[Whey protein recommendation] Top ten whey protein recommendations in 2025

Pre-analysis instructions

• This article is a summary of my many years of practical experience in protein supplementation for fitness. I have more than 5 years of experience in drinking whey, which can help you quickly find the right option for you.
• All the brands listed here are brands that the editor has tried himself, and I am not making random comments because I have never tried them.
• As a long-time health and nutrition enthusiast, I have researched various protein sources and compiled this article for your reference if you have similar needs.
• However, this article is still the editor's subjective taste preference and is for reference only, but I will also refer to the opinions of other consumers online to make an overall review.

What is whey protein?

Whey protein is a high-quality protein extracted from milk and is what most people call a "high-protein" supplement. It is not only popular among fitness enthusiasts, but also suitable as a source of nutritional supplement for people who do not consume enough protein on a daily basis.
Milk itself contains two main protein components: casein (about 80%) and whey protein (about 20%). When making cheese or yogurt, milk will separate into two layers of solid and liquid. The upper liquid is "whey", which is filtered, concentrated and dried to make whey protein powder. Common foods include whey protein powder, high-protein snacks, and high-protein milk.

What types of whey protein are there?

1. Whey Protein Concentrate

Protein content: about 70%–80%
Features: Concentrated whey protein is the most common type of whey protein. After a simple filtration process, it retains more lactose, fat and minerals.
It is absorbed more slowly, but is still a high-quality source of protein.
Suitable for: Beginners or those seeking daily protein supplements, those on a budget or those who need a larger portion.
Advantages: More economical, cost-effective, contains lactose and fat, some people think the taste is richer.

2. Whey Protein Isolate

Protein content: about 90% or more Features: This type of whey is filtered more thoroughly to remove most of the lactose, fat and carbohydrates, is absorbed faster, and has a higher protein purity.
Suitable for: people who want to lose weight, people with lactose intolerance, and fitness enthusiasts who need fast absorption.
Advantages: High protein content, low lactose and low fat, very suitable for people who need to control their diet or reduce fat intake.

3. Hydrolyzed Whey Protein

Protein content: Slightly lower than whey protein isolate, but still maintains high protein purity.
Features: After enzyme treatment, the protein is broken down into smaller amino acid chains, which helps to absorb faster and more efficiently. Since these proteins have been partially broken down, this type of whey protein is relatively easier for the body to use.
Suitable for: high-intensity trainers, people with high muscle recovery needs Advantages: The fastest absorption speed, helps to quickly repair muscles after exercise, the burden of protein digestion and absorption is minimal, suitable for people with sensitive stomachs.

4. Plant-based protein

Plant-based protein is protein extracted from plant sources and is an alternative to whey protein. It contains no dairy products, making it an ideal alternative for those who are vegan, lactose intolerant or have a sensitive stomach.
Common sources of plant-based protein

1. Pea Protein:

It is rich in BCAA and branched-chain amino acids, and is one of the types of plant protein closest to whey protein.

2. Brown Rice Protein:

It has a high digestibility, its amino acid composition is incomplete alone, and it is often mixed with pea protein.

3. Soy Protein:

One of the most complete plant proteins, its amino acid combination is close to that of animal protein, but people with allergies should be careful.

4. Pumpkin seed protein, sunflower seed protein, chia seed protein, etc.:

Rich in nutrients but low in protein, it is often used as a supplementary ingredient.

Advantages of plant-based protein

• 100% Dairy Free: Best choice for those who are lactose intolerant or want to avoid animal sources.
• Gentle and less prone to bloating: Some whey proteins can cause gastrointestinal discomfort, while plant proteins are relatively gentle.
• Environmental sustainability: The production process of plant-based protein has a lower carbon footprint and is more environmentally friendly.
• Contains dietary fiber and phytonutrients: Compared to whey protein, plant protein contains more natural antioxidants and fiber, which contribute to overall health.

Summary suggestions:

• Seeking high-efficiency replenishment and muscle repair: whey protein can be given priority, especially for use after exercise.
• If you are concerned about digestive comfort, allergies, or a plant-based diet: plant-based protein may be a safer choice.

What should I pay attention to when choosing whey?

Now that we know the types and sources of whey, let’s discuss some tips for beginners before choosing a whey brand.

1. Newbies should buy a small package to try the taste first

This is my own painful experience. At that time, I just started to work out in college. In order to save money, I bought 5 kilograms of chocolate-flavored whey. Fortunately, it was not bad to drink, but I never dared to buy chocolate-flavored whey after drinking it.... But I also bought a kilogram of other things but they were very bad to drink and I could only give them to friends. So to be on the safe side, it is safest to buy a bag to try it out.

2. Pay attention to the protein content of each pack

The protein content of each whey protein manufacturer is different. You can choose the one with a higher protein content, but in fact, the difference will not be too big. It is also important to choose the one you like. But if you have never tried it, you can try the one with a higher protein content first.

3. What type is suitable for your body?

(1) If you are sensitive to lactose and often experience diarrhea or bloating after drinking milk, then whey protein concentrate (WPC) containing lactose is not suitable for you. For this type of people, it is recommended to choose whey protein isolate (WPI) from which lactose is almost completely removed, or plant-based protein that contains no dairy ingredients at all. If you are allergic to dairy products, you should avoid whey products directly. It would be safer to choose plant sources such as pea protein and soy protein.

(2) If you are doing weight training, fitness, or high-intensity aerobic training, you can choose isolated whey protein or hydrolyzed whey protein (WPH), which are absorbed faster and have higher amino acid content, to more effectively assist muscle repair and growth. If you just want to supplement your nutrition and don’t have any specific exercise habits, you can choose concentrated whey protein which is affordable and has sufficient protein content.

(3) If you are a vegetarian, vegan, or want to avoid animal ingredients, you can choose plant protein. Pea protein, soy protein or brown rice protein can all provide good sources of amino acids. Some brands also mix multiple plant proteins to make up for the types of amino acids that may be insufficient in a single plant protein.

4. Taste is really important

I have tried the original whey protein before. The original flavor of both animal and plant proteins is very unpalatable (this is my subjective opinion). Although the original flavor of food is much less processed, don't bother yourself. The most acceptable flavor for the public is the high whey protein with chocolate flavor, which is a good flavor for beginners to get started.

1. MARS

Editor's thoughts

The first whey protein brand in Taiwan, the Ares brand has been well-known since I first started working out. The most outstanding feature is that their milk tea tastes really good. But the downside is that it is a bit more expensive than other whey protein brands. But I can guarantee that it tastes good and is not too sweet.

Whey Protein Information

• Whey protein weight: 35g per pack
• Protein content: 26g per pack
• Types of whey protein to buy: hydrolyzed whey, other types available in stores
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey Protein Flavors:

Milk tea, jasmine milk tea, oolong milk tea, yuanyang milk tea, pure milk tea, jasmine milk tea, South African national treasure milk tea, taro milk, cantaloupe milk, strawberry milk, honey milk, dark cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, banana, caramel macchiato.

2. Myprotein

My drinking experience:

About 5 years ago, when there were not many whey brands to choose from, myprotein was the entry-level brand for almost every fitness novice. Although the price on the official website was not cheap, there were always discount codes on the website. I often waited until the discount was less than 50% to make a large purchase. Myprotein has a wide variety of flavors to choose from. I have tried more than 10 flavors. The three best flavors are strawberry cream, chocolate, and the brown sugar bubble tea flavor which is said to be their best-selling flavor. If you don’t like the above three flavors, I will also provide three flavors that I don’t like to help you avoid disappointment. The first is the original flavor, which is super unpalatable and absolutely not recommended. The second is the peanut chocolate flavor, which tastes like stinky upstart pie beaten into juice. The last one is tiramisu, which is just weird (the above are all subjective opinions of the editor).

Whey Protein Information

• Whey protein weight: 250g, 1Kg, 2.5Kg
• Protein content: 23g protein per 30g
• Whey protein options: Concentrated whey protein also offers hydrolyzed whey options
• Origin: United Kingdom

Whey protein flavors: Danish cinnamon roll, upgraded Hokkaido fresh milk flavor, upgraded matcha latte, natural chocolate flavor, natural vanilla flavor, natural banana flavor, natural strawberry flavor, peach iced tea flavor, milk cereal cream biscuits, chocolate brownie flavor, chocolate peanut butter flavor, chocolate banana flavor, chocolate coconut flavor, chocolate orange flavor, chocolate mint flavor, iced latte, mango lactic acid flavor, smooth chocolate flavor, red bean milk flavor, English milk tea, vanilla, vanilla raspberry flavor, banana flavor, original flavor, sea salt caramel, strawberry cream flavor, tiramisu flavor, dark chocolate flavor, brown sugar bubble milk.

3. NOTORIOUS

My drinking experience:

This is a sports brand opened by internet celebrity Chen Zhihan. I bought their products to try after watching his live broadcast and training. I haven't tried all the flavors, only papaya milk and cocoa. Both are delicious without too much powdery taste. Looking at the comments of netizens on the Internet, they generally think the sesame flavor is also very good, with the feeling of commercially available sesame paste. 1kg at NT$990 is quite affordable.

Whey Protein Information

• Whey protein weight: 1Kg
• Protein content: 27g protein per 40g serving
• Whey protein options: Concentrated whey protein, hydrolyzed whey and plant-based protein options are also available.
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: cocoa, milk tea, sesame, papaya milk, Thai milk tea, latte, apple milk, juice milk, pudding, taro, caramel macchiato, matcha, nougat flavor, malt milk.

4.ON Whey Protein

My drinking experience:

I knew this brand in the early days. I remember that it was because Costco only sold this brand of gold medal chocolate, so many fitness people who went to Costco would buy this brand. At that time, I often borrowed a spoonful from my friends, so I drank it for a while. Overall, it is a pretty good chocolate whey, just average and delicious. I haven't tried other flavors, and readers can also try other flavors.

Whey protein information:

• Whey protein weight: 2 lbs, 5 lbs
• Protein content: 24g protein per 30g serving
• Whey protein options: concentrated whey protein (hydrolyzed whey and isolated whey are also available)
• Origin: United States
• Whey protein flavors: Double Chocolate, Mint Chocolate, Cream Cookies, French Vanilla, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Strawberry Banana, Chocolate Nut, Chocolate Milk.

5.StepV

My drinking experience:

I first knew about this brand because I have been watching PEETA’s YT videos for a long time, and I often absorb a lot of fitness knowledge from his YT channel. Since he opened the STEPX gym, he also launched his STEPV and PEETA TAKE TAKE healthy meals. I can’t go from Taichung to the north to eat healthy meals, so I thought about buying his whey to try. I first tried the brown sugar latte flavor, which was really delicious. Later I bought the caramel macchiato, which was also good, but I still think I like the brown sugar latte flavor the best. It is often on sale now, and readers who want to drink delicious whey can also try it! ! !

Whey protein information:

• Whey protein weight: 30 packs per box, 35g per pack
• Protein content: 25g protein per 35g serving
• Whey protein options: concentrated whey protein (hydrolyzed whey and plant-based whey are also available)
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: Rich Cocoa, Dark Roasted Milk Tea, Taro Milk, Papaya Milk, Yogurt, Thai Milk Tea, Caramel Macchiato, Brown Sugar Latte

6. Fruit Energy

My drinking experience:

It is an emerging whey brand in recent years. There are various products on the official website. In addition to high-protein whey, there are also high-protein potato chips to choose from. The high-protein potato chips are quite delicious. As for the whey protein, I have tried Hongyun Olai, Purple Sweet Potato Puree, Sesame Latte, and Thai Milk Tea. I personally think that sesame tastes good, but a little sweet. I have read some articles and found that most people like yogurt and sesame flavors. Thai milk is super sweet and suitable for ants.

Whey protein information:

• Whey protein weight: 500g, 1Kg
• Protein content: 18g protein per 25g serving
• Types of whey protein to buy: concentrated whey protein (hydrolyzed whey, isolated whey and plant-based whey are also available)
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: Jasmine Green Ole, Red Rhythm Ole, Sesame Latte, Malt Cocoa, Classic Milk Tea, Thai Milk Tea, Oolong Milk Tea, Purple Sweet Potato Puree, Strawberry Milk, Pure Nati, Yuanyang Milk Tea, Japanese Matcha, Caramel Macchiato, Banana Chocolate, Amber Ole, Red Bean Ole, Winter Melon Milk, Good Things Peanuts, Mango Sago

7.Body goal

My drinking experience:

I know about them because I haven't been to Costco for a long time. When I walked to the high-protein area, I found that Costco had a lot more high-protein products than before, so I chose the cheapest one, which is the one I'm introducing now. Costco comes with 15 bags of chocolate and milk tea. I think the chocolate tastes better, but to be honest, it's better than the plant protein I've had before. I've had other brands of original plant protein drinks before, and even dogs wouldn't drink them. This brand is acceptable to me! Since I have only tried two flavors, I searched the Internet and found that everyone thinks the sesame flavor is the best, so I can try it, but the sandy taste really takes a while to get used to XD

Whey protein information:

• Whey protein weight: 30 pieces, 31g per pack
• Protein content: 20g protein per 31g serving
• Types of whey protein to buy: Plant-based protein (concentrated whey is also available on the official website)
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: Dark Cocoa, Sesame Au Lait, Rich Milk Tea, Shizuoka Matcha, Thick Taro Au Lait, Colorful Wild Berry

8. The Vegan

My drinking experience:

I first saw the recommendation from a fitness influencer. At that time, since he could buy single packs, I bought 5 flavors to try, in order: noodle tea, Tieguanyin, brown sugar milk tea, jasmine green tea and sesame. I think the Tieguanyin is very well restored, which I also like. Then, the noodle tea that I was most looking forward to may feel different because the noodle tea I drank when I was a child was very sweet, but it still has the aroma of noodle tea. I think the others are just average.

Whey protein information:

• Whey protein weight: 40g, 1kg
• Protein content: 21g protein per 40g serving
• Whey protein purchase type: plant protein
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: no additional sugar sesame, no additional sugar almond, no additional sugar coffee, no additional sugar soy milk + calcium, no additional sugar almond + calcium, no additional sugar peanut, peach + fiber, oat milk + calcium, matcha milk, classic milk tea, Taiwanese noodle tea, sugar-free milk tea, black tea soy milk, Taiwanese sesame, brown sugar milk tea, Yuanyang milk tea, caramel macchiato, jasmine green tea, no additional sugar soy milk

9. RED BULL

My drinking experience:

The reason why I noticed this whey is that I ran out of whey once. It takes time to buy it online, and Costco is a bit far from home, so I went to the PX Mart near my home and found that there was only this Red Bull whey, and it was not expensive. I bought it for 899 yuan at that time.
When I saw it in PX Mart, they had pearl milk tea flavor and cocoa flavor. So I bought the pearl milk tea flavor to try it and found it was really delicious and could be considered one of the top milk tea flavors. Later, I went to Shopee and bought their carry-on bags, and I also thought their Mandheling and honey milk tea were good. Mandheling is very similar to Coffee Plaza, and the honey milk tea is very sweet but has a good aroma.

Whey protein information:

• Whey protein weight: 35g, 500g, 907g for carry-on pack
• Protein content: 28g protein per 35g serving
• Types of whey protein to buy: concentrated whey protein (the official website also has concentrated whey and plant-based protein available for purchase)
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: Cocoa, Taro Olay, Mandheling, Matcha, Pearl Milk Tea, Lactic Acid, Original, Peanut Chocolate, Honey Milk, Oolong Milk Tea, Rich Cocoa, Action Triple Effect, Unsweetened Coffee Latte, Unsweetened English Milk Tea, Unsweetened Dark Chocolate

10. ALL IN

My drinking experience:

I noticed this pack of whey because I saw its ad on IG, and I thought its packaging design was pretty nice, so I thought I'd give it a try as I'd never had it before. At that time, when I went to their official website, the concentrated whey was sold out, so I drank the isolated whey protein, which was a little more expensive. I saw on the official website that their concentrated whey was $40, so it wasn't expensive. I bought Thai milk tea, milk tea, and honey milk. I think the Thai milk tea and honey milk are a bit too sweet and I don't recommend them. But I quite like the milk tea because it has the flavor of Assam milk tea. They have many other flavors, so I also went online to read other netizens' posts. The lactic acid flavor is also quite refreshing to drink with ice in the summer, and I recommend it. You can try it.

Whey protein information:

• Whey protein weight: 35g, 1kg
• Protein content: 28g protein per 35g serving
• Types of whey protein to buy: isolated whey protein (concentrated whey and hydrolyzed whey are also available on the official website)
• Origin: Taiwan
• Whey protein flavors: taro milk, peanut sesame, milk tea, chocolate, matcha, lactic acid, strawberry milk, malt milk, white peach oolong, sesame milk, unflavored, caramel sea salt, winter melon lemon, honey milk, sugar-free milk tea, mocha cocoa, Thai milk tea, noodle tea, red bean milk, black tea milk, purple sweet potato taro milk, nut cocoa, ice cream black tea

Common Myths About Whey Protein

1. Will drinking whey protein cause baldness?

A: Drinking whey protein will not directly affect your baldness. The cause of your baldness is more related to your genes or some daily living habits.

2. When is the best time to drink whey protein?

A: In fact, the effect of whey protein will not make much difference if you drink it at any time. What if you really don’t know when to drink it? You can replenish it after training, or make a cup to drink before training when you don’t have time to buy anything. If you are very busy and don’t have time, you can just find your free time to replenish it.

3. Can whey protein be soaked in hot water? Like Ovaltine

In fact, whey protein can be consumed hot, but not at a temperature above 80 degrees, as it will destroy the structure of the nutrients in the whey.

4.How much whey protein should I drink a day?

A: Actually, there is no formula for how much whey protein to drink per day, but I can give you a simple idea:
(i) If you want to lose fat, you need to consume more than 2 times your body weight in protein on that day. (ii) If you want to gain muscle, it is about 1.8 to 2.2 times. (iii) If you are just worried that you will lose muscle due to insufficient protein and want to maintain your current body shape, it is about 1.5 to 1.8 times. Based on the above three points, you can know how much protein you need to consume every day. Then, according to your usual diet, you can take extra whey protein. The food you eat in daily life also contains protein, but most of the food served in Taiwan is carbohydrates, so you still need whey protein as an additional supplement.

5. How much water do I need to soak whey protein once?

A: This is one of the most common questions I have seen on the Internet. In fact, this has a lot to do with personal habits. It is exactly the same as when you make Ovaltine or Milo. Some people like to drink it lighter, so they add more water. Some people like to drink it stronger, so they may add less water. For me, a 35g whey bag is about 350cc of water, which is the normal sweetness. According to the different sweetness of each brand, some require more water, and some require less water. So this is very flexible, and readers can add the amount of water according to their preferences.

Summary of ten whey proteins

In fact, I think all 10 flavors have their own delicious tastes, and each one is worth trying to find the flavor that suits you best. This article is entirely about the editor’s personal taste, and it does not necessarily represent your taste. In fact, you still have to try it yourself to know. This article is to pick out a few flavors that the editor likes and then recommend them to readers. Although the price of each brand is different, the price of each lesson of protein is also different, but the editor believes that as long as you find a brand that suits you best and your favorite, and persist in the habit of supplementing protein, it is a good choice! The above protein content is calculated based on the calorie table indicated on the official website of each brand, and the protein content of each brand is different. The price per gram is calculated by inputting the parameters one by one based on the protein content per gram indicated in front of them. It is for reference only.

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