Kate Farms

Editor's note, Aug. 11, 2022: Kate Farms parent company Lyons Magnus voluntarily recalled some of its pediatric, standard beverages and nutrition shakes. See the details of the recall.

Kate Farms uses organic yellow pea protein in its plant-based shakes that are free of gluten, soy, dairy and artificial sweeteners. I loved how creamy and delicious these protein shakes were. They're higher in calories (330 calories), which isn't a problem since it's considered a meal replacement beverage, not just a protein shake. This product almost made the best list, but it fell short in one important area: It only has 16 grams of protein per serving compared to the other plant-based brands, which have at least 20 grams of protein. If Kate Farms reworked its formula to include 20 grams or more of protein, it would've easily made the best list. 

Orgain Organic Nutrition Shake

I'm familiar with Orgain's plant-based protein powders because I've had them in the past. I had never tried its shakes before, and they fell short for me. I really wanted to like them, but they had an aftertaste that their powders normally don't have, and even the creamy chocolate fudge flavor (that I usually like) didn't taste the same to me. If it were up to me, I'd stick to Orgain in powder form and mix it with my dairy-free milk of choice as I normally do. 

Iconic Life Protein Drink

This whey-based protein shake was not a hit for me as I could not get past the artificial taste. I often enjoy vanilla flavors, but I was not a fan of this version of vanilla protein. The chocolate flavor was slightly better, but ultimately the mix of sweeteners was not the right fit for me.