Vanilla Protein Powder

What's in a vanilla protein powder?

Protein on its own doesn't taste like vanilla, so the flavor has to come from somewhere. Many protein powders list it as "natural flavor." Under FDA rules, a natural flavor can be an extract or essence from a wide range of sources, including spices, fruit, vegetables, bark, roots and dairy, as long as its main job is flavor rather than nutrition.¹ The label doesn't have to say which one.

Optimal Plant Protein lists organic vanilla by name, with no "natural flavors." The whole ingredient list is four items: organic pea protein, organic brown rice protein, organic vanilla and organic monk fruit.²

What's in a serving

Figures are from the Nutrition Facts label.² It's USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, certified gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free. With nothing else in the scoop, it tastes like a light, simple vanilla rather than a sweet milkshake.

Why vanilla?

Vanilla is the most flexible flavor to have on hand. It works in a plain shake, goes with almost any fruit, and disappears into oatmeal, yogurt and baking without taking over. If you're only going to buy one protein powder, vanilla is the easiest to use every day.

Sweetened with monk fruit, not stevia

Many vanilla protein powders are sweetened with stevia, sucralose or sugar alcohols. Stevia's sweet compounds also activate bitter taste receptors on the tongue, which is why some people notice a bitter aftertaste.³ Optimal is sweetened only with organic monk fruit. Read more about monk fruit protein powder and stevia-free protein powder.

How to use vanilla protein powder

• Shake: one serving with a cup of unsweetened almond, oat or soy milk.
• Smoothie: blend with frozen berries and half a banana. See our protein shake recipes.
• Oatmeal: stir it into oats after cooking, or try our overnight plant protein oats.
• Pancakes: swap some of the flour for protein powder, like our simple protein pancakes.