Best Vegan Weight Gainer Supplements to Quit Being Skinny
Health and nutrition is a very subjective matter. For some, leaning down is a dreaded task while others may have a hard time putting on weight (check complete blueprint to gaining weight as a vegan). It’s all about how you want to see yourself.
Your body adapts to the foods you choose to eat and the exercises you incorporate in your daily routine. ‘Hardgainers’ might not necessarily agree with me on this, however. For them, it’s often more like “I’m eating everything in sight, I eat till I feel like puking even, but I just can’t seem to add on weight.” Well, as surprising as it may sound to some, this is indeed true for a good number of people.
If you happen to be a hardgainer and have been looking for a way to fix your skinny stature, you must have stumbled across the terms ‘calories’ and ‘macros’. Calories are essentially a measure of energy you get from the food you eat. Your body composition heavily depends on the amount of calories you end up eating over a set period of time.
Essentially, if you aren’t putting on any weight, you aren’t eating enough calories to support your desired growth; period. And weight gainers were made to solve this exact problem.
A vegan mass gainer is nothing but a balanced blend of easily ingestible concentrated calories. Say if for some reason, you just aren’t able to eat past your maintenance calories, adding a serving of a vegan weight gainer shake to your existing diet will easily ‘slingshot’ your daily caloric intake past your TDEE and put you in a caloric surplus that is essential for any form of weight gain (bear with me, for now*). While it might sound enticing and really convenient at first, it’s easy to get carried away and end up putting on a lot of fluff.
If you’re looking to put on healthy weight with help of a vegan weight gainer, I’d recommend you first learn the basics of caloric manipulation to influence your body composition. *My detailed guide to tailoring your own vegan bodybuilding meal plan should be a good starting point.
What is a Weight Gainer?
A weight gainer is a supplement that provides you with a balanced blend of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats. It is a high-calorie protein powder that increases your daily calorie intake. It may even be viewed as an independent meal that you can drink at your own convenience despite not having the appetite or time to get in a meal.
A weight gainer / mass gainer supplement is best suited to ectomorphs that have a skinny body structure and find it hard to eat enough to put on any significant amount of weight. We have put together a dedicated guide for plant based ectomorphs that are finding it hard to gain muscle.
What Do Vegan Mass Gainers do?
A mass gainer can be labelled ‘vegan’ when all the nutrients it contains are sourced from plants. A vegan mass gainer, just like its standard counterpart, helps you amp up your caloric intake, thereby putting you in a caloric surplus. Depending on the brand, a single scoop of a vegan mass gainer taken in water can lend you 700 – 1200 calories.
If consumed consistently while following a structured weightlifting program, a vegan mass gainer may help in putting on muscles in stubborn “hardgainers”.
While you may see convincing results with just adding a mass gainer to your plant-based diet; you might want to have every edge that you can possibly squeeze in once you actually start seeing results. The ones that are science-backed and have proven their worth time and time after, are BCAA supplements and creatine.
While BCAAs ensure compensating for the lack of muscle-building amino acids in a typical vegan diet; creatine helps in faster recovery. Both, vegan BCAAs and vegan creatine supplements are worthy tools in any plant-based athlete’s arsenal.
Are Supplements Really Necessary?
No. Everybody works differently and has different needs. You’ll find people that are able to maintain a healthy body weight and gain muscles or lose fat without any using any supplement whatsoever. But, they are all always willing to compensate for it through their natural diet.
The math is really simple. Say if you need to eat 3000 calories to be in a 500 calorie surplus and you find it convenient to eat all your calories with a balanced macro profile from whole foods, there’s absolutely no need to even think of supplements.
But if your work restricts you to eat those many meals throughout the day or you simply don’t happen to have the appetite, fetching a little hand from a supplement is no big deal.
Best Vegan Mass Gainers (Dairy Free)
✅ Complex carbohydrates are gluten-free and come from organic tapioca
Calories : 1230 kcal
Protein : 50g
Fat : 4g
Sugar : 24g
✅ Leaner carbohydrate to protein ratio
Calories: 720 kcal
Protein : 24g
Fat: 8g
Sugar : 1g
✅ Contains enzymes to enhance performance
Calories: 120 kcal
Protein : 21g
Fat : 3g
Sugar : 0g
It’s a terrible task to push yourself to eat more in order to achieve that calorie intake goal. It would be a whole lot easier to down a drink vegan weight gain shake rather than to chew extra food. And, mass gainer supplement works wonders for people who face much more difficulties to gain muscle. So, here’s the list of Best Vegan Mass Gainers to help you choose which one would be the best for you.
1. Naked Vegan Mass – Natural Vegan Weight Gainer
As a busy vegan with a limited appetite, I found that incorporating this gainer shake into my daily routine was a convenient way to supplement my diet and ensure that I was getting the nutrients I needed.
- Each serving is fortified with 10.3 grams of BCAAs
- Complex carbohydrates are gluten-free and come from organic tapioca
- No wheat-based carbohydrates
- GMO free, Gluten free, Soy free and Dairy free composition
- Corresponding to the recommended serving size of 4 scoops, one box only lasts for 11 servings
The combination of complete plant-based protein and complex carbohydrates provided me with the necessary nutrients required for muscle growth and weight gain, while also boosting my energy and performance during intense workout sessions.
Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this protein powder was available during black Friday sale for vegan protein, which made it even more accessible and affordable. From my own experience with this product, I can confidently say that the Naked Vegan Mass Gainer is an excellent option for ectomorph vegans or anyone looking to add mass to their frames.
| Nutrition Per Serving | 4 scoops (315g) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 1230 kcal |
| Protein | 50g |
| Fat | 4g |
| Sugar | 24g |
2. IronVegan – Plant-based Mass Gainer
Drawing from my experience, I can attest that the Iron Vegan Athlete’s Gainer is a top-quality plant-based mass gainer to support your fitness goals.
This mass gainer is derived from fermented pea protein isolate and organic brown rice protein concentrate, that help me promote muscle growth without any unwanted side effects.
- Convenient 720 calories per serving
- Leaner carbohydrate to protein ratio
- Non GMO, gluten free, soy free and dairy free composition
- Goes really well as smoothies or post workout thick shakes
- Rich in micronutrients like iron, calcium and potassium
- Some users have complained about the taste not being very likeable.
Additionally, the blend includes a range of plant-based ingredients, such as fruit concentrates, organic greens, organic sea vegetables, and sprouted whole grains, all of which provide essential micronutrients to support overall health. Drawing from my own experience with this product, I can confidently say that it’s a top choice for mesomorphs and anyone looking to bulk up while maintaining a healthy and sustainable diet.
| Nutrition Per Serving | 2 scoops (190g) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 720 kcal |
| Protein | 24g |
| Fat | 8g |
| Sugar | 1g |
3. PlantFusion Vegan Protein Powder
When our team tried this product, we were impressed with its use of pea protein isolate and digestive enzymes, which helped us power through our workouts and see results.
It provided us with all the essential amino acids since it is packed with proteins such as pea, artichokes, algae, and organic superfoods all of which are hand selected.
- Contains enzymes to enhance performance
- Gluten-free product
- Has a great taste
- Does not cause bloating or gas
- Powder may not blend well
However, we did notice that the serving size is quite small, with four scoops needed to make one serving, and the taste was not the most enjoyable, with a sludgy consistency. Despite these minor drawbacks, we would still recommend the Plantfusion plant based gainer as a solid option for vegan weight gain.
| Nutrition Per Serving | 1 scoops (30g) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 120 kcal |
| Protein | 21g |
| Fat | 3g |
| Sugar | 0g |
4. ProMix Nutrition Vegan Protein Powder
According to research by our team, the Promix Vegan Protein Powder is a smart choice for anyone looking to build lean muscle mass and support muscle recovery after an intense workout.
We appreciate that this vegan mass gainer is free of artificial sweeteners and overwhelming flavors, making it a simple mix of just three ingredients.
- A serving gives you 25 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and 5.3 grams of BCAAs
- Fortified with non-GMO 200% DV of vitamin B12
- Made from three simple and organic ingredients
- Does not include any artificial flavors or sweeteners
- Not as convenient as blending a vegan gainer powder straight out of the jar
The powder is fortified with 200% DV of B12 which is especially important for vegans since the average vegan diet is deficient in B12. At a serving size of 2 scoops or 29 grams, the Promix Vegan Protein Powder provides 25 grams of protein, 5.3 grams of BCAAs, and negligible carbs and fats.
This allowed us to easily customize our shakes and smoothies to meet our specific calorie intake goals, dietary restrictions, and personal preferences. We appreciate that the product is tested and approved by an independent third party, ensuring that it conforms to high industry standards.
| Nutrition Per Serving | 2 scoops (29g) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 115 kcal |
| Protein | 25g |
| Fat | 1.5g |
| Sugar | 0g |
5. Truvani Plant-Based Protein Powder
We have found from using this product that Truvani protein powder is not only delicious, but also provides great results when it comes to building and maintaining lean muscle mass.
- Non-gmo, dairy, and gluten free
- Certified Organic Protein Powder
- Supports Healthy Immune system
- A bit pricey
We were impressed with how the organic ingredients, including pea protein concentrate, alkalized cocoa, chia seed protein extract, and pumpkin seed protein concentrate, all work together to provide a rich and satisfying flavor. Moreover, this Truvani protein powder is USDA certified, giving us the peace of mind that it is safe to consume.
| Nutrition Per Serving | 1 scoops (33 g) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 130 kcal |
| Protein | 20g |
| Fat | 3g |
| Sugar | 2g |
How to Choose a Vegan Mass Gainer
Since everybody works differently, you have to know that all the vegan mass gainers available in the market won’t work the same for you. Some can take a long time to practically get your body into that surplus, or some will work faster than you think! However, there lie some vital things which you have to keep in mind before buying any vegan mass gainer.
1. Ingredients
While a large part of the vegan lifestyle may include reading the labels on consumable products in order to know its constituents to make an informed decision about the same, it applies especially to the purchase of vegan protein powders – and more so in terms of weight gainers.
Once you read the labels and get to know the ingredients in your prospective weight gainers, you can avoid those which have substances you might be allergic to or which can be potentially harmful. And since nutritional information is especially important for vegans and has to be fully informative in terms of all its constituent macro and micronutrients, the observation of ingredients in plant-based weight gainers is a must.
2. Taste
The taste of protein powders is often a dealbreaker for most people – and for good reason, too. Protein powders can often be off-putting in terms of taste – whether too chalky or too sweet, people cannot get used to the taste in many cases.
This can be avoided by experimenting with different vegan weight gainers and trying out their flavor variants to figure out which one tastes the best to you – especially since you’re going to be consuming it quite frequently.
3. Brand
Some brands have made quite the name for themselves in terms of the vegan weight gainer niche. It is pertinent to choose a brand that is not only popular but has been trustworthy and transparent about its ingredients to its consumers. While there may be a fewer number of vegan weight gainers in the market currently, it is still important to choose a renowned brand.
4. Calorie Content
While this factor depends mostly on your own body metabolism and body type, it is still important to get a vegan weight gainer that is high in terms of calorie content.
In terms of gaining weight, your intake of calories should be much higher than how many you’re burning – which is why, if you have a fast metabolism, then you should consider getting weight gainers with more than 500 calories per serving. Likewise, if you tend to gain weight quickly owing to slow metabolism, then your calorie count should be slightly lower.
5. Price
While you should always look for quality over quantity in terms of your vegan weight gainer, you cannot neglect the pricing of your prospective protein powder.
It is important to do your research in terms of the cost per serving – and while balancing the quantity of the protein powder along with its price, you can find the perfect middle ground where you don’t have to compromise on your expenses or the quality.
When Should You Take the Weight Gainer?
Many fitness trainers suggest that mass gainer shakes taken after a workout is highly beneficial to provide your body with the energy it needs to repair the muscles.
According to them, it works to relieve the tension and fatigue you get from an intense workout routine. Also, you are more likely to feel less tired the next day. However, you should definitely follow the instructions written on the products.
Side Effects of Weight Gainers
One should be aware of all the potential side effects of a mass gainer before making an investment. Generally, most of them have mild side effects. Your body can react to a specific ingredient and grow some allergic reactions. As the mass gainers contain a high level of calorie, your body can gain excessive fat.
It depends mostly on your body type and metabolism. But if you don’t do the appropriate workouts, your body would not be able to cut the fat content and eventually you will get unwanted fats. Some people suffer from low metabolism that causes quick fat gain. Also, you can suffer from gas and bloating occasionally. The extreme amount of protein can contribute to liver damage.
Conclusion
Vegan weight gainers are specially made to help you maintain a healthy weight or to build up your size and muscle. There are a ton of options to choose from. But, they can do harm instead of good if taken without researching all the above-mentioned factors.
And you can’t ignore the instructions at any cost which indicate how much portion to consume and when to consume. Plus, you have to go through a fixed workout routine in order to burn the extra calories you’re taking through a mass gainer. So, keep all these factors in mind and pick one that will not only supply your body with calories but will also give you essential nutrients.
