Best Protein Powder for Gaining Weight (2026)
The best protein powder for gaining weight is a mass gainer, and our pick is Dymatize Super Mass Gainer: 1,280 calories a serving and $4.55 per 1,000 calories. Of the 3 gainers on a testing list that Consumer Reports measured, it had the lowest lead result. A serving is large, so start with half.
By Erin Rose Updated November 2026 How we score
Our pick for: Most people gaining weight
- Calories
- 1,280 a serving52 g protein, 245 g carbs
- Per 1,000 calories
- $4.55$46.62 for 6 lb, 8 servings
- Lead result
- 25% of limitConsumer Reports’ own samples: 0.125 mcg a serving
- Testing list
- Informed ChoiceTested for banned substances
- Sugars
- 21 g a serving12 g added
- Flavor we price
- Rich ChocolateWith 24 oz of water
Why we pick it We chose on lead, among gainers on a testing list. It also costs less per 1,000 calories than 11 of the other 14. Transparent Labs, BarBend’s top pick, costs 52% more per 1,000 calories and measured higher for lead.
What you give up A serving is about 2 1/2 cups of powder. It uses sucralose and ace-K, and only 16% of its calories are protein. We could not confirm which flavor Consumer Reports tested, so its number may not match Rich Chocolate.
Which mass gainer is right for you?
Dymatize suits most people. If one of these matters more to you, buy it instead. The cost is per 1,000 calories, because calories are what a gainer is for.
Lowest cost on a testing list: Rule 1 Mass Gainer
It costs 29% less per 1,000 calories than Dymatize, the lowest of the 9 gainers here on a testing list. It is on Informed Choice. You pay for that in protein: 40 g in 1,260 calories, against 52 g in 1,280 for Dymatize. We found no published lead result for it.
Rule 1 Mass Gainer, Chocolate Fudge
$3.22 per 1,000 calories · 1,260 calories, 40 g protein a serving
Fewer calories, no added sugar: Transparent Labs Mass Gainer
It has 53 g of protein in 770 calories, and its sweetener is stevia. It is on Informed Choice. It costs 52% more per 1,000 calories than Dymatize. It also adds 3 g of creatine. Lead is the catch. Consumer Reports’ samples measured 0.435 mcg a serving, 87% of its limit. A batch report the brand links (lot 25102297, Chocolate Donut Glaze, December 8, 2025) found 0.694 mcg, over the 0.5 mcg spec on that report. That flavor is now sold as Chocolate Glaze.
Transparent Labs Mass Gainer, Chocolate Glaze
$6.93 per 1,000 calories · 770 calories, 53 g protein a serving
Smaller serving: Mutant Mass
If 1,280 calories is too much at once, this one is 550 calories a serving with 28 g of protein. It is the lowest cost per 1,000 calories of the 2 gainers under 600 calories on a testing list (Informed Choice). It costs 17% more per 1,000 calories than Dymatize. We found no published lead result for it. Its bag gives about 16 servings.
Mutant Mass, Triple Chocolate
$5.32 per 1,000 calories · 550 calories, 28 g protein a serving
Plant protein, no dairy: Iron Vegan Athlete's Gainer
It is the only plant gainer here on a testing list (Informed Sport), with 42 g of protein in 720 calories. It costs 46% more per 1,000 calories than Dymatize. We found no published lead result for it, and plant powders tend to run higher: Consumer Reports told readers to avoid Naked Vegan Mass, at 1,570% of its limit.
Iron Vegan Athlete's Gainer, Vanilla
$6.64 per 1,000 calories · 720 calories, 42 g protein a serving
What is in a mass gainer?
Mostly carbs. Carbs supply a median 74% of the calories and protein 16%. 14 of the 15 list maltodextrin, a starch-based carb that digests fast, as their first carb. Sugars are under 10% of the calories in every one. A gainer is a calorie shake, not a stronger protein.
How much does a mass gainer cost?
From $3.22 to $10.55 per 1,000 calories. The sticker price hides this, because tubs and servings differ so much. 3 of the 15 cost less than Dymatize per 1,000 calories. A smaller shake is usually not cheaper: compare the cost per 1,000 calories in the table.
Which mass gainer is lowest in lead?
Of the 4 gainers here with a Consumer Reports number, Dymatize was lowest, at 25% of the 0.5 mcg a day limit Consumer Reports uses. Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass was 136%, and Naked Vegan Mass was 1,570%. Consumer Reports tested its own samples from 2 to 4 lots, and they may not match your flavor or batch. It also found no lead in MuscleTech 100% Mass Gainer; the maker’s page for the powder we list uses that name in its web address, but we could not confirm it is the same recipe. For the rest, no number is published, which says nothing good or bad about them.
All 15 mass gainers by cost per 1,000 calories
Cheapest per 1,000 calories first. Each label links to the page we read it from, for the flavor and tub we link. 9 of the 15 are on a testing list. A gainer with no listing is not a failed one: we found no listing for the product.
| Gainer | Calories | Protein | Carbs, share of calories | Sugars | Testing list | Lead | Cost per 1,000 calories | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rule 1 Mass GainerChocolate Fudge, 16 servings · Label | 1,260 | 40 g | 81% | 14 g | Informed Choice | No lead result published | $3.22 | See on Amazon |
 Gaspari Real MassChocolate, 20 servings · Label | 1,080 | 50 g | 74% | 15 g | Not on a testing list | No lead result published | $3.71 | See on Amazon |
 MHP Up Your Mass XXXL 1350Cookies & Cream, 8 servings · Label | 1,350 | 50 g | 74% | 13 g | Not on a testing list | No lead result published | $4.39 | See on Amazon |
 Dymatize Super Mass GainerOur pickRich Chocolate, 8 servings · Label | 1,280 | 52 g | 77% | 21 g | Informed Choice | Consumer Reports: 0.125 mcg a serving, 25% of its limit | $4.55 | See on Amazon |
 MuscleTech High Protein Mass GainerChocolate Fudge Brownie, about 7 servings · Label | 1,330 | 44 g | 84% | 13 g | Not on a testing list | Consumer Reports tested MuscleTech 100% Mass Gainer: none detected. The maker’s page for this powder uses that name in its web address; we could not confirm it is the same recipe. | $4.73 | See on Amazon |
 Muscle Milk GainerChocolate, about 14 servings · Label | 650 | 32 g | 67% | 5 g | Not on a testing listMaker says NSF Certified for Sport; we could not confirm the listing is this product | No lead result published | $4.86 | See on Amazon |
 Nutricost Mass GainerDouble Chocolate, 9 servings · Label | 1,220 | 50 g | 82% | 19 g | Not on a testing list | No lead result published | $5.00 | See on Amazon |
| Mutant MassTriple Chocolate, about 16 servings · Label | 550 | 28 g | 74% | 9 g | Informed Choice | No lead result published | $5.32 | See on Amazon |
 Naked MassUnflavored, 11 servings · Label | 1,250 | 50 g | 81% | 21 g | Informed ChoiceAmazon title says NSF Certified; we found no listing | No lead result published | $5.82 | See on Amazon |
 Naked Vegan MassUnflavored, 11 servings · Label | 1,230 | 50 g | 81% | 24 g | Not on a testing listAmazon title says NSF Certified; we found no listing | Consumer Reports: 7.7 mcg a serving, 1,570% of its limit | $5.91 | See on Amazon |
 Optimum Nutrition Serious MassChocolate, 8 servings · Label | 1,260 | 50 g | 80% | 29 g | Informed Choice | Consumer Reports: 0.68 mcg a serving, 136% of its limit | $5.95 | See on Amazon |
 Rival Nutrition Clean GainerChocolate Fudge, 15 servings · Label | 560 | 30 g | 71% | 9 g | Informed Choice | No lead result published | $5.95 | See on Amazon |
| Iron Vegan Athlete's GainerVanilla, about 23 servings · Label | 720 | 42 g | 67% | 1 g | Informed Sport | No lead result published | $6.64 | See on Amazon |
| Transparent Labs Mass GainerChocolate Glaze, 15 servings · Label | 770 | 53 g | 57% | 12 g | Informed Choice | Consumer Reports: 0.435 mcg a serving, 87% of its limit Brand batch test: 0.694 mcg a serving (lot 25102297) | $6.93 | See on Amazon |
 Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pro GainerDouble Chocolate, 14 servings · Label | 650 | 60 g | 50% | 7 g | Informed Choice | No lead result published | $10.55 | See on Amazon |
Questions people ask
Do I need a mass gainer to gain weight?
Not always. A gainer is a fast way to add calories. If you can eat more food, a regular whey powder plus food does the same job. Protein costs 1.9 times as much in Dymatize as in Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard whey: $2.80 against $1.49 per 25 g. See the best whey protein powder.
Are mass gainers just sugar?
No, but that is less comforting than it sounds. Sugars are under 10% of the calories in all 15, but 14 list maltodextrin as their first carb, and it digests fast. A serving of Dymatize has 245 g of carbs. If you manage your blood sugar, ask your doctor first.
Is it safe to drink a whole serving?
You do not have to, and most people should start with half. On lead alone, Consumer Reports rated Dymatize at up to 4 servings a day, but that is over 5,000 calories, so it is not a use we suggest. For most gainers here, no lead number is published. See the cleanest protein powder.
How should I use a mass gainer, and who should skip it?
Start with half a serving, between meals, not in place of them. A shake this large can cause bloating or an upset stomach, so build up slowly. Most gainers are milk-based, so skip them if you have a milk allergy. Ask your doctor first if you have kidney disease or diabetes, or if you are under 18. Many add creatine: Serious Mass and MuscleTech list 5 g, Transparent Labs 3 g, Nutricost 2.5 g and Rule 1 1 g. Dymatize lists it without printing an amount.
Will a mass gainer add muscle or fat?
It adds calories, and your body decides the rest. Extra calories alone add fat as well as muscle. Lifting weights is what sends more of it to muscle. For a protein target, see how much protein you need.
How we picked
We found the mass gainers Amazon sells and read each label for the flavor and tub we link, from the maker’s page where we could. We left out four whose label did not match the tub or that Amazon did not price: MuscleMeds Carnivor Mass, Labrada Muscle Mass Gainer, BSN True-Mass and GNC Bulk 1340. Where a label prints two columns, we used the numbers with water. Where it prints no servings count, we divided the tub by the serving. Our pick is the gainer on a testing list with the lowest Consumer Reports lead result. Informed Choice and Informed Sport test for banned drugs. We found no lead limit in what they publish, so a listing says nothing about lead.
Sources
- Maker labels and supplement facts panels for the flavor and tub we link, linked in the table, read November 6, 2026.
- Consumer Reports, 'Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead', Consumer Reports, October 14, 2025. consumerreports.org
- Transparent Labs Mass Gainer certificate of analysis, lot 25102297, December 8, 2025. PDF
- Testing lists, read November 6, 2026: Informed Choice and Informed Sport.