I’ve tried a lot of protein powder in my day, and I find it tricky to shop for due to varying serving sizes, amounts of protein per serving, pricing, and ingredients. Lately since I’ve decided to eat plant-based as much as I can, I’ve had to branch out into a new world: the world of vegan protein powders. So I thought I’d help out my fellow vegan protein shoppers by doing a full breakdown comparison of two fairly similar vegan protein powders: Vega Sport vs Garden of Life Sport.
Nutrition
Vega Sport and Garden of Life Sport have similar serving sizes as well as similar amounts of protein per serving, but Vega Sport has a slight edge here.
- Vega Sport: 41g contains 30g protein
- Garden of Life: 44g contains 30g protein
If you’re trying to build muscle, amino acids will be an important deciding factor as you choose a protein supplement, and Vega Sport contains more of each amino acid per serving than Garden of Life. Here’s a visual comparison:
Amino acid profile of Vega Sport (left) and Garden of Life.
Nutrition winner: Vega Sport
Price
At the time I’m writing this, Garden of Life Sport is available on Amazon for $34.62 for a 1 lb. 14 oz. container. That comes out to $0.04/gram. Vega Sport is available for $38.74 for a 1 lb. 13 oz. container, which works out to $0.05/gram. (This price difference mirrors my typical experience at Vitamin Shoppe when I purchase in-store.)
Because both protein powders have the same serving size and the same amount of protein per serving, the edge when it comes to value goes to the protein with the cheaper price per gram: Garden of Life.
Price winner: Garden of Life Sport
Taste and texture
The first vegan protein powder I tried was Vega Sport. Once I ran out, I headed to the store to get more but spotted Garden of Life Sport and tried that. It wasn’t until the GOL ran out and I switched back to Vega that I realized Vega Sport has a WAY better taste. It’s creamier, chocolatier, and less gritty.
Vega Sport (left) and Garden of Life Sport
My notes on texture: I bring my protein powders in a shaker to the gym along with 5g of creatine powder. After my workout, I add water and shake to combine. After mixing, the GOL protein powder develops a gross foamy layer on top, where the Vega Sport doesn’t. GOL is also grittier, and I often would find pieces of stuff (I assume coconut flakes) on my tongue. Kinda nasty.
Taste and texture winner: Vega Sport
Overall winner: Vega Sport
In the battle of Vega Sport vs Garden of Life Sport, I have to give the win to Vega Sport. Even though GOL is a tiny bit cheaper, the nutritional value, taste, and texture of Vega Sport are all better than those of GOL. And when I ran out of both and needed to re-up, I purchased Vega Sport. And them’s the facts!
So now that you know which one’s better, go get you some Vega Sport on Amazon! Here’s a handy shopping link (affiliate).
