Top Clean Label Vegan Protein Powders
“Clean label” isn’t a marketing halo—it’s a survival trait when almost half of plant powders tested pack heavy-metal surprises. Clean Label Project’s 2024 white paper found 47 percent of products exceeded California Prop 65 limits for lead or cadmium, with plant-based tubs three times worse than whey. *
Consumer Reports echoes the warning: toxic metals plus added sugar and BPA still lurk in top-selling shakes. *
So what does “clean” look like in the real world? Third-party seals and minimalist formulas you can read without a chemistry minor. NSF’s Certified for Sport program screens supplements for 280 banned substances and verifies label claims—your safest shorthand for purity. *
Here are the tubs that pass the lab coat test and still taste like treats.
- Vega Sport Premium Protein: NSF Certified for Sport, 30 g pea-pumpkin protein, 5 g BCAAs, plus tart-cherry powder for recovery. One scoop after training and you dodge heavy metals and doping lists in the same swallow.
- Truvani Plant-Based Protein Powder: Six pronounceable organic ingredients, every batch third-party tested for lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. Monk-fruit sweetened chocolate drinks like brownie batter yet still shows metals below Prop 65 limits posted on the brand’s site.
- Naked Pea Protein: Single-ingredient Canadian yellow-pea isolate, lab results published for heavy metals and glyphosate. Twenty-seven grams protein, zero fillers—add berries if you miss flavor, but purity doesn’t get plainer.
- Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein: USDA Organic, Informed-Choice certified, 22 g sprouted pea-rice protein. Each lot posts a Certificate of Analysis confirming metals below Prop 65 and microbiological limits while probiotics and enzymes keep digestion civil.
- PlantFusion Complete Protein: Pea-artichoke-algae blend, 21 g protein, 100 mg bromelain–alpha-galactosidase complex to pre-digest stubborn carbs. Independent labs verify gluten-free status and undetectable BPA, a nod to Consumer Reports’ plastic warning.
Clean buying checklist: hunt at least one third-party badge (NSF, Informed-Choice, or published COA), scan sugar under 3 g, favor vanilla over chocolate if you want the lowest metal load (Clean Label found cocoa flavors worst offenders). *
If your current tub hides behind flowery copy but no lab receipts, treat it like expired sushi. Swap to one of these proven powders, shake, sip, and know your gains are built on protein—not periodic-table extras.