The Best Clear Protein Powders to Skip the Milky Sludge

Everyone’s tracking their protein these days, and while we fully endorse protein powders, we’d like to introduce you to the best clear protein powders.

Clear protein powder is still made from whey protein, but it’s an isolate that’s been filtered to remove most fats, carbs, and lactose. Instead of the usual creamy blend, it mixes up like a sports drink that is light, fruity, and free of any milky or mouth-coating texture. Some formulas throw in extras like electrolytes or BCAAs, but the main appeal is how drinkable they are, especially when it’s hot or you’re already full. (If you want to make them even better, serve them over ice.)

But even if you can chug it fast doesn’t mean you’ll want to. I tested out every clear whey protein powder I could get my hands on and put them to a taste test. Here are my top picks, ranked based on flavor and texture.

The Best Clear Protein Powders, According to GQ

• The Best Clear Protein Powder Overall: Gramms, $55
• The Most Fun Clear Protein Powder: Oath, $35
• The Easiest to Drink Clear Protein Powder: Animal Clear, $42
• The Best Affordable Clear Protein Powder: Seeq, $49
• The Best Clear Protein Powder Sweetened with Cane Sugar: Ascent, $38
• The Best Pre-Mixed Clear Protein Powder: Protein2O, $24
• The Clear Protein Powder with the Best Flavors: MyProtein, $30

The Best Clear Protein Powder Overall: Gramms

The lemonade flavor from Gramms ruined me, in the best way. It’s tart, zippy, and tastes like someone hand-squeezed a lemon five minutes ago and poured it over crushed ice. It’s shockingly clean, with none of the fake-sweet tang that plagues almost every other brand I tried.

The peach tea flavor, on the other hand, was a bit more of an acquired taste. A little too strong when mixed according to the package, but way more drinkable once I diluted it. Still, it was unique enough to stand out, and I appreciate that they’re experimenting beyond the usual watermelon-blue razz lineup.

Gramms is also non-GMO and lactose-free, which is great if you’re picky about ingredients, but you’ll pay for it: It’s the most expensive powder on this list by a pretty wide margin. If it added a couple more flavors that hit like the lemonade does (and ditched their “stronger, not bulkier” tag line), it’d be hard to beat.

The Most Fun Clear Protein Powder: Oath

Oath’s lineup of clear protein flavors makes me want to spike my shaker bottle with a dash of alcohol and watch the sunset somewhere tropical. (The coconut colada is enough to instantly transport you to Puerto Rico.) You can taste the artificial sweetener in there, sure, but it’s balanced and feels on-theme. Unlike some others I tested, it doesn’t leave that weird chalky dryness behind—it drinks more like water and the finish is super clean and smooth. Not every flavor was a winner (the kiwi strawberry was just fine) but the real draw here is variety: Oath’s lineup is expansive and creative. It’s the one I kept reaching for, even on non-lifting days, which says a lot. No weird aftertaste, solid protein count, refreshing, and actually fun to drink.

The Easiest to Drink Clear Protein Powder: Animal Clear

The branding from Animal Clear definitely leans gym-rat, but don’t let that scare you off. This clear whey protein was one of the easiest to drink, with a flavor profile that was lighter and less aggressively sweet than most of the others I tried. It also left the least amount of aftertaste or chalky mouth feel, which made it way more appealing to sip after a workout. But keep in mind that it does use sucralose, an artificial sweetener, if that type of thing matters to you.

Watermelon limeade was by far my favorite—light and refreshing—while blueberry acai was a bit too full-boded and muddled by comparison. One thing I appreciated: unlike most clear proteins that foam up like a bubble bath, this one includes an anti-foaming agent, so it’s ready to drink as soon as you shake it. It also has five grams of BCAAs added, which boosts the recovery effects by aiding with muscle repair.

The Best Affordable Clear Protein Powder: Seeq

Seeq is sneaky good for the price. You get slightly more protein per serving than most of the others on this list (22 grams instead of the standard 20), and it’s noticeably cheaper, especially if you’re burning through a tub a week. The flavors I tried (strawberry lemonade and watermelon wave) were both decent, if a little sweet. I ended up diluting them with more water than the label suggested, which helped mellow things out. They don’t taste super natural, but they’re more like a sweet, sugary sports drink (without the added sugar), which is great if you’re trying to kick a Gatorade habit. The 4.5 grams of BCAAs is a nice touch to help build muscle and reduce soreness, and you don’t even need to pay extra for it.

The Best Clear Protein Powder Sweetened with Cane Sugar: Ascent

Ascent goes a slightly different route from most clear protein powders: It’s sweetened with a mix of organic cane sugar and stevia, which gives it a more natural-tasting sweetness. At two grams of sugar per serving, it’s still low-sugar, but the difference is noticeable than those that rely on artificial products. It doesn’t have that fake-sweet edge that a lot of other powders do.