Which EAA Supplements Are Third-Party Tested?
7 of the 16 EAA supplements we compare are on a public testing list, plus one tablet outside that count. The cheapest tested powder is BulkSupplements Essential Amino Acids Powder: $24.97 on Amazon for the 500 g bag, on NSF/ANSI 173. Want capsules or tablets? See them below.
By Erin Rose Updated November 3, 2026 How we score
Our recommendation
Buy BulkSupplements Essential Amino Acids Powder
The lowest cost per gram of EAA of the 7 tested powders; NSF checks the powder holds what the label says. Four teaspoons give 10 g of the nine, unflavored.
Buy on Amazon · $24.97Its 1 kg bag costs less per gram. The label gives the total, not each amino acid.
- Want capsules or tablets instead? BodyHealth PerfectAmino tablets are the one we found on a testing list (NSF Certified for Sport), $44.95 for 150 tablets. Capsules hold little: 0.7 to 1.2 g of amino acids a serving, against 10 g in a scoop. Capsules and tablets.
- Drug-tested in sport? Buy RAW Nutrition EAA Plus, Watermelon Grape. Informed Sport tests every batch before it is sold. One scoop gives 9.25 g of EAA ($1.26 per 10 g).
- Drug-tested and want the lowest cost? The 1 kg bag of our pick is on NSF Certified for Sport, at $0.38 per 10 g.
- Want a flavor? Rule One (R1) Essential Amino 9, Fruit Punch is on Informed Choice, at $1.11 per 10 g.
On a testing list (7 powders, 1 tablet)
An outside program checked each of these and lists it by name. NSF/ANSI 173 checks that the tub holds what the label says. NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport and Informed Choice also screen for drugs banned in sport. Tap a badge to see the listing.
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Our pick · lowest-cost powder we compare on a list
BulkSupplements Essential Amino Acids Powder
10 g of EAA in 4 tsp (about 10 g) · leucine amount not on the label · unflavored powder
NSF Certified for Sport lists the 1 kg bag of this powder.
$0.54 per 10 g
Buy on Amazon · $24.97 -
For drug-tested athletes · every batch tested
RAW Nutrition EAA Plus, Watermelon Grape
9.25 g of EAA in 1 scoop (12.9 g) · 3 g leucine · flavored powder
Informed Sport lists “EAA Plus” by name, not by flavor.
$1.26 per 10 g
Buy on Amazon · $34.99 -
Lowest-cost flavored powder on a list
Rule One (R1) Essential Amino 9, Fruit Punch
7.5 g of EAA in about 1 scoop · leucine amount not on the label · flavored powder
$1.11 per 10 g
Buy on Amazon · $21.99 -
Momentous Vital Aminos, Tropical Punch
NSF Certified for SportNSF/ANSI 173
5.57 g of EAA in 1 scoop (11.5 g) · 2.5 g leucine · flavored powder
The label says 1 scoop (11.5 g); NSF’s listing names 1 scoop (10.4 g).
$2.99 per 10 g
Buy on Amazon · $45.99 -
Designs for Sport Amino Complex, Fruit Punch
NSF Certified for SportNSF/ANSI 173
6.41 g of EAA in 12 g (about 1 scoop) · 2.5 g leucine · flavored powder
$3.91 per 10 g
Buy on Amazon · $82.99 -
Thorne Amino Complex, Lemon
NSF Certified for SportNSF/ANSI 173
3.82 g of EAA in 1 scoop · 1.25 g leucine · flavored powder
$4.54 per 10 g
Buy on Amazon · $52.00 -
Klean Athlete Klean Essential Aminos + HMB, Orange Cream
NSF Certified for SportNSF/ANSI 173
3.35 g of EAA in 1 scoop (9.15 g) · leucine amount not on the label · EAA + HMB blend
$7.76 per 10 g
Buy on Amazon · $78.00 -
Tablets · for drug-tested athletes
BodyHealth PerfectAmino coated tablets
NSF/ANSI 173NSF Certified for Sport
5 g of an 8-amino-acid blend in 5 tablets · 150 tablets · $44.95 a bottle
NSF lists “PERFECT AMINO COATED TABLETS” by name, with a serving of 15 tablets. The label serving is 5 tablets, up to 3 times a day, so 15 tablets is the most it allows in a day (NIH label 322556). We match the listing to the coated tablets we link by name and form.
$3.00 per 10 g
Buy on Amazon
Cost is 10 g of the nine essential amino acids at each brand’s own list price, checked October 7, 2026, the same prices as our best EAA guide. Buttons show the Amazon price on November 6, 2026. Capsule and tablet costs use Amazon’s price and the dose on the label, so they run a little different from the list-price figures. The BodyHealth figure is for its 8-amino-acid blend, not all nine.
Capsules (3)
Capsules are easy to carry, but each one holds little, so you take many to match a scoop. We searched all five lists and found none of these capsules on one.
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Not on a testing list
Nutricost EAA Capsules 1200 mg
1.2 g of the nine in 2 capsules · 240 capsules · $18.95 a bottle
Nutricost says outside labs test it. It names no lab and no list.
$1.32 per 10 g
Buy on Amazon -
Not on a testing list
BulkSupplements Essential Amino Acids Capsules
1 g of amino acids in 2 capsules (Amazon listing) · 360 capsules · $22.96 a bottle
$1.28 per 10 g
Buy on Amazon -
Not on a testing list
Pure Encapsulations Essential Aminos
0.7 g of the nine in 1 capsule (NIH label 261613) · 180 capsules · $55.00 a bottle
$4.21 per 10 g
Buy on Amazon
Checked November 3, 2026 against our copies of NSF/ANSI 173 (August 25), NSF Certified for Sport (September 22), Informed Choice (October 27), Informed Sport and USP Verified. Kion and Double Wood capsules are in the table below.
Not on any testing list (9)
The other 9 EAA supplements we compare, including big Amazon sellers. Here is what each brand says about testing, and what that means.
| What the brand says | Brands | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Says it is “NSF Content Certified” | Gnarly Nutrition | NSF’s lists show only the caffeinated bag, not the stim-free one we compare. |
| Made in an NSF-certified factory | Primaforce | That covers the plant, not what is in the tub. |
| Tested by outside labs | Nutricost (3 products) | It names no lab and no public list. |
| “Third-party tested” | Kion (2 products) and Double Wood | It names no lab and no public list. |
| No testing claim we could find | NAKED | Nothing to check. |
We searched NSF/ANSI 173, NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Choice and Informed Sport in full on October 7, 2026. USP Verified holds no EAA product (our copy of September 22, 2026). How all 16 compare.
Why a public list matters
A label is the brand’s word. In a 2023 study of 57 sports supplements, only 6 held within 10% of the plant ingredient their label listed, and 23 held none the lab could find (Cohen 2023). None were EAA products, but it shows why a check by someone who does not sell the product is worth having.
What “third-party tested” means
A company outside the brand checks the product and lists it by name, so you can look it up yourself. There are two kinds. A contents program checks that the tub holds what the label says. A banned-substance program screens for drugs banned in sport, which matters only if you are drug-tested.
| List | What it checks | How it samples |
|---|---|---|
| NSF/ANSI 173contents | That the product holds the ingredients on the label and nothing else, and has no harmful levels of contaminants. | A yearly factory audit and yearly retest of the product. Not a banned-substance program. |
| NSF Certified for Sportbanned substances | The label matches the contents, plus screening for substances banned in sport. | Production lots are tested for banned substances, and each tested lot is listed, so you can look up yours. |
| Informed Sportbanned substances | Banned substances. | Every batch, before it is released to market. |
| Informed Choicebanned substances | Banned substances. | Samples bought from stores and blind tested, at least monthly. Not every batch is tested. |
| USP Verifiedcontents | That the product holds the ingredients on the label in the stated amounts, has no harmful levels of listed contaminants, and is made under FDA good manufacturing practice. | Audits, lab tests before listing, and tests of listed products bought off the shelf. |
How to check your tub
- Find the mark. Look for an NSF or Informed mark on the tub. “Third-party tested” with no program named is a claim.
- A certified factory is not a certified product. “Made in an NSF-certified facility” means NSF checked the plant, not what is in your tub.
- Open the program’s own list. NSF/ANSI 173, NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport, Informed Choice, USP Verified. Or search all five on our testing-list search.
- Match the flavor and size. A list can name one bag and not another. NSF Certified for Sport lists BulkSupplements’ 1 kg bag, and NSF lists Gnarly’s caffeinated bag, not the stim-free one.
- A certificate of analysis is the brand’s paperwork. If a brand sends one, look for the outside lab’s name on it. You cannot look it up on a public list.
- Check the lot if you are drug-tested. NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Sport let you search by lot number.
Questions
Are there third-party tested EAA capsules or tablets?
One that we found: BodyHealth PerfectAmino coated tablets, on NSF/ANSI 173 and NSF Certified for Sport. We did not find Nutricost, BulkSupplements or Pure Encapsulations EAA capsules on any of the five lists we search (checked November 3, 2026). Nutricost says outside labs test its capsules but names no lab.
Are EAA supplements third-party tested?
Some are. 7 of the 16 EAA supplements we compare are on a public testing list: BulkSupplements Essential Amino Acids Powder, RAW Nutrition EAA Plus, Watermelon Grape, Rule One (R1) Essential Amino 9, Fruit Punch, Momentous Vital Aminos, Tropical Punch, Designs for Sport Amino Complex, Fruit Punch, Thorne Amino Complex, Lemon and Klean Athlete Klean Essential Aminos + HMB, Orange Cream. The rest say they are tested, or say nothing, but we did not find them on NSF, Informed or USP lists (read October 7, 2026).
Is BulkSupplements EAA third-party tested?
Yes. NSF/ANSI 173 lists “Essential Amino Acids (EAA) Unflavored” from BulkSupplements (read October 7, 2026). NSF Certified for Sport lists the same powder in the 1 kg bag only (listing 1796669).
Which EAA is best if I am drug-tested?
RAW Nutrition EAA Plus, Watermelon Grape. It is on Informed Sport, which tests every batch before it is sold. 6 of the 16 we compare are on a list that screens for drugs banned in sport. A listing lowers the risk; it does not remove it. Check your lot number on the list before you compete.
Is Thorne Amino Complex NSF Certified for Sport?
Yes, the Lemon flavor is on NSF Certified for Sport and NSF/ANSI 173. One scoop holds 3.82 g of the nine essential amino acids.
Is Momentous Vital Aminos NSF certified?
Yes. Vital Aminos Tropical Punch is on NSF Certified for Sport and NSF/ANSI 173. The label says 1 scoop (11.5 g); NSF’s listing names 1 scoop (10.4 g).
Is Kion Aminos third-party tested?
Kion says its products are third-party tested, but we did not find Kion Aminos on NSF/ANSI 173, NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Choice or Informed Sport (read October 7, 2026). Kion’s own FAQ says its products are not NSF Certified for Sport.
Is Nutricost EAA third-party tested?
Nutricost says its products are tested by independent ISO-accredited labs. It names no lab, and we did not find its EAA powders or capsules on any of the five lists we searched (read October 7, 2026).
Is NAKED EAA third-party tested?
We found no testing claim on its page, and it is on none of the five lists we searched (read October 7, 2026).
Is Gnarly Essential Aminos NSF certified?
Gnarly’s page says the stim-free bag is NSF Content Certified. On NSF’s own lists (read October 7, 2026) we found only the caffeinated Berry Lemonade bag, on NSF/ANSI 173 and NSF Certified for Sport. So we count the stim-free bag as not listed.
The 3 best EAA supplements · EAA prices · what EAAs do and how much to take.
Sources
- NSF/ANSI 173 (info.nsf.org), NSF Certified for Sport (nsfsport.com), Informed Choice (choice.wetestyoutrust.com) and Informed Sport (sport.wetestyoutrust.com), read October 7, 2026. USP Verified from our copy of September 22, 2026. How each program samples: each program’s own pages, read October 7, 2026.
- Brand claims: each brand’s label or store page, read October 7, 2026. List prices: each brand’s own store, checked October 7, 2026. Amazon prices: November 6, 2026.
- Cohen PA, et al. Presence and quantity of botanical ingredients with purported performance-enhancing properties in sports supplements. JAMA Netw Open. 2023. PubMed 37459101