What’s in the Tub
Our Amazon link points to the Vanilla in a 1.46 lb tub with 20 servings. One scoop (about 33 grams) has 130 calories, 22 grams of protein, 6 grams of carbs, 5 grams of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, 2.5 grams of fat and 300 mg of sodium. The label also lists vitamin D (50% of the daily value), iron (35%) and smaller amounts of vitamins A, E and K. BCAAs come to about 3.9 grams, including 1.8 grams of leucine.
The protein is organic pea plus sprouted brown rice, backed by a dozen sprouts: amaranth, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, chia, garbanzo, lentil, adzuki, flax, sunflower, pumpkin and sesame, with a pinch of chlorella. Sweetness comes from organic erythritol and stevia, and guar gum adds body. It also carries about 13 digestive enzymes and the probiotic Bacillus subtilis DE111, listed at 250 million CFU at time of expiration. Captain Vegan calls it a farmers market that learned to fit in a scoop.
Allergy heads-up: it contains sesame and is made in a facility that also processes egg, milk, soy, wheat, fish and tree nuts. Its siblings (RAW Protein & Greens, RAW Meal, RAW Fit and Garden of Life Sport) are different products.
Taste and Texture: What Reviewers Say
Here’s the gap: no independent reviewer has published a taste score for the Vanilla. Garage Gym Reviews’ page on the Unflavored version gives it a 3.5 and says reviewers like its “smooth taste,” but it names no tester or date. In a separate review that mostly covers the Sport product, GGR said it also tried RAW Organic and thought it was “decent.”
Customer reviews, which we could see only in search summaries and so treat as unconfirmed, are mixed. Fans like the mild vanilla in smoothies; critics mention grainy or clumpy texture, thickening as it sits and sweetener taste. Because there’s no independent score, our formula gives it a neutral 60% for taste and mixing instead of guessing. Captain Vegan’s advice: drop it into a smoothie from our recipes page and let the blender do the arguing.
Safety and Testing
RAW Organic is NSF Contents Certified, a program that checks label accuracy and screens for contaminants, and NSF Certified Gluten-Free. It is not NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Choice; those belong to the Garden of Life Sport line. Garden of Life says it tests ingredients and finished products for heavy metals.
Consumer Reports did not test RAW Organic in its 2025 protein powder study. It did test a sister product, Garden of Life Sport Organic Plant-Based Protein, which measured 564% of CR’s lead level of concern, with a limit of about one serving a week. It’s a different product, so treat it as brand context only. Think of it as a cousin’s report card, not this kid’s.
There’s older history too. In 2014 and 2015, the group As You Sow served Prop 65 notices alleging lead and cadmium, and the 2015 notice named RAW Organic Protein Powder in all flavors and varieties. Those were allegations; the case settled in 2015 and gave Garden of Life 12 months to reduce lead or add a warning. An undated Clean Label Project study gave the brand’s five tested products 1.8 stars, the third lowest score. Our research turned up no recalls for this product.
How It Scored
RAW Organic scored 70 out of 100 on our formula. Protein quality earned 18 of 25: 7.3 points for 22 grams per serving, 5.5 of 10 for density because 68% of its calories come from protein, and 5 for a multi-source blend. Value scored 18 of 25. Measured by what 20 grams of protein cost at the Amazon price on our Nov 3, 2026 scoring date, it lands in the pricier half of our top 10.
Purity earned 19 of 25, tied with Naked Pea for the best in our top 10: the 15-point baseline plus 4 for NSF Contents Certified. It lost nothing for lead because there’s no current CR result to grade, and the 2015 settlement isn’t part of the score, so weigh that history yourself. Taste and mixing got the neutral rule (12 of 20 for taste, 3 of 5 for mixing, 15 of 25 total) because no independent reviewer has scored the Vanilla. A middling grade for a flavor nobody has graded.
How It Compares
Purely Inspired Organic (No. 3, 70/100) ties it on points and ranks a spot higher. It costs much less per gram of protein and has independent taste scores, but it carries none of the contaminant or sport certifications our formula rewards. Naked Pea (No. 1, 84/100) matches RAW Organic’s purity score with Informed Choice, packs 27 grams per serving and is the cheapest protein per gram in our top 10, though it’s unflavored.
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Plant (No. 5, 69/100) is the closest twin on paper: 24 grams of protein, Informed Choice certification and, like RAW Organic, no independent taste score. It does face an open 2025 Prop 65 lead notice naming its Rich Chocolate Fudge flavor, which is an allegation, not a finding. If seals are your main filter, our clean-label guide rounds up more.