Garden of Life Sport Organic Vegan Protein Powder, Vanilla, 19 Servings

Why it's worth it

Garden of Life Sport packs 30 grams of protein per serving from a four-legume blend, plus over 5 grams of BCAAs, glutamine and probiotics. It's NSF Certified for Sport and USDA Organic, a combination almost nothing else here matches.

If you're drug-tested, this is the strongest package on the list. NSF Certified for Sport plus USDA Organic plus Non-GMO Project Verified is a stack of certifications that costs brands real money to maintain, and it's rare to see all three on one tub. Add 30 grams of protein per serving from peas, navy beans, lentils and garbanzo beans, and you've got a powder that satisfies a compliance officer and a strength coach at the same time.

The extras are more than window dressing. Over 5 grams of BCAAs and 5 grams of glutamine per serving matter when you're training hard and often. There's also 2 billion CFU of probiotics and an organic blend of tart cherry, apple, turmeric, blueberry and goji. Whether the fruit blend moves the needle on recovery is debatable, but the probiotics are a sensible inclusion in a category that gives some people gas.

From our review of 8 vegan protein powders, by Eleanor Vance, Health & Beauty Editor

What we like

• +If you're drug-tested, this is the strongest package on the list
• +The extras are more than window dressing
• +Owners describe the vanilla as mild rather than sweet, with the underlying pea flavor coming through — a lot of people add…
• +One recurring thread in owner feedback is worth flagging up front: some long-time buyers say a reformulation changed the sodium…

What to know

• –Nineteen servings per container at two scoops each means you go through it fast, and it's not a cheap powder to begin with
• –The reformulation complaints center on saltiness and a heavier mouthfeel