Transparent Labs

Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate

Transparent Labs Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate

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TL;DR: Clean, third-party tested, easy digestion; but premium price.

Overall

#3 in

Protein Powder

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Sentiment score96% positive
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Last updated: May 20, 2026

Reddit Reviews

Reddit Iconahcook23
10 months ago

Pretty much every high quality whey isolate I’ve used has made a good creami. I like Legion Athletics, RAW Nutrition and Transparent Labs for an assortment of flavors

10 months ago

Legion Athletics, RAW Nutrition and Transparent Labs have been my go to’s. They mix well and all have been great for making protein ice cream or mixing in with a matching flavored cream of rice. Haven’t tried baking with them yet but that’s next on the list.

Reddit Iconaminoprojekt
14 days ago

ON Gold Standard wins for the value option, the big bags at Costco are a hard price/gram to beat. If you're not penny-pinching, whey isolates win for me when it comes to keeping my gut a little happier. I've been happy with Transparent Labs as well as Raw Nutrition. Raw wins the flavor game hands down, but it's expensive.

Reddit Iconan0ym0us831
7 months ago

Cookies and cream,chocolate peanut butter, and vanilla are all good flavors for smoothies I really like transparent labs vanilla peanut butter and ascent cookies and cream for smoothies

Reddit IconCharming-Pain-1555
3 months ago

Transparent labs whey protein, milk chocolate. Best protein on the market, just trust me.

Reddit Iconchocolatesmelt
about 1 month ago

> Once they equate for total protein intake source has no impact. This isn’t true. See PDCAAS (and some sample foods) more scores exist online): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_digestibility_corrected_amino_acid_score Unless you mean whey protein A vs whey protein B vs whey protein C, in which case yes, the brand isn’t that important. If you’re talking more generically about arbitrary protein sources (which is what I’m interpreting), not all are the same. Digestibility plays a key role in quality of protein sources for your gain goals. Whey has a PCDAAS score of 1 meaning if you measured a portion size out that included 10g of protein in it, your body would get pretty darn close to the 10g digested for use. So for ON and Ghost whey isolate… it’s the same, what matters more is the other macros they may throw in, flavor, etc. Meanwhile, black beans has a PCDAAS score of 0.75, which means if you measured a portion of black beans out that according to the nutrition information included 10g of protein, your body would *only* be able to capture around 7.5g of that 10g. You’d in fact need to increase your black beans portion to have 13.3g of protein in order to get 10g of protein from it that your body can use. This is important if you use tracker apps to watch protein goals because most all I know of don’t include PCDAAS adjustments. MyFitnessPal will throw all sorts of trash protein in from random things you are that are low digestibility of protein, which may deceive you that you met your protein goals by 10-20 or more grams depending on your diet. It’s adding protein from rice, beans, gluten… all at assuming 1:1 when none of these are that great of protein sources. It gets more complicated because different food sources of protein may provide a complete or incomplete protein. Whey is a complete protein, you’re getting all the amino acids you need for repair and recovery. Black beans mentioned above are an incomplete protein as well, mixing them with things like rice can make it a complete protein, same with collagen sources. Those shakes you buy are complete protein sources. Also animal meats in general are great. But it’s definitely not all is equal. It’s important to know if you’re serious about a strict diet that hits protein goals and optimizes on other macros and total calories.

about 1 month ago

The context assumes people understand protein digestibility. Most people don’t. If you don’t state it, it’s not a reasonable assumption. Those studies tend to use highly digestible protein. They’re not counting 1g/lb based on pea protein. They’re using whey. They’re using chicken breast. The source matters. Op is asking about non-animal protein. That means the context being unstated is even more important.

about 1 month ago

The protein powder you go with should be the one you enjoy the most, works well with your digestive system, and meets any dietary restrictions you may want/need. Isolate can be good if you’re serious about your diet and just want a strong protein supplement source without other bits. Can also help with digestive issues with things like lactose intolerance. Plant based proteins can be but you need to make sure it’s a complete protein source and check the PCDAAS source. Say you decide on a pea protein isolate source. You’re only getting around 90% of the listed value so if you were to use it to meet say 100g of protein per day, you’d actually be getting closer to 90g. So consider that in conjunction with your choice. Sometimes rice protein is mixed with pea protein to be a complete source. With whey you can’t go wrong if you don’t have issues digesting it, that’s the reason it’s so popular, you can go on autopilot without thinking. For brands… whatever meets your budget and has good macros for you. Transparent labs is good stuff but pricey. I use ON Gold because it’s at Costco on sale all the time (right now, in fact) so I get it at a great price and can stock up for a year or so. Plus I love the taste and am not too concerned about the artificial sweeteners.

Reddit IconDPax_23
5 months ago

Transparent Labs Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate. No flavor.

5 months ago

I've gone through all the protein shakes. They don't really cut it in terms of 3rd party testing, heavy metals etc. Vegan protein powders have similar weaknesses, aren't great for digestion for many people, and deliver less protein per calorie. I try to make sure I have proteins in lunch and dinner specifically. That tends to be chicken dominant with fish a close second, but also includes beef and lamb less often. I keep jerky around for some snack top ups but I use that less and less. Protein rich soups, dinner leftovers, tuna, etc make up a lot of my lunches. After I work out or on days I don't lift then after I run (so every day), I have a whey isolate and creatine shake in unsweetened almond milk. I use Transparent Labs whey isolate and Thorne creatine. Before bed I have a second almond milk shake with Naked casein. That's 5 to 7 days a week depending on how much protein I've had that day. I typically land around 150 grams of protein a day give or take. I never go below 145 but I sometimes end up as high as 165. I weigh about 145 lbs but fluctuate up a couple here and there and I'm actively working on gaining lean mass. I load up on fruit out of preference so my meal deliberateness and shake practice has landed me in a really healthy spot and, this may sound out there for people in the weight loss phase, but I need more calories not less. I'm titrating down to stimulate more calorie intake alongside regular excersize doing that on its own.

2 months ago

Unflavored Transparent Labs grass-fed whey isolate and almond milk. For occasional overnight protein, unflavored Naked casein. More like a pudding than a shake. A little Greek yogurt, honey, and almond milk.

about 1 month ago

Transparent grass fed whey isolate and almond milk.

3 months ago

I use unflavored and drink it in almond milk usually. Sometimes in coffee. I've grown to like the taste. So far I've liked transparent labs the most but any brand with 3rd party heavy metals testing should be fine. They aren't making space shuttles. Processed protein is processed protein.

Reddit IconEven-Essay8561
about 1 month ago

Transparent Labs Chocolate is my favorite, mixes well, tastes good and is a clean few ingredient mix.

Reddit Iconfenuxjde
11 months ago

Second transparent labs. No emulsifiers, no artificial sweeteners, dyes, etc. I have tolerated it extremely well and made significant gains while using it

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