Flavors Tried: Vanilla & Chocolate
Price: $9 for 4 shakes at Target ($2.25 each)
Nutrition: 170 Calories, 3g Fat, 3g Carbs (1g Sugar), 30g Protein
I have tried virtually every single Quest product to this point, so it’s surprising for me to realize I haven’t yet reviewed their ready-to-drink protein shakes.
Overall, I really enjoy Quest products. In fact, Quest makes two of my favorite protein snacks of all time with their Hot & Spicy Protein Chips and Cheese Crackers.
But not every product is a slam-dunk. I find that some Quest protein bar flavors are way better than others, and the protein cookies are not mind-blowing.
So, where will Quest protein shakes fall amongst the wide selection of Quest products? We’re about to find out.
Nutritionally, Quest protein shakes are very impressive. They’re very much aligned with Premier Protein Shakes, containing 170 calories and 30 grams of protein.
Many ready-to-drink protein shakes contain around 20 grams of protein, so that extra 10 grams goes a long way.
Quest Chocolate Protein Shake Review
I tend to enjoy chocolate protein shakes more than vanilla, so that’s where I wanted to start.
Upon first sip, it’s clear that this is more in line with average protein shakes, and nowhere near the top-tier shakes like Fairlife.
The shake is smooth and doesn’t leave my mouth with a slimy feeling like a lot of protein shakes tend to do, but it very much tastes like chocolate protein powder.
If you’re expecting this to taste like chocolate milk (like Fairlife was able to accomplish), you’ll be severely disappointed. But even a shake like Premier Protein, which is a step down in flavor, still tastes like quality rich chocolate.
To me, this Quest shake just tastes like chocolate protein powder.
It doesn’t taste bad, and it has great macros, but it doesn’t feel like something I can’t easily throw together on my own with some chocolate protein powder and water or milk.
Quest Vanilla Protein Shake Review
After setting the bar relatively low with the chocolate flavor, I lowered my expectations for the vanilla protein shake, yet I was still met with disappointment.
My expectation was a flavor that resembles vanilla protein powder (Quest’s vanilla protein powder is actually quite good) but this shake tasted extremely artificial to me.
To be honest, I would rather drink Quest protein powder mixed with water than this protein shake. The artificial vanilla flavor just doesn’t satisfy my tastebuds, and I’m left with a bit of an aftertaste because of it.
Much like the chocolate protein shake, this isn’t necessarily bad, but not up to Quest’s typical product standards.
Quest Protein Shakes: Overall Thoughts
The main benefit of these shakes is that you can find them readily available and often on sale. When you can find these protein shakes for around $2 each (which is nearly half the price of many other protein shakes), they can be a very convenient source of protein for busy schedules.
But these flavors will not blow you away. As far as ready-to-drink protein shakes are concerned, the taste is about as average as you can get.
They’re not bad, and I’ll drink the 8 shakes I purchased for this review, but these are not shakes that I look forward to drinking as a refreshing beverage.
These don’t hold a candle to Fairlife shakes, that’s for sure.
