7 Pea Protein Powders That Actually Help You Build Muscle

Whey protein has long been the king of protein when it comes to protein powder and protein supplements.

And it's for good reason. Whey protein touts a robust profile of essential amino acids along with great mixability and a neutral taste. And ten years ago, if you were looking to move away from whey-centric protein powders and into a plant-based (or vegan) option, you probably would have struggled to find a protein supplement that provided the right blend of essential amino acids that also didn't taste like grass clippings.

Fortunately, along came pea protein.

If when you think "pea protein," you start thinking about those little green peas paired with carrots often served at your family dinner table, that's not often what protein manufacturers use to make pea protein powder. Instead they turn to yellow, splitpea beans, which are more closely related to the peas used to make split pea soup.

And that makes pea protein powder unique among plant-based protein powders because those yellow split pea beans contains relatively high levels of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). BCAAs are a subgroup of essential amino acids that are preferentially used as fuel by your muscles. Leucine, the amino acid responsible to turning on muscle building in your cells, is one of those BCAAs.

Research on pea protein supplements and muscle-building is still relatively new, but a 2015 study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that taking a pea protein supplement after a workout was just as effective for promoting muscle growth as taking a whey protein supplement.

More recently, another study published in 2020 looked at the effect of whey versus pea protein on muscle damage following a workout designed to elicit maximal muscular damage. The researchers found that whey protein was modestly more effective at minimizing prolonged muscle damage for several days following the workout.

From an amino acid perspective, the Achilles heel of pea protein is the sulfur-containing amino acid methionine. But if you are eating a variety of other proteins during the day you will easily meet your methionine needs; thus the lack of methionine in pea protein is a non-issue for most men.

Pea protein supplements do tend to be less expensive than whey or caesin protein supplements, given that those last two are derived from cow's milk. Except that pea protein supplements can also taste inferior to whey or caesin, carrying a slightly vegetable flavor that might not quite be your thing.

The bottom line: If you are looking for a plant-based alternative to your post-workout protein shake, pea protein is a great option. It is loaded with key amino acids that are integral to muscle building and recovery.

Here are the best pea protein powders for men.