Bulk Powders have become one of my go-to companies for vegan protein powders and that’s simply because their vegan protein powder is really affordable, tastes good and the quality is great too.
I’ve previously talked about Bulk Powders in detail in this post where I briefly reviewed some of their products but here I wanted to tell you more about their Vegan Protein Powder which I really like. It’s one of their best sellers too. So if you are thinking of trying Bulk Powders Vegan Protein Powder, here is my honest review.
How do I choose protein powder?
First things, first. Before I buy any protein powders I consider a few different things. First of all, I check the ingredients’ list. It’s very important for me that ingredients are as natural as possible and I don’t like things like artificial sweeteners, added synthetic vitamins and minerals, artificial flavouring and similar. I also avoid sugar as this just adds extra calories and doesn’t do anything good for my body.
It’s very common these days that sports nutrition brands add artificial sweeteners to their protein powder blends such as aspartame, acesulfame and sucralose. As soon as I see any of these, I avoid them like a plague. Why? Well, that’s because they are artificial, they are not natural and although many artificial sweeteners are deemed safe, it doesn’t mean they have no side effects. In fact, they may have a negative effect on your weight loss goals since they have been shown to increase appetite in some people and may even result in weight gain. Learn more about their dangers here.
Another thing that I look for in protein powders is soy. I like to stick to dairy-free protein powders which are ideally free of soy. That’s because I am not totally sure whether soy is good or bad for me, especially the one that is not organic (likely to be genetically modified). I need to do more research into soy but for now, I am avoiding it.
What I’ve noticed when researching vegan protein powders is that some blends contain quite high amounts of salt. This is added to bring all the flavours together and to make the powder tastier but if you consume too much of something with high salt content it’s definitely not going to be healthy, so something to watch out for.
BULK POWDERS VEGAN PROTEIN INGREDIENTS
I was really pleased when I discovered that Bulk Powders Vegan Protein meets all my criteria:
- It doesn’t contain any artificial sweeteners. Instead, the powder is sweetened naturally with stevia.
- It contains no soy.
- It contains no artificial ingredients that could be potentially harmful.
- It doesn’t contain high levels of salt.
Here is a full list of the main ingredients:
- V+™ Protein Blend (Pea Protein Isolate, Brown Rice Protein, Pumpkin Seed Protein, Flaxseed Powder, Quinoa Flour)
- Natural Flavouring
- Sunflower Lecithin – a naturally derived ingredient that comes with some health benefits. It’s in the blend to make things mix better. It’s a safe ingredient with no cause for concern.
- Stevia Extract – a natural sweetener with zero calories.
- Xanthan Gum – another ingredient that helps to mix everything together. It’s a safe ingredient that even comes with some health benefits.
- DigeZyme® Enzyme Complex (Amylase, Protease, Cellulase, Lactase, Lipase) – These digestive enzymes help to break down protein, carbohydrate, cellulose and fat. This will help to improve your digestion and help more nutrients to absorb into your body.
In addition to the ingredients above, you will also find the following in Bulk Powders vegan protein powders, depending on the flavour you choose to try:
- Cocoa Powder (Chocolate Peanut Flavour Only)
- Natural Colouring (Beetroot Red – Strawberry Flavour Only)
- Citric Acid (Strawberry Flavour Only)
I really like that Bulk Powders use natural flavouring and natural colouring in their Vegan Protein Powder. Not like some other companies which choose artificial ingredients.
This vegan protein blend naturally contains Magnesium, Copper and Manganese and some other minerals. Magnesium is important for healthy muscle function and essential for the production of energy. Copper is also involved in cellular energy production whilst manganese is involved in protein metabolism and other body functions.
AMINO ACID PROFILE AND PROTEIN CONTENT
Bulk Powders Vegan Protein Powder contains a good mix of vegan protein sources that will provide you with all the essential amino acids that your body needs.
Many vegan protein powders (not blends) are not well balanced in terms of the amino acid profile. Single source vegan powders often lack a certain type of amino acid or are low in one or the other. For our bodies to function properly, we need all essential amino acids and we need a good balance of them.
This balance is achieved by combining different sources of vegan protein, such as pea protein, brown rice and pumpkin protein.
Bulk Powders Vegan Protein Powder contains a good balance of all essential amino acids (all coming from different types of vegan protein), making it a high-quality source of protein for vegans or those interested in plant-based eating.
The blend contains 23g of protein per serving (1 scoop or 35g) which is quite high for vegan protein powder.
An important thing to mention here is that Bulk Powders use only GMO-free sources of vegan protein in their powders.
BULK POWDERS VEGAN PROTEIN TASTE AND FLAVOURS
One of the things that I really love about Bulk Powders Vegan Protein is its taste. I love the Vanilla flavour but recently have also tried White Chocolate Coconut flavour which I also like. It’s not a very strong flavour though, very subtle.
Although the powder is sweetened with stevia (natural sweetener), it’s not too sweet and not sickly sweet like some protein powders can be. It’s a perfect sweetness I must say, that’s one of the reasons why I love it so much. The taste is really good and although some people say it’s a bit ‘chalky’, I didn’t feel that.
Apart from the vanilla and white chocolate coconut flavours, there are other flavours available as well:
- Chocolate Peanut
- Strawberry
- Banana Caramel
- Apple Strudel
- Peanut Butter
It would be nice to have a plain chocolate flavour as well, I would definitely buy it but for now, it’s not yet available.
Just to mention that some of the flavours are quite new and initially it looked to me that the ingredients’ list has not been updated yet on their website or on the packaging. But I got in touch with the brand’s customer service and they said that all the new flavours have natural flavouring in them and this is stated on the ingredients’ list.
All of the ingredients are listed for this product on the nutrition part of the product page, the only difference is the flavours however these are all natural flavourings derived from variants of the root flavouring.
It’s still not clear to me where these natural flavours come from though.
Does Bulk Powders Vegan Protein Powder mix well?
This is something I know many people would want to know: does this powder mix well, is it gritty or grainy? What’s the texture like?
I must admit, I don’t use this powder in a shake, I normally just mix it into foods and it mixes well, adding thickness to whatever I put it into. There are no lumps and the powder is really smooth without feeling gritty. Reading other people’s reviews online, many people seem to agree:
How to use Bulk Powders Vegan Protein
I personally use Bulk Powders Vegan Protein in porridge and add it to muesli. Sometimes I add it to natural yoghurt. These are my favourite ways of using it but you could also make a shake out of it, add it to your pancakes and even use it in baking. If you like smoothies, add it to your smoothie to thicken it up and increase the protein content.
Many people recommend to use protein powder after the workout to help your muscles recover but I don’t really pay much attention to that and just use it to make sure my body gets enough protein every day. Without this extra protein, I struggle to meet the recommended protein intake which is not great when you are doing the weight training and exercise regularly. Using vegan protein powder makes things much easier for me.
Bulk Powders Vegan Protein Powder Review – Summary
Pros
- soy-free
- gluten-free
- sugar free
- no artificial flavouring or sweeteners
- GMO-free sources of protein
- mixes well
- tastes great, not too sweet
- high protein content per serving
- a good balance of all essential amino acids
- contains digestive enzymes to aid digestion and absorption of nutrients
- really affordable
- a wide range of flavours available
- compostable packaging
Cons
- some people may find it chalky and slightly grainy
- not organic
- no plain chocolate flavour available just yet
- not all the flavours will taste good for everybody and some are very subtle flavours
To learn more about Bulk Powders Vegan Protein Powder and read more reviews, go to Bulk Powders website.
Disclaimer: I wrote this review as I truly like the product and I regularly buy it from Bulk Powders website. The company has never got involved with this post at all and have never sent me any free products to try. I bought their products out of my pocket and will continue buying them because I like them. This post contains affiliate links which means I may get a small commission if you buy a product after clicking on a link. Thank you for your support.