Is There A Lot Of Sugar In Protein Drinks?

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Is there a lot of sugar in protein drinks? Protein drinks. We all know that they are high in protein. But are protein drinks also high in sugar? This is the question I wanted to answer in this post. In order to answer this question, I have randomly selected ready-to-drink protein drinks (ranging from dairy shakes to vegan shakes to protein sports drinks) and compared the total sugar content of a bottle. I have then put these protein drinks in descending order of total sugar content. So, make sure to read right to the end to find out about the 0g of sugar protein drinks.

Let’s dig in – is there a lot of sugar in protein drinks?

Is There A Lot of Sugar in Protein Drinks?

As a general rule, protein shakes that are marketed as meal replacement drinks can be high in sugar and contain as much as 19g of total sugar per bottle. Protein enhanced sports drinks tend to be sugar-free, but there are also a number of sugar-free protein shakes available too. The most common sweeteners used in these sugar-free protein drinks are sucralose and acesulfame potassium.

1. SlimFast Meal Replacement Shake/Protein Drink – 18g-19g of Total Sugar

The highest-sugar protein drink I came across in my experiment is SlimFast. There are 18g-19g of total sugar in a bottle of chocolate/vanilla/strawberry cream SlimFast.

This means the first lesson to take away from this post is that if you want a low-sugar protein drink avoid any that are labeled as “meal replacement”.

2. Carnation Breakfast Essentials High Protein with Fiber Ready-to-Drink – 12g of Total Sugar

The second highest-sugar protein drink I came across in my experiment is Carnation Breakfast Essentials Hugh Protein with Fiber Drink. There are 12g of total sugar in a bottle of this drink. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise as it is marketed as a breakfast drink, and I am beginning to establish that meal-replacement protein drinks will often be higher in sugar.

Fear not though Carnation fans, Carnation does have some lower sugar drinks than this – you can read all about it in the following article I wrote: How Much Sugar is in Carnation Breakfast Essentials?

3. BOOST High Protein with Fiber Complete Nutritional Drink in Very Vanilla – 10g of Total Sugar

Next up is BOOST vanilla high protein with fiber drink, which contains 10g of total sugar in a bottle. It is interesting that this is another “protein with fiber” drink that is higher in sugar.

4. OWYN Plant-Based Protein Shake – 4g-5g of Total Sugar

*Sweetened with organic cane sugar and monk fruit extract *

OWYN protein shakes are lower in sugar, at 4g-5g of total sugar per bottle, but are not one of the lowest-sugar protein shakes out there. OWYN shakes are sweetened with both organic cane sugar and monk fruit which explains the lower but not the lowest sugar content.

What makes OWYN different is that its protein shakes are vegan – they are made from pumpkin seed, flax, pea blend, and prebiotics. Keep reading for an even lower sugar plant-based protein shake I came across in this experiment.

Protein Drinks with 1g of sugar or less per bottle

Now we are moving onto protein drinks that contain 1g of total sugar or less per bottle.

5. Atkins Protein-Rich Chocolate Shake – 1g of Total Sugar

*Sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium*

Atkins protein-rich chocolate shake is one of these drinks – Atkins protein chocolate shake is sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium and contains 1g of total sugar per bottle.

You can see for yourself on Amazon here.

6. Premier Protein Shake – 1g of Total Sugar

*Sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium*

Sucralose and acesulfame potassium are also the sweeteners used in Premier Protein Shakes which also contain 1g of total sugar per bottle.

You can find Premier Protein Shakes on Amazon here.

7. Orgain Vegan Chocolate Protein Shake – 1g of Total Sugar

*Sweetened with monk fruit extract*

The lowest-sugar vegan protein shake I came across in this experiment is from Orgain. Orgain vegan chocolate protein shakes are sweetened with monk fruit extract and there is just 1g of total sugar per bottle. You can find Orgain vegan chocolate protein shakes on Amazon here.

Orgain would be my best recommendation if you are looking for a vegan, sugar-free, protein shake (wow, that is a mouthful).

8. Gatorade Zero With Protein – 0g of Total Sugar

*Sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium*

The next entry is the first entry on this list that isn’t a shake. That’s right – this entry is a protein-infused sports drink from Gatorade.

Gatorade Zero with protein is an electrolyte-packed sports drink that is also high in protein from whey protein isolate. This protein-packed sports drink is sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium and contains 0g of sugar per bottle.

You can check it out for yourself on Amazon here.

If you want to see how this compares next to the sugar content of other types of Gatorade drinks then make sure to check out the following post I wrote: Which Gatorade Has The Least Sugar? You’ll Be Surprised.

9. PWR LIFT Whey Protein Water Sports Drink – 0g of Total Sugar

*Sweetened with monk fruit and stevia*

Another sugar-free protein infused sports drink is PWR LIFT. Just like Gatorade Zero with Protein, PWR LIFT is packed with electrolytes as well as 10g of protein per bottle from whey protein. Best of all it is sugar-free as it is sweetened with monk fruit and stevia.

You can check out PWR LIFT orange mango flavor on Amazon here.

10.  Protein2o 15g Whey Protein Isolate Infused Water – 0g of Total Sugar

*Sweetened with erythritol and stevia*

It seems that if you want a sugar-free protein drink the easiest way to guarantee that is to opt for a protein enhances sports drink. Enter – yes, another sugar-free protein enhanced sports drink, this time from Protein2o. Protein2o water is infused with yes you guessed it…whey protein isolate!

Protein2o is actually even higher in protein than the other two entries at 15g per bottle. Even better Protein2o is sugar-free – instead, it is sweetened with erythritol and stevia.

You can see for yourself on Amazon here.

10. Muscle Milk Chocolate Genuine Protein Shake – 0g of Total Sugar

*Sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium*

It’s not just protein infused sports drinks/waters that can contain 0g of sugar. I managed to find a few protein shakes that also contain 0g of total sugar. Muscle Milk Chocolate protein shake is one of these!

This chocolate protein shake contains 0g of sugar per bottle (as it is sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium) and contains a whopping 25g of protein per bottle.

You can find this sugar-free high protein shake on Amazon here.

11. Lean Body Ready-to-Drink Salted Caramel Protein Shake – 0g of Total Sugar

*Sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium*

The last sugar-free protein shake I came across in my experiment was Lean Body salted caramel protein shake. This sugar-free protein shake, like so many others, is sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium. This sugar-free protein shake also has an insane protein content – 40g in a bottle and has 0g of total sugar.

If you are looking for a protein shake that is super high in protein but sugar-free this is probably the one for you.

You can find Lean Body salted caramel protein shakes on Amazon here.

F&Q

Which Protein Drink Has The Least Amount of Sugar?

The following protein infused sports drinks contain 0g of sugar in a bottle:

• Gatorade Zero With Protein
• PWR LIFT Whey Protein Water Sports Drink
• Protein2o 15g Whey Protein Isolate Infused Water 

The following protein shakes contain 0g of sugar in a bottle:

• Muscle Milk Chocolate Genuine Protein Shake
• Lean Body Ready-to-Drink Salted Caramel Protein Shake

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Is There A Lot Of Sugar In Protein Drinks? – The Final Bite

Is there a lot of sugar in Protein Drinks? What have we learned from the above? Well, when it comes to sugar and protein drinks the good news is that there are plenty of sugar-free drinks available that deliver big on protein. If you are watching your sugar intake the main thing you want to avoid are protein drinks labeled as “meal replacements” as these all tend to be higher in sugar. As for lower sugar options, some of the best options are actually diet sports drinks with protein. These include the likes of Gatorade Zero with Protein, PWR LIFT, and Protein2o. If you are desperate to still have a shake, then the best option is from Lean Body (entry number 11 on my list) which is sugar-free and contains 40g of protein in a bottle.

And Remember…