Nutricost Whey Protein Concentrate Powder (Unflavored) 5 LB

I don't eat meat, and after reading about protein requirements, I used the article's calculator and was mortified to see I was struggling to get a paltry 30 grams/day. (Yikes. That's about what an 80-lb woman needs.) I know whey is a quality source of protein, and I'd only used flavored powders in the past, and found them to be sickeningly sweet. So I thought I'd check out unflavored. Nutricost is a good brand, and reviews were good so I decided to try it, and ordered the 2-lb canister. Was I pleasantly surprised! I got it mainly for smoothies and shakes. Since I eat a lot of protein-rich dairy, this works beautifully. There's no flavor or grainy texture in my berry smoothie. (I must say, though, that I use a blender, so I don't know about shaking alone.) The smoothie is thicker, but, again, no change in taste. I used the full scoop, too, which is about ⅓ cup. That's a lot, so it really bumped up my smoothie protein from 11 to 36 grams. Very helpful. I also add it to chocolate milk, but for that I use 3 TBSP. One tablespoon of the powder has about 4½ grams of protein, so 3 TBSP gives me an extra 13 or so grams, and that's a total of about 21 for the chocolate milk. I've also used it in soup. For this, I like the Tomato-Roasted Red Pepper soups that come in 32-oz tetrapaks. Here, I only use 2 TBSP of the protein powder because this soup already has 3-5 grams protein per 8 oz, depending on brand, and adding the powder bumps it up to around 12-14. I add about half of the 8 oz of soup that I plan to eat to a bowl, then stir in the powder, which mixes very easily. Then I add the remainder of the soup and microwave it for the desired amount of time. (If you do it stovetop, do the same thing in a pan before heating it.) Then I add garlic powder, black pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Very tasty! The trick is to mix in the powder *before* heating it. Just consider what happens to egg whites, which are all protein, when exposed to heat. They solidify. Which is great for eating eggs, but a solid glop isn't what you want when you're using powder. I haven't used this on oatmeal, though you could, because I don't want to adulterate everything, and I already eat oatmeal that has 12 grams of protein. Same with coffee, because I already use collagen peptides for that. Being able to add this to smoothies and shakes is just what I wanted so I'm very pleased at the product and the versatility of being able to use the full scoop or just a TBSP here and there. This product was not available locally in stores, so I'm grateful to have found it here on Amazon. Now that I know I like it, I'll buy the economical 5-lb canister next time! **UPDATE:** I ordered the 5-lb canister as I said I would, and I'm discovering more ways to use this. First of all, I began using a shaker bottle (didn't even need the ball) for my simple shakes, and the powder dissolves beautifully. For smoothies with bananas, assorted fruits, etc., I continue to use a blender. I have to say, though I understand the eagerness of people to increase their protein intake, you have to be reasonable. For example, adding ⅓ of a cup of powder to soup, usually 8-10 oz, is unrealistic. Of *course* that'll be a gloppy mess! Try using one or two tablespoons first, and be happy if you even found only one variety of soup that's palatable. As I mentioned above, this is pure protein, like egg whites, and *cannot* be added to hot liquids without tempering. It's unrealistic to expect this to be equally palatable in everything. And there's also no reason to use the full serving (⅓ cup) in everything. The beauty of this product is its versatility in being to add even a little to bump up the protein. Unless I'm making smoothies, I use less. Along with the provided ⅓ cup scoop, I placed a ⅛ cup (2 TBSP) scoop right in the canister. Also, only the brave should be putting this in coffee lol. I use collagen peptides for that because, being hydrolyzed, it mixes perfectly with no taste or textural change. Greek yogurt, BTW, is perfect for this protein powder. I mix 2 TBSP in a 5.3 oz container with a popsicle stick or plastic knife, and it's delicious. Even here though, some flavors are better than others; try them out. Another way I've discovered is to make a simple, quick shake using only *half* of your favorite 30-gram prepared protein drink (I like Premier), add 8 oz milk, and ⅛ cup (2 TBSP) of the protein powder. The prepared drinks are expensive, so using only half makes it more economical while still delivering 15 grams of protein for that alone. This, too, mixes thoroughly in a shaker cup. You can also add some powdered peanut butter. Or add a banana and use a blender. One thing to remember is that milk (DAIRY) remains one of the best delivery "vehicles" for protein powder. It's not only loaded with macro and micronutrients on its own, but *regardless of its fat content* (I drink nonfat), real milk provides one gram of quality protein per ounce. That's hard to beat! One reviewer was disenchanted because Nutricost doesn't include the amino acid profile on the label. Don't worry about it--but DO notice that on the label it states that one serving gives you 25 grams of protein,*which constitutes 46% of the DV* for that nutrient. U.S. labeling is very stringent (just consider the number of recalls due to incorrect labeling). The manufacturer would NOT be able to make that claim if all essential amino acids were not included. It's not necessary to add to the cost by printing them all on the label. And case in point: the collagen peptides I told you I use in my coffee? If you have any, check the label, or check next time you're in the store (or even online). You'll see 0% or dashes next to the DV for protein. That's because collagen peptides, do NOT contain the essential amino acid, tryptophan. Even though peptides can count towards your protein goal, ON THEIR OWN (i.e., that serving) they're incomplete, so the manufacturer cannot legally claim that it meets ANY standard per serving. To sum up, if a label gives you a percentage DV of protein, you can be sure not only that all essential amino acids are included, but also that the required amount of each one is included. Trust the labeling, and do your homework! And one more thing: The 5-lb canister is huge! I decided to fill my empty 2-lb canister with the powder, and use that daily, so that I can store the 5-lb canister in the back of the cabinet instead of lugging that out daily or keeping that huge thing on the counter. If you don't like to reuse plastic, there are any number of glass jars you can buy that'll hold a week's worth (or whatever) of protein powder. Enjoy!

I like these big jars of Nutricost protein powder because it's a lot of servings in one container. This particular variant is unflavored, and therefore no sucralose in it like the flavored ones have (which I've not only found to be too sweet, I apparently don't tolerate large amounts of sucralose very well, in the GI sense). The protein content is quite good, although if you want to maximize it, you might want to check out their 'Whey Isolate' type instead. Costs a little more but has a higher protein gram count and is supposedly more bio-available. Still, this one is good, too. The jar when I received it was well-sealed and comes with its own measuring scoop, although you may have to dig for it as it may settle during shipping. Speaking of settling though, don't freak when you see the jar isn't completely full. They sell by weight, not volume and I did the weighing—you get the full amount. Overall, it dissolves well, whether stirred by spoon, immersion blender, or specialized shake blender, all of which I've tried. And it really is unflavored—I typically add some ingredients to give it a little, such as maybe 2oz of juice or perhaps cinnamon powder, vanilla extract, and/or baker's cocoa, along with whatever optional sweetener you might like. Or not. It's up to you how you want to dress this up. Even with nothing else added, it's palatable and leaves no grit or anything. It's great stuff and has been a constant companion during my recent fitness efforts.

Great taste! I wanted something to add to smoothies, yogurt, and iced coffee without it adding flavor. That way I can add whatever flavors I am feeling to my coffee through sugar free syrups. Obviously, it is whey protein, so there is a slight “milky” taste. So it isn’t exactly tasteless, it just isn’t flavored. The taste is great though. When I do want flavor, I just add cocoa powder and Splenda and it makes a great chocolate protein powder that way or I use sugar free drink syrups in my coffee. I also use it to make hot cocoa powder and put it in my Greek yogurt for an extra added protein boost without changing the flavor of the yogurt. Good product for the price!

Great unflavored protein powder. One star off because can can be a little hard to get all the clumps out, but it’s not so lumpy that it’s an issue. I’ve had far worse trouble with some more “mainstream” brands. I hate the taste of most protein powders, so I mix this with milk and ovaltine and it’s awesome. Plus, the value for cost is right on point. I use it to fend off cravings for a morning biscuit during my weight loss journey, and it works great. Gives me a solid protein kick to stave off the hunger and curb the cravings. I think it’s awesome.

I’ve been using this in smoothies and it mixes really well. Once I add fruit and a few other ingredients I can barely taste the protein. Great option if you want extra protein without changing the flavor.

Leading up to a surgery, my surgeon wanted me to increase my protein intake so much that it would have caused me to gain weight if I tried to do it all with solid food, so I decided to try whey protein concentrate. I bought 2 lbs. of the chocolate flavor and 2 lbs. of the unflavored powder. I had done a Google search about the unflavored kind, asking if it was flavorless. The answer was no, and it was explained that it tastes like watered down milk, and it was best used in savory foods, or you could mix it with broth, which would be less caloric, so that's what I decided to do. I tried it mixed in chicken broth, and it was so disgusting that, after one sip, I poured it down the drain and threw the entire container of protein in the trash. I am out $36, all because I don't like to ingest things that suck. This would only work for someone with no taste buds whatsoever. The only positive thing I can think of to say is that it did dissolve easily. It also goes in the garbage quite easily. If you make the same mistake I did, hopefully you have money to burn. I could have given it to someone else, but I like my friends and family too much to inflict this on them. The trash is exactly where it belongs.

This is great protein powder for a great price. We have been trying to buy without anything ultrasound-processed, but most of the protein powders are very expensive. I got this one and everyone likes it. It’s not good by itself but I can just flavor it to whatever everyone wants. It makes for a great add to a smoothie or a filling snack.

The product arrived with a safety seal and a freshness seal which is nice to see. The freshness seal was a job in itself to remove. It required my teeth, the handle side of a spoon, strategic peeling and patience. Once open (workout completed...lol) there was a very mild scent somewhat like malt or raw oats but, I'm not really sure because it was unique. The scoop was visible and not buried thankfully. I tasted the powder off of my finger and it had once again a very mild taste somewhat like malt or raw oats. I have not taken protein supplements since my days of body building which have long since passed. Back then I was taking EAS Myoplex and it was then, and is now, extremely expensive. Considering I weighted 268lb when I started lifting again and dropped 38lb over several months, the cost for protein would of been too much for my budget supplement or food wise. The problem was that I was extremely sore and it was taking an extreme amount of time to heal between workouts, so I decided to go back to protein supplements. Daily I make a vegetable and berry smoothie that I put all of my powders and supplements in. So, after putting THIS protein concentrate into that same smoothie, it did change the taste. It made it again taste kind of like a mild malt flavoring which did permeate throughout the mixture and was stronger than expected. It wasn't a bad flavor mind you, but it was definitely not flavorless. I think this taste is typical for whey protein because I did recognize it. I went with the concentrate rather than the isolate because of price and taste. Yes, you get a few less grams of protein per scoop but, I didn't want a chemical taste from the over processing of the isolate. I will try the isolate from this same manufacturer next and compare them. The most important point is that this is an affordable, 3rd party tested, contaminate limit product and is comparable to most of the products produced by this company. No it is not tasteless but, it does not have a bad taste. Considering the amount of eggs (which are comparable pricewise right now) I would have to eat daily this seemed a much more viable option.

Good product

Tastes ok. Mixes well. Nutritional profile is good. Received 2 1/2 years expiry.