by Answer: sometimes, it depends on the ingredients. Protein powders are made up of many different protein bases. Some of these bases are vegan, others are not. The most frequent base in commercial protein powders is whey. Whey is not vegan. But many other bases are vegan. Below is a breakdown of the top 5 protein powder bases.
- Whey protein: not vegan. Whey is dairy based. Any protein powder that contains whey is not vegan.
- Soy protein: generally vegan.
- Pea protein: generally vegan.
- Hemp protein: generally vegan.
- Rice protein: generally vegan.
- Chia protein: probably vegan.
For all protein powders, watch out for non vegan based additives or mixes with other protein sources. Be especially wary of chia protein powders as they are typically mixed with whey.
