Flavors Tried: Vanilla, Chocolate, No Nut Buttercup
Price: $8.99 for 4 pack ($2.25 per shake)
Nutrition: 230 Calories, 7g Fat, 7g Carbs (7g Fiber, 0g Sugar), 35g Protein
I recently reviewed OWYN protein shakes, and they were actually one of the better protein shakes I’ve ever had. As far as plant-based shakes go, they were definitely the best protein shakes I’ve tried.
Well, I am currently traveling, and I came across the OWYN Pro Elite protein shakes at a local store, so it’s time to give them a try.
The Pro Elite shakes contain 35 grams of protein compared to 20 grams of protein in the regular OWYN shakes, which is extremely impressive for a plant-based protein shake.
For just over 200 calories, containing 35 grams of protein is very impressive. Compare that with the fact that these shakes have 0 grams of sugar and 7 grams of fiber, and I’m… nervous.
Plant-based protein shakes generally follow 2 rules:
- They are lower in protein due to the fact that plant-based protein has a very strong flavor.
- They contain at least a small amount of sugar to offset the Earthy flavor of the protein.
Considering these OWYN Pro Elite shakes don’t follow either of those rules, let’s see if they can taste halfway decent.
Review update: Since I first tried these protein shakes on my road trip, I tried them again and they were way different. The initial shakes I tried were extremely thick, which seems to be a total outlier. So, the review is updated with new photos and my updated experience with these shakes.
OWYN Pro Elite Vanilla
I found myself wishing that the original OWYN shakes were a bit thicker, and these Pro Elite shakes deliver exactly that.
Considering these have more protein than the original OWYN shakes, it makes sense that they be a little bit on the thicker side.
The vanilla flavor is pretty subtle, which is the opposite of how I felt about the regular vanilla shakes. It doesn’t taste Earthy, which is a huge plus, but it also doesn’t have a super strong vanilla flavor, either.
You’re left with a little bit of a filmy mouthfeel after you drink this shake, but there’s no weird aftertaste accompanying it.
All in all, I found this shake to be pretty refreshing, although the flavor itself is very much average.
I wouldn’t know that this was a plant-based protein shake on the taste alone, which is a plus for me, but I do wish there was a tiny bit of sugar in these shakes to elevate the vanilla flavor.
OWYN Pro Elite Chocolate
When I tried this chocolate Pro Elite shake for the first time, it was much darker and very gelatinous… I’m not sure what went wrong, but as you can see from the photo above, that’s not at all the case here. Thank goodness I gave this one another shot.
OWYN uses black cocoa for these protein shakes along with regular cocoa powder. Black cocoa is the cocoa powder you find in Oreo cookies and is more bitter than regular cocoa powder.
Because of this, the flavor ends up being bitter chocolate compared to rich chocolate like the regular OWYN shakes.
Some sugar would definitely help this flavor, but I actually quite enjoyed it.
I love the original OWYN chocolate shake a ton, so this doesn’t quite top it, but considering this shake has 35 grams of protein, it’s an amazing option.
If you like dark chocolate and don’t mind a little bitterness, especially if you’re plant-based, then you may really be into these.
OWYN Pro Elite No Nut Butter Cup
This No Nut Butter Cup shake has me totally baffled.
I absolutely love Reese’s peanut butter cups. If I could only eat one candy for the rest of my life, that would be it.
When I saw that this shake was “buttercup” flavored without containing any actual nuts, I thought there was no way it would actually taste like peanut butter.
Well, consider me extremely impressed (and confused) because this protein shake tastes like peanut butter and chocolate. Somehow.
There’s a slightly bitter aftertaste to this protein shake, which I’ve come to expect from these OWYN protein shakes being plant-based, but it’s not enough to make this unpleasant.
But the flavor truly does taste like chocolate and peanut butter.
I do feel like this flavor is not quite as rich as the others, and it tastes a bit watered down compared to chocolate and vanilla. But since it is thinner, it does actually improve the drinkability a bit, making this one pretty refreshing overall.
OWYN Pro Elite Protein Shakes: Overall Thoughts
Consider me very impressed with OWYN.
If I had to choose a protein shake to drink, I would choose the regular OWYN protein shakes over the Pro Elite shakes, because I was blown away by those flavors.
But, it’s tough to argue with the amazing nutrition facts of these Pro Elite shakes.
With 200 calories, no sugar, and 35 grams of protein, it is easily one of the best plant-based protein shakes you’ll find. Considering the regular shakes contain almost the same number of calories and 20 grams of protein, that makes these very appealing.
If you’re looking for a plant-based protein shake with unbeatable taste, then stick with the regular OWYN protein shakes.
But if you struggle to hit your protein goals on a plant-based diet, these Pro Elite shakes will help get the job done. They still taste great, don’t get me wrong (especially for a plant-based protein shake), but just not quite as great as the regular OWYN shakes.
