Are you wondering how to cut the sweetness of protein powder?
Have you ever thought, “ Dam!….My protein shake is too sweet’?
Well, I’m going to go over what to do when your protein powder is too sweet.
I’ll review the top ways to make your protein powder less sweet!
I’ll also go over two amazing protein powders that you might want to consider switching to.
Why are protein shakes so sweet?
I totally get where you’re coming from.
You want to build muscle, but you don’t want to drink a sweet protein shake.
Protein shakes don’t need to be sweet – They should be healthy.
Let’s go over the ingredients that make protein shakes so sweet.
Contains Sucralose
The most common reason your protein shake is too sweet is that your protein shake has sucralose in it!
Sucralose is one of the sweetest sweeteners out there.
In fact, sucralose just might be over 600 times sweeter than table sugar.
That’s why it’s used when making candy, gum, and soda.
It can increase your blood sugar levels and also give you an upset stomach.
There’s no real need for it to be in your shake other than to make it taste good to the average person.
So, check the ingredients list of your current protein powder.
If it has sucralose in it and you think it’s too sweet, choose another powder!
Choose Protein Powders with Stevia
You now know to pass up on any protein powders with sucralose.
But, what else is there?
Stevia tends to be a better alternative to sucralose when it comes to sweeteners.
Though it’s still sweeter than regular sugar, it’s only 200 times sweeter (not 600 like sucralose).
What I like most about stevia is that it’s considered a natural sugar substitute.
Plus, it doesn’t have any calories and it doesn’t raise your blood sugar.
If you’re going to choose an artificial sweetener for your protein shakes, this is it.
Stay Away From Milk
If you’re like me, you probably like how much flavor milk adds to protein shakes.
But milk also makes things taste even sweeter than they really are!
That’s because milk contains both sugar and lactose, which are both sweeteners on their own.
Don’t worry though, that doesn’t mean you have to stop drinking protein shakes altogether.
You can try mixing your protein powders with things other than regular milk!
Both almond milk and coconut milk are less sweet types of milk, but they can also keep your protein shake thicker as milk does.
If you want no sweetness at all, just use regular water!
How To Cut The Sweetness Of Protein Powder?
You might really like what your protein powder is doing for you.
So, why mess up a good thing?
You don’t have to change your protein powder, but there are some things you can do to make it less sweet than it currently is.
Here are some things you can do to cut down on the sweetness.
Add Fruit/Veggies
Fruit has its own type of sugar called fructose.
That means you might think that adding fruit to your protein shake would make it sweeter.
But, that’s not always true.
Let’s say you have a strawberry protein shake.
Adding more strawberries to the strawberry shake will make it a lot sweeter.
That part makes a ton of sense.
However, adding other fruits can dilute actually the sweetness of the shake.
So, think about adding some slightly more bitter fruits like blueberries, or grapefruit to get rid of that extra sweetness in your strawberry shake.
Kale is a great vegetable for you to get a huge dose of vitamins and reduce the sweetness of your shake.
This can also really boost the flavor at the same time.
Add Low-Fat Greek Yogurt or Kefir Yogurt
Yogurt is great for building muscle.
It has a lot of protein but also is stocked full of other minerals and vitamins.
Yogurt can also reduce the sweetness of your protein shake.
That’s because Greek yogurt has a slightly bitter taste to it.
Greek yogurt is also good for keeping good bacteria in your gut and controlling your blood pressure.
There’s practically no good reason to not add it.
There’s no doubt that yogurt is much thicker than milk and water. So, you’re going to need to use a blender to make your protein shakes from now on.
Use Cacao Powder
Cacao powder is found in plenty of chocolate recipes.
It’ll give you a chocolate taste, but not the typical sweetness found in regular chocolate.
In fact, cacao powder is really bitter!
By adding cacao powder to your protein shakes, you can make them much less sweet and have a nice chocolate taste.
If you really want to blend the cacao powder in well, you’re going to need a blender.
Otherwise, you might end up with a clumpy protein shake.
Ice Cubes
Ice cubes are a pretty unique way to unsweeten your protein shakes.
By adding more water to your protein shake, the sweetness will be much less intense.
Adding ice cubes can also give your protein shake a cool and creamy texture.
It’ll be more like a slushie and a smoothie!
This is definitely a method to try if you like thicker shakes.
Use Instant Coffee
If you’ve ever had instant coffee before, you know how bitter and sour it can be.
The good news is that it can mask the taste of the sugar in your protein shakes.
This works best for chocolate shakes, which are usually pretty sweet.
An example recipe might include protein powder, banana, coconut milk, and instant coffee.
But, you can really do it however you like!
So, that means you can use almond milk instead of coconut milk, add peanut butter, or even add some spinach.
This is definitely the best ingredient to add for morning workouts.
It can help you repair your muscles, but also give you a quick energy boost.
It’s like your protein shake and morning coffee, all in one.
Don’t Buy Protein Powders with Unhealthy Ingredients
It’s your job to look at the ingredients to see if they’re healthy.
If you don’t like sweet protein shakes, learn about which ingredients are known to be sweet.
Try avoiding protein shakes with high amounts of sugar, artificial ingredients, or extra artificial sweeteners.
Do your best to look for protein powders that are almost pure protein.
We’ll go over which ingredients to avoid a little later on.
Use Unflavoured Protein powder
Most protein powders are flavored.
It makes them taste good, but it also tends to make them pretty sweet at the same time.
That’s why unflavored protein powders just might be the best choice!
So, why is unflavored good for sweetness?
Easy – It’s basically pure protein!
And there’s nothing sweet about pure protein, is there?
I really like Nutiva Organic Hemp
It has about 10 grams of protein per serving and some Omega-3 fatty acids too.
That makes it great for building muscle and improving heart health!
It’ll also give your protein shakes a nuttier taste instead of a sweet taste.
What’s pretty cool about this product is that it’s all-natural and organic.
It’s full of antioxidants and is a great choice if you’re vegan or vegetarian.
What’s even better is that this product is pure hempseed.
So, no more reading through the ingredients list trying to figure out what’s really in your protein powder!
Another really good choice is Promix.
This one comes in chocolate and unflavored varieties.
You’re going to be getting 31 grams of protein in every serving, which is a lot!
Plus, it’s very low in sugar and has some extra BCAAs for muscle growth and recovery.
This product is very high-quality when it comes to being healthy.
It tastes pretty good too (if you’re getting the chocolate).
The most abundant ingredient in this one is whey protein.
But, it also has cocoa, organic coconut sugar, and Sunflower Lecithin.
The cocoa and organic coconut sugar make it taste good, but not too sweet.
The Sunflower Lecithin makes your protein shake less clumpy.
Ingredients to Avoid
You think you’re doing everything right, but your protein shake is just too sweet.
Let’s go over some of the most common ingredients that are making your protein shakes sweet and unhealthy.
That way, you can avoid them when shopping for new protein powder.
1. Dried fruit
Dried fruit is a tasty snack that is full of vitamins and minerals.
Adding a little dried fruit to your protein shake gives it a fruity taste and tastes much better.
But, it’s also really sweet!
Dried fruits are made by sucking the water out of fruit or air-drying them.
That means that they have all the ingredients and nutrients as regular undried fruit.
Don’t believe the hype around dried fruit being so healthy.
When you add it to your protein shake, it’ll make it really sweet.
2. Added sugar products
Some protein powders get right to the point on the ingredients list.
Sugar or a sugar substitute is one of the top ingredients.
I went over this before, but I want to emphasize the point again.
Sucralose, lactose, sugar, and stevia will all make your protein shakes sweet.
There’s no need to buy sweetened protein powders anymore either.
There are tons of unflavored protein powders.
They’re basically pure protein with no added ingredients (like sugar).
Unless you can figure out a logical reason for sugar being in your protein powders, avoid them like the plague.
3. Chocolate and Vanilla flavors
I know you like the chocolatey flavor of your protein shake.
The chocolate flavor is also what’s making it taste so sweet, though!
Chocolate is made from sugar, you know that.
When they make protein powders with chocolate, it’s all about making a taste that customers will like.
Sometimes its best just to avoid these flavors all together.
How to Boost the Taste of Unflavored Protein Powders
If you just mix some unflavored protein powder into some water or milk, it’s going to be bland.
You’ll catch yourself wondering how you’re supposed to drink that disgusting protein shake.
There’s some good news here.
You can add some ingredients to make unflavored protein powders taste better.
Here are some ingredients to try out.
Fruits
You might think all fruits are sweet.
That is true, for the most part.
But sometimes, fruits can cut down on sweetness too.
Sour fruits like lemons and lime are really good at removing sweetness.
Plus, they can give your protein shake a bit of a kick.
There’s also a way to use some vegetables to lower sweetness.
Bitter vegetables like kale will really reduce the sweetness.
Kale can also give you tons of fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins.
At the same time, vegetables and fruits can really add to the flavor of unflavored protein.
Butters
I’m not talking about a stick of butter here!
I’m talking about nut butters like almond butter and peanut butter.
Peanut butter and almond butter both taste great and aren’t that sweet (if you’re getting the natural kind).
They easily mix into your protein shake and boost the flavor significantly!
Plus, nut butters are known for having pretty high levels of protein.
That means you’re making your protein shake taste better and better for your protein intake.
I suggest using one or two scoops of peanut butter, which can add about 4-8 grams of protein to your shake.
Liquids
We all have our favorites when it comes to what liquids we add to our protein shakes.
Yet, there’s no real harm in mixing it up!
You can add the obvious options like milk and water.
Almond milk and coconut milk are also good choices for a little extra flavor without added sweetness.
Soy milk could work here too!
If you’re really looking to cut calories, water is your best friend.
For flavor, try some of the different kinds of milk.
Powders Like Cacao Powder
A lot of protein powders come with cacao powder.
But, since you’re using unflavored protein powder, you can just add your own!
Cacao powder tastes like chocolate but is pretty bitter.
So, you can make your protein shake taste chocolatey without the taste of sugar.
A tablespoon or two of cacao powder should work just fine.
Conclusion
It’s hard to find protein powders that aren’t too sweet.
I mean, that’s how manufacturers get people to buy them in the first place.
The good news is: You don’t have to settle for sweet protein powders.
There’s plenty that you can do to reduce the sweetness and still get your protein in.
The most important thing is looking at the ingredients list of your protein powders.
If they have added sugar or artificial sweeteners, look for better options.
Also, think about adding some extra ingredients to cut down on the sweetness.
So, bitter tastes like cacao powder and fruit would work pretty well.
Best Advice I can give….
I find the best thing to do is use unflavored protein powder! It doesn’t taste as bad as you would think.
You can also always add ingredients to boost flavours. See my recommended unflavored protein powder below:
Related:
Why Do Protein Shakes Taste So Bad?
