The Best Plant-Based Protein Powder of 2026
The best plant-based protein powder for most people is Vega Performance Protein: 30 g of protein a serving, on three testing lists, and the lowest lead of the powders here that Consumer Reports tested. Lowest cost: Naked Pea, $0.71 per 25 g of protein against $1.87 for Vega.
By Erin Rose Updated October 20, 2026 How we score
Our pick for: Most people
- Protein
- 30 g a servingPea, pumpkin seed and sunflower seed
- Per 25 g of protein
- $1.87On Amazon
- A tub
- $44.99Vanilla, 20 servings; Amazon calls it Vega Protein + Recovery
- Testing lists
- NSF Certified for SportAnd NSF/ANSI 173 and Informed Choice
- Lead
- 0.93 mcg a servingConsumer Reports, 2025: about 1.9 times California's daily limit
- Sweetened with
- SteviaVanilla flavor
Why we pick it Lead is the main worry with plant protein. Vega is on three testing lists, and the two NSF lists set limits for heavy metals. Consumer Reports found 0.93 mcg of lead a serving, against 2.4 to 2.8 mcg for the other two powders here it tested.
What you give up It costs about 2.6 times Naked Pea per 25 g of protein. Low is not zero: Consumer Reports suggested no more than 3-4 times a week. Orgain, KOS and PlantFusion had less lead in its tests, but none is on a testing list, so we did not pick them. ATHLEAN-RX is on the same two NSF lists for less, but nobody has published a lead test for it.
The best plant protein for your needs
Vega suits most people. If one of these matters more to you, buy the powder made for it. Each one is on a testing list.
Lowest cost on a testing list: Naked Pea
It costs the least per gram of protein of the plant powders on a testing list. The label lists one ingredient, yellow pea protein isolate, with no sweetener or flavor, so it mixes best into a smoothie. It is on Informed Choice, which screens for banned drugs but not heavy metals, and nobody has published a lead test for it.
Naked Pea
$0.71 per 25 g · 27 g a serving (2 scoops) · Informed Choice
For drug-tested athletes: NOW Sports Pea Protein
Informed Sport tests every batch for drugs banned in sport before it is sold, so any tub you buy is covered. It is the cheapest plant powder on a list that tests every batch. It is unflavored pea protein and nothing else.
NOW Sports Pea Protein
$0.91 per 25 g · 24 g a serving · Informed Sport
NSF-tested for less: ATHLEAN-RX Pro-30g Vegan
It is on NSF Certified for Sport and NSF/ANSI 173, the same two NSF lists as Vega, with 30 g of protein a scoop, and it costs 11% less than Vega per 25 g. Consumer Reports did not test it, so its lead is unknown.
ATHLEAN-RX Pro-30g Vegan
$1.67 per 25 g · 30 g a serving · NSF Certified for Sport, NSF/ANSI 173
Lead in plant protein powder
Plants take up lead from the soil, so plant powders carry more than whey. In Consumer Reports' 2025 tests of 23 protein powders and shakes, plant powders averaged about 9 times the lead of dairy ones. The Clean Label Project tested 160 powders and found 77% of plant powders over California's Prop 65 lead limit, against 28% of whey powders.
Consumer Reports tested 3 of the powders in our table; their results are in the table below. It tested Vega and Momentous under older names, and formulas can change. It did not test Naked Pea or NOW Sports Pea Protein. Some plant powders had less lead than Vega, such as Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein (0.72 mcg), KOS Organic Superfood Plant Protein (0.56 mcg) and PlantFusion Complete Protein (0.7 mcg), but none is on a testing list.
What to do: use fewer servings. If you can have dairy, whey has far less lead; see the best protein powder.
How to choose a plant protein powder
Buy one on a testing list
A testing list means someone outside the company checks the powder. Informed Sport tests every batch before it is sold. NSF Certified for Sport tests listed lots. Informed Choice buys tubs from stores. NSF Certified for Sport and NSF/ANSI 173 also check the label and set limits for contaminants such as heavy metals. Informed Choice and Informed Sport screen for drugs banned in sport. See which protein powders are third-party tested.
Compare the cost of 25 g of protein, not the tub
Servings run from 15 g to 30 g of protein, so a cheap tub can cost more per gram. The table below does the math.
Pick flavored or plain
Plain pea protein is the cheapest and has one ingredient, but it is unflavored, so most people mix it into a smoothie. Flavored blends of pea, rice and seeds mix with water and cost more. Most of the flavored powders here are sweetened with stevia or monk fruit; Momentous also adds cane sugar.
15 plant protein powders compared
Every powder here is on at least one testing list. Cheapest per 25 g of protein first, at Amazon prices checked October 23, 2026. Some prices include an Amazon deal that day, so the order can change.
| Powder | Cost per 25 g of protein | Why it is or is not a pick |
|---|---|---|
| Naked Pea27 g a serving · 5 lb · Informed Choice | $0.71 | Lowest cost; one ingredient; no lead test published |
| NOW Sports Pea Protein24 g a serving · 2 lb · Informed Sport | $0.91 | Every batch tested before it is sold |
| NOW Sports Organic Pea Protein15 g a serving · 1.5 lb · Informed Sport | $1.26 | Organic pea protein, but a small serving |
| ATHLEAN-RX Pro-30g Vegan30 g a serving · 28 servings · NSF Certified for Sport, NSF/ANSI 173 | $1.67 | On two NSF lists |
| ON Gold Standard Plant24 g a serving · 20 servings · Informed Choice | $1.82 | Pea, brown rice and fava bean, sweetened with stevia |
| Garden of Life Sport30 g a serving · 19 servings · Informed Choice, NSF Certified for Sport | $1.84 | Consumer Reports: 2.8 mcg of lead a serving |
| Garden of Life Raw Organic22 g a serving · 20 servings · Informed Choice | $1.85 | Organic, unflavored, from sprouted grains and seeds |
| Sunwarrior Active30 g a serving · 20 servings · Informed Choice | $1.87 | Pea, brown rice and pumpkin seed |
| Vega Performance30 g a serving · 20 servings · NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Choice, NSF/ANSI 173 | $1.87 | Our pick. Consumer Reports: 0.93 mcg of lead a serving, the least of the listed powders it tested |
| Rule One R1 Plant20 g a serving · 20 servings · Informed Choice | $2.06 | A smaller serving of protein |
| BPN Vegan22 g a serving · 27 servings · Informed Sport, NSF Certified for Sport | $2.10 | Every batch tested; chocolate flavor |
| Thorne Plant22 g a serving · 20 servings · NSF Certified for Sport, NSF/ANSI 173 | $2.78 | Pea, brown rice and chia |
| Momentous Plant20 g a serving · 22 servings · NSF Certified for Sport, NSF/ANSI 173 | $2.84 | Consumer Reports: 2.4 mcg of lead a serving |
| Garden of Life Organic Plant Protein15 g a serving · 10 servings · Informed Choice | $3.97 | A small 10-serving tub |
| Ritual Essential Protein 18+20 g a serving · 15 servings · Informed Sport, NSF/ANSI 173 | $4.08 | Adds choline and L-methionine |
We also checked 8 popular plant powders that are on no testing list we searched, and left them out: Orgain Organic Protein, KOS Organic Plant Protein, Vega Protein Made Simple, Truvani, Sunwarrior Classic Plus, Sunwarrior Warrior Blend, Anthony's Pea Protein and Huel Complete Protein.
Questions people ask
What is the best plant-based protein powder?
Vega Performance Protein. It is on NSF Certified for Sport, NSF/ANSI 173 and Informed Choice, and it had the least lead of the listed plant powders Consumer Reports tested. It costs $1.87 per 25 g of protein on Amazon.
What is the cheapest third-party tested plant protein?
Naked Pea, at $0.71 per 25 g of protein on Amazon. It is on Informed Choice and its label lists one ingredient, pea protein. If you want every batch tested, NOW Sports Pea Protein is on Informed Sport for $0.91.
Do plant-based protein powders have more lead?
Yes, on average. In Consumer Reports' 2025 tests, plant powders had about 9 times as much lead as dairy powders. The Clean Label Project found 77% of plant powders over California's Prop 65 lead limit, against 28% of whey powders. If you can have dairy, whey is the low-lead choice.
Is Orgain protein powder third-party tested?
Not on any of the testing lists we searched (NSF Certified for Sport, NSF/ANSI 173, Informed Choice, Informed Sport, USP Verified). Consumer Reports measured 0.72 mcg of lead in a serving of Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein and suggested no more than 4-5 times a week. That is less lead than Vega, our pick, but Orgain is on no testing list.
Is Naked Pea NSF certified?
Its Amazon title says "NSF Certified", but we found no Naked Nutrition protein in the NSF Certified for Sport or NSF/ANSI 173 listings we searched on October 20, 2026. Naked Pea is on Informed Choice, which buys tubs from stores and screens them for drugs banned in sport.
How much plant protein powder is safe?
Lead adds up from everything you eat, so fewer scoops means less. Americans already get about 5.3 mcg of lead a day from food, and the FDA's reference level for women who could become pregnant is 8.8 mcg a day. Consumer Reports judged powders against California's stricter 0.5 mcg a day, and on that basis suggested no more than 3-4 times a week for Vega, the lowest-lead plant powder on a testing list it tested.
How we picked
We searched five testing lists for plant protein powders sold on Amazon and kept the 15 that are on at least one. We ranked on three things, in this order: a testing list, the cost of 25 g of protein, and what else is in the scoop. We read lead results from Consumer Reports and the Clean Label Project. We did not taste or lab-test any powder. Not set on plant protein? See the best protein powder of any type, the best whey isolate, or the protein guide.
Sources
- Amazon listings and Nutrition Facts for all 15 powders, read October 20, 2026. NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database: NOW Sports Pea Protein, label 314493; NOW Sports Organic Pea Protein, label 314490; ON Gold Standard Plant, label 331942; Vega, label 239967.
- Testing lists, searched October 20, 2026: NSF Certified for Sport; NSF/ANSI 173; Informed Choice; Informed Sport; USP Verified.
- Consumer Reports, 'Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead', Consumer Reports, published October 14, 2025.
- Clean Label Project, 2024-25 Protein Powder Category Report, Clean Label Project, published January 9, 2025.
- California OEHHA, Proposition 65 maximum allowable dose level for lead, OEHHA; US FDA, Lead in Food and Foodwares: interim reference levels, FDA.