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Sprouts Vegan Protein Powder Review

I’ve been using the Sprouts Vegan Protein Powder for the last week as part of my diet and workout plan.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Sprouts brand, it refers to Sprouts Farmers Market, a supermarket chain that operates more than 350 stores in 23 states in the U.S.

Click here for a store near you.

Sprouts is dedicated to offering many plant-based and gluten-free products in its stores, so I was curious when I saw they offered their own vegan protein powder.

They produce both a vanilla and a chocolate vegan protein powder. I chose the vanilla flavor because I like to mix my protein powder with fruit.

There are a few things you will notice from taking a look at the information printed on the container.

This protein powder is not organic and only has one organic ingredient, organic brown rice protein concentrate.

There is also no mention of where the ingredients are sourced from on the container or the company website. I’m not saying they are purposely being opaque about the origin of the contents, but it would be nice to know.

This vegan protein powder by Sprouts has a good percentage of protein per serving, which should be the main emphasis of a protein powder.

In my review of the Sprouts Vegan Protein Powder, I will discuss its nutritional facts, ingredients, taste, digestibility, and more to see if this is a protein powder that will help you meet your diet and workout goals.

Sprouts Vegan Protein Powder

There are a lot of vegan protein powders on the market, so what sets the Sprouts Vegan Protein Powder apart from the rest?

The lower price is what originally attracted me to this vegan protein powder. It is lower in price than many of the popular choices you’ll find on Amazon or in supplement stores.

However, there’s a reason that it costs a little less than other vegan protein powders on the market. One reason is that it’s not organic.

It is non-GMO verified, but there is no mention of where the ingredients are coming from. Not a huge deal for some people and a HUGE deal for others.

This isn’t the place to get into the whole organic versus non-organic debate, I’m just relaying the facts.

The protein in this powder is derived from five main sources; pea protein isolate, organic brown rice protein concentrate, flax seed powder, chia seed powder, and black rice powder.

The varied protein sources give this vegan protein powder a complete amino acid profile. Most users should get their daily amino acid requirements in just two scoops (or less).

Another great aspect of this powder is the actual amount of protein you’re getting in each serving as well as the amount of protein per container. Let’s take a look at how the Sprouts Vegan Protein powder compares to other vegan powders.

Protein Amount

Let’s face it, you’re buying this because of the protein. Whenever you’re comparing protein powders you need to look carefully at how much actual protein is in the bottle.

There are a lot of protein powders that are chock full of added fillers and other things you don’t need. You are paying for that extra stuff.

I like to compare protein powders by looking at how much total protein is in the container and divide that by the price.

This gives me the price per gram of protein. This is one of the best indications of value for your money.

Other considerations that can affect the price is the quality of ingredients with organic and non-GMO sources commanding a higher price.

So, how does the Sprouts Vegan Protein Powder compare in terms of price per gram of protein against some of the popular vegan protein powders on the market?

Prices are based on the time of this review in January 2021.

• Sprouts- 600 grams of protein in the container. Price $32. Price per gram of protein- $0.0533.
• BN Labs Organic Vegan Protein– 567 grams of protein. Price $45. Price per gram of protein- $0.0793.
• Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein- 440 grams of protein. Price $33.59. Price per gram of protein- $0.0763.
• Orgain Organic Protein-420 grams of protein. Price $27. Price per gram of protein- $0.0642.
• Optimum Nutrition Organic Plant-Based Protein- 456 grams of protein. Price $28. Price per gram of $0.0614.

As you can see, you’re getting more protein for your money with the Sprouts Vegan protein powder. However, this isn’t a fair comparison as all of the other vegan powders listed are organic, while the Sprouts powder isn’t.

For some people this a big deal, for some it isn’t. Whatever your personal preference, the fact remains the price of the Sprouts powder is lower and is definitely a selling point if you’re watching your budget.

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The Nutrition Facts of the Sprouts Vegan Protein Powder

Here are the important nutrition facts of the Sprouts Vegan Protein Powder. A serving size is 31 grams and there are 30 servings per container.

• Calories- 120 calories per serving.
• Total Fat-2 grams of total fat with no saturated or trans fat.
• Cholesterol- No cholesterol.
• Sodium- 360 milligrams.
• Total Carbohydrates- 5 grams with no sugar.
• Protein- 20 grams.
• Iron- 6.9 milligrams
• Potassium- 260 milligrams.

In a 31-gram scoop of this protein powder, you get 20 grams of protein, 5 grams of carbohydrate, 2 grams of fat, and 4 grams of fillers or ash byproduct from the manufacturing process.

That equates to roughly 64.5% protein per serving of this powder. That percentage of protein per scoop puts it in the middle to the upper echelon of vegan protein powders.

The protein powders with a higher percentage of protein per serving also carry higher price tags as well.

Ingredients of the Sprouts Vegan Protein Powder

There are a lot of ingredients in this vegan protein powder by Sprouts. In my opinion, they probably could have left out the “Veggie and Fruit Powder Blend” that includes 13 ingredients, more on that in a bit.

Let’s go through the ingredients starting at the top and working our way down. First up is the proteins.

The protein is derived from pea protein isolate, organic brown rice protein concentrate, flax seed powder, chia seed powder, and black rice powder.

It doesn’t state the proportions of the different protein sources so you are left wondering how much of the powder is derived from pea protein isolate, which is cheaper than the other proteins on the list.

All of the ingredients are non-GMO verified, which is a good thing because there’s a lot of pea protein on the market coming from who knows where with questions attached.

You’ll also notice there’s stevia leaf extract, “Natural Vanilla Flavor”, sea salt, and potassium chloride.

The stevia leaf extract is used as a sweetener, the natural vanilla flavoring could be anything, sea salt is pretty self-explanatory, and then there’s the potassium chloride.

Potassium chloride can be used as a flavor enhancer, flavoring agent, nutrient supplement, pH control agent, and stabilizer or thickener. Since there is already salt in the powder I’m guessing it is being used as a stabilizer or ph control agent.

That brings us to the “Fruit and Veggie Powder Blend”. This blend is explained on the side of the container as a high ORAC blend of 13 fruits and vegetables.

What’s an ORAC you ask? It refers to Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. I know, my eyes glazed over too. ORAC is a measure of the total antioxidant capacity in foods.

The verdict is still being decided on the efficacy of high ORAC concoctions being added to foods.

Rounding out the list of ingredients is monk fruit extract (a sweetener), alpha-galactosidase (minimizes intestinal gas), and Prodigest Enzyme blend (A combination of various natural plant-based enzymes from the Amazon Rainforest.)

Amino Acid Profile

I really like it when the different amino acids are stated on the container of a vegan protein powder. If you are cutting out animal products in your diet you know it’s difficult to get complete proteins in your diet.

All of the important amino acids and their levels per scoop are stated on the bottle so that you know exactly how much you’re getting.

Here is how many of the nine essential amino acids you should be getting per day according to the World Health Organization.

• Histidine- 8 to 12 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. 544 to 816 milligrams for a 150lb adult.
• Isoleucine- 10 mg per kg of body weight. 680 mg for 150lb adult.
• Leucine- 14mg. 952 mg for 150lb adult.
• Lysine- 12mg. 816 mg for 150lb adult.
• Methionine plus Cystine- 13 mg. 884 mg  for 150lb adult.
• Pheylalanine plus Tyrosine- 14 mg. 952 mg for 150lb adult.
• Threonine-7 mg. 476 mg for 150lb adult.
• Tryptophan- 3.5mg. 238 mg for 150lb adult.
• Valine- 10mg. 680 mg for 150lb adult.

You’ll be close to meeting your required amino acids for the day by consuming just a scoop, not bad for a vegan protein powder.

The Taste, Mixability, and Digestibility of the Sprouts Vegan Protein Powder

How does this vegan vanilla protein powder by Sprouts taste?

I’ve tasted a lot of vanilla protein powders and I am happy to say this is one of the better tasting ones. It really isn’t too gritty as some vegan, gluten-free powders have a tendency to be sometimes.

It also mixes quite easily with just a fork, with no clumping.

This powder also presents no issues when it comes to digestion. I am very happy to report I’ve had no problems with bloating or gas after consuming this powder. What I do in the name of science.

What I Like

• A good percentage of protein per serving without a lot of carbs or fat.
• The price per gram of protein is among the best in the vegan protein powder category.
• It mixes well, tastes great, and digests easily with no gas or bloating.
• It states the Amino Acid profile of a typical serving on the container.
• Non-GMO ingredients.

What I Don’t Like

• Not Organic.
• There’s no transparency for the sources of the ingredients.
• I could do without the high ORAC blend addition to the powder.

Verdict

I like the Sprouts Vegan Protein Powder. If you’re looking to supplement your vegan diet with more protein it’s a nice lower-priced vegan protein powder option.

Is it the best vegan protein powder for your money? I would need more transparency when it comes to where the ingredients are sourced, even though they are non-GMO verified.

There are plenty of other vegan protein powders that are organic, just know that they all come with a higher price tag.

If you’re indifferent to your protein powders being derived from organic sources then I would definitely recommend this powder.

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