And, while the Pure Protein shake didn't serve as a good meal replacement, I found it did a terrific job of staving off hunger in the afternoon. During the testing period, I noticed that I performed well in my weightlifting and running workouts, which suggests the Pure Protein drink may have aided in muscle building and recovery, though this is a subjective observation, and it's hard to say for sure.

Pure Protein is not without its negatives, though: Of the three flavors I tried (chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry), vanilla was my favorite, but all three flavors were close to the bottom in my taste rankings among competitors. There's less than 1 gram of sugar so the shake relies heavily on sucralose for its sweetness, which smacks you initially and then disappears as your taste buds acclimate. 

Also, the ingredient list is a bit questionable. In fairness, some of the concerning-looking words are common nutrients with different names ("sodium ascorbate" is vitamin C, "cyanocobalamin" is a synthetic form of b12). But there are numerous additives (maltodextrin, cellulose gel, dipotassium phosphate, etc.) and although these are deemed FRAS (generally regarded as safe), this drink does contain far more food additives, some of which are synthetic, compared to other drinks on this list, Cassie Carson, pointed out during medical review.

What else we considered

I tested 11 different brands of protein shakes – including several flavors and variations of each brand – while researching this guide, and the following just missed the cut but are still worth considering:

Core Power High Protein Milk Shake: There's a lot to like about the Core Power Protein Shakes. The drink comes in 26g, 30g, and 42g protein varieties — all from filtered, low-fat Grade A milk — and several flavors of each. It was a good afternoon snack, and I experienced several good workouts while testing it. Unfortunately, it relies on sucralose for sweetening and didn't have an impressive enough taste to usurp any of our top picks above, though Carson said these are actually her favorite RTD protein drinks so it may be a taste test of your own.

Atkins Protein-Rich Shake: The Atkins shake was the cheapest of the drinks I tested, but it only has 15 grams of protein, which is on the lower side. It tasted pretty good and served as an adequate meal replacement option. But, it features soy protein isolate, which our expert Samantha Cassetty, RD, said could be unsafe. The shake also relies heavily on sucralose.

American Body Building Pure Pro 50 Protein Shake: The Pure Pro 50 shake has 50 grams of protein, which comes from good sources of milk and whey protein concentrates. But, it's packed with sucralose and artificial ingredients, and your body can't digest this much protein in one sitting anyway. Also, I didn't care for the strawberry flavor I tested. 

MET-Rx RTD 51 Protein Shake: The RTD 51 also has a very high protein count – 51 grams – from milk and whey protein concentrates and calcium caseinate. Again, this is more protein than your body can digest in one sitting and sucralose is among the long list of weird ingredients. To top it off, the flavor just wasn't there, and due to the richness, it was hard to suck down after a workout.

Isopure 40g Protein Zero Carb Ready-To-Drink: I liked the flavor of the Isopure shake, and it comes from a good source of protein, ion-exchange whey protein isolate. And, it has zero carbs, which will appeal to those on keto. But, it didn't work well as a meal replacement, and it has a lot of artificial ingredients, so I'd opt for Dymatize ISO100 Clear instead.

How much protein should you get in a day?

Protein is one of the three macronutrients, meaning alongside fat and carbohydrates, it's an essential nutrient your body needs to function. The party line is American adults should get at least 0.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight, Cassetty said — which is the equivalent of 0.36g of protein per pound of bodyweight (shortcut: roughly divide your weight by 3).

However, many experts think that's set too low, Cassetty said, adding that, "for optimum functioning and satiety benefits, more can be better." That's roughly 20 grams of protein per meal or 30 grams per meal for active people.

If your goal is to build muscle mass or cut fat, experts and research say you want to aim for 0.5 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (that's anywhere from 75-150 grams in a day for a 150-lb person, or 100-200 grams in a day for a 200-lb person).

But your body can only process so much protein in a day, so extra doesn't convert to more muscle. And protein still contains calories, so if you're just adding protein onto your existing calorie intake, those excess calories can be stored as fat, Cassetty said.

"The key to upping your protein intake is to have it in place of something else. If you just add it to your diet, there's a good chance you're creating an excess."

Check with your primary care provider before significantly boosting your protein intake. People with low blood pressure, calcium deficiencies, and other specific maladies may experience adverse effects from whey protein.

How we tested

The RTD protein drinks featured in this guide went through a series of tests to see how well they compared across these four categories: Ingredients, flavor, meal replacement, and protein and nutritional content. Here's how each category specifically factored into which drinks made this guide: 

Ingredients: Based on the advice of Samantha Cassetty, RD, I looked for shakes with simple ingredients and ingredient lists. She recommended that protein come from whey concentrate or plant-based sources (soy, brown rice, pea, etc) and that bottles have no artificial sugars, corn syrups, and low-to-no added sugars. Cassetty also said it was best to avoid the thickener carrageenan since it could be a potential inflammatory agent; it was nearly impossible to avoid options with carrageenan completely since it's quite pervasive in the drinks, but I prioritized those without it and noted which drinks did contain it. I also considered whether the drink was GMO-free, organic, vegan, or featured other significant certifications.

Flavor: I drank at least three bottles of each of the protein shakes in this guide at different times and in different situations to account for changes in flavor receptors throughout the day. I rated how they tasted on a scale of 1 to 10. Most scored at least 6, and the top drinks were 8 or better. I also noted whether there was an aftertaste or if it was a chore to drink the shake, which can be a deal-breaker for a post-workout protein source.

Meal replacement: I tested each drink to see if it prevented food cravings when consumed in place of lunch or an afternoon snack. For each situation, I evaluated my hunger levels on a scale of 1 to 5 two hours after drinking the beverage, with 1 meaning I couldn't make it two hours without eating and 5 meaning I still felt full. None of the beverages scored a 5, and 2 (pretty hungry) was the median score.

Protein and nutritional content: Since most people will be drinking a shake in place of a snack or meal, either after a workout or at other times during the day, I looked for brands that were in Cassetty's recommended 20 to 30 grams per serving range. I also looked at the other numbers: calories, fat, sodium, fiber, and if there were any vitamins and minerals present in significant amounts.

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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.

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